Buy the DJM-S11 if you want four decks from a two-channel mixer, Smooth Echo and Touch FX on its screen: all six professional reviews recommend it, with the price and weaker rekordbox support as the repeated reservations. Buy the DJM-S7 for two-deck scratching in Serato or rekordbox with the same 22 Beat FX, the same Magvel Fader Pro and a Bluetooth input, for less; eight of nine reviews recommend it, with cheaper-feeling upfaders the main complaint.
Which one for which DJ
- Two-deck scratch and open-format sets: the DJM-S7. It has the S11's 22 Beat FX, its Scratch Bank, Combo Pad and Gate Cue pad modes, the Magvel Fader Pro and the same two USB-B ports and USB hub. Seven of its nine reviews single out the effects, and six the larger pads with a pad mode per channel.
- Four tracks at once, or routines built on Smooth Echo: the DJM-S11. Deck 3/4 Control, Touch FX, Touch MIDI and the waveform and browse screens all live on its 4.3-inch touch display, which seven sources in its record praise for real four-deck control. Smooth Echo, armed by a button and triggered by a fader or pad, is on the S11 only, and three of the S7's sources miss it.
- Requests and loops from a phone: the S7. Its Bluetooth input plays a phone through the master or either channel; the S11 has no Bluetooth. Two of the S7's reviewers add that latency and level rule it out for mixing from the phone.
- Coming from a DJM-S9: either, but the S7 fits an S9 case. The S7 measures 267 x 397.4 x 107.9 mm and weighs 4.5 kg (9.9 lb), the same footprint as the S9; the S11 is the same width but deeper and heavier, at 267 x 452.2 x 107.9 mm (W x D x H) and 5.2 kg (11.5 lb). The DJM-S9 itself is discontinued, and Pioneer DJ calls the S11 its successor.
- rekordbox rather than Serato: the S7, with a caution. Both unlock rekordbox Performance mode and DVS free. Two of the S11's reviewers find rekordbox slower than Serato on it, and the S11's screen features are built around Serato, so the S7 gives up less in rekordbox.
- A smaller budget: the DJM-S5. Pioneer DJ's cheapest S-series mixer keeps the Magvel fader and the layout, with four pads a side and Serato only. The best DJ mixers also picks the Rane Seventy for Serato battles on turntables.
Pioneer DJ DJM-S7
A two-channel Serato and rekordbox battle mixer that improves on the DJM-S9 for less; cheaper-feeling upfaders.
Pioneer DJ DJM-S11
The reference scratch mixer for Serato: four-deck control from a touchscreen, at a high price.
The DJM-S7 and DJM-S11 compared
| Pioneer DJ DJM-S7 | Pioneer DJ DJM-S11 | |
|---|---|---|
| Announced | January 2021 | October 2020 |
| Status, October 2026 | Current | Current |
| Channels | 2 | 2 (4-deck control) |
| Display | OLED, showing the selected effect and beat value | 4.3-inch touch display |
| Deck 3/4 Control, Touch FX, Touch MIDI | No | Yes, on the screen |
| Beat FX | 22 Beat FX, 6 FX select buttons, 2 effect levers, Loop MIDI | 22 Beat FX + 6 software FX buttons, Touch FX on screen |
| Smooth Echo | No | Yes |
| Loop MIDI | Yes | No |
| Performance pads | 8 per channel (16), independent pad modes, 20.8 x 25 mm | 8 per channel (16), 22 x 26 mm |
| Scratch Bank, Combo Pad, Gate Cue (Serato DJ Pro) | Yes | Yes |
| EQ | 3-band, -∞ dB to +6 dB | -∞ dB to +6 dB (ISO) or -26 dB to +6 dB (EQ), switchable, 3-band |
| Channel faders | 45 mm, curve adjustable | 39 mm, curve adjustable, replaceable fader bumpers |
| Crossfader | Magvel Fader Pro magnetic crossfader, with Feeling Adjust | MAGVEL FADER PRO magnetic crossfader with Feeling Adjust |
| Inputs | 2 x line (RCA), 2 x phono (RCA), 1 x aux (RCA), Bluetooth | 2 x line (RCA), 2 x phono (RCA), 1 x aux (RCA) |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.0 input; SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX Low Latency | No |
| Mic input | 1 x XLR / 1/4" TRS combo, talkover | 1 x XLR / 1/4 in TRS combo, talkover and EQ |
| Outputs | Master XLR + RCA, booth 1/4" TRS, headphones (1/4" and 3.5 mm) | Master XLR + RCA, booth 1/4 in TRS, 2 x headphones (1/4 in + 3.5 mm) |
| USB to computers | 2 x USB Type-B sound cards, 24-bit / 48 kHz | 2 x USB Type-B, 24-bit / 48 kHz (32-bit master D/A) |
| USB hub for CDJs and controllers | 2 x USB Type-A (5 V, 500 mA) | 2 x USB Type-A |
| Mixing and D/A | 24-bit D/A converter | 64-bit mixing with dithering, 32-bit D/A converter |
| Signal-to-noise ratio | 110 dB (USB), 103 dB (line), 88 dB (phono) | 115 dB (USB), 105 dB (line), 90 dB (phono) |
| Software unlocked free | Serato DJ Pro and Serato DVS; rekordbox Performance mode and DVS | Serato DJ Pro and Serato DVS; rekordbox Performance mode and DVS |
| Size (W x D x H) | 267 x 397.4 x 107.9 mm | 267 x 452.2 x 107.9 mm (W x D x H) |
| Weight | 4.5 kg (9.9 lb) | 5.2 kg (11.5 lb) |
| In the box | Power cord, USB cable, quick start guide, Pitch 'n Time DJ voucher | Power cord, USB cable, fader bumpers, quick start guide, Pitch 'n Time DJ voucher |
Sources: each mixer's product sheet, drawn from the DJM-S7 manual and DJM-S11 manual and Pioneer DJ's DJM-S7 and DJM-S11 pages; Pioneer DJ's DJ mixer comparison chart for the fader lengths, pad sizes, EQ/ISO switch, mic EQ, fader bumpers, dithering and D/A converters; rekordbox's Hardware Unlock list and Serato's DJM-S7 and DJM-S11 pages for the software. Dotted figures link to their source on hover.
