S4 Durability
S4 Durability Posted on: 14.04.2011 by Fady Soliman Having played with an S4 on display I really feel it is well constructed.I'm debating whether to get an S4 or Denon MC6000. Owning Denon's over the last 5 or so years they have been well built and I've never had hardware problems with them. For all you S4 owners how are your units regarding durability/reliability? Have you had hardware issues with them? I'm reading the FX buttons are giving problems sticking/not responding and some other issues with lights and fader's. From a scale of 1 to 5, 1 being very bad and 5 being excellent, what would you rate the S4 regarding durability/reliability? | |
| Lana Felicien 11.10.2011 |
Originally Posted by jezalenko
Also another thing to mention is that I got one from one of the first batches put out for retail. Hopefully since the early productions they have used improved components learning from RMA and the sort. They don't want to pay for shipping both ways and fix all the units that break under warranty. |
| Glennis Cartin 10.10.2011 |
Originally Posted by Paka Ono
But I'll stick with NI for the time being, if my next product from them is faulty, then I may look elsewhere.... |
| Kandra Fagler 09.10.2011 |
Originally Posted by Razehell
my warranty expires i believe this november and i am really worried if anything was to with my S4 right after that! I have heard of horror stories (especially those who are far from germany - i am in Singapore at the moment so its a loong way from their headquarters!) about people sending in their S4 to germany and not receiving it for months back - eeeeeek! I hope I wont have any problems! |
| Karolis Petrauskas 20.07.2011 |
Originally Posted by tekki
Edit: you can leave the plug in and get a USB extension cable when you want to move it. |
| Random X 20.07.2011 |
Originally Posted by yoda_jammies
True, this was already an issue upon receiving it, but now the plastic spacer has completely vanished, so the pins are constantly touching. Therefore I cannot connect it through USB. |
| Faustino Stringfellow 28.09.2012 | I have both, my first S4 was RMA'd for wobbly FX rotaries (and i don't even use them since scammo's map was released). The replacement came with no LED's active ... the one I have now seems fine, although It was sold yesterday because I'm fed up of it not working with USB3 etc. and I forgot the details on the shift, cue, play buttons were wearing away. The Denon on the other hand, built like a tank, but a little tight if you've got big fingers ... you can't run Timecode through it either, hence the S4 purchase .... and I still would like a full 24bit soundcard in it. both have their faults, but i believe in the long run, the Denon will last longer |
| Sherrell Dargenio 14.08.2012 | I love my S4 to death, I love everything about it EXCEPT the build quality. I bought mine back in Dec 2011 and within a few months some of the knobs were gettign loose. My latest problem that started about a month or two ago is buttons sticking, mostly the browse and effects on/off. Anything I use often on that thing seems to degenerate at an alarming rate and I'm not overly rough with it either. However, I still love it... Just wish it was built tougher. Gave it an average |
| Sylvia Greener 02.08.2012 | Never had problems with the S4 yet (except of latency issues caused the Traktor software; but they're fixed now). The only thing I'm not totally happy with is that my pitch faders always tend to be a little bit stiff when I touch them to adjust the bpm. I increase the pressure on them and then they will suddenly jump some millimetres up/down and move on smoothly. But with this jumping start it's always hard to adjust the bpm minimally except you concentrate a lot to prevent it from jumping (e.g. by using the other hand as a stopper). Maybe it's just a sign of not having been used that much yet, but I would be interested if it feels the same way with your units... |
| Cira Ditz 01.08.2012 | When I got mine, one of the fx buttons was a bit unresponsive. Was annoyed by it but put up with it as don't use them too much. On the whole have rather loved it and used it every Friday for about 4 months. Sadly now, the left sync button and the 2 cue button above it both are also now becoming rather unresponsive which is pretty annoying as I use both quite a lot (I sync and unsync a lot as I move through many genres and bpms) and am always using my cue buttons, so this is getting rather upsetting (especially as I've got a alrge ammount of summer shows coming up). I really love traktor and much much prefer my S4 to cdjs (one simple biggie being the simplicity of doing quick searches by typing it out with the keyboard as I get a lot of varying requests, so much easier to search than scrolling through things), but this sticking of the buttons isn't great to have to deal with in a job environment, especially if it's going to get worse. Has anyone else had similar probs, and if so did their replacements if they got them work fine ? |
