DJ Prime 2 headphone monitoring crackles when volume knob turned up

Engine DJ Hardware Standalone Controllers
1

Hi everyone. I thought I would share this problem to see what other people think.

NB: I am intentionally exaggerating the speed of the headphone volume knob in the video being turned, so the crackling sound can be heard when recording it with a mobile phone away from the headphones - with the headphones on your head, the volume knob doesn’t have to be turned so rapidly to hear the crackling sound.

I’ve contacted Denon today and they kindly told me I only get a 1 year warranty for the DJ Prime 2 here in the UK, which was rather disappointing which means I have to pay for this problem to be fixed.

This is somewhat problematic as I wanted to sell this unit and get a DJ Prime 4 (bigger screen) but am cautious this same problem might also occur on the DJ Prime 4 also.

On that basis, I was curious if other people have experienced this problem and what they did, if anything, to fix it?

Thank you.

2

I got loud crackling when turning up the volume on my Prime 2, no fix sadly. When I turn it up slowly the crackle should stay away

On the Prime 4 no issues btw

3

i have the same problem with prime 2 1 year old

5

My Prime 2 is also affected by this on the master and headphone volume controls. I suspect a firmware issue because I’ve replaced some of the affected potentiometers and also examined them. They’re 100% fine.

6

I mitigate it by turning them slowly.

Someone posted a good thread about cleaning the master volume one with some contact cleaner through the vents at the back. Obviously this doesn’t work with the headphone but they were adamant it resolved the master one.

7

Unfortunately not… I desoldered the potentiometer and replaced it with a new one. The scratching remained. I also checked the potentiometer on the headphones with an oscilloscope to see if there were any jumps in the value that could be causing this. Nothing… Either there’s a nasty design flaw, or if I remember correctly, the problem only appeared with version 4.x.x. But I don’t want to commit to that.

Removing the potentiometers is hell! Definitely not for the inexperienced, and they also require the patience to remove so many screws and connectors.

I like the Prime 2 because it’s still quite compact and offers everything I need. But I’m now occasionally considering a DDJ FLX 10. I work with VDJ anyway. Engine OS is only intended as a backup, which I’ve never needed.

Turning it slowly does help, and once the device has been in use for a while, the noise level decreases. Unfortunately, Denon doesn’t seem to care. I personally don’t think contact spray in potentiometers is advisable.

8

Yes, if I was still using laptop software as my main rig, a Prime unit would be the last thing I’d buy, a dedicated controller is far superior at that job.

I certainly haven’t noticed the crackle much lately but I’ve gotten into the habit of just turning the dials slowly, I also agree it seemed to appear after a certain update.

9

That’s why I’m actually considering the FLX 10. But only if it’s completely broken.

VDJ’s touchscreen is perfectly integrated. I agree, though, it’s an expensive controller. So is the FLX 10, and it doesn’t have any standalone capabilities!

The only thing that’s really annoying is the scratching and the crooked display of the master VU meter, even though the signal is 100% fine.