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davnav
09-21-2018, 01:26 PM
So now that the xone96 is available. i cant make up my mind.

Xone96 vs Djm 900NXS2 :love:

Which one would you get if you want to use it with a pair of xone k1´s and traktor. !??!?!?

Both are Traktor ready now.
Both have great sound now.
Both have dual audio cards.
Pioneer has lots of effects.
Allen has 2 send/return channels (pioneer just 1).

i think is just a matter of which one you feel more confortable with. huh guys?..

SlayForMoney
09-21-2018, 03:14 PM
So now that the xone96 is available. i cant make up my mind.

Xone96 vs Djm 900NXS2 :love:

Which one would you get if you want to use it with a pair of xone k1´s and traktor. !??!?!?

Both are Traktor ready now.
Both have great sound now.
Both have dual audio cards.
Pioneer has lots of effects.
Allen has 2 send/return channels (pioneer just 1).

i think is just a matter of which one you feel more confortable with. huh guys?..

Traktor ready? Any mixer with a internal sound interface can be used with Traktor+midi controllers. TSP certification is only important if you want to control Traktor with timecode.
Dual audio cards - do you do B2B Traktor sets? If not, not that important.

davnav
09-21-2018, 04:13 PM
Traktor ready? Any mixer with a internal sound interface can be used with Traktor+midi controllers. TSP certification is only important if you want to control Traktor with timecode.
Dual audio cards - do you do B2B Traktor sets? If not, not that important.

I don’t do b2b, and I’m not using timecoded.

So just the only difference will be the effects.. right? Other than that they are the same.

Xone has those K-link connectors for the K1’s; but with pioneer I can connect them via usb.

monkeystyle
09-27-2018, 04:42 AM
You can't go wrong with either mixer, I've only played on the Nexus 2 so I can't comment on the AH mixer, but yeah. It's a good mixer, no complaints. I think it just comes down to your preferences. One thing though, I think you'll find the Pioneer in more clubs in general, that could personally make me choose the Pioneer if I was buying. One the other hand, you'll run into to the Pio so often if you gig often that you'll get to learn it either way. I've had to play on an AH 92 mixer a couple of times, and because I'm not used to it, it feels a bit akward for me.

blackavenger
10-01-2018, 10:56 PM
The question you should be asking yourself is whether you are okay with Pioneer's internal EFX, or if
you want the freedom to add your own external EFX. Also, whether you're okay with Pioneer's digital
sound as opposed to A&H's analog sound. Personally, I loathe the "sound" of Pioneer's EFX and output.
They sound so cheap & metallic.

I currently own a Xone.PX5. I owned a Xone:92 in the past. I have the Xone:96 on pre-order.
I'll take A&H's analog sound quality over Pioneer's digital trash any day.
I have a TEILE Electronik "TEIL1" Delay Box and a Strymon "Blue Sky" Reverb Box.
Haha, Pioneer's built-in EFX ain't got shit on their combined sound quality.
Also, you could route Ableton's EFX through the Xone:96's EFX Send.
I currently do that w' my PX5 and it goes off without a hitch.

I guess the choice is really down to, do you want a professional mixer, or just the "club standard".

stomp
10-02-2018, 03:22 PM
I currently own a Xone.PX5.
Any flaws you can report?
Are the faders firm or flimsy as on the cheaper models?
Is the crossfader suitable for scratch? Not enough, reviewers say, but how bad is it?
How are the curves on both up and cross faders? Cheaper models were reported for strange behavior in this regard, with sudden increase of loudness at a certain position.
Is the master insert pre or post rec out? If an isolator is plugged there, will it reflect on the recording?
Is there a in out switch for the insert or once plugged it is always in?
Any mono switch?

Reticuli
10-09-2018, 07:49 PM
Go for Xone 96 if you want vintage colored A&H analog goodness (or would otherwise be desiring a 92 daily). NXS2 if you really like that mixer already (it's nice). If you don't need the ultimate fidelity of the MP2015 (and its amazing digital filters) and you can go without send-return, consider the Xone DB4. So much fun.

PerryCombover
10-10-2018, 08:42 AM
I concur. The DB4 is an amazing bit of kit. I've owned two 92s in my life too and can vouch for those. Sometimes you just want that chunky analogue feel, you know? The DB4 is like going from flying a Hercules to a Eurofighter. So much to learn, so much to play with. So advanced, so many features. I swear every time I have a mix on it I learn new stuff about it. Unreal.

stomp
10-23-2018, 02:18 PM
I currently own a Xone.PX5.

