Gear Selection Advice (DDJ-SX2 vs. DDJ-SR vs. pair of XDJ 1000s)

I’ve got a $2K budget for upgrading my DJ setup.

 

I wanted your opinion on how to proceed as I look to upgrade from my current low-grade setup (a pair of low-end Denon CD players + Vestax 4-channel mixer).

 

About me: I’ve DJed off and on for the past 7 years and I’ve hit the breaking point with pure CDs (I just hate burning 10-20 CDs before each occasional gig with music, as it’s fairly time-consuming and not very efficient + I edit most of my tracks in Ableton Live).

 

In terms of type of gigs I do, I’ll mainly be doing gigs in and around the NYC area (mainly at bars) or the occasional warm-up slot or mobile gig (I have a soundsystem).

 

I’ve given myself 3 options

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getting a pair of XDJ 1000s or

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getting either a Pioneer SR controller OR SX2 controller in combo with a Mid-2010 Macbook Pro with 2.53Ghz intel and 4 GB 1067 MHz DDr3

What would you do?

 

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Here's my opinion:

 

Pros and Cons of Each:

 

XDJ-1000 Pros:

 

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Seem more reliable and durable than a controller setup in the long-run (infinitely less likely to crash during a gig than a controller setup)

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A seemingly easier transition for me to be able to switch to any of the industry-standard CDJs that clubs have if I open up for DJs (CDJ-2000 + 900 Nexus) as I’ll be familiar with Rekordbox and the players.

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Seems like I could eventually add a SR to my setup if compatibility becomes an issue

 

XDJ-1000 Cons:

 

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A lot of small bars don’t have them, they usually have 2 technics/belt-driven turntables if anything (meaning I’d have to carry them to the gig).

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More costly than the controller setup (I do have a $2K budget)

 

Pioneer SX2 Pros:

 

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Seemingly more durable and reliable than the SR (not USB-powered)

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4 channel mixer instead of 2, allowing me to add an additional deck if need be.

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more mobile DJ friendly as there’s an XLR output that I could attach to all external sound systems

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Same setup everywhere which leads to you being really familiar with your equipment.

Pioneer SX2 Cons:

 

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How reliable is it in the heat of the moment?

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I would have to carry it to every gig.

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I’d prolly add the UDJ backpack to my mix to carry around to each gig in add the magna control stand

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Hard to fit in a lot of bar/club DJ booths (maybe the magna control stand)

 

Pioneer SR Pros:

 

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Very portable

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Would easily fit into most DJ booths

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Cheapest out of all the options

 

Pioneer SR Cons:

 

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Apparently not 100% reliable

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Primarily USB powered w/o a power supply making it heavily reliant on the laptop

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Once again, reliability (what do you guys think?)

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No XLR output

 

Any suggestions?