Pioneer XDJ XZ vs Denon Prime 4 - Which one is right for you? 

It's worth nothing that Denon regularly release new software updates that add new features and Pioneer don't really release much more than bug fixes for theirs. So a Prime 4 which was bought 4 years ago and kept up with the free software updates will be far more advanced than one shown in this video while an XDJ XZ bought 4 years ago will still be basically the same 4 year old unit. The amount of features added to Denon gear in the past couple of years alone is just mindblowing. Built-in soundswitch capability, built in sampler, built-in touch effects and so on. Stems support currently in Beta and on the way.

The Prime 4 is insane. I'm so glad that I have invested in a unit. I'm super happy with it.🔥

Denon lost in the joggs fight , but wins in all the rest , all the rest . And if you really want to scratch , buy then some real turntables , not a controller.

If Denon bring us a Prime 4+ with full size jogs Pioneer might as well give in. Pioneer are always scared to bring us an all singing all dancing unit as it would harm the sales of the over priced club gear.

I love the Prime 4 but when you arrive at a venue that has Pioneer, muscle memory is a factor. No time to check if you are pressing the right button. Guess the answer is to buy both 💰💰

You brought up quality of Pioneer vs Denon but my experience owning many products including the flagship units from both companies is many times the Denon are better built. In the case of these players the Prime 4 uses all metal pots and is a very sturdy unit. The XZ although has fantastic build quality doesn't have quick swap faders and uses a combination of metal and less durable plastic pots. I think your review was pretty unbiased but I think this needed to be shared.

I think it boils down to one simple fact. Prime 4 is the evolution of the controller. Pioneer has faith that the have the foothold on the market, and they are counting on market loyalty. They saw what Denon put out and could have held out and matched the competition. But they are waiting to see what we the consumers want. If Denon's profit shares jump, they will follow with a few more tricks. But ultimately, we as consumers win big. Denon is clearly the winner, but the race is far from over. I don't have either, but my next purchase would be the Denon, or wait for Pioneer's follow up.

I would love to see an updated comparison between the newer Prime 4+ and the same XZ. I know which one looks better on paper, but having this breakdown verbally is super helpful.

"Use this video to decide which one to buy but this is not a buyer's guide." LMAO

The Prime 4 is awesome to play on. I got started practicing on a Denon duel deck CD players. But for me now it's Pioneer, because it's been road tested and can take a beating. My friend had 2 Pioneer CDJ-700 that worked great for years, used almost every weekend for over 10 years. You become club standard, by being reliable.

For the price Prime4. Also Prime4 is a game changer - more advanced than anything that's currently out in the market - it's perfect for the wedding DJ. You can set hot cues, fix beat grids, make playlists, on the fly. Wifi enabled makes it real easy to use Tidal. The only downside are the small platters and the Engine Prime software.

Loving the debate on this!

Denon for DJs that never play out live on Pioneer gear. Gives you so much more.

Thanks a lot for your introduction 🙂 I'm already bought the XDJ-XZ 🙂 This week will arrive 😁 I CAN NOT WAIT 🤗 Will be fun for sure 😎

I’m lucky enough to own both these units, I’m not entirely sure comparing like for like is a good idea, the Pioneer is not aimed at being better than the Prime 4 it’s sole purpose is to recreate the Nexus 2 experience to act as a stepping stone to club gear the same screen, navigation etc the Denon on the other hand is an exercise in what’s possible and technically is a beast that the Pioneer can’t match apart from the obvious technical specs it’s much better made than the Pioneer and the sound quality blows the Pioneer out the water I love both if I had to sell one and keep the other it would be tough but I’d keep the Denon

Bro I already have the Prime 4. Best purchase that I have made in a long time.

Just got the XZ today. Its a beaut out of the box. Can't wait to test drive it this weekend. Cheers for the vid

FYI: It seems most of the Pioneer DJ products are unavailable at the time of this comment. I've had the XDJ-XZ in backorder status for 3 months now. I'm going to have to try the Prime 4 for now until I can save up for a full standard CDJ setup.

Denon seems to get what today's DJ wants in terms of reliability, durability, ease of use... They don't have a lot to lose unlike pioneer who is probably hesitant to throw all the gold in 1 basket. I think they'll respond with an improved unit sooner than later, making the jog wheel, fx engine and screen functionality better. Software can always be tweaked, so look out for a plus version soon.

I can't believe this is even a question it's a murder scene where the pioneer gets dumped in trash bags scattered in the forest

thanks mate for this, i debated with myself what i should get next but now im sure its gonna be the denon!