Any flaws you can report?
Are the faders firm or flimsy as on the cheaper models?
Is the crossfader suitable for scratch? Not enough, reviewers say, but how bad is it?
How are the curves on both up and cross faders? Cheaper models were reported for strange behavior in this regard, with sudden increase of loudness at a certain position.
Is the master insert pre or post rec out? If an isolator is plugged there, will it reflect on the recording?
Is there a in out switch for the insert or once plugged it is always in?
Any mono switch?
Bumping these questions.

emarx
10-26-2018, 10:02 PM
The Xone:96 comes with a mini Innofader already installed. Stomp I'm not sure if your question was with regards to the Xone:96 or the PX5?

stomp
10-27-2018, 08:12 PM
Stomp I'm not sure if your question was with regards to the Xone:96 or the PX5?
About the PX5.

Nemo
01-09-2019, 04:28 PM
So now that the xone96 is available. i cant make up my mind.

Xone96 vs Djm 900NXS2 :love:

Which one would you get if you want to use it with a pair of xone k1´s and traktor. !??!?!?

Both are Traktor ready now.
Both have great sound now.
Both have dual audio cards.
Pioneer has lots of effects.
Allen has 2 send/return channels (pioneer just 1).

i think is just a matter of which one you feel more confortable with. huh guys?..

There are other differences....

I've owned a Xone 92 since they were released and bought a few over the years. It's a sturdy mixer with analogue sound, the knobs are not plastic feel as many pioneers are.

BUT...

Aside to what has been mentioned on this thread, no one mentioned the parametric eq's with two mids. Have you ever played on a mixer with two mids? I don't know of another branded mixer that has such a great feature and when you have a main stage, when you twist those mids magic happens! Once you play like that for a while you realize some things that are fun and sound great, and without that, you cannot do what you want. I love those two mids and Allen & Heath are a brand i trust, get the 96. I'm looking to sell the 92's I have and upgrade myself to where your headed.

orbita
11-05-2019, 08:19 AM
There are other differences....

I've owned a Xone 92 since they were released and bought a few over the years. It's a sturdy mixer with analogue sound, the knobs are not plastic feel as many pioneers are.

BUT...

Aside to what has been mentioned on this thread, no one mentioned the parametric eq's with two mids. Have you ever played on a mixer with two mids? I don't know of another branded mixer that has such a great feature and when you have a main stage, when you twist those mids magic happens! Once you play like that for a while you realize some things that are fun and sound great, and without that, you cannot do what you want. I love those two mids and Allen & Heath are a brand i trust, get the 96. I'm looking to sell the 92's I have and upgrade myself to where your headed.


I'm looking to get a mixer and had my eye on the xone 96 for the extra channels and EQ, but what happens when you play out and they have Pioneer mixers at the venue?

It must be a bit hard having to play on something you are less familiar with. If you are practicing at home with 4 band EQ and then faced with 3 band in the club it must mean changing your mixing style on the night. Plus different FX and layout?

Do you take your own mixer? or do you just adjust to what they have?

I'm looking to start DJing/performing my own tracks - with a sort of hybrid setup using Traktor and Ableton and an X1 and probably something like an apc40 or maschine jam controller but it all starts to get a bit unwieldy to carry with you and bringing your own mixer just seems like going too far. They are pretty heavy for a start.

A mixer with built in soundcard at least reduces the need to bring your own soundcard and cables but then what if the drivers are different to what you have at home.

Ryan Ruel
11-07-2019, 12:12 PM
I'm looking to get a mixer and had my eye on the xone 96 for the extra channels and EQ, but what happens when you play out and they have Pioneer mixers at the venue?

It must be a bit hard having to play on something you are less familiar with. If you are practicing at home with 4 band EQ and then faced with 3 band in the club it must mean changing your mixing style on the night. Plus different FX and layout?

Do you take your own mixer? or do you just adjust to what they have?

I'm looking to start DJing/performing my own tracks - with a sort of hybrid setup using Traktor and Ableton and an X1 and probably something like an apc40 or maschine jam controller but it all starts to get a bit unwieldy to carry with you and bringing your own mixer just seems like going too far. They are pretty heavy for a start.

A mixer with built in soundcard at least reduces the need to bring your own soundcard and cables but then what if the drivers are different to what you have at home.

I wouldn't worry about playing out on the Pioneer.

It's painfully obvious how to mix on one. The Xone 96 is a beast in comparison.

If you really wanted to become proficient at effectively using the DJM's effects, that would be a good use case for owning one.

