DENON dj mcx8000 vs PIONEER xdj-rx

mega
Happy for you guys having (Terry) and having ordered (Vintage) the MCX.
I am picking my up on Thursday ! yay!!!
Will let know how I find it 😉
I used to own DDJ-SZ before so will be able to relate to the top of the line Pioneer controller 😉

What I can’t wait the most for in the MCX?
1. That all metal construction (I think there very few controllers on the market which are all metal – even 2000 euro Pioneers have side walls made from tacky plastic)
2. A lot of people say that MCX sound quality is absolutely off the hook and like a rolls royce among controllers in the sound quality department
3. Standalone functionality + screens
4. DVS capability
5. Ultra high creativity potential (Slicer + Flip + Hot Cues + PitchNtime + 16 performance pads)

Terry, what do you mean by case mounted XLRs?

aaaa….now I get. mega! thanks

I so cannot wait. Won’t sleep tonight (leaving tomorrow at 8am to get it) 🙂

Do I think correctly that Terminal Mix 8 from Reloop is also all (like ‘all all’) metal?

Hey

where do I start….. 😀

mcx8000
Picked it up yesterday. Played around with it only for couple of hours but……OMG! just buy it!
It’s not a controller – it’s an epitome of digital DJing encased in metal box – that simple.

Reloop TM8
While I was at the shop and was waiting to get served I noticed TM8 on the display so….I played with it – what an impressive piece of kit honestly for the price ! All metal, solid, great build and so on. It costs like 400 euro in my country (Poland) but looks and feels 2-3 times more – easily on par with the most expensive Pioneers that ‘everyone thinks is best and the only one’. Generally, I think that Reloop has made such a technological leap in recent 4-5 years it’s unbelievable. I have just got a PA system from Reloop called Groove Set 12 and you know what? It’s just mind blowingly good – it’s very well engineered in terms of sound stakes – very very well calibrated and tuned sound. And it does 2 things for me: it’s amazing at home when DJ practicing (the bass is so deep and precise it’s like a joke – trust me) + I can do small gigs with it. Best part? I got it for 600 euro – this is a joke. I have listened to stuff over 1000 euro and nothing plays better then this!
Reloop is no longer Reloop 7 or 10 years ago. They have amazing products! Controller – TM8 is amazing when you consider it costs 400 euro (+ all metal). Turntable: 7000/8000 are the best TTs you can buy bar ‘new old mk2/mk5’ Technics (and these, of course, can be bought but new but cost 2000 euro each) – and I know it for a fact as my mate installs stuff for concerts and festivals in the USA so he knows what he is talking about and is relaying all this knowledge to me (wow/flutter the same as Technics, torque 3 times more then Technics and adjustable, great build, Ortofone carts collab and so on). Modular controller – Neon is extremely good. Headphones – rhp20 (cool looking, loud and powerful bass with a price to laugh at at 80 euro).
There is definitely a ‘stigma for Reloop’ out there. I can see it with my friend DJs who laugh at Reloop as a brand. But that’s all to do with their experience with Reloop 10 years back. NOT NOW! I encourage everyone to give Reloop a try – you will not be disappointed. I think I will start a topic about ‘Reloop stigma’ and ‘present state of things’ in that matter. Particularly try the Groove Set PA system and you will be blown away by its sound and price (instead of buying ‘studio monitors’ which, as even the name suggests, are intended/desgined for studio use and work and not bedroom/home DJ practice/fun).

cheers

I would strongly suggest the XDJ. I purchased the 8000 about a month ago and ended up returning it. I at first had the same thoughts as yourself, four decks, rubber pads, Serato availability etc and unfortunately, all of that will not overcompensate if the basics are not there first. I will say the build quality is great and I fully support Denon in being a player that is pushing innovation.

There where two main factors that contributed to my suggestion for the XDJ. Layout and software. Engine software will only take mp3’s in 44.1 formatting and as it turns out, I have many tracks in 44.8. I find it cumbersome to convert every track before sorting a flash drive as compared to Rekordbox which I have not had these issues with. My main pull to the 8000 was for the standalone function and I have found it to be sub par to Rekordbox. I read a lot of reviews prior to my purchase and they all suggested the 8000 to be a Serato controller first with standalone capability. Turns out, they were right.

In terms of layout, my hands would constantly hit the tempo fader, knocking my mixes out of beat. As you can imagine when both channels are in, you can hear the clash in real time. As you look at the XDJ the layout is a lot simpler and not as busy. I have come to find out that this is by design. This allows for faster movement with having to be as present to every hand placement and if you are already familiar with a cdj layout, muscle memory will be in your favor.

