XDJ-R1 Freeze, crash and high pitch horn sound

Video please.

Hi there,

Id like to weigh in on this as well, i'm on my 2nd R1 having sent the first unit back due to freezing/ high pitched horn sound. Completely random, i have tried to replicate using the same track that was playing when the error occurred. It has happened as quickly as the 3rd song into a gig (much to my embarrassment) but on the other hand it has played for 5 hours straight without issue. I can be guaranteed that it will cut out at least once every 3 gigs. I must have a back up ready all all times so i can reboot.

I am up to date with all firmware.

I was using a western digital ultra HD but i changed to a Corsair 256G SSD as recommended on this fourm, hoping that would help, unfortunately it didn't work. it crashed on my 2nd night out. Extremely frustrating as this unit ticks all the boxes for a mobile dj.

Have you engineers ever been able to replicate this in testing? There seems to be a lot of people with this issue. Both units I've had have the same problem.. I can't be that unlucky.

Our engineers continue to investigate, but unfortunately it's proving very difficult to replicate - and without being able to do it themselves, it's very difficult to know what's causing it and near impossible to then create a fix.

Any information you might have, or even catching it on video (I know, that's incredibly difficult as well) would be of great help.

I am not giving the machine heavy use lately like I used to do a year back, but I took it out last Saturday and it let me down again. This time I was using only cds, the usb wasn't even connected... no wireless, nothing but cds. So my theory of the problem having something to do with alternating the use of the cds with the usb was also wrong! It happened after less than an hour of use.

I have had access to three XDJ-R1s and all three of them suffer from the same freezing problem. Additionally, two of them also show the same 'minor' fault...  but curious enough; the light for either the flanger or echo effect button on the right deck is also gone, but the buttons themselves work correctly. And it's not the led what's bad, as it will lit up again randomly, specially after long use 4-5 hours in a hot environment at least in my machine.

Just commenting as I have absolutely no trust in this problem getting solved. For some reason, there is some faulty component in our machines, maybe corrected in more recent batches. All the ones that I tried were at least 4 years old now.

@Pioneer - I think Nico sums this up perfectly. You have got an issue that's really starting to gain momentum as more and more people encounter the same problem. I'd suggest recall and replace for older models or offer an upgrade to another model. This can't be good publicity and anybody who is interested in this product will certainly google it and come across this thread. 

Please look at a resolve, if the problem won't go away, neither will we. 

Nick

Just to add to the growing numbers - I have exactly the same issue. On one night it froze 6 times leaving me deeply embarrassed. On that occasion I had a spare usb but it made no difference & continued to freeze shortly after a reboot. It then worked fine for 2 more gigs before freezing again with the high pitched horn on Saturday night.

I now have to rig up a seperate mixer & another input as I can't trust the unit not to fail. Looking at the amount of feeds about this problem, these units need to be recalled & replaced. Either that or a fix needs to be a top priority to restore Pioneers credibility. I ran CDJs for many years & regret making the digital transformation.

Please give us some support pioneer.... 

I agree, there should be some sort of replacement or repair procedure in place for this product...

Its hard to fathom that the engineers have never been able to replicate this issue.

I agree its hard to replicate because its so random, but surely sometime during testing this must have happened.

I have the R1 running through a spare channel on a 10 year old numark hdmix with a WD passport HD 25,000 mp3s and not once has it let me down in well over 1000 gigs.

If i notice that the track timer has stopped on the R1 i have about 10 seconds before the horn of doom will deafen everybody in the room.

https://youtu.be/Knu-ecO40OM 

Plenty more like this on youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Knu-ecO40OM

@Pioneer There's your video. That's the horn of embarrassment!

Yes, we're aware of the AFTER, it's the BEFORE that we need to see on video.

Ok @Pulse understood - I wasn't sure if you had heard the horn. Are you engineers using an early model of the XDJ-R1? 

The unit I have is a pre-production sample, which is effectively the same as a production unit, but with possibly different silk-screening on the face. As I said in another post, I'd ran the unit for several days off a USB drive and never had the error occur. I've tested with CDs, USB and remotebox, but couldn't reproduce it, regardless of the firmware. This is the same issue the engineers have faced and why having a video catching it happen would be ideal in troubleshooting the cause.

Pioneer with all respect I've been looking at posts & blogs and this has been a known issue for nearly 3 years. I think its unacceptable to hide behind the 'we need a video' line. The reality is there are no patterns, I have been simple with my approach i.e. simply fading tunes without any loops etc & its failed, I've been more complex using all the tools & its failed. The only common thing I see is the tracks become slow to load into the deck - this is an early sign a failure is imminent. I too was thinking about simply buying new equipment but I question why when this is a well documented and know fault.

Recall & repair or replace surely is the only remedy if you cannot resolve the problem.

Lee does make a valid point @Pulse - I'm not sure what you would see with the video, surely you need to be plugged into a computer to see where the system crashes or fails and then analyse that data?

Would it not be a good idea to test on one of our faulty pieces of kit because hearing that you chaps at Pioneer has R1s that are fine doesn't really resolve our issues. I would happily send you my unit (in return for loan kit) for you to run tests on. 

@Lee > Given the number of users who have reported issues, it's not a recall-level issue. And the reason our engineers would like a video is to better understand what operations of the unit have led up to the issue occurring.

Hi,

Well after one month, my Pioneer Centre Service in Paris said to me that they couldn't reproduce the bug.

So i must go to get back my R1 and pay one hour of work around of 63€

Hope they find what' wrong and sure that the problem come from the firmware.

That what think all user who have a R1 with a ramdom bug.

If it was a hardware part, they should find easily which one to replace.

So next week will go in paris to bring back mine.

