Pioneer XDJ-XZ Review - What Can the New Standalone Controller Flagship Do?
Pioneer DJ combines in its new flagship controller XDJ-XZ the look, workflow, and features of the CDJ-2000, DDJ-1000, and DJM-900 NXS2 under the roof of a compact standalone DJ controller tailored to rekordbox DJ.
A firmware upgrade will soon establish compatibility with Serato DJ Pro. The DJ controller plays tracks stored on USB sticks, external hard drives, or laptops, and optionally managed in rekordbox.
But it also works without these sources, for example, when using externalplayback devices like CDJs or turntables. In short, a versatile offering something new as well? Find out here in our review.
A Controller's Struggle
Pioneer DJ devices are seen in every club. DJs swear by the Nexus2 generation of the CDJ-2000 and DJM-900, but even the PLX-1000 has replaced many retired turntables. DJ controllers, on the other hand, struggle to establish themselves in the professional segment. The choice is simply too wide, every DJ is looking for something different, so there's little uptake from rental companies to include them in their portfolio.
Actually a pity, because they offer and can do all that their big club counterparts can, and often at a fraction of the price!
The Exterior First
When you first stand in front of the controller, you're certainly surprised. This thing is huge!
Imagine sticking two CDJ-2000s and a DJM-900 mixer together and then adding a bit more depth: that's the XDJ-XZ. Some will love it, others will struggle with the size and the weight of 13 kg.
Overall, though, it can be said that the controller is quite portable since it's just one complete device to carry. Even the dimensions of 878 x 466 x 118 mm don't pose such a big hurdle, so the XDJ-XZ should find a place on any table or desk. Especially with an XDJ-XZ Flightcase, the DJ controller is certainly portable enough.
The single, central 7-inch touchscreen - the same one found in systems like the XDJ-RX and XDJ-RX2 - seems in this new, oversized environment to be somewhat undersized. Of course. You get used to it easily after a short period of adjustment. However, we expected something bigger from Pioneer in this case.
In terms of construction and tactile feel, we couldn't find any anomalies. As expected from Pioneer, everything is of top-notch quality and the controller feels like a well-crafted piece of hardware.
Now that we've checked the external values, let's move on to the no less important internal values:
The Decks
The decks feel almost exactly like those from the very top-end High-End CDJs by Pioneer. The jog wheels are the same size and of the same build quality. Virtually all controls are positioned where one would find them on professional-grade devices. This is a theme that runs throughout the entire device: It simply feels like using a professional-grade device.
The controller features a knob to adjust the resistance of the jog wheels according to one's own needs. It also allows adjustment of how quickly the track stops upon pressing the Play/Pause button.
Loop, Track Search, Search, Slip, and Tempo/Pitch controls all function exactly as expected. There are no surprises here.
The central On-Jog Displays aren't as well-equipped as those on the Nexus 2 devices, but they can display artwork, cues, rotation, vinyl mode, and various other settings.
Performance Pads
Nowadays, pads are obligatory on every DJ controller. In the case of the XDJ controller, these are positioned directly under the decks. They are RGB illuminated and offer Hot Cue, Beat Loop, Slip Loop, and Beat Jump - though they do not offer advanced features like Slicer or Sampler.
They are most commonly used as Hot Cues, not least because the traditional Hot Cue buttons, as found on CDJs, are not present in this layout.
Mixer and Effects Section
No controller flagship would be complete without a comprehensive mixer section. Here, the XDJ controller offers a fully-equipped club-style mixer section.
Four channels, six Sound Color FX,14 Beat FX, an X-Pad for creative Beat FX manipulation, Three-band FX Frequency Select (to decide on which parts of the frequency range the effects act) - in short: the XDJ boasts a slew of high-quality features and a layout and operation that will be familiar to any Pioneer user.
There's an input selector for channels three and four, allowing switching between laptop, Line, or Phono.
A few things to note, however: We couldn't see a way to replace the Crossfader. And there are no hardware settings for Mono-Split, Crossfader Curve, or Line-Fader Curve - though the latter are fortunately available via the Utility menu.
