XMG DJ 15 Laptop Review: A Windows Laptop JUST For DJs! 

Cool...

Was that with DVS or midi ?

We're looking forward to doing this too.

i use my new macbook air m1 with serato pro. works legit! the battery life is fenomenal. i used it for off grid party in the woods just off laptop battery. plugged my sb3 in it and it worked for like 8 hours. also had two 120 watt ION speakers they are battery powered too

@@DCVibeEntertainment I love that you can do this now..we used have to carry a generator and diesel

@@dagnut haha yea i feel you man. now you can just use tha laptop + maybe a 30 watt charger from Anker to extend the laptop life but 8 hours is okay for a good night rave :P

Thanks for watching Ken!

Any questions you have - feel free to ask here, or send an e-mail to audio@xmg.gg. // Ray

Nice one Jason

Awesome! Any question you have, send it to audio@xmg.gg or ask here so I can respond to everybody. Cheers! // Ray

The performance is excellent so it certainly doesn't "need" it for what it does, in future it may become more and more necessary though so from a future proof point of view I'm sure they're considering these things for future models

@@digitaldjtips I have to disagree with you on that. You are basically asking a very fast car to fly instead of drive, if you don't add a GPU for deep learning algorithms. CPUs are simply not made for this kind of math, and even if they eventually get through the job, everything else they should be talking care of on the laptop will be suffering while they do it And since XMG is also a gaming laptop company, it should be right up their alley to combine the two Until then I can't recommend buying the XML DJ 15. You will be better of buying a cheap gaming laptop Here is an example: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-L1cRQHm-y8c.html

I'll guess we'll agree to disagree then :)

You rang? Check out the XMG PRO 15 Audio and tell me if we've missed something: bestware.com/en/xmg-pro-15-audio.html // Ray

@@xmg_gg very cool!

Nice one :)

Never change a running system. We'll still be here once the time comes! // Ray

It has an aluminium chassis and a plastic case.

All reviewers preferred the red one, so that's the one we provided to them :) I'm happy to see the silver model out in the wild as well. // Ray

Nice one Mark! What is attracting you to it?

It really is the "I can't believe it's not butter" of laptops ;) // Ray

Cool :)

Yep this isn't going to work for you

You might want to check out the PRO 15 audio then. It's a new addition to the line-up. It features a significantly stronger 8-core CPU (i7-10870H), RTX 3000 series GPUs (up to 3080Q), 2 SSD slots and up to 64 GB of RAM: bestware.com/en/xmg-pro-15-audio.html // Ray

So true! I was gonna comment this

@@DJMeku that's a big fail for a computer designed for DJing

Most DJ software does not make use of that. It's great that Virtual DJ does... But it's a small player. The problem with most laptops is that there is an overpowered Screen + graphics processor. You pay a TON for it, and nearly no one in the music scene uses it. It's because all high end heavy processor computers are made for gaming or video /graphics editing. Am happy with this move - hope others will follow with better specs though....

@@EricWoning what are you talking about ? VDJ is the most used DJ software. Not at all a small player🤷🏻‍♂️

@@syntherwilll47 - I just looked it up. I was SO WRONG. Grandpa here was still thinking in 10 years ago apparently. So you're right, I'm wrong. Thanks for setting the record straight - I thought Serato & Recordbox were WAY bigger than they are (personally I still use Traktor... but who knows for how long. I think they really dropped the ball with Stems as they were there first... then they f***ed it up.

Nice one :)

Yes we'd definitely have liked to seen a metal option

Well - we've got a brand new audio-optimized machine in a higher performance bracket than the DJ 15, which is all metal - literally, and figuratively. Take a look: bestware.com/en/xmg-pro-15-audio.html // Ray

gaming pc's crash sometimes dude, why risk it?

DPC latency is not the same as audio latency. Low DPC latency (in simple terms) means that the hardware components and their drivers don't cause unnecessary timeouts, which could result in audible glitches at low ASIO buffer settings. As to live stem separation in VDJ2021: we've tested it on 4 decks simultaneously using the DJ 15. It works - although I recommend the i7 CPU for it, because headroom is a thing. Finally, if you want a machine with a powerful dedicated GPU, the new PRO 15 Audio features NVIDIA RTX 3000 series GPUs which will handle... well, pretty much anything, as they're the most powerful GPUs available in a mobile platform. Take a look here - I'd love to hear your thoughts about this one: bestware.com/en/xmg-pro-15-audio.html // Ray

@@DJTechnoboom Gaming PCs crash? That's a myth. Technics 1210s and CDJs are also unbreakable! ;) // Ray

@@xmg_gg well I have a Dell I know its. Ot a gaming laptop but it was custom built for me by some1 and it works pretty good, sometimes I get a poping sound though, guess it's some lag there

@@xmg_gg kool , thanks

Yeah it's a shame it's a little harder to get in the US!

thanks for this, I've had hue bulbs for a hot minute and didn't know hue sync was a thing!