Disappointed.

Gerald

@pulse you have been requesting a video on various posts & feeds for 3 years. If this is a very small issue as described then it should be pretty easy & low cost for Pioneer to recall the effected models. Many of us will happily send you our equipment to bench test (we would of course need loan models) but I don't have the ability to rig up any video recording equipment every time I do a gig (I'm assuming I'd need a go pro on my headphones!).

Pioneer need to do the right thing here and be loyal to their customers that have been loyal to your products over the years.

I couldn't agree more. I sit here in Madrid, Spain, but you could have my machine and keep it forever if you exchange it for a couple of CDJ-350 + DJM-350, that will do for me. Or let me try a recently manufactured R1 and I'll see if does was it's meant to or not :o)

Now, seriously, if you can't replicate the problem with your equipment then borrow one of the machines that are being offered here and put one person to use it like a dj would (simple cd mixing will suffice, add a usb stick to the equation if you want it to fail even faster). My bet is that a certain batch of this product is defective, some component is not responding as it should. Otherwise, according to the sales of this machine I guess that many, many more people would be pulling their hair out about this.

Just give me a person I can talk to here in Spain and I'll gladly expose my problem. I already know the main technical service here in Madrid, but they just tell me to take the machine there for inspection with the obvious costs. Basically the same that happened to Gerald in Paris so I think it's useless.

Recall level issue or not, there is a large enough pool of people with the same issue to warrant some sort of action.

It's unusable in it's current state as many review websites will now tell you, unfortunately i dived in early and bought this unit when every review was a glowing summary of how this was the holy grail for mobile djs, that wanted a multi format device (from the market leaders) that would satisfy every preference. It's clearly not fit for use, my anxiety levels are through the roof when i try to use the R1 for paid work. It has let me down countless times.

I cannot sell it because its faulty, which leaves my with effectively a €1000 paperweight that has caused my more stress than enjoyment.

We waited and waited for updates, when they came it made no difference.

I understand that it is difficult to try and fix something without knowing the problem.

But our problem is the R1, if it can't be fixed its needs to be replaced..

@Trevor - couldn't agree more. I hate the anxiety - it strips away any pleasure of playing out at a live gig where people have paid. 

Has anybody explored speaking with consumer watchdogs? 

Well,

I have my xdj-r1 at home.

They didn't found the bug.

So will try to reproduce the bug also will try to make a video an give the link hère.

Currently impossible to log on ie or firefox on a pc.

Im respond with my samsung s5.

Gerald

Hi ^^

Any new for a future firmware release???

I'm using my XDJ-RX2, but i'd like to have a R1 fully working.

I'm talking for all user who have same bug a close to same bug.

Still awaiting from Tk pioneer a new firmware.

If the solution was to send a R1 somewhere why not?

After get back for Official tk pioneer in Paris they send the result to pioneer DJ...

So, hope this big problem will be solved soon too.

Thanks,

Gerald

Sorry, our engineers are still unable to reproduce this or find any direct cause, but they are continuing to investigate.

Hi,

It's hard and strange all are agree to say this.

But a faulty firmware, maybe with a faulty hard item on the R1 can make the trouble?

Most of user complain that problem happen on deck B using CD or USB...

Really if a solution is to sent a random faulty XDJ-R1 no problem, i'm ready to send mine anywhere to solve the problem.

But it can cost a lot, if it's in US, or worst in Japan.

I'm a French user, most of are writing sure are not French but US/UK???

Gerald

OK friends. Here some very enlightening information.

It is DEFINITELY a hardware / construction problem. I took my unit to the main official technical service in Madrid and the issue was very well known to them already. They repaired the 'control circuit' by substituting 4 diodes, they called the parts '414-COMBO-401' if that means something to anyone else apart from this specific technical service. These four diodes cost 4€.

They GUARANTEED that the freezing problem as explained here would never happen again and that I could restore my trust in the machine, obviously something else could fail due to age and wear but not the freezing issue. And haven't had the chance to try the unit as much as I want to, even abusing it with unnecessary workload and music source changes, but it hasn't failed again indeed. And they definitely knew what it was all about as it took them less than 12 hours to call me to fetch the unit back (repaired in the afternoon they took it in, called me the morning after!)

So, I have no doubt now that it is a problem of construction, maybe of a certain batch or batches only featuring these problematic diodes, because the first thing they asked me when I called them and explained the problem was manufacture date and full serial number, after checking it they said 'bring it here'.

I honestly can't believe that Pioneer is not aware of this, I understand that acknowledging it would be somewhat a 'scandal', but they definitely have to provide a solution like this for all the units affected.

I wish the best of lucks to you all.

Hi,

Thanks for the news.

Wel how much did you pay for the correction?

Is your service Centre send the informations to Pioneer DJ???

Mine stay one month to a Official Pioneer repair Centre, as they didn't replicate the bug they said to me sorry we can found the problem so we can't correct it.

They advice Pioneer Dj and i get back my R1 non repaired.

So is Pioneer Dj worldwide will advice all official repair center to do this correction?

One again, i'm ready to go back to my repair centre.

Hope Pioneer Dj worldwide will send the send to all country.

We're a lot with R1 bug so hope it'll can be really solved soon.

I like the R1, and now i'm playing with a RX2.

So if i can repair the R1 for a small cost, will give it to a friend.

Gerald

This is great news that a fix is available. @pioneer this needs to be a free repair as the product isn’t fit for purpose and has failed in what could be interpreted within a reasonable time for a product of this value according to Trading Standards....

Great news, finally a solution. I will look into this further.

I'm sure pioneer know the issue, but without the magic VIDEO proof, we will never get anywhere with them.

Thank you for the update Nico.