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This Pioneer DJ XDJ-RX3 review was produced by David Michael, host of The Passionate DJ Podcast.

Introducing the Pioneer DJ XDJ-RX3 (Transcript)

Way back in 2015, Pioneer DJ released the original XDJ-RX. For many, this provided a stepping-stone for DJs who wanted to transition into laptop-free DJing and get into the rekordbox ecosystem without completely breaking the bank. It sported a familiar 2 decks + mixer layout, and was a cheaper alternative to a set of XDJ-1000s. 

Pioneer would later release the XDJ-RX2, adding upgrades and enhancements including touch capability on the screen. This would allow DJs to do things like access the QWERTY keyboard for searching, or needle drop for scrubbing through tracks.

With the RX3, perhaps we are seeing this all-in-one system coming into its final form. Like its predecessors, this is a 2-channel standalone DJ system which can play rekordbox-analyzed tracks via USB stick. For many people, ditching the laptop is the entire point of a system like this. However, you can also connect to rekordbox software on your laptop using Performance Mode, and Pioneer DJ says that it will also fully support Serato DJ in early 2022.

The XDJ-RX3 sports a somewhat refined design, bringing it to parity with other Pioneer hardware. The screen has received a massive upgrade, and it contains proper color on-jog displays which give you visual feedback right at your hands. And the mixer section has been largely expanded, essentially providing you with a 2-channel version of the DJM-900NXS2 with a few differences, like the omission of a Magvel crossfader.

That being said, Pioneer claims to have also updated the audio design to help eliminate external noise, and produce a clear and powerful sound.

If you think the XDJ-RX3 might be the perfect device for you, head on over to TheDJHookup.com and order yours today before the holiday rush! The DJ Hookup offers no-brainer pricing, unrivaled convenience (including free shipping to the continental US for most orders), and real humans available to help you 7-days a week.

XDJ-RX3 Updates from the XDJ-RX2

The most striking and obvious update to the RX3 is the stunning 10.1” touch screen. This is a welcome addition. I appreciate the extra screen real estate, since we’re effectively combining the interface of two CDJs into a single screen. The screen is not only physically larger, but it also delivers both a higher resolution and a higher framerate. 

This helps give the RX3 a much more premium feel, as the interface now looks and feels similar to a flagship CDJ-3000. Not only does it look better, but it’s a functional upgrade as well. For example, you can now see 12 tracks at once in the browse section, where you could only see 8 before. In fact, it inherits the entire Browse section from the CDJ-3000.

And so, we get some lovely new features for rapid browsing. ​​Playlist Bank is a section which holds four playlists for rapid track selection. And of course, it also inherits Touch Preview, a handy feature which lets you preview a track without actually loading it into a deck.

Once you do load a track into a deck, you’ll see that the XDJ-RX3 now supports 3 band waveforms, again, just like the CDJ-3000. This is a simple feature that I’m a big fan of. While it still supports the standard blue and full RGB waveforms like before, 3 band waveforms will display different colors for the high/mid/low frequency bands. This makes it really easy to see what’s happening in a segment of a song, by just having a quick glance.

There are some welcome upgrades to the jog wheel, as well. The enhanced Color On Jog Display is a little LCD in each wheel which shows track artwork and playhead position for that deck. And the jog wheels are also now tension-adjustable, so whether you like it “loose and free” or “tight and grippy”, you can dial it in using the Feeling Adjust control.

Before we get into FX, I’d like to talk about a couple of tools that have been added which will be appreciated by certain working DJs. The Countdown Timer lets you set a timer which counts down to an approaching crucial point in your set, for example, midnight on New Year’s Eve. And then there’s Repeat Mode. This works just how it sounds. It allows you to keep a track or playlist on repeat to keep the music going when you walk away. Pioneer points out that this is helpful in a situation such as a sound check.

XDJ-RX3 Effects: Beat FX, Sound Color FX, Release FX

As I mentioned, the mixer section is “basically” a DJM-900NXS2 and that means you get access to every one of its 14 Beat FX, and its 6 Sound Color FX. If you’re not already familiar, here’s the difference. Beat FX are a traditional way of applying tempo-driven effects on Pioneer mixers. You select an effect, what channel(s) you want to apply it to, the timing, and the “Level/Depth”. Essentially, you have some control over the parameters of your effects. Sound Color FX are meant to be more like one-knob solutions. You push a button to select an effect, and twist one knob to enable it…. Such as a lowpass/highpass filter.

