Second Spin Audio

Buying a used Pioneer DJM-900NXS2

Four channels, a built-in sound card, a deep effects section and a magnetic crossfader. Here's how to check a used DJM-900NXS2 properly before it lands in your booth.

Updated

Pioneer DJM-900NXS2 mixer between CDJ-2000NXS2 players, set up at an event
Photo: 加蛋不加價, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

At a glance

Announced
January 2016
Channels
4 audio channels, 2 mic channels
Phono inputs
4 (RCA), with signal ground terminal
Other inputs
4 line (RCA), 4 digital coaxial, 2 mic
Outputs
Master (XLR and RCA), booth, rec, digital out, send/return, 2 headphone jacks
Effects
14 Beat FX, 6 Sound Colour FX, separate send/return
Sound card
96 kHz / 24-bit, two USB B ports for computers
Crossfader
Magvel (magnetic)
Pro DJ Link
LAN port, links up to 4 players
Weight
8.0 kg

What to check before you pay

  1. Crossfader and channel faders. Slide each fader slowly from end to end with music playing. Listen for crackle, dead spots, or sound leaking through when a fader is fully closed. Leaking channels are the kind of fault that only shows up at the worst moment.
  2. Knobs and EQ. Turn every gain, EQ, filter and effect knob through its full range on each channel. Crackle or a channel dropping in and out means a worn or dirty control.
  3. Every input. Test each channel on the inputs you'll actually use, phono included if you play records. If your turntables hum, check the signal ground terminal and the ground wire before blaming the mixer.
  4. Outputs and headphones. Check master, booth and both headphone jacks. Cue each channel in your headphones and listen for crackle when you plug in or turn the level.
  5. Effects and screen. Fire up a few Beat FX and Sound Colour FX on different channels, and check the effects display and the X-Pad respond the way they should.
  6. USB and Pro DJ Link. If you play from a laptop, plug it in and check the mixer shows up as a sound card. If you link players, test the LAN connection with a player or rekordbox.
  7. Firmware. Ask which firmware version is installed. Updating is routine; a unit that fails to update needs looking at.

What you get

The DJM-900NXS2 was announced alongside the CDJ-2000NXS2 in January 2016, and it’s built around the same idea: everything a busy booth needs in one box. Four channels, each with a phono input (plus a signal ground terminal for turntables), line and digital inputs, two mic channels, and a full set of outputs including XLR master, booth, rec and send/return.

On top of that sits a serious effects section, with 14 Beat FX and 6 Sound Colour FX, a built-in 96 kHz / 24-bit sound card with two USB ports so two DJs can swap laptops cleanly, a Pro DJ Link port for linking players, and a magnetic Magvel crossfader. For a buyer, that’s a lot of mixer for the money, and a lot of controls to check.

Check the model name

Several Pioneer DJM mixers look alike at a glance. Check the model name printed on the mixer and on its rear label, not just the listing title.

Ex-club or home use?

Club and hire mixers can have had a hard life: spilled drinks, hours of fader work every weekend, cables plugged in and out night after night. Look closely at the fader caps and slots, the knobs and the top panel for wear, and ask where the mixer has been used. A home-studio mixer with honest wear is often the better bet than a cheaper ex-club unit.

What to ask the seller

  • Which firmware version is installed?
  • Has it been repaired, and were any faders or knobs replaced?
  • Is the power cable included?

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Manuals

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Sources