Hands-On Review: Denon DJ Prime Go System 

I really think that Denon DJ are the only manufacturers who are moving things forward at the moment. Real innovators.

Denon is doing things other companies wouldn't dare and I love it

Denon is now leaving everyone else in the dust

I love it!! I've been wanting a DJ system that is portable and not needing a laptop just sealed the deal. Its all that i wanted, professional, portable, has all the knicks and knacks of a pro system with out sacrificing features. Battery powered for traveling or while your on the toilet. Can't wait!!

I think this could be amazing for pub gigs where there's not a lot of space and you don't want to lug some behemoth around let alone a laptop. I play out using two mics, one to mic up percussion and one for voice, so if this incorporates 2 mic channels and 2 decks, I can actually see myself trading in my NI S4 MK3 ! - I don't particularly use jogs much other than to find cue points, so this is a much more effective use of space. If the build quality is up to scratch (unlike much of the Pioneer kit), I would seriously consider this for bar gigs.

OMG i want one of these. i do many small gigs. this is perfect. i wish it was 799

I'm very impressed by everything Denon has dropped this week.

i this is what people wanted Traktor to come out with. what the S5 mk2 should be.

Perfect for home use to practice and small gigs . Impressed about denondj

I love your reviews because you show great products (almost all brands) and the way you talk! Thank you!

I love it, you asked where to use it, I love to DJ on my boat, where space is always a problem, this controller would be perfect to DJ on a boat.

It’s so cute. Great job Denon.

That’s nuts. I might well get one for when I’m travelling around and want to muck about on a train, practising, etc. If I can save up!

Damn denon back it with those innovations

Denon is great!!!!! Thank you Phil!

Denon have always been a massively innovative company who make really durable , high quality gear. They were first in the world with the all in one media player ,the Dn hd 2500, from 2007 and that's so damned good that many are still going strong today and they do mp3s and Wavs with ease. The unit you have here is perfect for today's over congested DJ booths . This looks superb bit of kit 👌👌

I’ve had the prime go for two years now it’s been used in big and small gigs it holds its own really well

Yup, buying. 2 mic inputs too! Love it.

I think how things are in the world right now this is the way to go to keep safe from germs and show up with your gear to play. Has everything you need and NO LAPTOP NEEDED. Looks professional as hell!

It's def great for backyard parties and smaller gigs...I'm df getting one

I love it, I can bring to the beach along with my boombox and have a mix, happy daze, well done denon.

Perfect for djing out of my Car! im gonna get this!

This has got me well interested, with its size and feature set, looks like the ideal controller for when i get back into mobile djing.

Denon has no chill and I love it.

ABSOLUTELY see myself using this as my main rig. I am primarily a wedding dj. Most of us carry a separate mixer for mics anyway,

Oooooooooooohhhhh I been waiting for this!!! Sitting on the couch, denon on the coffee table in front of me , no MacBook.........corrrrrrrrrh And the OS looks incredible and intuitive!!! I really have been dreaming of a mini unit like this! Wow Denon Wow!.

This is being added to my outdoor event rig! Going totally wireless!!

Love the look of it , I’m looking to start djing just for fun and this looks perfect for me .

I will be adding one of these to my armoury for beach days! :D

Think it would also be a perfect first controller for home DJ/music enthusiast, since the setup would take up a lot less space in the living room, wouldn’t require a laptop and can easily be moved to a different room or stoved away. It would be perfect for me!

Phil my comment to you on use case is linked to one of your statements when you reviewed the prime 4, something like have this in the corner of your living room as a device playing a playlist then just start DJing with it as and when, I purchased the full prime Sc5000m setup and it’s the best money I ever spent but loved the idea you gave me on the prime 4, the Prime go seems to be that ideal have it ready to go anytime, love the idea of preparing tracks on it, but take it out to the beach with a battery speaker and it another thing again. Love all of what Denon DJ have done and your open honest approach to all Gear is refreshing in a modern commercial world. Thanks

It's an amazing unit for home studio.

👏👏👏 Denon you've done it again... Pushing the boundaries of DJing... You've seen to cram in all/most of the features of the prime 2 and 4 , with the connectivity and portablity of the Denon MC6000 MK2 (minus 2 channels) . 🤔This unit is very tempting, but the price of entry ($999) is abit high to use it as a backup controller. I will be seriously looking at this...As for Pioneer I leave a quote from the great Delia Smith " Where are you...? Let's be having you..." 😁

I would definitly buy iy because< I can easily use it on the read inbetween gigs! The beauty of it all is that its like a micro XDJ, but with a 4 hour battery. WO!!! Thats the best feature. THANK YOU DENON DJ!!! and Because I don't have to pull out my laptop on the bus or the plane to practice my sets. I'm going to order one! Thank you Philly for the thorough review!

Wow. Thanks Phil

Perfect portability companion for my MPC live

this is brilliant from denon although i think its a bit pricey but yeah i love it

Can you record your mix sets on this unit?

