With the introduction of the Denon DJ Prime Go console, the company has upped the ante in the DJ marketplace.
A compact, carry-on DJ player with 7-inch touchscreen, standalone Wi-Fi music streaming and powered by the Engine OS platform, Denon DJ Prime Go features a rechargeable lithium-ion battery — a unique portability that lasts for four hours.
Features include a timestretch and key-shift algorithm, the ability to play uncompressed music file formats plus on-board music management, track preview, internal file analysis and “direct to media source” set recording.
It was released with the Prime 2, which includes a built-in internal HDD bay.
Our take on the Prime Go is offered in a conversation with our writer, DJ George Garcia.
DJ George Garcia: I see Prime Go becoming popular among traveling and mobile DJs, and among those who like to spin on those small portable turntables with built in crossfader — portablism I think it’s called.
DJ Times: Do you see a club DJ working on his playlist on a plane or in a car before a gig with this?
DJ George: For internationally traveling DJs, I believe they still will prefer to use laptops to prepare. Because using a laptop still lets you go to more specific record pools and sites where you can find mashups and edits and even let’s you do mashups and remixes on your own, while Denon Go only offers organization.
DJ Times: The portability of Prime Go is unprecedented. It’s great for outdoor parties and similar situations where electric outputs aren’t available.
DJ George: The Prime Go is perfectly capable of performing in professional DJ booths and at mobile gigs. It offers most of the essential features (except a sampler) from the bigger models but in a smaller format.
DJ Times: I can see Prime Go as a solution for tons of gigs. Even a beach or warehouse party — Denon GO and a small battery-powered speaker like the Bose S1 and 4G connection through mobile phone.
DJ George: I can also see many mobiles using this as a go-to for smaller gigs, cocktail hours, as a backup, etc. It’s easier on the back, and it’s got all the functionality they’d need.
DJ Times: At just under $1,000, it might be an expensive purchase for a DJ beginner.
DJ George: They’re standalone but a beginner can build their library quickly. It’s got a 3-month subscription to Tidal, and you can still use your Serato, Traktor, Rekordbox, and iTunes library — just drag your library into Engine Prime on your laptop and export to USB, so you don’t have to rebuild your library.
DJ Times: Denon’s growth strategy is impressive. This comes right alongside the new SC6000 and X1850.
DJ George: They release almost a minimum viable product that lives up to the hype and yet has room for improvement. And after getting enough feedback, Denon upgrades their gear according to what DJs really look for, instead of just putting out the best product they can and releasing minor firmware updates. They did this strategy when the SC5000 and X1800 came out and I believe they will apply similar strategy to their new products again.
For more information go here.
Denon DJ Prime Go features
• Fully-featured, backpackable 2-deck smart DJ console
• 7-inch HD touchscreen with gestures
• Rechargeable lithium-ion battery for up to 4 hours of unplugged performance
• Built-in Wi-Fi and wired internet connectivity for music streaming
• Dual-bank performance pads for triggering hot-cues, loop and roll
• Pro-grade audio and connectivity
• RCA aux input for media players, tablets, phones
• Capacitive-touch jog wheels
• Internally analyze music files & Rekordbox collections direct from USB
• Standalone Track Preview
• Assignable FX module, 3-Band EQ and Filter/Sweep FX
• (2) dedicated XLR (1⁄4-inch combo) mic inputs with EQ/Level/talkover
• USB and SD media source inputs
Dimensions (Width x Depth x Height)
411mm x 274mm x 53mm
16.2” x 10.8” x 2.1”
Weight (Without USB and Power Cable)
8.11 lbs.
3.68 kg
Deets on the Prime Go and Prime 2
• Stream Music Standalone
• Both PRIME 2 and PRIME GO have built-in Wi-Fi and wired internet connectivity enabling DJs to play music from
partnered music streaming services, Beatport*, Beatsource*, SoundCloud* and TIDAL (customers receive a FREE 3-month trial subscription to TIDAL).
• Touch and Feel Music
• Both PRIME 2 and PRIME GO empower DJs with the world’s most innovative user interface with 7-inch colour HD
touchscreens handling music library navigation, easy-search, crate management and track load – all with the touch/ swipe of a finger.
• Ever-Evolving software
• ENGINE OS is the performance power inside PRIME 2 and PRIME GO. With a proven track record of continuous feature upgrades, ENGINE OS is unmatched in the DJ industry.
