Attention ! Pioneer promises heavy lol

So, ive replied to someone on Youtube asking for reasons behind their comment ‘its the best 4 channel on the market right now’

This was their response, referencing the Prime 4:

“quality and feel, the way it looks. Prime 4 looks old and cluttere. Outdated now. The colour scheme was ugly on release and this just shows up those short comings even more”

Well that’s it settled then, we should all sell up and buy this Opus thing because that colour is going to improve our DJ sets no end. :roll_eyes:

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Here’s my direct and honest take.

This thing is for posers and midlife crisis DJs - mostly. They’ll buy this and use it forever because they’re not gonna actually use more than 10% of what it’s actually capable of in the first place.

I did say mostly, because I know there will be some who fall in love with this thing. And there ARE some things I DO like about it. But……

There are so many omissions on this thing though.

They’ve put their most powerful processor in the machine that honestly needs it the least.

It makes me look at my Prime 4 and feel very thankful. (Yes I wish it had better platters and the jog screens showed more than just pretty pictures, but I digress)

I guess the short and sweet response to the Opus is, it ain’t for me.

I dislike everything it represents.

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Its the usual Pioneer thing of some great features coupled with half baked inclusions (like 2 waveforms despite being a 4 deck controller) and a premium price. I don’t care what anyone says either, those pads are shocking, a single function (again with a pretty cool feature in memory cues) and not offering the slip/roll modes that many DJs like to make use of.

The fake wood effect on the side is cringe too, kind of like a Dacia pretending to be an Audi.

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The guy is serious saying “OBSOLETE” lol :flushed:

To have the functions of Prime 4 currently… Pioneer would be with a controller in Mk7 version, note they make money thanks to that lol

In addition to this Opus Quad, it lacks a lot of functions and there are 3/4 things pumped up on the Denon.

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I might spray paint my Prime 2 if it helps my mixing :), anything to help right.

Agree with your comment though.

Edit: it is utterly embarrassing for them that the engagement on this device is far more active on here than the brands own forum, where as far as i can see there are 2 posts in total with no replies.

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Imo they dropped the ball with not supporting reading or onboard convert of legacy rekordbox collections… An Engine unit can work with normal Rekordbox collection, the Pioneer Opus Quad can not

Any CDJ dj should be able to perform on this unit without the need of a computer first

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In fairness the same happened with the upgrade from 1.6 to 2.0 here too. But the impact for them is far greater due to their userbase isn’t it.

@STU-C I think that’s different… A 1.6 collection could be inserted and auto converted to the newer 2.0 Engine OS, an old Rekordbox cannot be inserted in the newer Database Plus (currently)

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Yeah thats a fair point. It didnt work the other way around however as i went to a gig with a 2.0 USB stick and the Prime 4 was on 1.6… i had to use my RB USB instead. still better than what this is though.

There is some attention to detail, which I would like to see in future Denon DJ products. Like certain LED pulsing smoothly instead of blinking harshly, or the Temporary Cue button taking the RGB color of the last selected Hot Cue. The global Smooth Echo is implemented in a splendid way, that push-joystick-hybrid is kinda cool as well.

And at the same time they fail with crucial things as the lack of proper performance pads, slip mode, loop roll, SD card support or magvel fader. The status LEDs of the Sweep FX are stupid as ever, flashing constantly when selected, rather than just being highlighted and flashing only when turned into a different position than 12 o’clock as a safety warning (Denon did this very well on the Live units). The placement of the track skip and deck select buttons is also non-ergonomic, you always have to stretch your arms. Certain features seem half-baked (Zone, Link, Waveforms) or delayed (Serato, Streaming, Analysis).

Concerning the design - I don’t like the corrugated sides, but I like the top plate design and overall color scheme quite a lot! Black and gold form an interesting contrast, and it seems more mature than most Prime units. But that’s only the look.

Personally, the price, the lack of aforementioned features, and the fact I have SoundSwitch powered Lighting control integrated even in a $600 unit like the Mixstream are the points which keep me loyal to inMusic for now. However, I am always glad about competition.

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Notice this blinking represents the BPM in Engine OS on cue

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Yeah, I am aware - which makes that blinking even more aggressive. Personally, I don’t need that, at faster speeds I could impossibly engage a track by that mere blinking timing feedback - I do it by ear. Btw it looks kinda wild with Hardcore/Speedcore tracks :stuck_out_tongue:

Just a small thing, of course. But as said: Details like Play, Cue and Track End warning feedback is less intrusive and more eye-pleasing in the Opus One videos, at least for me.

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I imagine before long that Pioneer are going to change their whole database to what the Opus-Quad uses. Because the disconnect you are referencing is indeed stupid.

You know, that begs the question…are Denon going to update Engine to adopt this new Pioneer database? I hope they do, and while they’re at it, I hope they support the lower resolution that Pioneer uses for album art. That’s always irked me that my Rekordbox album art shows up pixelated on Prime gear. I know this isn’t a priority, and that’s why I’ve never even mentioned it before, but if they are going to overhaul the Engine/Rekordbox compatibility anyway, I hope they include that fix as well.

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It might be the other answer to the question; databases might get locked by Pioneer all together. Hence the payed subscriptions. No more export or connection outside the ecosystem.

Just a thought. No facts.

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I’m thinking you will be seeing Bluetooth connectivity on the Prime 4 Plus and USB C as its the new standard. I could also see it having slightly larger jog wheels. :blush:

That stupid video got pulled quickly for a good reason. The guy simply didn’t have a clue and yet had a bold statement to make. What a tool.

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I heard yesterday that the only difference with the Prime 4+ is a chip enabling use of Amazon Music…

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A new unique database system apart from Rekordbox that is not easily convertible on the units, no onboard analysis, only two analog inputs, no digital output, no hardware split cue switch, and no cue lights to match the layers? There are a bunch of other features Denon DJ also has that the Opus Quad does not, and there are useability & interaction ‘characteristics’ Pioneer DJ has that I don’t like. The only current advantage of Pioneer DJ over Denon DJ is the sound quality of the audio digital signal processing of their firmware, but for that price difference?! The more people who buy Denon DJ, the more people who can vote to improve the sound on their forum.

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Looks like a nice piece of gear for me. Not a ton of features and some quircks/weird functionalities.

I personally don’t like the looks - but dj gear will eventually move away from the ‘industrial’ look.

Being more a events/weddings product than ‘club gear’ I understand the design choice. It may look ‘weird’ for djs but looks ‘alien’ and futuristic for non-djs, and that’s a good point for ‘event’ gear.

That would be crazy if Pioneer DJ is moving towards that, besides the sound, the contiguous compatibility nature of their Rekordbox database from the original CDJ-900/2000 release onward has been a major selling point. Another factor was of course the carefree nature of Pro Link sharing and track offloading. We can say fourth & fifth was reliability & repairability.

If DIY repairability has been abandoned, other brands’ link has become mostly comparable, and other stuff is improved over time, the gap narrows way down for their competition. If their database system is not only changing but becoming proprietary, all Denon DJ has to do is improve playback sound quality and Pioneer DJ will, at best, be only about half the nightclub frontend market in short order. Many people are not going to put up with a database shift like that if it spreads in their lineup past the Opus Quad. That sort of proprietary nonsense won’t stand en masse.

Now would also be the time for Denon DJ to embrace “Forget the rider” as their motto instead of “Change your rider.” You should be able to play on anything regardless of what’s installed, and certainly not be some prima donna who requires the latest over-US$10,000 front end to mix music in a venue. Hardware agnosticism is where it’s at.

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