Sound quality with budget DJ controllers (Flx4, Buddy, S2 Mk3 etc) good enough to gig with?

DJ Hardware
23

Awesome! Thanks for sharing @Michael_Wisniewski.

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24

Hey I got the same dilemma to find a super portable yet pro sound set up (buddy vs flx2 vs mixtour vs Z1) how is it your experience going? How’s the test of time?

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25

Self deleted because I double posted by mistake - correct post below.

26

I have a Reloop Buddy (and a DDJ-REV5).

  • The good point with the Buddy is that the integration with DJAY is the most complete (as with the Mixtour Pro). For example, the performance mode buttons on the Buddy will summon the corresponding performance screen on DJAY. If I understand correctly, these two controllers are the only ones with this feature (which is a huge bummer as this should be possible with all controllers, imho).
  • The weak point with the Buddy is indeed the sound card, and I am not talking about audiophile nerdy ears, I am talking about some background buzzing (and no it is not my cables, nor my power supply). Therefore, I used it in combination with an external DAC. But when using an external DAC or extracting the sound from an iPad line out, you cannot cue via headphones anymore (due to IOS limitation. Only possible with a macbook/computer, or if you go for the dual mono splitter route). The background buzzing issue has become even more important with most recent iPads (having more power). There is also a Power Management issue worsening the background buzz when powering with stronger supply (like a recent iPad), and you may encounter issues with the volume of the Buddy wobbling a bit (you see the sound level moving without touching anything), quite annoying. The Buddy also still has USB A ports only (no USB C).

So, my personal conclusion : The Buddy is a nice small controller. It could be the best is this category if updated. But current hardware version is clearly outdated (sound card and power management issues). It should be discontinued, imho. The Buddy could still have beautiful days if Reloop issued a new version some day (like a Buddy MkII - with better sound card, power management, USB-C). But in the meantime, the current one is outdated, imho. I wouldn’t recommend it (However, I would recommend a “Buddy MkII” if it came to life some day).

PS : In your selection, beware Reloop Mixtour (discontinued) and Reloop Mixtour Pro are two different devices. My comment about Djay integration applies to the Mixtour Pro.

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