"It was already behind the best of the competition even when it was launched." It's good to finally admit it. I remember many reviews talking about the XZ like the first ever professional 4-channel standalone like the Prime 4 was never released.
for sure they had it weeks in advance but could say because of NDA i new it was dropping this weeks because the xz had release around that same time 2020
@@PunchineloPow For me personally the price and integration with Soundswitch for lightning controls. I know its a bit lame for me to say but Denon makes an all-in-1 controller which allows me as a DJ to not bring a laptop with me and still deliver a great audio and light show. Should they somehow integrate DMX control with this unit then i would seriously consider it given that you are jumping into the Pioneer ecosystem.
I didn't hear the word "stems" once in this review. No dedicated buttons or functionalities. I guess we have to work around and have fun mapping again.
To summarise: Expensive, no active layer deck colours, light control that has been on Denon Prime hardware for almost 4 years, dedicated beat jump buttons in a weird location, gated playback taken from the RX3, the same awful 3 column menu system when sorting tracks, no internal ssd capability, cue point display that has no labels (still.) The only positives I see are the ESS audio chip, wireless headphone capability and the extra dedicated master EQ. Looks like another overpriced con job from Pioneer under the Alpha Theta badge. They can change the name, but they’re still behind in the game. I would go for a Denon Prime 4+ with more functionality, flexibility and lower price than this, that gives a Dj much better value.
Or get a rane one or the 4 deck I personally like the platters on the one over the new ones and jog wheels never feel right to me some are better than others but not right allegedly
Might have to keep my eyes on this one, as I may make a shift in my music focus as a DJ in the coming year and this could hit some key checkboxes. Thanks for the show-and-tell!
No mention of stem or stemeq, this Serato/alpha theta partnership needs some serious support. What a shame it doesn’t come with support at launch w Serato. Let’s see if Serato opens up stem eq for this
@@Positive_Teayou beat me to it lol... Even high end Intel CPUs struggle to run stems... And to add to this...a lot of pioneer and even Denon controllers haven't been launched with Serato but it'll come but why would you want this just to hook it up to Serato? Just get the Flx 10
Phew, i have the XZ but i don't think it's worth the upgrade... I only use 2 channels and i don't mind the old tech/old screen. I do hope the XZ holds it's value a little bit. It's still a very very good/complete all-in-one! ❤
They should've moved the performance pads up, as they did with the 3000s, to be more in line with the design progression. That would make it more like a product upgrade from the XZ visually.
@@digitaldjtips its not a real problem i agree but its an odd choice if they market it as inspired by cdj3k style layout. also i like the cdjs3000's but tbh if it would be my own product and brand i would add some things to make it a better product. not sharing cuz not giving great ideas for free lol.
@@CypiXmusic can’t see any customisation on the screen, extra zone, streaming services not on par with Denon, no Dropbox, I could go on, this hasn’t caught up with a 5 year old unit
mines on order, i cant wait.. been waiting like 8 months for this and i should get the XDJ-AZ, F10 Headphones and AT Flight Case on 4th Nov 2024 yipeeeeee 🙂
finally what the Opus quad should have been. only thing they keep forgetting is Digital in's instead of just RCA's for the 2 extra channels if you run 2 other 3000's.
I don't u guys, but i think it's the same as OPUS-QUAD, but with better looking cosmetic design and the only difference is the new connection for the wireless headphones. That's it !!
I LOVE IT. But - i really love the Hot cue buttons on my Opus better. The rubber like pads is not for me. I often play on both CDJ2000NX2 and CDJ3000 and the similarity from them to the opus is more precise in my mind. I would like a new CDJ2000 with a bigger display but as a BUDGET player like the XDJ series. NIIICE VIDEO!
The price is ok, see that Opus was similar or even more expensive and this AZ is more advanced in many functions, still takes years to come out with something in vibe with nowadays technologies. Anyway, good one, probably I will buy AZ and sell or use XZ for renting.
Something that I was really hoping for was easy changeover between two laptops by having two USB-C ports. Sad they didn’t do it despite the price tag. There are clubs that still rock computer software as standard vs standalone with UBBs.
Totally agree with all the comments re price. Also, the streaming and connectivity options are miles behind the competition. If AT reduced their prices so it reflected the feature set, which let’s be honest, is not what it should be at this price, then it could be called worthwhile. We as dj’s and the community need to stop this madness that is the AT/Pioneer pricing… I’m not anti AT, only tired of them pushing products that don’t justify the price tag, (in my humble opinion) based on what the competition offers regarding feature set vs price … Thanks for the in depth review Phil.
I only just got my hands on the XZ with a pair of turntables last year... Honestly, for it's price and features it's just not worth the upgrade (for me) but it's a very nice unit indeed.
FINALLY I can justify getting one of these vs piece by piece setups. Going for the prime is something only home djs should do. This here will keep you in sync with modern club setups. Pioneer will always be the top tier for this. Sure the competition is something to be heard however until they take over the professional world it just isnt worth it. If you can work on a pioneer you can work on everything. It does not seem to be the case the other way around. Just food for thought. Lastly the downside, WHY DONT THE DECKS SPIN ARRRRRGGG!!!!!
