Stanton C.314

Stanton C.314 DJ Product Review

by Ria on Jun.25, 2009, under DJ Product Reviews

Stanton 3.14 CD player

Nope, that’s not vinyl you’re spinning. But thanks to the C.314, it’ll sure feel like it

When Stanton comes out with a new product, it’s no surprise when DJ critiques and DJs alike instantly rush out to sample and critique their latest DJ equipment only to see if the company has kept up with their tradition of producing marvelous electronics for DJs of all levels. It’s like going to see a Coen brothers movie solely to find out if they’ve produced a flop…just like in the Coen’s case, Stanton designing DJ gear the deejaying community won’t like is seriously close to impossible.

The Stanton 3.14 CD player is no exception (also, check out the C.313 post). No surprise, right? A CD player for MP3 DJs who enjoy scratching as if they were spinning vinyl is definitely going to be a hot commodity, as it has been since first introduced. With its touch sensitive jog wheel that’s large enough to make DJs scratch just like on a traditional all American vinyl turntable, plus seamless looping and sampling to give DJs that extra dose of creativity, the C.314 has left many impressed in terms of much needed features. The C.314 also includes:

Flagship tabletop CD player with touch-sensitive jog wheel for scratching and beat juggling
Full MP3 functionality
Browse files and folders
Control effects via wheel
MP3 player-style file and folder browsing
Vinyl Emulation
7 high-quality beat synchronized BPM FX (Filter, Auto Filter, Echo, Phase, Flanger, Transform, Pan)
Key Lock (aka master tempo)
Multi-purpose jog wheel for scratching, adjusting loops, controlling effects, more.
Adjustable pitch (+/- 8%, 16%, 25%, 100%) and Pitch Bend
Onboard sampling with Pattern Sequencer, plus four trigger buttons and cue memory
Reliable, anti-shock playback (10 sec.) with auto cue and instant playback
Easy-to-read Blue LCD display with visual marker for track position
S/PDIF digital output

The Stanton C.314 features a jog wheel that makes it possible to scratch just like on a turntable

Stanton C314

Stanton clearly had the right idea when they imagined the C.314, and all that was left was beautiful execution. They at least came with everything most DJs need in a CD player, but did all these features work? After reviewing the Stanton C.314, I can definitely say they didn’t cheat DJs out of their dominance. DJs have total control! From the adjustable pitch, to the muli-purpose jog wheel, moving over to the choice of usng eight samples on two decks, and then all the way down to the most basic features, such as volume control, Stanton has proved that DJs have ALL the control.

Take a look at the aesthetics aspect for a moment. The C.314 is definitely not bad looking. Clean bright polishing dominates this CD player, while a nice strip of black is peeking out at the bottom corners. The clear, nicely spaced buttons are screaming: "I’m easy to use! Buy me!", while the crazy large jog wheel is saying, "When you scratch and beat juggle on me, you’ll never wanna go back to traditional vinyl again." (Maybe not 100%. DJs should always go back to turntables some of the time, or else you might get bored with CDJs and CD players).

The hindrances in the Stanton C.314 is the jog wheel, which is big in size, but quite feeble when at first touch. A lot of functions on this CD player can endure abuse…not the jog wheel though. Second, looping and sampling sure aren’t as easy as idioms. They’ll take some getting used to, but since DJs have been seriously disciplined by advancing technology, adjusting to these functions should be easy. And if you’re heavy into scratching, many DJs will recommend Pioneer over Stanton’s CD players any day.

Aside from that, the Stanton C.314 is retailing at $680 and selling for a significantly lower $400 street. Get ‘em while they’re still hot. Modern technology has a way of making everything so damn cold.