That cool hope they make one the same size as a sb3 something on the lines phil

Goooo on denon im gonna buy next year

I try Denons MC6000mk2 and I must say. What a finest component, portable and powerful with great sound!

looks amazing :)

Are you kidding me?! This is amazing

Great pro unit...picked one up already.

Oh, it got batteries!!! This looks very tasty indeed. Many years ago I had a Numark Idj2 which was also very small, (numark quality and performance) - lightweight. I could ferry it on my bicycle and set up a sound system pretty much anywhere with a socket... If I get one of these, I won`t need sockets anymore....

This + 2 Bose S1 Pros = Next Level Game Changer!

I’m getting one. Wedding ceremony, cocktail and small gigs. And a great backup to my Prime 4

I have a PDJ aka "Monster GoDJ". For me, this reminded me of their bigger GoDJ Plus. I can definitely see many more features in Denon DJ Prime Go System (e.g. Key)

LED screen on background is very cool!!!!

Cant tell for bedroom use that the Prime 2 or Prime 4 is worth it over the go.

Would definitely use this to prepare music while traveling. One feature I would love to see on the Prime series gear is the ability to use the wifi to purchase and download songs, not just stream them. This would eliminate the need for my dinosaur laptop completely :)

As an owner of the full Prime (x1800+SC5000s) setup, I have to say that this tiny Prime player is SUPER interesting... I bring my equipment with me for gigs all the time.. I have many times wanted to have a smaller, more portable option. This might be the exact product to have as a compliment to the bigger Prime setup. I think I'm in love! lol

Im getting it. I plan to do a full set on Battery alone, from speakers to lights to DJ gear

Thank you for your reviews and helpful info. I would absolutely use this. Here's why: I stream music on Twitch. Just me, my controller, and a little room. I only need two channels, I don't scratch, I would only use basic effects and a bit of looping just to prepare tracks. I want it because it's a standalone unit with a BIG SCREEN!

Your new look is dope Phil

I'm currently waiting for a deal on this. Would take it on my trips around BC, and just connect it to my Elac Navis speakers via balanced cables to get great sound while I'm djing. Love it.

Dennon is full changing the game, Pioneer will probably bring something out, that is twice the price, and less functional, that most will jump on. I am a loyal Pioneer guy but Dennon are really changing the game. I am getting one, battery powered is a massive feature portable small parties, DJ busking with a portable speaker is now completely possible.

Would be cool if it could also output the master via Bluetooth (I'm assuming it can only output from the wired outputs on the back?)

How many FX are there?

Just bought this in Jan 2024, love it

I want one but does it run with Serato or Rekordbox? I use Serato. Is there any way to transfer music from Serato to Rekordbox while keeping all my cue points or would I have to put them in all over again?

I really want to know if the battery will be user replaceable, because otherwise this feels like i tdd would be pretty pointless after a year or two and it has a battery that won't hold a charge. Would love to have this and one of those 160watt rechargeable speakers by Rave. Party anywhere!

Denon: SC5000, X1800 & SC5000M Pioneer: Denon: Prime 4 Pioneer: Denon: SC6000, SC6000M, X1850, Prime 2, Prime Go Pioneer: 😪

can working without laptop??

will it work with serato dj Pro and laptop if you wanted to?

Phil, now sc live 4 cost 1100, i play two times every week in a small club, which one recomend in this situation, prime go or sc live 4? Thanks, you are great

Does it support adjusting beatgrid „on the fly“ (without a Notebook)?

Phil, can you officially comment if it is a controller or just a stand alone unit only? Is there ANY announcement about it being compatible with Serato in the future ?

I think the mic e qs is the only thing stopping me buying this unit but if a update fixes this then I'm in thanks for all the advice and the great reviews david

Will it play wav files just dumped onto an SD card, or do I need to use proprietary software to prepare the SD card for use in the controller?

Impressive. Yes I would buy it! Wish it had Serato.

Does it have the built in SSD dock like the bigger bro?

Hi, what do you use to stream the music?

i immediately thought of DJ SUAT when I saw this thing, playing music from a shopping cart at Tesco or in front of parlaiment, etc.

Game changer!?..... professional outputs, however can the technics turntables be plugged straight into it?

I really hope to see some more epic stuff from Numark too. I can tell that because Numark and Denon DJ are owned by the same company, there has been quite a few collaborative features on these new Denon products that have a Numark resemblance about them. I hope to see a mass domination world wide of Denon in pubs, clubs, festivals etc. and kick out Pioneer. The SC6000M looks epic! I haven’t had the chance to play around with one just yet but can’t wait to see how they feel between the CDJ2000NXS2 which is industry standard. The Denon Prime Go is an amazing unit to use and practice on to get used to the Prime software (coming from rekordbox) and an easy way to try out new sets and shows on the road and have new ideas of songs that might fit together and trying them out. So I do see celebrity DJs like Laidback Luke making very good use of the Prime Go while on tour. I also hope to see some incredible new stuff from Allen & Heath Xone from NAMM this year!

Have a question about the Prime GO. What happen after the battery dead. If my Gig is over 7 hrs. Can i Still using when is Charing. Just plug on the wall and IT Will work during charging Thanks

Cute little unit though I'll probably still get SC5000's for my home rig

do you think they will upgrade the system to making it a 4 channel availability?

