Allen & Heath XONE-S2 Professional DJ Club Mixer (Item # 58962)

Comments about Allen & Heath XONE-S2 Professional DJ Club Mixer:

I've used Rane for over a decade and I just switch to Allen & Heath and I was so please with the serious sound quality this mixer has. Plus the Internal Limiter, Filter and other features it has make this mixer a serious competitor. The looks of this Xone S2 is smooth and the sound is awesome. I have to disagree with the review about the Rane MP 44 being better. But that is my opinion. I've had a several Rane MP Mixer and this Allen & Heath unit is better.

The layout is not the best so consider it before buying this mixer. Yes its was built in China. But that doesn't means its cheap. This is a Great Unit... Allen & Heath is not to be mess with. Especially with their new DB4.

Comments about Allen & Heath XONE-S2 Professional DJ Club Mixer:

The EQs are a bit cramped but I've adjusted and it's not really a problem. If you have super thick fingers, you might have trouble tweaking the EQs without budging the knob below or above it.

The sound quality is excellent as expected from Allen & Heath. The build quality is incredible too, and it feel like a tank.

I understand Allen & Heath wanted to make a versatile 19 inch rackmount mixer that mobile DJs could use, but personally, since I don't use mics, I would have removed the 2 mic channels on the left to give space for the EQs so the controls aren't so crowded. The headphone placement is pretty wacky too in the middle of the mixer even with the headphone cable clips that are supposed to help route the headphone cable away from the knobs and faders. I have this set up at home where the bottom headphone output is accessible, so it's a problem for me though.

In summary, it's a fantastic mixer, but due to its size, some layout compromises were made. Consider them before buying this mixer.

Comments about Allen & Heath XONE-S2 Professional DJ Club Mixer:

Front plug-ins and dual mic inputs are cool but gave up 3 band mic eq for them....otherwise unit sounds pretty clean and is very cost effective.

Comments about Allen & Heath XONE-S2 Professional DJ Club Mixer:

My long review on the Allen & heath Xone S2 Mixer... Since I hardly found reviews on this mixer before I purchased it, and after someone on you tube asked me for a review since he had no luck finding input either, I decided to give my opinion on this mixer in case someone is interested. I also give some input on the Rane MP44:Ok, I put back my Rane MP44 in my main rack. My experience with the A&H Xone S2:-4 U rack spaces (awesome)-Looks and beauty of this Unit (Superb) -Sound Quality (Phenomenal) I think it sounds better than any Pioneer and Rane Units I've used before (very small difference with Rane though) -Heavy feel of the Rotary Knobs (Outstanding) -USB Input (I didn’t get to use it at all, but the fact you can record your mixes via USB plus other features makes it a very interesting unit)Problems with this unit: -Headphone input: Big complaint I read in some forums; it has the inputs in areas were the cord could engage a slider or button. (No biggie to me since I used a 3rd input in the rear panel of the mixer).-The filter button goes on by default when I turn the mixer on; when I turn it off I’d get a "Pop" after that no more pops, but I've been told by A&H rep in the U.S that is was not normal.-Also, I wish the Mic inputs were in the back of mixer, not on top (no biggie) BUT, the sound quality of the mics wasn't impressive...I few times sounded perfect; other times sounded a little distorted. (I'm hoping this is due because indeed I got a broken unit) So I returned it....-Last bad thing is lack of lines, is a 4 channel mixer with 4 lines and 4 phono’s (last time I used turntables was back in 1992.) Rane does have the ability of 8 lines.Final thoughts:There is no "perfect mixer" because each of us have our own needs, but, to me, in 19" mixers, the Rane MP44 would be the "perfect mixer" if they put L.E.D Meters on each channel and the option of going Rotary (not a must, but ideally)The Xone S2 would be the "perfect" 19" mixer if they put the Mic inputs in the back of mixer, and give the ability of 2 more lines that can go through a channel(not the mic channels) Also see Rane's 2 Aux inputs and 2 Aux outputs. Rane does take 5 rack spaces, but with my 11U top rack I can fit the Mixer plus my Denons HC-4500 and DN-6000 (soon to be replace in 2 days with the Pioneer MEP-7000 expect reviews on that too)Verdict-I love the looks of the Xone S2 and the sound, but for my needs, my 20 year experience as a DJ, and being a Rane user since 1992, I'd go with the Rane MP44; In my case personally I am waiting for A&H to make some improvements, or Rane to come out with the MP 45 (an MP44 With L.E.D meters on each channel) and hopefully Rotary, "that" would be a dream come true. Hope this review helps somehow. Judge for yourself, with the following front and rear panel pictures of each unit:[@]Made in USAA&H – Now made in China

Comments about Allen & Heath XONE-S2 Professional DJ Club Mixer:

I run this mixer in a club venue and it works great. A&H quality sound with the bonus of that internal limiter. The DJs can turn up every gain, channel fader, EQ knobs, and master level, but once they hit the activation level on the limiter, they're out of luck. The limiter comes on nicely after the level hits it, but it's intelligent enough not to turn on from just a short burst of sound. Once active, it pushes everything down internally, which means you don't have to waste your time trying to dial in an external limiter/compressor gate that usually ruins the quality of your sound. The only thing that the DJM-800 has over this is more internal effects. Of course, if you're a Serato guy, then you might opt for the TTM-57SL for obvious reasons.

Comments about Allen & Heath XONE-S2 Professional DJ Club Mixer:

I disagree with most of the previous review of this product by Brian W Grey. I rent out sound systems to underground parties in the bay for a living and have for 5 years. This mixer is hands down the best mixer on the market for the purpose I use it for. The internal limiter is a life saver and is an easy mixer for any skill level of dj. The filters, sound quality, sound card(after being taking apart and changed to the optional settings), and overall functionality of this mixer are unmatched by competitors products. The only complaint I have is the connections being on the bottom (the reason it is an install mixer)making it a pain to mount for portable gigs. The price is well worth it and why I would completely discredit the previous review for saying it is a $400 mixer.

Comments about Allen & Heath XONE-S2 Professional DJ Club Mixer:

On paper the specifications for this product are amazing. The sound on this mixer is flat and clean. Fader start with the rotary version can be painful until you learn to work around its "features." The USB functionality is limited at best due to a lack of controls for fades etc. I suggest that you continue to use an external sound card other than what is built into this mixer. The mixer I received has issues with a channel mysteriously disappearing. (Trouble shooting narrowed this problem down to an internal issue with the mixer.)

Over all, this could be a nice mixer and its permanent installation features are great. However for the price point on this mixer it's just not worth the money. I would push this down to a $400 or less value.