A key feature for me came with the last update, ableton Link syncing for all the Denon players. That’s a game changer for every live act

I am sorry but you sound biased and not objective at all in this comparison you started off good and at the end made it sound like the Prime 4 was a toy you play with at home while the Pioneer is the big stuff you use in live performances. Nothing can be further from the truth. The pioneer is simply living on old glory cause the and the prime 4 brings in modern innovation to DJing that any real DJ would appreciate.

Looked at both of these but not being able to use 4 decks on the Pioneer unless you connect a Laptop is unforgivable. Denon looks seriously amazing apart from the vastly inferior Jogs. Considering i could use another Laptop i could pick up the DDJ1000 + Decent Laptop for the same price as the XZ

What about the Prime Go vs the like a pioneer RR or maybe RX2

I'm ordering the prime with amazon prime

LOVE my Prime 4!! The ONLY thing I dislike about it, is their choice of built in streaming service. Tidal sucks! If it had Spotify built in, it would be 110% perfect.

I'll take the technology than looks... I've played with both and the Prime 4 is definitely my way to go.. absolutely versatile. I don't need my laptop unless Im adding sounds to my mix. Both controllers do an awesome job.

I've been looking at buying a couple of Pioneer CDJ's and a mixer to play around with at home. Then I saw this Denon Prime 4!! I really wanted a Pioneer set-up but this Denon just seems to have everything I need [and then some] for what I'm using it for.

Thank you, this video helped me to decide which one to get. This is like Lamborghini Vs Bugatti

I like more Denon but the jog wheels looks childish so will go for Pioneer.

Does anyone know when the Beatport Link will be available on the Denon Prime 4 ?

I think I totally agree with his final conclusion. If you play at home the answer is Denon. In the club the answer is Pioneer.

It is now possible to switch decks using the SHIFT button when operating DJ software on XDJ XZ (firmware update 1.12)

I think you can link SC5000's into the Prime4 and have them on the display. Ive seen it done @ MoS recently. They probably just used a simple network switch into the 1 rear Ethernet port.

I'm a Denon user I have the MCX8000 however i do like the work space on the Pioneer better the Denon sounds much cleaner

I go with the Xdj with this one, the prime feels like a toy, the jog wheels are too loose for me, and the only real thing that I wish that the Xdj had from the prime would be the screen size and of course the weight. But in all honesty I feel like the guys who are going to buy this prime are going to be looking at the screen too often and beat matching by eye rather than by ear. For me it's the Xdj xz, I just wish pioneer had made it a true stand alone but hey we can't have it all our own way

THANKS FOR THE REVIEW

Well done great tutorial lots of information pat yourself on the back

Playing out vs at home.... I would much rather play out on the same gear, or very similar gear as I use at home for practice and for mobile gigs.... thankfully there aren't any venues in my area using installed Pioneer systems, so playing out is always on my own kit.... if I were ever to play out in a place with some gear already in the booth, they'd have to have room for me to place my setup in the booth and plug into their mixer...if not, well, im not the DJ for them... I do mostly mobile work, so for now I'm happy with my Serato/MC7000 setup, and looking to add one Denon Prime player to that... Someday I may move to a standalone like the Prime 4, but not anytime soon. Nice to see lots of progress happening though, by the time I make the switch, the standalone systems will he truly top end kit... 2020 gonna be rockin!

Thank you for a great comparison. Do you think Denon will come out with a large, mechanical jog wheel?

Spot on review pal! I just demo'd both these units and i gotta say the Denon software pisses on the Pioneers no contest, but it came down to exactly what you said the Denon feels flimsy and the jog wheels are a joke. Basically Denon is Apple OSX smooth like butter and Samsung is pretty much Pioneer.

Would you really take the XDJ XZ anywhere though? I feel as though it would be better to keep at home or in your studio to just mimic a club set up.

I'm doing my research before buy this devices and I'm leaning towards denon

I’ve played on the DDJ 1000SRT and I have to say that I do like those jog wheels better than the Denon. But in technology, Denon won the race by a mile and therefore got my sale over pioneer. I was an avid pioneer user and went to the dark side. Sorry guys but Denons winning the race right now…

Appreciate this video, thank you.

Most ppl have made an issue out of Denons small jog wheels but for me, I put the Prime 4 though it’s paces and I am able to cut and scratch just the same. I’d take the unit anywhere and rock out on it. I have noticed the SC500M’s which I’ve recently purchased have a totally different sounding algorithm when cutting and scratching and one for some reason freezes on me at times (firmware glitch) but hey, the freedom of lugging around a laptop was my goal so mission accomplished.

i felt the build quality if the denon felt way nicer, thicker, heavier than the pioneer. yes the jogs are smaller. but it depends how and what you mix. the tension can be adjusted inside the settings. pioneer just works. they all do. and both units work great with vdj. (i hate rb). one thing you didnt mention, and most important is sound quality.