Sadly that is not the case. Various companies use parts that might state they 3200Mhz RAM but those the run time is high because they don't mention it. The motherboard used in the laptop might have poor vram, which affects various other things. Here is a list to show you: www.notebookcheck.net/DPC-Latency-Ranking-Which-laptops-and-Windows-tablets-offer-the-lowest-latency.504376.0.html?

I actually not only used VDJ next to Serato, Traktor, Rekordbox and Ableton Live in the official demo (simultaneously) - seen here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-mVF_IN0Hd7o.html - but also tested live stem separation with VDJ 2021 on 4 decks simultaneously. It works just fine, although I'd recommend the i7 CPU for it for reasons of headroom. You'll find we can actually back our "marketing hogwash" up. // Ray

It is not made for music video, so I don't know.

Yes, it'll be fine with Traktor. We haven't tested with Ableton.

Where can it be ordered from? Thanks

Fair enough :)

Ouch not good

Nice one Eric, not sure if there are many reviews out there putting this through it's paces for production

That is where the XMG Core does great: www.reddit.com/r/XMG_gg/comments/jrlsqf/xmg_core_15_amd_music_production_review/

@@thedjnamedves this is what I've been looking for. THANKS!

@@EricWoning Actually, the CORE isn't yet part of the audio line-up - so we can't make a general statement about how well it performs (but it's great that it does for that one customer!). The new PRO 15 Audio, however, is tuned specifically for that - it will handle DAW work easily: bestware.com/en/xmg-pro-15-audio.html. The DJ 15 wasn't made for that purpose - that's why we called it "DJ 15". Most DJs aren't producers ;) // Ray

@@xmg_gg - a) already shows you're a different company actually responding to this kind of thing b) thanks - will def check it out c) yeah - I figured.... but d) you're way ahead of the game if you're making PC's optimised for this. I really hope this travels fast and you get a large chunk of the market. Will seriously look at this to replace my Mac.

You'll get the same analysis results on any laptop, it's just a question of how long it takes to do it.

Thanks for your reply. That has answered by question and given peace of mind. Keep up the good work

When speccing the XMG DJ 15, we were very well aware it wouldn't tick all the boxes. That's why it's called "DJ 15" and not something like "PRO 15 Audio" which... oh wait, we've actually got that product now. Take a look at it here, and tell me what we might have missed - this is a genuine question. Your feedback helps us improve future products, so thanks in advance: bestware.com/en/xmg-pro-15-audio.html // Ray P.S.: You can also ask our support very audio-specific things and we'll know how to help you. Give it a try at audio@xmg.gg, or do it here :)

Yeah this certainly isn't an "all-rounder" :)

Actually Video Djing works with this. Just only DJ software that it has problems with is Serato VIdeo. But that is a Serato/Windows thing.

Haha it's popular! You can check it out here: geni.us/Hm2vgMc

only for things that would use it like hardware video encoding for streaming

@@AcidRP what about the waveform movement,album art, mouse movements ,the knobs and sliders that you visually see and all the other visuals you see on the daw it isn’t much but I feel it would help

@@treezybeats602 - needs next to no processing power. Only when there is loads of (fast) movement on screen doet it really matter.

@@treezybeats602 Those are not handeld by the GPU in any DJ or audio software, it's not worth the power cost

@@AcidRP my experience is different but to each his own

Almost certainly yes, but we haven't tested that.

It's fine on the i7 variant when you work predominantly sample-based, but if you want to use lots of heavy plugins like Serum or Falcon, the DJ 15 is simply not made for it. The good news is, the new PRO 15 Audio ticks all the boxes - you can check it out here: bestware.com/en/xmg-pro-15-audio.html // Ray

Don't be rude please. You'll get nothing from us that way.

@@digitaldjtips how is that rude?

Not easily no

€1288

If you're happy buying second hand then "tweaking it" yourself then sure :)

@@digitaldjtips i think it''s good for people like me who aren't good with computer's, but yes if you know how to build a custom laptop it would be cheaper.

