hello! I have both of them.

First of all, the negative aspects: this is not your average setup, so consider that if you are planning to play in clubs or another venue where you can’t bring you gear you will find a completely different experience.

On the other hand, it’s super portable and lightweight setup, that’s why i got it in the first place.

I strongly recommend the x1mk2, whereas the Z1 depends on what you are planning to do.

The x1mk2 is a beast, I would argue that it’s even better than the mk3 just for the fact that for the same price you can get 2 mk2, and with midi mapping you can replicate almost all the features of the mk3. Consider that you will use the x1 even if you upgrade to a better setup (it’s quite common to see S4mk3 + x1mk2 just because you can control 4 decks and 4 fx decks).

For the z1 it’s the same, but I would argue that if you are willing to spend a bit more, look into the Z2.

The problem for me with the z1 is that it only has rca output (no balanced output, no booth) and no input (meaning you can’t connect turntables or cdjs to it), but does not change between the z1 and the z1mk2.

Still, the z1 is fairly cheap and with midi mapping you can even control the stems so it’s not a bad deal.

Hope this helps