The differences that matter
The two share their channel layout, crossfader, effects list and connections. What separates them is the S11's screen and the features that run on it, Smooth Echo, the S7's Bluetooth and Loop MIDI, and how each one is built.
The screen, and what runs on it
The S11's screen is where most of its extra features live. Pioneer DJ's page lists a waveform screen, a browse screen for picking tracks without looking at the laptop, Touch FX for two effects under one finger, four banks of saved FX settings, and Touch MIDI pages that control the software. Deck 3/4 Control adds two more decks with EQ, hot cues and pitch bend, so up to four tracks or samples play through the two channels, and Deck Move shifts a track from deck 1 to 4 or 2 to 3 in Serato DJ Pro. Firmware 1.04, in July 2023, added Mono Split and Cue Fader Reverse for the headphones and a shortcut for Dual Deck mode on decks 3 and 4 (Pioneer DJ). The S7 has an OLED display that shows the effect name and beat value, and no deck 3 or 4. Neither manual lists a split cue for the headphones; the S11 gained Mono Split with that firmware, and one of the S7's reviews counts the lack of one against it. Two of the S11's sources say the Touch FX and screen response could be smoother and quicker to reach.
Effects
Both carry the same 22 Beat FX, the DJM-S9's 15 plus seven new ones including Fader Pitch and Helix, with six FX buttons and two effect levers. The S11 adds Smooth Echo and Touch FX. The S7 adds Loop MIDI, which repeats a MIDI message to the software on a set beat cycle: Pattern A shortens a loop's cycle to build tension, Pattern B shifts a deck's key, fires sampler slot 1 or Hot Cue 1, or mutes a deck (Pioneer DJ). Three of the S7's sources want more than three FX buttons per side, where the S9 had six.
Faders, pads and build
Both use the Magvel Fader Pro crossfader with a Feeling Adjust knob, an adjustable curve and a cut lag adjustment. The S7's channel faders are the longer of the two, per Pioneer DJ's comparison chart, and the S11 ships with spare fader bumpers. The S11's pads are a little larger, and both have eight per channel with their own pad modes. Build is where the records part: five of the S11's sources call it solid, while four of the S7's find its upfaders, switches and bumpers cheaper than the S9's, and one reviewer had a channel fader fail within eight months. Three of the S7's sources also find the trim, EQ and filter knobs packed tightly. The S11 adds an EQ/isolator switch for the channel EQ and an EQ on the mic input.
Sound
The S11 mixes in 64-bit with dithering and feeds a 32-bit D/A converter on the master, carried over from the DJM-900NXS2; the S7 has a 24-bit D/A converter. The S11's signal-to-noise figures are a few dB better on each input. Three of the S11's sources call its sound a clear step up from the S9, and two of the S7's say the same of the S7, so both improve on the mixer they replace.
Software
Both unlock Serato DJ Pro and Serato DVS when plugged in, with a voucher for Pitch 'n Time DJ in the box, and both are rekordbox Hardware Unlock devices for Performance mode and DVS, so neither needs a licence or plan for either program. VirtualDJ needs a Pro licence on both, and other software has to be MIDI-mapped. For the S11, two reviewers find rekordbox slower to load waveforms and short of the Serato features, and Scratch Bank, Combo Pad and Deck Move are Serato DJ Pro functions on both mixers. Serato DJ Pro or rekordbox weighs the two programs.
What else you need
Both are two-channel mixers with two phono and two line inputs and no decks of their own: add turntables or CDJs, control vinyl (not in the box for either) and a laptop. Each has two USB-B ports so two DJs can change over, but only one USB cable is included. The guide to digital vinyl systems covers the setup and learning to scratch the technique; for mixers against controllers with built-in decks such as the DDJ-REV7, see DJ controller vs DJ mixer.
How this comparison is made
Specifications come from Pioneer DJ's manuals, product pages and mixer comparison chart, read through each product's sheet and linked above. Reviewers' views come from the opinion records on each product page, which link every review and retailer page they draw on: nine professional reviews and one owner review for the DJM-S7, and six professional reviews and three owner reviews for the DJM-S11. We haven't tested either mixer for this page. The methodology explains how the site works.