The prime 4 is a beast I would suggest you buy two, I've got one but I'm going to buy another one, just in case. I've been playing on the sb3 for years, my DJ enjoyment changed when I got the prime 4, what an amazing piece of kit

Just for the premium feel & build quality I'd buy XDJ-XZ anytime. Other features and technological andvancements do matter but when you're in the zone, in the middle of a set, I don't care unless I can load my track ;) Just my opinion. Love for Pioneer DJ and appreciation for Denon DJ. A healthy competion is in the air.

Also gotta take sound quality into consideration and that’s where the Prime 4 has the pioneer beat. I have both Prime 4 and MCX 8000 and the output is way crisper than the pioneers.

I have question about hot cues. I was trying Prime 2 today and there was one thing I couldn't figure out. Whe I use my MC3000 together with Virtual DJ I use a lot of Hot Cues. The cool thing is that each time I use any of my Hot Cues and then press CUE button music stops at the last Hot Cue I used instead of going back to "main" cue point ( the one next to PLAY button ). It's so annoying that in Prime 2 each time I am testing my Hot Cues I have to find the way to go to the one I like. For example I want to jump to one of them and prepare loop... If I just pres hot cue button It starts playing and I cant set the loop. I hope you understand what I mean. Is this possible to make Prime going back to last Hot Cue I used? I was testing only with original OS without updating.

£18.99!! Take my money Pioneer!!

Prime 4 all the way love it...Denon going to change the game for ever...

I own a pioneer xdj xz. I'm a dj since 2004 and started using pioneer equipment since 2008. to be honest, it doesn't matter what you use. It's a preference. And I always played on pioneer set up's. So for me it's an easy pick. But that doesn't mean that the Denon is less than the Pioneer. They are both really good products. Good to see that there is a rival for Pioneer. keeps things interesting

Any view on sound quality? I believe the Pioneer controller takes the (improved) sound card from the NXS2 mixer. The older Pioneer mixers sucked in sound quality imho while the newest ones are said to sound better, but haven't tested side to side. Also no comparison to the Denon.

Whats better for beat juggling ? And scraching theres no review of this topic

i love the XDJ-XZ

Pioneer playing catch up with prime 4. Denon wins this one

Are either of these controllers compatible with traktor? Would make for a solid standalone/controller mix. If your laptop plays up with in my opinion the best dj software out there you still have the 2 channel for pioneer or 4 channel for denon USB standalone backup.

Prime 4 all that way!! Technology is Technology.....

denon prime is the 1

I thought about the old coin flip, watched so many videos and the prime 4 wins most of the time, if the pioneer deck had a different name on it, but was 100% the same in quality everyone would go for the prime 4, j know what im going to do 💰💰💰

Right now the industry standard is pioneer so I’m staying with it until the next thing is the official industry standard everyones using.

Denon is top

In terms of features: Denon. All the way In terms of sortware: Rekordbox. Denon would clean up if they fix their software. Imagine if they could even use the beat grid information from your rekordbox analized music. I would jump on board.

if I work with serato I could put my music on a disk on key and play from the XZ without computer?

I'm A DJ at home here I never ever owned a Denon DJ product ever so I would go for more then likely the Denon one more do to the screen size

Great video, I prefer the XZ myself.

which one sound the best?

It's clear to see that there is an element of 'Pioneer elitism' in the comments, just like you get Apple fanboys vs Android. Android is miles ahead of Apple in their software these days, but Apple fanboys will swear different! The same applies here, Denon is making waves lately with both their hardware, and even their software is catching that of Recordbox now (admittedly, not as good as recordbox yet). The Prime 4 is way ahead of Pioneers offering here in every single way but the platters, how anyone can argue different astounds me! It's the same story with the Denon SC5000's vs the CDJ2000 Nexus, as mentioned, you can get 2x SC5000's or even the M's and the X1800 mixer for the price of a single Nexus, yet the SC5000's are miles ahead technologically than the Nexus at less than half the price! Yet people buy into the Pioneer 'industry standard' excuse at double the price. Great marketing Pioneer! I've been using a Numark NVii mk2 for the last 9 months as i begin my DJ journey, and in the last 6 weeks i've been looking to upgrade, i've done a hell of a lot of research, i've watched countless YT videos, visited many stores and i've just taken delivery of my SC5000M's, the motorized platter sold me as i was brought up on vinyl, and honestly, it feels just like using vinyl. I cannot think of a single way that the Nexus's are better than these except for the software, but even that's getting better. Keep up the good work Denon

Can the microphone passthru to recording my mix in serato with the Prime 4?

