Denon releases the Prime Go and Prime 2 portable DJ players
4 min read
DENON DJ is on a roll at the moment, having just announced the launch of the SC6000 and SC6000M pro DJ players, they also added two new all-in-one smart DJ consoles to their lineup.
The Denon Prime Go and Prime 2 (to a lesser degree) players add a new level of portability to DJing. In what is now standard for Denon, they apply pressure to the top – Pioneer DJ – by offering better features and pricing compared to the industry standard market leader.
READ MORE: Denon releases SC6000 Prime and SC6000M Prime
It is hard not to compare the battle to the one between Intel and AMD, where Intel leads the way in computer processor market share and quality, but AMD undercuts Intel with cheaper and often better-featured processors driving the prices down and R&D up.
The latest offering from Denon is sure to do just that. Pioneer DJ may still have the comfort-zone in the pro DJ market, but every time Denon releases cheaper and equally feature-rich hardware, it pushes the top dog to keep prices competitive and develop better gear.
Prime 2 and Prime Go will be available Q1 2020
Denon DJ Prime Go
Price ~$999
The Denon DJ Prime Go is perhaps the coolest looking compact all-in-one DJ console ever made. With a large 7-inch HD touchscreen taking up the top half and a compact layout packed with performance features, this surface will allow DJs to travel easily with their gear.
A key feature that makes it unmatched for its tier is the four-hours of unplugged playing that the rechargeable lithium-ion battery allows, meaning it can be used on the go, including – as the video above demonstrates – on a train or plane.
It runs off Denon’s proprietary Engine software and has built-in wifi and wired internet connections to allow streaming music. This is a great feature for mobile DJs but perhaps one to keep under wraps if you don’t like those pesky requests.
Thanks to Engine, it can internally analyze music files & Rekordbox collections direct from USB, so there is no need to worry about having USBs for Pioneer gear and separate ones for Denon.
While space is somewhat cramped, it manages to fit in performance pads for hot cues, loops and rolls, allowing DJs to keep the creative performance opportunities that most modern controllers now feature – it should be noted that there are only four on each deck though.
There are also track FX and two microphone inputs meaning the Prime Go is able to be used for all sorts of venues and gigs, including functions.
Perhaps the one thing that pro DJs will miss on the Prime Go is large jog wheels – which on this unit are quite small. Of course, this would be at the cost of other features and so it surely won’t put many people off. And if it does, they can look towards the …
Denon DJ Prime 2
Price ~ $1399
With many familiar features looking like they were brought forward from previous controllers, including the EQ section and filters which were present on the likes of the Denon DJ MC7000, the Denon DJ Prime 2 is the big brother to the Prime Go.
Another fully-featured two-deck standalone system, the Prime 2 is larger and more feature-packed than the Prime Go.
With a similar profile to the Denon Prime 4, and many matching features to Pioneer’s XDJ-RX and XDJ-RR series, the Prime 2 is a powerful portable control surface that really acts as a nail in the coffin for traditional DJ controllers.
the Prime 2 is a feature-rich control surface that puts Pioneer to shame
Kitted out with Denon’s (what seems to be standard) 7-inch HD touchscreen with gestures, the Prime 2 allows DJs to fully control their music from the surface of the console.
It features a built-in 2.5 inch SATA drive bay to allow for massive libraries and if that is not enough, it also comes with the same built-in wifi and ethernet connections seen on the Prime Go.
One major upgrade from the Prime Go is the capacitive touch jog wheels which here, feature a HD central colour display. This allows DJs to see vital track information at their fingertips.
Like with the Prime Go, it allows Rekordbox libraries with its proprietary Denon Engine software meaning DJs can work on both Pioneer and Denon gear without the need for multiple USBs.
It also adds independent track FX alongside the familiar EQ and filters aforementioned.
There are eight pads per deck meaning it is a direct competitor to most pro controllers, and beating most of Pioneer DJ’s standalone consoles. These are vital for performance-rich sets and allow a lot of scope for remixing and chopping/editing tracks on the fly.
Like with the Prime Go, it features two mic inputs with EQ and talkover making it another great contender for mobile DJs’ upgrades.
And, of course, if you just need to run away from the decks, you can plug in your phone with the aux cable and leave the music running.
