Tips for buying a second hand MCX8000

CONTROLLERS MCX8000
#1

Hi everyone.

Now that we know that the MCX8000 has finally been discontinued, I think it’s a good idea to have a topic with tips given by people that owns or owned the MCX8000, so feel free to give any advice you consider useful. As this controller has had some frequently known issues, it’s very important to be aware on how to identify the issues before paying so nobody ends up scammed.

P.S. Many people, including myself, can’t afford the Prime 4 and the MCX8000 seems like a good choice if it works properly. Thanks to everybody that joins the topic :blush: :blush: :blush: :blush: :blush:

#2

The main issues are the power button not working properly and screen freezing. As both things seem to just happen one day it’s impossible to say if a controller has these defects, has previously been fixed or will work perfectly for good.

My original one had a complete main board failure (switched off in the middle of a gig) but Denon repaired it free of charge. My second one is just over a year old but is hardly used due to no DJs being allowed to work in Scotland.

For any controller, check the faders to see if they are rough and just look at the general condition.

As the faults mentioned above are well known and generic faults, even if the controller is second hand Denon should repair free of charge out of warranty.

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#3

Honestly, I found one on eBay refurbished for $599 USD. Just tonight I’ve finally had time to move my library over from Serato into Engine Prime (really prefer to play w/o laptop) and get all the cue points, etc. over. I’m just a day in but this thing runs so smoothly, sounds great. I can’t think of a way that I would be able to identify the potential for a freezing screen. Be patient, find a good deal on B-Stock/Refurb, and enjoy. Such a good product

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#4

Thanks for the tips!!! The key is to try it before pay and searching if your town has technical support. Mine for example has 2 but only one of them repairs, the other one just sends them to Denon and it will be months to deliver.

#6

@kradcliffe Your experience is a one-off experience. I now own SC6000s and x1850. The MCX8000 was a great standalone-controller. The only issue was it freezing because of a bug. It was fixed and I have never had a problem since then (3 years). A couple of months ago, I sold my MCX and it’s been great with no problems for the buyer.

@davehr you are good. She if they can transfer over their registration. Also, I ordered from American Musical and they gave me another year of warranty after the three-year manufacturer’s warranty that came with the MCX8000. See if the seller can assist you with that.

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#7

It was not a “bug”

I believe it needed to have a part replaced.

Sold mine.

@davehr I will be against the idea of buying a used one, except you are buying a refurbished from a dj store. You need that warranty cover!

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#8

I just wouldn’t recommend buying any user touched equipment. Lighting is ok, it gets hung up and plugged in and that’s that, it’s left alone to do it’s thing all night, every night.

With audio gear though people can thrash it, like with speakers and amps. And even worse with decks and especially mixers. A mixer owned by someone keen on the turntablist arts would ring all sorts of alarm bells with faders and crossfader. Bit people into edm, I’d be especially wary of the rotary EQ and filter controls.

Not everyone is rough with their gear, indeed everyone says they touch everything they own with utmost care and that their gear is only used in their bedroom for a minute a week etc lol, but some are more professional with their gear than others.

Best Buy new

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#9

Yeah, I used to hate my colleague in the club I used to work in. He was OK on the faders but he used to hammer the play and cue buttons.

He got his own MCX8000 and I warned him about the plastic sub frame collapsing but he still battered the buttons to hell.

A good indication on second hand geat is how “clesn” it is. You tend to find those who mistreat their gear never clean it either so it’s a sure sign …

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#10

Great topic! As the Prime 4 is too expensive and the Prime 2 still has no Serato support (albeit it would probably make many former DDJ-SR/SX/RX users switch) I am considering the MCX8000 as neat compromise for a capable 2-in-1 device, which I can use both with Serato/Laptop (needed for long gigs with many music requests like weddings) and standalone (shorter club/loung/bar events with stronger edm focus).

I am quite scared by that sreen freeze issue, can’t afford the unit to crash during a gig. My old DDJ-SX became quite booring, but still looks good and works rock-stable. Prices on Ebay Germany range from 600 to 750$… perfectly fine for me. But I don’t want a lemon :frowning:

*) What I read: Hi it depends, I was advised that my unit fell within serial numbers that were responsible for freeze and power issue. The screen freeze was fixable and reducing the brightness settings solved it. → this would certainly help me

#11

I just bought an MCX8000 in December as a Christmas present to myself and couldn’t be happier! I bought used on eBay for $650 USD after taxes and shipping.

I currently use it as a backup to my SC5000/X1800 (have had some odd sound issues with those that I haven’t deep dived just yet, but I digress) due to portability and it’s just an all around cool controller.

As has mentioned, buying used is always tough. My unit (as well as the SC setup which was also used) appeared in incredible shape and I spoke with the seller to get more details as needed. If buying through in-person or classifieds, always try before you buy! It’s relatively easy to test all the bells and whistles on the MCX (I did as much when I received it).

For the known issues, I (knock on wood) have not encountered any just yet. I’ve ran multiple 4 hour continuous streams and records with it and it’s worked flawlessly.

All in all, like any used product, just do your due diligence and you should be okay. The MCX is a sweet controller that I actually enjoy slightly more than the Prime 4 (I’m not a big fan of single screen stacked waveforms like the Prime 2/4 or RX2, much prefer stand-alone by the decks) and nearly 1/3 of the cost, it’s an absolute steal!