Do you think they'll ever make a prime go 2? With serato & engine DJ software

I’m curious how you can integrate your Serato crates with this... I’ve been using serato for 10 years but more gigs now just require you to show up with a USB stick. This set up would have value.

Not gonna lie; that is one sweet-looking box. I'm not in any hurry to get a new system at this point, as I bought the Pioneer S9 mixer and SX3 controller and will probably consider something after NAMM 2021. Me and my crew are deep into the Serato ecosystem (and some of them also into Rekordbox, and me also into Traktor), so moving over to new gear and a new software system is not going to be a small leap. That said, hats off to Denon for pushing things along. I'll be watching. Did I mention that the Prime Go is a sweet-looking box?!

where did you buy it? I've ordered one but canceled because they can deliver in april..

I feel like this is one of them products that Denon built just for the sake of building it. There really isn’t a target market for this. At this price range it’s not an entry level controller and at this size it’s not something you can use in a professional environment. Not sure where this is going to sit within the market but really excited for all this innovation going on at the moment within the industry!

If you are needing a system for a ceremony and your main system at reception site! How many mics?

I would just like some lights on the outsides of the mini jog wheels so I can see in the dark but other than that 10/10 so far

Got one a month ago. Levels is easy enough to work around, you can get it pretty accurate by ear in headphones / cue. Small jogs do take a little getting used to but they do function extremely well and there's pitch bend +&- as well. Touch screen is intuitive and responsive. Sound quality is top notch ... Certainly better than Pioneer units at the price point as I've noticed Pioneer only seem to really push the boat out sound quality wise with their flagship models. Battery is good for a solid 3 hours with screen brightness up, 4 hours easy if you are playing in a darker environment and then turn brightness down to increase battery life. Plays all the standard formats. Analysis on the fly, big point of difference versus Pioneer units that don't. Buttons carry over from Denon Pro equipment, very hard wearing rubberized and should last for ages. Overall I'm stoked with it and they have dropped in price lately. $500 - $1000 NZD cheaper than the initial release price which was $2500 here in NZ. For a standalone, I wouldn't have any other brand as they can't analyse on the fly and the Denon makes it so easy for friends to just rock up with a USB or SD card of tracks and just plug in. 😊

Hello! Can you record your set with this thing (Prime Go)? Like, for example, doing a set on a plane.

How much?

When I first saw it I didnt think much of it. I had been with Pioneer gear for many years and had a DDJ-XZ, a unit that I love but it is a giant. I just sold my XZ and bought now waiting for a Prime Go, after realising that it might do everything I need or at least most of it. It is a 180 degree change in direction but I only do live streams where blending nicely is all I really do, together with some samples that I can still play as tracks anyway. Other than that I have the odd occasion where I go out for a gig and the Prime Go will excel at being the easiest piece of gear to transport, specially for someone who is used to an XZ! I hope I made the right decision!

If I had to venture a guess as to why you're saying logically you don't know when you would use it but your heart is saying you want it: With this unit you can bring it with you as a "just in case" and you'll always have some decks on the ready. I think every DJ has been in situations where the thought crossed their mind that they wished they had their decks available. Maybe it was just a small gathering and the mood was right, or you were at a house party and they were just playing a playlist, or you're at the beach and people have some speakers. Just the fact that it lets you have an all in one, portable box that you can mix on at basically any time if you just bring it around with you is the allure you're feeling. Yeah you probably aren't going to throw down the most technical set you've ever done on this thing but for just mixing some tracks together it should be perfectly adequate. Last winter I took a trip to Punta Cana with some friends and we had a portable speaker we would use at night on the beach. If we had one of these I would have 100% brought it out with us at night.

Does it have manual in / out looping? Cause I can only see an autoloop feature.

Does it pair up with the DJAY APP? Like actually line up properly

Yeah, my another piece of hardware to buy in 2020. I just think about to buy some Pioneer XDJ RR or some like this, but this Denon broke the bank.

Brilliant looking bit of kit, this plus a mini rig setup would be fantastic. Unfortunately I couldn't afford to drop close to a grand on a second setup for that specific use case. Not sure how those horizontal EQs would work out, I guess you'd get used to it, but it seems odd.

If you shut it off do you haft to go back and set the drivers and reset everything all over again or once you set everything up is it good to go even if you turn it off? That would be my last question before I purchase it.

Very interesting.. wanne buy.. :-) But, the manual tells this: "Note: The Auxiliary input signal is only sent to the Master Outputs." Does this mean the the aux input is excluded on the Booth output? hopefully not.. :-(

Prime 4 - best of the best , this little box so good for backup - or friends cal you & you don't want to take the prime 4 - because is only 30 guys with beer - so this so good way to go , your kids want dj system but you don't want to spent a lot of money.

which sd card you are using? What type of SD card do I need?

This is going to be mine, including the SC6000M’s with the rotary platter. Preparing sets without opening the laptop. I like hardware that makes the laptop obsolete.