OK, skip the second part of my question. I found other posts on here comparing the two units. So just original question: Who has had luck running a controller for hours with no issues? I sold the Denon and I'm looking for a rock-solid ITCH controller that won't quit working 2 hours into a gig.

pioneer ddj s1, last friday i was about 3 1/2 hours playin whitout any problem

I have owned:

Allen & Heath Xone DX
Numark V7's
Numark NS6
Pioneer DDJ-S1
Vestax VCI-300 MK1

I love my DDJ-S1 and Numark V7's.

The NS6 caused me a lot of problems - but I know that's not the case for some people. Looking at the forum for help requests though, it seems to have had a lot of issues. The four deck's is a cool option, but used it rarely live...

Xone DX is awesome, except it if you want to scratch at all - and i like to scratch. Light weight and portable a plus here too.

VCI-300 is great and easy to travel with, but doesn't have all the bells and whistles of the DDJ-S1.

I hear the NS7 is good, and because i love my V7's, I believe it. However, it's heavy to travel with (i lifted it at the store). The scratching on the NS7/V7's are the closest you'll find to a Tech 1200 though in the Itch world.

The Pioneer is 11lbs so it's easy to travel with.. easy to use.. and is similar to having a pair of CDJ's with you.. Pioneer has been making great products for years.

I always tell anyone looking for a controller that you need to try them out. Find what fits the way you dj best and what you are use too. Figure out how much equipment you feel like carrying - do you have a long walk from the parking lot to the venue? Do you scratch? do you prefer jog wheels, motorized decks, or buttons? Lots of things to consider...

Most of the time reliability of the controller is based on your computer specs and what you are using on the computer at the same time as Itch. Most controllers come out of the box just fine - my NS6 did not. So most should be reliable... durability is a whole different story..

I've been using a NS7fx for about a month now, and while I had occasional crashes when overloading my MBP at home (while on 2.0), I switched to 2.1 beta two weeks ago and haven't had any issues using it every day, and at three gigs for over 4 hours each.

As far as choosing...I haven't used the other controllers, but if you can deal with the weight the NS7 is worth it.

I have been heavily beating on the NS6 as I have my first gig tonight. Both WinXP and MAC.

Not a crash yet with 2.0 and now 2.1 (knock on particle board). Ive had 4 decks going, fx, looping, skipping, etc for a couple of hours. Let it sit for a day, touched the platter and ran for another 2 hours without issue.

It is also an analog mixer so it can integrate into any system.

My only complaint is that as complex as running 4 decks can get, there are no VU meters on the individual decks so I can't determine the current output channel or volume at a glance. It drives me crazy. But I am acllimating.

I had the Xone DX and absolutely loved it. I recently switched to the VCI-300mkII and I'm loving it too! I'm now learning scratch techniques on the mkII.

Both controllers are very portable with the mkII being a little lighter and easier to move around I feel. I prefer small, quality controllers :-) I think these are the best controllers for Itch but that's because I value portability!!

Never had any problems on either unit! No crashes whatsoever. Been on Itch since 2.0.

i use the ns7 and the only problem ive had is the occosional glitch with itch , longest ive had it running non stop was 10:30am till 3am the next morning and it ran flawlessly

I use an ns6 and its great. no problems running 2 virtual decks via itch, and 2 real turntables with SSL all at the same time. its a great system and easy to learn and use. so no issues. just make sure you touch the platters and such before you start your gig.

So I had my first gig this weekend and although the controller performed great, the no line VU meter is just not something I can live with. It's one thing to test in a controlled environment, but in the hot-seat, this is a dealbreaker.
I will be returning the NS6 and picking up the DDJ-S1.

Ns6 works perfect for me. I have use it for 7hours straight had no issues with it. Love this light weight equipment to get around.... Use it every weekend.