August 26, 2025

The Denon DJ Prime Go Plus is a compact, battery-powered standalone packed with streaming, advanced effects, and club-grade connectivity for 2025. Read this long-form editorial review for pros, cons, and expert recommendations on portability, features, and value in the modern DJ landscape.

Denon DJ Prime Go Plus Review: More Than a Refresh – The Ultimate Portable Standalone

Denon DJ’s Prime Go Plus celebrates portability and creativity, offering a battery-powered standalone solution that refuses to compromise on professional features. Retailing at $999, is this compact controller truly the flexible, feature-rich DJ tool for 2025? This expert editorial review explores the real-world pros and cons, capabilities, and buying advice for modern DJs on the move.

Prime Go Plus: What’s New and Why It Matters

Externally, Prime Go Plus keeps the hallmark design of its predecessor, but under the hood, it brings substantial upgrades:

Enhanced processor: Faster analysis, improved battery life (now 25% more than the original), and smoother Engine DJ OS performance.
Expanded streaming support: Amazon Music, Beatport, BeatSource, SoundCloud Go+, Tidal, and Dropbox are all natively accessible.
Advanced effects and Sampler: Touch effects now number 10 for customizable transitions, plus an embedded sampler for creative routines.

True Standalone Freedom

Prime Go Plus runs on Engine DJ OS, accessed via a bright 7-inch capacitive multi-gesture touchscreen. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enable constant updates, cloud streaming, and touchable effects, marking a seismic shift from controller-and-laptop workflows.

Built-in battery: Go Plus lasts for hours on a single charge and travels far from the nearest power outlet—making it the top choice for mobile DJs, outdoor events, and pop-up performances.

Hardware Highlights

Inputs/Outputs: XLR and RCA main outs, two microphones, booth outs, USB and SD slots for expansive music libraries. The loss of an ethernet port is minor; a dongle can restore connectivity if needed.
Performance Pads: Four RGB dual-layer pads per deck—hot cue, loop, roll, and sampler are onboard. They feel premium, but advanced pad routines require more than four per deck—manageable given the unit’s compact size.
Touchcapactive Jog Wheels: Smaller than club gear, they’re optimized for mixing and blending, less so for technical scratching; functional for nearly all situations except high-level turntablism.

Mixing Workflow

Mixer section ergonomics remain consistent with the original Prime Go, featuring responsive faders, sturdy crossfader, and well-placed effect and cue knobs. EQ faders are horizontally arranged—a sensible tradeoff in a controller this size.

Lighting and event features are improved in the Go Plus, supporting Philips Hue, Nanoleaf, and wired DMX setups directly from the OS.

Music Preparation and DJ Record Pools

Streaming unlocks virtually endless music, but pros recommend maintaining a personal MP3 library (via USB/SD) for ultimate reliability. Extended edits and pro tracks—crucial for seamless mixing—are best sourced from DJ record pools like Crate Connect.

Comparative Value

At $999, Prime Go Plus is unrivaled for portable standalone performance:

Why buy Prime Go Plus? You’re a mobile DJ who needs full club features, battery power, robust connectivity, and streaming flexibility.
Where it falls short: Four pad modes per deck, jog wheel size not ideal for scratching. If you require more performance pads, advanced battle features, or larger jogs, consider other units.

Final Verdict: Best Portable DJ Unit?

The Denon DJ Prime Go Plus is the portable powerhouse of 2025. It excels at what matters: flexible connectivity, club-grade outputs, streaming, effects, battery-powered freedom, and a strong OS that only gets better with every update. Minor layout compromises are expected in such a compact device but are more than made up for by its versatility and reliability.

Mobile DJs, gigging professionals, and performers needing all the club essentials in a travel-ready package owe it to themselves to consider the Prime Go Plus as their go-anywhere workhorse.