Thud Rumble were a company looking to do something similar, not sure if they still are

@@digitaldjtips yes, this invader mixer i wait for till today... i think they don't want something like this cause It would make all dj software useless. I mean i still happy with my rane 62 - amazing hardware but serato dj pro don't support it anymore. So no matter how good you mixer is build the day will come it don't work with you new mac or win laptop. In this way they force you to buy a new dj mixer. i still use my 57 and 62 with serato scratch and my old mac. They good enough for what i do (more real vinyl stuff and scratchin)

They are not currently available

It is

It wouldn't be your first choice if you're going to be doing a lot of video stuff

It depends on the software. The DJ 15 performed best with 1080p30 video files in VDJ2021, followed by Rekordbox DJ and then Serato where the performance was honestly a bit disappointing. However, with the new machine - which sits in a higher performance bracket than the DJ 15, it's not a replacement - VJing will not be a problem, as it features NVIDIA RTX 3000 series GPUs. Take a look at the PRO 15 Audio here: bestware.com/en/xmg-pro-15-audio.html // Ray

👌

Thanks for watching

Seeing it a lot Edward? :)

@@digitaldjtips i have seen a few reviews

Got a question that reviewers haven't covered yet? I'd be happy to answer it - fire away. // Ray

Maybe...

No. It just means that when you're new to Windows and don't know how things work on that platform, you can actually ask us a DJ-specific question and we've got people on the team - including myself - who will know the answer. I'd love to see any other PC manufacturer give you anything but "sorry we can't help" copypasta when you ask them the same thing :) // Ray

Throttling is temperature-based, basically nothing else. M1 doesn't run very hot due to its advanced structure (both semiconductor size and the chip structure) and on top of that, not really needing to use its full capacity for non-scientific tasks. Also, saying this as someone who hates apple as a company... Comparing Intel CPUs to the M1 is kind of like comparing a steam locomotive to the Shinkansen. We need to wait and see what AMD brings out in response, as Intel is very far behind technologically.

Active cooling means audible cooling - which, when you're stood on stage or even a studio with tiny speakers, you won't hear. But it's reassuring to know that the machine will never go thermal on you. I've played sets in Egypt on prototypes of the DJ 15, it can take that ambient temperature easily. // Ray

These have been around for a while now (this is second gen), we'll be interested to see who picks one of these up or what they might do with a mk3.

Silly comment, you not liking the product doesn't make it a scam. It's very up front about who it's for, what it does and the limitations it has

@@digitaldjtips not a all, I work in the industry and have worked with 3rd party laptop manufacturers for audio specific laptops. The laptop reviewed was an attempt to cash in on people who dont understand the product. I be happy to elaborate on both the issues with marketing a laptop like this and what a proper "dj laptop" would entail. Thanks

We'll pass, thanks

Shill away, obvious this comes off as rude, but pandering poorly made laptops from unproven 3rd parties is a trashy move. Buying a bottom end AMD 4600H (like the ASUS TUF 506 seise) laptop would not only be cheaper but offer better latency and performance. Not only that the built-in APU would take the stress off off the CPU core for programs that use the GPU like virtual DJ or OBS for streaming. Again I'm not trying to be rude, but this pandering of products you don't believe in to an impressionable crowd is really trashy, and I think this video should be removed as someone might actually buy this thinking they are getting a "better" laptop for DJ software when that is objectively not the case. I not only work with laptop manufactures for audio-specific laptops, I build and tune PC's for this purpose and am haoppy to answer questions on this subject, both about hardware, software, and tuning of windows. Thanks

Ah the old "you don't agree with me therefore you're a shill"! It's trashy being a professional and calling a product a scam because you don't like it or the marketing from the company who has made it. This is a review not a comparison with other laptops, we very clearly call out the build quality and the fact it's essentially a one trick pony. We also don't get paid for reviews so accusations of "pandering" or "shilling" is just utter nonsense, so is the idea that you can read our minds about what we do and don't believe in.

It's certainly a niche product so will elicit that response in some

@@digitaldjtips it's completely unnecessary and just feeds into the snobbish mentality of some DJs

@@VictorKibalchich unnecessary for you maybe, but then it's really not just about you is it?

@@robsayer8028 wow, that's a bit aggressive

@@VictorKibalchich pot calling kettle black maybe?

This "toy" easily runs VDJ2021 on 4 decks with live stem separation. You'll find we actually test things before we make claims. We also now have a more powerful machine with NVIDIA RTX 3000 series GPUs in the audio line-up, which is ready to take over once your current workhorse is no more ;) Take a look here, your feedback is most appreciated: bestware.com/en/xmg-pro-15-audio.html // Ray

Lol :)