But is is XR better then the DDJ-1000 as still don’t know what one to buy! Help guys

Pioneer just remade a controller with the same technology as their previous controllers. No they don't win. The Prime 4 is unlike anything Denon has ever put out or anyone else for that matter. The screen alone constitutes that.

Prime 4 so far, even Pioneer is still present in all clubs and I using their CDJs every weekend... Denon right now is faraway from any Pioneer device!

The only thing pioneer beats denon is the posibility to connect external cdjs and sync them with the ethernet ports and maybe the mechanical jogs. But then, these all in one controller aren't meant to be portable? Also I really doubt that someone who has the money to buy 2 cdjs will buy the xz instead of the 900 mixer (or even buy another 2 cdjs and the mixer). I can't see the pioneer suitable for anyone, only thinking about fanboys. Just because is pioneer is like saying just because is an iPhone they will buy it. Hoping Denon to replace pioneer in dj booths

You can not choose streaming partner of "choice" ...unless you only like a couple choices.

For those of you who will want to use a laptop with these systems please remember that the Denon Prime 4 can only be used in “controller mode” or “usb mode” at a time. The Pioneer will be able to use a USB at the same time as a laptop. So if you’re a laptop dj that wants a USB as a back up then the Pioneer is the unit for you if you want a seamless set.

Both are right for me

So the main difference is platers, fx EQ and main EQ.

Which one is the same as using a club standard set up ?

The inner me says get the pioneer for resell purposes but the prime seems to be a better unit

I trust your opinion very! When it comes to controller I go for pioneer. What about the nxs2000 and sc5000... I am in a big confusion at this moment to buy nxs2000 or sc5000? What do you recommend! Thank you

Can you play USB stick and serato software at the same time.

If ppl buy the pionner for the cdj pro style..they should think that after three years the new cdjs should be around the corner now, probably with a new way and look !!

xdj-xz if you have the pioneer ecosystem. prime 4 if you want a tool for mixing music. this debate is similar of what i read of IOS vs android... this isn't a war, this is more about of what do you NEED and for what.

And what about the pitch shifter resolution? Which has the finest resolution?

For me the jogs are the biggest factor and how much fun one has on a unit. on the right deck (pioneer) you can use the software and use it all over the world , also you can also use it on the denon. prime software is a joke for the most part, Rekordbox music management is way better. Prime 4 is a great solution for a mobile DJ. XZ is great and should be everywhere in the near future bar, club, etc. cheaper for them and anyone can use it.

I really like the Prime 4 but hate the fact they dont support Traktor software plus there is no DVS out of box (must use computers for that). I stick to my S4mk3

I would have 2 go with the Pioneer if i ever bought a controller, i have 2 cdj 900 nexus and 2 cdj NX2s, but i bought the new Denon 6000ms, cuz i thought they would feel like 12s, and didn't like them, so I sold them in 2 months

Reads rekordbox usb Record mix on usb Read internal ssd 4 channel standalone (only one consolle to control 4 channel) Armonic mixing Sampler using the 8 cue button Zone out playing other music genre Display your logo on decks Internal Wifi and bluetooth Playlist on the fly Internal autoanalysis of song And whatever do you need at right price ...

Everyone says dennon is better, but what I think is that Dennon only wins with the technology on the screen. But why should you need that, better and bigger jogs is much more important. And pioneer has better effects and a better overall feeling. See waveforms and scrolling in ur tracks is the only thing u have to do on ur screen.

Why can’t the prime 4 have the cdj jog wheels I would buy it right now just the mechanical feel

Denon is Much cheaper with more channels too. I also like the design & color! Only advantage Pioneer has it's the extra effects which I want =/

Can I hook up my Akai MPC one to this prime 4 and my guitar 🎸

I'm passing up on both units. I think both Pioneer and Denon can make improvements on their products. Pioneer needs to improve their screen, enable wifi, and make this a true 4-channel stand-alone mixer. Denon needs to work on their mixer effects, job wheels, and main EQ out. As usual, there isn't a single product that has all the bells and whistles, so I'll wait another year.

I'm so torn! I really don't know which one to get. I'm just going to have to flip a coin lol

I fancy that cap

DDJ-XZ = overpriced unit, with slow CPU, inferior functions are a truly ancient 2010-era screen. No, thank you!

Does the prime 4 work for virtual dj I bought one but it doesn’t connect to computer mode (Works with Serato tho)