Pioneer DJ’s XDJ-RX3 - Worth the Wait?

Teased by
Pioneer DJ as far back as the summer, the XDJ-RX3 is finally set to touch down
on UK soil. Early January will see the first shipments of this long-awaited
all-in-one system arrive - the successor to the supremely popular XDJ-RX2.

The question is - does the
XDJ-RX3 live up to the hype? Has it all been worth the wait, and does it have
the kind of pedigree needed to fly the flag for Pioneer’s standalone DJ systems?

In both
instances, the short answer is yes…big time.

A quick
glance at the Pioneer DJ XDJ-RX3 is enough to
see you’re looking at something serious. That monstrous 10.1 inch touchscreen
serves as a fitting centrepiece for the whole thing, complementing the usual
club-style layout.

The new
“sandblasted aluminium” finish looks great upon closer inspection, and the
whole thing is clearly built to last. Coming in at £1,699, it’s also fairly priced
for what’s essentially an entire rig of high-end DJ gear in one well-presented
package.

It’s
essentially the XDJ-RX2 we already know and love, only beefed up inside and out
with a bunch of new functions and performance features. And as the XDJ-RX2 is
still such a hit to this day, this is nothing but a positive thing - a familiar
look and feel that’s more intuitive than ever.

The Touchscreen

The XDJ-RX3 is
far from a one trick pony, but the touchscreen really is the star of the show.
It’s bright, it’s big and it makes a massive difference to the whole
user-experience. The resolution has been stepped up for crisp visuals and the
quantity of information that can be displayed (clearly) at any one time is
seriously impressive.

Pioneer is
still to bring multi-touch technology to its all-in-one touchscreens, but this
is far from a deal breaker. It’s the biggest and best touchscreen they’ve ever
fitted to a standalone system by a country mile.

The Decks,
Pads and Mixer

It’s all
business as usual with the decks, presented and the standard layout you’d
expect from Pioneer DJ. The job wheels are the same as those on the XDJ-RX2,
helping keep the dimensions of the unit compact while delivering a world class
experience.

The pads are
also in the same configuration as past-generation models - 4x2 pads beneath the
jogwheel, while the RGB pads are conveniently placed and easy to work with.

The XDJ-RX3
features a two-channel mixer, which is more or less identical in form
and functionality to the DJM-900NXS2. It’s the
usual buttery-smooth action with the crossfaders, along with the perfect level
of resistance with the upfaders. Effects also come thick and fast with this
thing.

The XDJ-RX3
offers all the effects of the XDJ-RX2 along with an additional 6 Beat FX and 2
additional Sound Colour FX. In total, there are 14 Beat FX loaded into the
device including Ping Pong, Filter, Phaser, Slip Roll, Vinyl Brake and Helix,
along with 6 Sound Colour FX including Space and Crush.

In a Nutshell

The Pioneer DJ
XDJ-RX3 delivers everything you would expect in a successor to the XDJ-RX3.
It’s more powerful and feature packed, it’s fronted by a monstrous touchscreen
and it looks fantastic. Everything about it is a well-executed upgrade on the
XDJ-RX3, up for grabs at a price that’s spot on for this kind of kit.

Preorders are now being taken for the XDJ-RX3,
which will touch down in the UK early January at a price of just £1,699.