| Fady Soliman 14.10.2011 | I'm curious to know how many they actually sold. That would give us a better way of seeing how reliable they are. There is always gonna be defects that are missed in anything manufactured. So far mine is holding up, I love it! Going back to my EVO5 this week to prep for a gig (I will be using both S4 & EVO5) I miss using the S4 already! |
| Glennis Cartin 11.10.2011 | I bought mine a few weeks ago I know they proably make a huge number of units, but it's annoying to get one of the very few which stuff up |
| Lana Felicien 11.10.2011 |
Originally Posted by jezalenko
Also another thing to mention is that I got one from one of the first batches put out for retail. Hopefully since the early productions they have used improved components learning from RMA and the sort. They don't want to pay for shipping both ways and fix all the units that break under warranty. |
| Glennis Cartin 10.10.2011 |
Originally Posted by Paka Ono
But I'll stick with NI for the time being, if my next product from them is faulty, then I may look elsewhere.... |
| Neville Blackinton 10.10.2011 | Voted Average. I had to RMA my first one and it never left my bedroom |
| Britta Limehouse 09.10.2011 | I do love my S4... feels really solid |
| Kandra Fagler 09.10.2011 |
Originally Posted by Razehell
my warranty expires i believe this november and i am really worried if anything was to with my S4 right after that! I have heard of horror stories (especially those who are far from germany - i am in Singapore at the moment so its a loong way from their headquarters!) about people sending in their S4 to germany and not receiving it for months back - eeeeeek! I hope I wont have any problems! |
| Lana Felicien 09.10.2011 | just sent my s4 in for service, my volume faders started moving on their own and the b,d tempo fader stopped working. They paid for shipping so no problem here as long as it's fixed in my hands before the end of this month. |
| Hyman Bordenkircher 04.10.2011 | have been rocking mine for about two months now and at the last gig i really gave the faders and knobs a hard time but it still feels still like new.. i believe its a good controller and good bouild quality |
| King Mascarinas 03.10.2011 | Mine has been holding up well after it was replaced. The master out RCA jacks came loose (at the solder), and would cut out unless I had them pushed to a sweet spot. Now I use the quarter inch master outs, and haven't had any problems. I really just wish that you could remap the controller and still have the loop size LED screens. I have used many other controllers and this is hands down one of the sturdiest. Other than the jack issues, I don't have any complaint. |
| Fady Soliman 03.10.2011 | Bumping this back....how are your S4's doing? |
| Karolis Petrauskas 20.07.2011 |
Originally Posted by tekki
Edit: you can leave the plug in and get a USB extension cable when you want to move it. |
| Random X 20.07.2011 |
Originally Posted by yoda_jammies
True, this was already an issue upon receiving it, but now the plastic spacer has completely vanished, so the pins are constantly touching. Therefore I cannot connect it through USB. |
| Daisy Dotseth 19.07.2011 | Ive used mine since December with a minimum of 6 hours every weekend (often 9) in a live environment - I carry it to and from my gigs with a backpack and a decksaver. I haven't had a single hardware issue with the s4 - i have never even had to do a recalibration. Software is a different story but then again that has only ruined one evening for me and was my own fault for upgrading immediately and gigging without the mandatory testing time.... I would say it is holding up better than any piece of Dj gear i have had over the last 15 years. Having said that i will now probably endure a heap of issues but so far so good. |
| Mariano Godina 19.07.2011 | I'm not using mine right now, gone back to TSP2 & 2X1's. I still love my S4, maybe I'll get back on it, it's just the size of it that can be a pain in Dj booths. The only button on mine that was sticking was the browser button so I took it back to the shop i got it from and they sent it back to NI who sent me a brand new one, which I was very impressed with to be honest. Happy controlling!! |