Again, I think the 8000 is a great product in that is innovative and very ambitious. However, I now see why the more simple layout is better for me in terms of practicality and work flow.

Oh, and I almost forgot the needle drop strips, a feature that was one of the things I always like in Pioneer gear!

I totally agree with Vintage and God I love the MCX for my radio show. I did now 2 shows with it and it is awesome.
However no matter what I am using it 99% Serato, so I do not care about Rekordbox or Engine that much and most of my music is from iTunes, Beatport or Amazon (or ripped myself correctly). I even ran my mic over the MCX into the radio mixer because of the excellent talkover, which surprisingly outdid the radio mixers talkover feature.

Actually the on the fly conversion of 48kHz files via the audio DAC will cause more artifacts and worse sound than pre-converting it to 44.1. I do not know that this is why Engine does not support it, or it is just an overlook, but I would always suggest to convert to the correct format for sound output (and yes the XDJ also has that issue).

As for club use is where the MCX really shines. I have the tech set it up anyways, so no trouble there, but the cool thing is that I only use the laptop for browsing (as this is way easier on the laptop screen) and use the built in screens for the rest. This way I can place the laptop on the side and face the dancefloor better. Most outstanding feature is the way the iZotope effects run on the screens and you can easily swith them out with shortcuts, apart from the other Serato goodies that are just on your fingertips with the MCX layout.

All in all I would not give up my MCX for the world.

That Struis we are well aware of, however the majority of DACs in pro gear is made for “CD quality” which is 44.1.
Now unless you are at home in a quiet setting with a good room and an audiophile system (or good audiophile headphones) you will not hear the difference if you are over 20 years old.
Over a PA system in a club (which mostly cut out at 18kHz and have way more artifacts by the house mixer alone) you have to be a wizard to hear the difference.
This is also why most DJs agree that high quality mp3 or AAC is sufficient to DJ with and you wont need uncompressed WAV or ALS. The sound systems we play over are just not worth the effort.

Now if you are a home user and have a good system (like me) and want to listen to music that does not come from an overcompressed source like most todays EDM, so lets say Japanese recordings of classic music, then by all means go higher.
I have some excellent recordings of the Vienna Symphonic Orchestra by Sony Music Japan in 96kHz WAV. They sound amazing, but my DAC alone costs more than a Nexus system…

Just found this thread in July 2017 and thought I’d chime in with some info.

I researched the Pioneer DDJ-SX2 and the Denon MCX8000 & MC 7000 for a while before making my purchase. As I am not playing live anymore, I don’t have as much pull toward the Pioneer brand that most DJs do. That being said I had not ever laid my hands on any Denon DJ equipment, until now. I come from the mid 90’s rave era, OG 2 technics 1200 MKII’s and actual vinyl with music on it, stopped playing live in 01-02 as everyone went digital, I did not follow. I did however have my fair share of time playing with Pioneer mixers and CDJs. I personally have always thought Pioneer makes great equipment, but very pretty pricey for what they offer. No matter what Pioneer is several hundred more for a comparable product, they are proud.

So, I found a Pioneer DDJ-SX2 and Denon MCX8000 & 7000s open and setup at a music store and decided to mess around. I immediately found these differences.

1. The Denon MCX8000 and MC7000 seem to have a bit more latency with the Jog-wheels than the Pioneer DDJ-SX2 but they were still pretty sweet.

2. The Denon controllers feel better to me though. The all metal case, faders, buttons and everything felt better to me personally. The Pioneer felt cheap and very plasticky, no resistance whatsoever on any of the faders or pitch adjustments and the knobs and everything just feel better to me on the Denon.

I ended up purchasing the Denon MCX8000 and absolutely love it other than the latency (which someone has now told me that can be adjusted in Serato.) It feels and looks great and has all of the features the DDJ-SX2 has and more. I did however crash the sound card on the first day I had it. I set a loop,live sliced on that loop, tweaked the filter knob, added an effect, and then it crashed. If someone like me who has not played live in 16 years can load that thing up so bad that the sound card/processor craps out and the unit has to be restarted, there’s an issue. I will be contacting Denon Customer Support to see if there is anything that I am doing wrong and/or if I’m not running incorrect/incompatible versions of software etc.

Long story short, I like the make and feel of the Denon but if it doesn’t work perfectly, I may have to switch to the Pioneer.

-X