An eagle-eyed Reddit user has spotted an FCC filing for a forthcoming device from AlphaTheta aka Pioneer DJ, called the “XDJ-AZ”.
Decoding the schematic plans of the unit (no photos yet, sadly), it clearly appears to be a replacement for the XDJ-XZ.
According to the Reddit post, the unit is:
- A 4-channel all-in-one
- Has an Ethernet port (not three though like its precedecessor)
- Has WiFi/Bluetooth certification
- Will work with turntables (it has ground poles)
- Is around the same size and weight as the XDJ-XZ
- Will be released some time after the end of January 2025 (as that is when the user manual will be released)
Will it have hardware stems support?
The XDJ-XZ is now very dated, as it has a small screen, old embedded software and despite four channels and lots of pro smarts, could only ever work standalone with just two of those channels. This unit, then, would clearly fix all of that. But one big question is: Will it have hardware stems?
The number of people asking for a standalone controller with four channels, a powerful processor so it’s nice and fast, and real-time stems continues to surprise us, and we feel the first manufacturer to deliver that will have a winner on its hands.
Read this next: Best All-In-One Standalone DJ Systems
It looked like inMusic (Denon DJ) would do it for a while as its Prime 4+ had a beta with rudimentary stems on board, but that seems to have stalled – is the AlphaTheta XDJ-AZ about to leapfrog everyone and deliver that?
Finally…
We’ve reached out to AlphaTheta for comment, and if they add anything to what we already know, we’ll update you here. Meanwhile, feel free to let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Phil Morse