| Alesia Bartelson 19.07.2011 | Reviving an old post here, but wondering how the S4's are keeping up! I just received mine last week, and after a week of use the Deck A & B knobs and faders feel broken in compared to deck C & D. This is of course expected with any piece of new hardware. I've read about sticky buttons and the odd loose knob around the community s. Anything else I should look out for? LOVING the S4. It's my first piece of DJ kit and just far too much fun! Cheers! |
| Isabell Picardi 28.04.2011 | I've been very happy with the durability of my S4, no problems at all so far. However, I believe this poll might be a bit premature, the S4 hasn't even been around for a year yet. Durability is about long term usability, something we can't even measure yet. |
| Mariano Godina 28.04.2011 | My S4 has been rock solid, couldn't be happier. Nothing is loose, or wobbly or anything. It's just as you expect to be honest from N.I. I've seen a few people say that they've had a couple of 'loose' knobs or faders, but then i guess like everything, if you mass produce a product like this you're going to get a few with problems. On the whole it's a pure beast. |
| Jacque Divinity 27.04.2011 |
Originally Posted by groovemixer
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| Art Beatz 25.04.2011 | I do agree on the build quality of the denon, but the s4 is the best layout I've seen for traktor users. If you are not gonna use traktor, then don't bother with the s4. NI is really a software based company, and they still need some room to grow in the hardware market. On the othe hand, you have to be careful how you treat rubber and plastic. If you want reliability on durable hardware then stick with1200's and a cheap and a cheap analog mixer. |
| Fady Soliman 18.04.2011 |
Originally Posted by DJKeyWee
Yup! i agree, i was using the S4 and Pioneer side by side and man what a difference! |
| Lisa Lochotzki 18.04.2011 |
Originally Posted by rishi
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| Ignacio Rutner 18.04.2011 | No problems at all with mine. It's not a tank but the feel of all the components is way better than the Pioneer T-1 controller. |
| Peggy Gabrielson 18.04.2011 |
Originally Posted by loop
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| Fady Soliman 17.04.2011 | Alex could it be you just got a lemon? Did you try returning the unit for a fix or replacement? Most every product sold in the market will have a ratio of lemons. I'm worried of a design flaw or cheap hardware that will last just past it's warranty. I've gotten burned with a Korg mixer but when I was reading up on it 90% of ppl were complaining about it. Sure enough I regret I spent a dime on it. |
| Karma Lucha 17.04.2011 |
Originally Posted by groovemixer
The X1 is a more solid unit for the simple fact that it uses the same two types of nobs across the entire thing and its a much smaller and simpler unit. There are more than a few buttons on my S4 that stick down and an almost unusable channel fader. There are only 3 parts of the S4 that I use, if a jog wheel started having problems then that would mean that every part of the S4 that I use would have some sort of problem. The S4 for me was a leap of faith, trusting in Native Instruments to supply me with a product that would not fail me. I was betrayed and instead left with an unreliable and far from perfect, fault riddled product that felt like shiny fresh off the line beta test hardware. If you currently own Denon and are happy with that brands hardware then I'd recommend seriously considering staying with what you already know and trust. |
| Fady Soliman 17.04.2011 | Actually a good believe to check is how the Kontrol X1's are holding up. That would give a better idea of how the S4's will hold up. |
| Francina Decosse 17.04.2011 |
Originally Posted by sebastiannz
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| Gertha Coprich 16.04.2011 |
Originally Posted by Blair
-Ron |
| Peggy Gabrielson 16.04.2011 |
Originally Posted by loop
So...I partially retract my criticism |
| Lisa Lochotzki 16.04.2011 | No complaint from me, just observation I believe the build quality is pretty average. Eq knobs seems to get loose pretty quick. Most used channels are less tight, the shaft come more and more loose with use. Just move their shaft in Zero position, and you'll see some MIDI signal being sent. No big deal, but I thought it would be more tough after only few months of use (Got it Nov 1st). Like someone says, it use (or seems to use) the same parts as the X1... It may be good enough to cover the warranty, but... it's not build like tank that's for sure. On the other hand, it may stop aging to a certain level, who knows... nobody, it's still it's first year. I LOVE it, and for the price I guess you can't really expect better with THIS release, maybe on a future NI product? A&H? |
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