The deck don’t spin for the same reason they don’t spin on CDJs, because there’s no need. And you’re quite right about Pioneer/AT being closest to the club, that’s just the truth.
Too little too late. Do I want this unit, hell yeah! But I am on a hiatus from Pioneer, Alpha Theta, whatever products. Putting stuff behind subscription paywalls that we bought licenses for is wrong, and this company is crap for it. They really screwed the hobbyist DJ over in the name of greed. Yeah I'm sure someone will comment "just downgrade", well I did that and you lose the cool new basic features. The whole things is crap! Do better Pioneer! Make DVS a license again and that could lure me back, but they won't listen.
@@diegoandreovalle Same here too. Prime4 all the way, even more so with smaller clubs and bars here in the UK moving to Denon as well. Or "Bring your own kit" setups. plus for me being able to fit your own internal drive is a win. Have a 2TB SSD in mine, meaning all my library is there in milliseconds. Ive found streaming services to be useless in bar / club scenarios, since the 4G service is swamped with all the people on the dancefloor. And/or the hotspot just drops frequently with 200+ other mobile phones in front of you.
Opus Quad owner here, sorry but that is basically a Prime 4, it even looks the same! How about some decent firmware updates on your current models instead of copying the competition?!
Having the ability to ignore the mic in the recording is good. Does it ignore the ducking applied when you press ‘push to talk’ in the recording though? Does it support Hot Cue Bank list?
This is what I'm thinking. I have been with pioneer in the past but atm I have 2x technics and a pioneer djm 450 and I'm looking to add a digital all in one to the set up and I've been eyeing the 4+
@PunchineloPow sounds like you're in the same position as me then. I love my Technics obviously but I've been really slow getting into the digital age so an all in 1 that could accommodate the Technics makes sense to me. Pioneer/Rekordbox is industry standard so with this new controller of course I'm getting access to that ecosystem but I'm under no illusions I'm getting booked for festivals anytime soon so it's not a deal breaker for me. All the reviews I've seen speak highly of the Engine DJ software and the hardware of the Prime 4+ seems to have all the same functionality of the new Pioneer gear... so do I pay an extra £1000 just for Rekordbox? Seems a tall order to me I've not used either system so I'm completely open to any input to help my decision
@davebowman1982 Yeah, it's a very similar situation. I don't plan on playing out or anything, so having a club standard isn't a big issue for me. I'm just so used to the layout of pioneer mixers and their effects. As silly as it sounds, the main thing putting me off is the fx workflow of the 4+ and the smaller jogs. But from what I've heard, the engine software is solid, and the 4+ also has stems, I believe. 🤷♂️
Denon prime don’t have stems… and I don’t know if the quality of the faders and buttons that pioneer uses in az is the same as in the cdjs and djm a9 (I guess not) but the components used in prime standalone units of Denon are bad. The faders are so bad quality. And I am not a fan of any brand, I have players form Denon (SC6000) and mixer from Pioneer (DJM A9) so I am not against one or another.
If you prefer the feature set, if you want Rekordbox ecosystem compatibility, if you play on similar gear in clubs and want something compatible at home, if you want bigger jogwheels.
I got mine last November with a pair of RP-7000mk2... I don't feel it was a bad purchase, the upgrades on the AZ just aren't worth the cost in my opinion, however nice it is. Don't feel bad for buying the XZ, it's still a beastly unit when paired with turntables or CDJ's
Just found out if you have a CDJ plugged into DJ Link on one side, it disables the internal deck select on the other side. Ruins any chance of me upgrading from my XZ.
What the fader like on it? Was hopping they would have a magvel that would make it even more desirable. It will cost us here in Australia probably $5700 crazy money I better start saving. Still happy with my rx3 for now.
At that price they should include the headphones, and that would make it a truly unique set-up on the market. Otherwise, the Prime 4+ is probably a better deal.
3 questions… 1 No stems yet? I guess no? 2 Does the 2nd usb port have the ability to record like on the RX3? I guess no? 3 is this suitable to take to a club to use with a void or function1 sound system or are all in one systems still a bit lacking in quality over a dedicated mixer like the 900 nexus 2 or the newer A9?
I just got rid of my XZ bought a pair of Denon DJ SC6000’s and an X1850 mixer I’m with Denon now and won’t be changing back there’s no comparison and I’m sick to death of Pioneer greed and their insane prices for the so called “club standard “ which is meaningless I think now as most jobbing DJ’s have to take thier own equipment in now the scene has changed now the standard is whatever the DJ themselves buys
Definitely! Denon also has a much better quality build, not a plastic toy like Alpha Theta. Additionally, Denon's layout is superior and I love the customizability. I still can't find a reason to even think about Alpha Theta.
Hello very nice videos what you produce. Very informative I would have a question for a professional. I released x years ago with vinyl. Now I would like to hang up again. Practice at home and later again at events if it arises. My questions is enough here an rx3 or would the Az be the better choice?thank you best regards from Austria
ultra-low latency is an egregious marketing term. Just tell us the ms. For the record, SonicLink is self-reporting 15 ms of latency. I prefer 6ms or under.