The 7-inch Touchscreen
It features a 7-inch touchscreen, with the same plastic coating used in previous devices. Yes, the technology is proven, no, it's not cutting-edge - anyone accustomed to using a smartphone or tablet will navigate it immediately.
There's no Multi-Gesture function, so zooming in and out of waveforms isn't possible; instead, it's done by turning the knob on the right side.
Also, the screen refresh rate isn't as high as that of current smartphones and the low resolution also contributes to this "Old-Gen" feeling. Here, Pioneer might want to consider bringing the technology of its next devices up to date with current display technology.
But this "older" technology also has benefits, particularly in the DJ realm, where reliability matters. This technology works, and it works well, as demonstrated in the XDJ standalone device series.
The screens display full waveforms for each deck along with cue point information. Also visible is elapsed time and other status information. Basic information about Beat FX settings can also be read.
The Qwertz keyboard on the screen for searching is somewhat small and therefore a bit fiddly, but it works, and Pioneer DJ's powerful filtering options for song search are all onboard. There's also a convenient shortcut button for accessing some commonly used functions.
Microphone Inputs
To cut to the chase: Two Microphone Channels with XLR/Jack Combo Jack, with talkover, Three-band EQ, hardware-controlled Feedback Reduction with two "strength" settings ("light" and "heavy") offer everything a professional DJ needs.
There's no separate microphone effect like reverb, but it's possible to route the microphone channel through the Beat Effect to fully utilize the range of effects available here. Overall, the microphone channels are to be highlighted as particularly successful in this controller.
Controller's Inputs/Outputs
On the front, there are 6.3 and 3.5 mm Headphone output jacks. On the top right of the unit, there are the two USB inputs (in earlier XDJ systems, one shifted left, one right).
On the back, there are three Link Ethernet-like ports for adding CDJ units to channels 3 and 4 and for expansion;
A third USB port, this time as an output for PC/Mac
For outputs on the back, there's a 6.3mm Booth output (jack), an XLR Master output, and a Cinch Master output.
So plenty of choice to output the controller's sound to the surrounding environment
For inputs on the back, the essentials are present:
Each 2x Line and 2x Phono inputs (Cinch) with Ground-Port and an AUX input (Cinch) offer inputs for turntables, media players, or other sources.
The controller boasts well-equipped connectivity. One should be able to hook up and output pretty much everything that's common in a DJ's day-to-day.
The Sound
Yes. This point is also not insignificant, if not the most important criterion. But here, as with all Pioneer devices, you cannot expect any outliers with the XDJ-XZ no exceptions. With the 64-bit digital sound processor, the controller delivers a truly powerful and high-resolution sound, once again meeting the club standard.
Who is the controller intended for?
The XDJ-XZ is aimed at professional, mobile DJs who want to play standalone and are looking for a well-equipped complete controller, without wanting to drag along an entire NXS setup or afford one.
Even smaller venues that don't want to install a complete CDJ and DJM setup are perfectly served here. For a little over 2,000 euros, you get something that practically functions similar to a Nexus 2 setup but costs only a fraction of it, and with which every DJ can manage, whether working with rekordbox or Serato DJ (and probably soon also with Virtual DJ...) on the laptop or preferring to play standalone with USB.
But the XDJ-XZ is also perfectly suited for every home setup, whether for practicing or preparing sets. Thanks to the NXS layout and similar workflow, you get a perfectly equipped substitute for the large NXS setup here.
Conclusion
The Pioneer XDJ-XZ is truly a very well-equipped DJ controller that doesn't make any slip-ups or failures. Compared to, for example, a Denon Prime 4, the technology may be a bit older, but it's tested for years and proven in clubs around the world. Also, the fact that this controller can work with both rekordbox and Serato, offering all kinds of connections from turntables to CDJs, makes this controller incredibly flexible.
Whether standalone or with its favorite software: currently, no controller is more advanced in technology and at the same time so flexible in its possibilities of use as the XDJ-XZ.
For more information on Pioneer controllers, check out our Pioneer Controller Overview in the blog.