Using the Beat FX Bank, you can save your four favorite effects and quickly activate them with a single touch. Another cool thing they did is integrate the 900NXS X-Pad, which is a way to use your finger in a swiping motion to manipulate FX. On the 900, it’s a physical pad on the mixer, whereas they’ve integrated it into the screen on the RX3. 

And finally, there’s the newly added Release FX. Basically, this allows you to use your beat pads as one-shot FX to instantly change the energy of your set, most likely for the purpose of creating an exciting transition between songs, or adding drama to a buildup. There are 8 effect types to choose from: Vinyl Brake (short/long), Backspin (short/long), Echo Out, Build Up, Mute, and Ducking.

The Competition: XDJ-RX3 vs XDJ-XZ, Prime 4 & Prime 2

Thus far, we’ve mostly focused on how the RX3 compares to its earlier versions, but you may be wondering how well it stacks up against other standalones on the market. In particular, you might wonder whether to choose this for $2000, or the absolutely enormous XDJ-XZ for $2300. After all, this one has a bigger/better screen with higher resolution and a framerate that makes the XZ and other “older gen” Pioneers look jittery in comparison.

Well, for starters, the XZ is a four channel device. If you insist on mixing with more than two decks, the RX3 is ruled out. Another thing the RX3 lacks is DVS support, which seems – possibly intentional? In any case, spending the extra 300 bucks gets you two extra channels, the ability to use timecode, and a notably downgraded screen more akin to a CDJ-2000NXS.

The other obvious comparison would be to the Denon PRIME units. Specifically, The PRIME 2 is a powerful 2-channel system utilizing Engine OS. This $1500 system does have a beautiful screen, but it’s not as large as the new RX3. However, the PRIME 4 also has a beautiful 10-inch screen (which supports multi-touch, by the way is not the case here) and supports four channels for a hundred dollars less. Those units will also analyze tracks on the fly, which is not supported on the RX3. Engine OS devices seem to be winning the “bang for buck” war, so they are definitely worth considering. However, it’s also worth noting that the Pioneer “flagship” system that the RX3 seeks to emulate costs well north of 6 grand.

There’s one more notable omission with the XDJ-RX3, and that’s streaming. Other standalones on the market are embracing streaming music technology, via services like TIDAL, Beatport/Beatsource LINK, and SoundCloud Go+, even all the way down to the humble Numark Mixstream Pro (check out my review of that unit right here on The DJ Hookup). Surprisingly, Pioneer doesn’t seem interested in supporting that type of DJing with this unit. There’s no Wi-Fi, and if you look on the back, there’s no ethernet port either. So if you’ve started building a cloud collection, you’re out of luck.

Conclusion

The RX3 showcases a terrific screen and an excellent rekordbox workflow, while bringing a slough of welcomed upgrades over its predecessor. And while $2000 isn’t cheap by any means, it’s a huge savings over the 3000s + 900NXS2 setup that it seeks to emulate. It’s an excellent stand-in for this system, because as far as most DJs are concerned, the only real difference is combining the interface into a single screen. Once you get used to this, it’s pretty much the same as playing on – here it comes – industry standard setup.

Owners of smaller bars or clubs will certainly be drawn to a device like the RX3, as will club DJs who want a proper setup at home, but would rather buy a small car for the price of a CDJ-3000 setup. There’s also a segment of mobile DJs who will appreciate this, because even though it’s a bit heavy and cumbersome, it’s not as huge as the XZ, and it’s a “one-stop-shop” as is the nature of all-in-one DJ systems.

Honestly, I’ve found that the Pioneer XDJ systems have been well-loved by all sorts of DJs. My friend Gerrad of the band Cryztal Grid uses an RX2 during their live performances to this day, and loves it. Anyone who likes the rekordbox ecosystem, Pioneer mixers, and lots of FX will be very happy. As will anyone who likes keeping laptops out of the DJ booth. Though, remember that it does operate as a controller too and will even work with Serato starting early next year.

This device continues the XDJ-RX tradition of consolidating the most important parts of a CDJ setup into a single device, and in this light, it proves to be an excellent value for the money.

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