Thanks for this in-depth view of the AZ, Phil. Splendid. Although I'm still happy with my Roland DJ-505 and my turntables setup, I do like this all-in-one device. I actually wanted to get a second hand DDJ-RXZ, but this ... well, it's wonderful. I just don't like the way AlphaTheta handled the Serato situation. Leave Serato alone haha. That said, do you guys have a full course of the Roland DJ-505 or know where to find it ? I do have the pdf-file printed (the extended one), but a visual manual helps me better (I know Roland released a section by section videomanual, but it's not really in-depth, especially for the built-in TR-S).
Just was watching Mojaxx's djcity take on this new controller....and he started first with the stuff he didn't like👏🏽 anyway to pricy for me.. can't afford
3K+ and still no Stems or Sampler. With 4 usable Channels it should have included the above with some of the FLX10 STEM splitting functionality to different Decks. Also why not allow us to attach a SSD underneath with our full Library on it plus the super fast Read/Write speeds that offers? Denon did this how many Years ago now 6-7??
Will there be firmware updates in the future for more streaming services like tidal, beatsource? What I really wish they had was other storage drive ports like Sd card & SSD Sata disc drives,?
It looks fantastic like a christmas gift, but the magic can be there too with a small $300 controller and a light laptop, let's be nomadic and have fun!
Hey Phil, any chance you could give us the measurements between the feet specifically the depth of the unit? It says 504 mm or 19.85 inches in the specs but I’m sure they’re taking the screen into account with these measurements.
Hi Phil I bought the XDJ RX3, and the reason it was sold was because you couldn't play offline tracks from Beatport or Beatsource via pro link, cutting my flexibility down massively. Does this unit have that ability? , for 3k I'd expect the tech to be complete and totally flexible for offline tracks.
Opus Quad owners funded Alpha Theta's wrong answer to the Denon Prime 4+. Now you might not be able to sell your Opus Quad for enough to buy a brand new Prime 4+.
Glad I went to that Pioneer DJ night 6 months ago where they spent an hour categorically denying that the Pioneer DJ name is being phased out with AlphaTheta 🤣
I'm not happy. it's as if we've been cheated. Why did they launch the Opus Quad earlier and then bring out the XDJ AZ later? Was looking forward to the addition of paddle effects. I bought the Opus Quad last year, can't get this now.
the one USB for laptop is a bummer, as well as hub for ethurnet.. Also the old unit didn't show all the serato info in the screen.. Is that different.. The same drawbacks on th XZ are still there..
I guess they are thinking that this unit is designed to be used standalone rather than with laptops hence no need for two laptop sockets, as far as the lack of an ethernet switch again I guess they’re thinking so few people actually plug-in CDJs that if you did, you’d be prepared to spend the money on a switch There are so many improvements over the previous unit that all the old shortcomings are still there is slightly unfair, I think
I bet the people at Denon are laughing their heads off at how SLOW A.T. has caught up to most of the features that Denon has had on offer for a few years now. Then add the subscription system that Pioneer still has, and the price tag of 3200 and it becomes as underwhelming as the latest iPhone. Pioneer is banking on everyone fanboying, but i really don't think at this point wireless headphones and a few small software features are enough to compete or to convince me to switch back. For now Denon still has a leg up in my view.
@@digitaldjtips Do you mean because of the S for Serato? What would make one choose this over the DDJ-GRV6 and visa versa? .. personally I would like a GRV6 with pads. It seems like you have to compromise if you go with one or the other. I want them slammed together so I have all the knobs and switches... I want drum swap and drum roll and drum release with pads.. and why are there no longer FX knobs on each channel? ... What do you think is the upgrade path from the DDJ-SZ that shares as much of the original SZ DNA?
SALUT.Wait for S4 mk4 or just buy mk3? I wonder if mk4 will come out soon. It would be terrible to get mk3 right before mk4 comes out. What would you do in my situation?
Was Alpha Theta simply a name change or was Pioneer bought out by another company . . .not sure why they had to change the name of such a popular brand name?
Here's a question form an Audio geek who has many 'Hi-res' files, what is the specification on the soundcard as I can't find it on the Alpha Thetas website, is it 24bit 44100Hz like most controllers or is it CDJ3000 worrying 32bit 96000hz? Do we know and have Alpha Theta not published that figure because they don't want to canniblise their flagships?
Looks like they took the features from the Opus, added a few more little features and call it the AZ. Why didn’t they put the drum rolls and the stems on this one like they did on the other controller they just released. AlfaTheta playing the brain game in us
This is a standalone not a controller. Could work as controller but is not a controller!!! The stems are in the software on the laptop not on the controller. I am sure that you can control stems with this if you use it as a controller, but why you buy a standalone to use it as a controller… 🤷🏻♂️
I was wondering the same, then I realized that they must design the interface in a way that is capable of working with full functionality in standalone mode. And the fact is that even high-end computers are having a hard time in terms of processing power required for real time STEMS separation, so it's understandable. And if you are using it as a controller, you can easily remap anything. I would really like to see more devices having the FLX10's STEM-FX section though, for me that's game changer.