Otherwise, I would take the Xone 96 any day.

micka
02-14-2020, 02:47 AM
For anyone considering a Xone 96, I've owned one for a year now and can only say that I'm very happy with my choice. I never mixed on a 4 way EQ before, but after a while getting used to it I absolutely love it and can make blends in a way that's impossible to do with a 3 way EQ. I noticed that especially in the low mid a lot of the heart of a track lies, and I can already blend a lot of the track without touching the bass.

I wouldn't worry also about mixing on a 3 EQ afterwards, it's much easier switching from 4 to 3 than the other way around.

Dj O.C
11-21-2020, 04:39 PM
in personally dont like the djm 900's, i preffer different mixers like the Xones or the DJM V10 which is to be said almost perfect and gives a nice kick back for pioneer against the xones

Wintermute
01-07-2022, 12:15 PM
I own a DJM-900NXS2 and have recently had the privilege to spend a good amount of time playing on the Xone 96. Here are my thoughts and some info that I could add to the previous comments:

- Using the term 900 series is misleading. The sound quality of the 900 series up to the NXS2 was objectively inferior to the sound quality of the Xone mixers. This is no longer the case. Distortion and noise levels are actually lower in the NXS2 than the 96's, someone made a Youtube video comparing them with the proper instruments. The difference is in sound character, not sound quality. Just like analog amps, the Xone has its own character. I personally like it very much, but it's not a game changer for me, both sound great. (+1 Xone)

- The 4 band EQ on the Xone is absolutely brilliant. Even better than on the 92. For electronic music, especially if you play 3-4 decks, being able to separate the mid bands to reduce overlap or just capturing a precise part of the song, it is an absolute pleasure to use. For me personally, this is the selling point of the mixer. (+1 Xone)

- The channel fader curves on the Xone are a big flaw for me. Nothing happens until 90% and then it goes up real sharp. The curve selector just has worse options. It's really uncomfortable for me to use, I have to constantly steady my hand to make minute changes to control the mix. (+1 NXS2)

- The HPF / LPF / BPF? feature on the Xone is brilliant. The sound is beautiful, the resonance on it is much more pleasant for me than the NXS2. That being said, I generally dislike the filter resonance in 90% of the cases they are being used in mixes. On the other side, the NXS2's separated color and effects features are just mega powerful, very well thought out, a pleasure to use in general. They make the mixer a far more practical and complete package for me. (+1 NXS2)

- The Xone 96 is more unique and cooler. It's a pleasure to look at, to touch, to know. The NXS2 is still an elite student, but not as cool. (+1 Xone)

In conclusion, for me the NXS2 is an evident pick for practical reasons and for a lack of real weaknesses. But I have real feelings for the Xone 96 and whenever I get to play on one, not owning it just makes it that much more special. You can't go wrong with either.

Manu
01-07-2022, 02:12 PM
Hahaha. Team A&H Here, welcome to DjF and I'm not even surprised, good review ;)


- The channel fader curves on the Xone are a big flaw for me. Nothing happens until 90% and then it goes up real sharp. The curve selector just has worse options. It's really uncomfortable for me to use, I have to constantly steady my hand to make minute changes to control the mix. (+1 NXS2)

You get used to it, the curves are longer but exponential. It's designed so you can do some sharp cuts while retaining extra smoothness when needed. That said, once again someone who got blown away by that sound quality...

light-o-matic
01-07-2022, 10:09 PM
Great review, thanks for that.

I've been through a bunch of mixers.. incl Ecler Nuo, Xone 62, DJM-800.. and now I have a 900nxs. I never had an original 900 or even played on one, but the 900nxs is quite superior to the 800 sound-wise, I really find very little to complain about with it.

Certainly my Xone 62 sounded better than the 800 (we a/b'd them at the time) as did the Ecler Nuo.. but I highly doubt that if I were to a/b the 900nxs there would be more than a subtle difference. nxs2 even less so. More of a difference in character than an actual "this one's clearly better"... Especially if you're playing CDJ's and have the decks connected with s/pdif, which I always do. If you're going into the sound system's processor with s/pdif as well then it becomes even more tough to say what's better as you're not actually using any of the D/A or A/D conversions or analog stages in the mixer or decks whatsoever.

And unless you are either playing on a hifi, at least somewhat expensive monitors or a really high end PA.. not just an expensive PA but one that's set up really well.. then I question whether there's really a quality problem with any of the top mixers these days.

So yea for me it really does come down to what's more fun (and effective) to mix on so far as the EQ's mainly.
I do like playing with the four EQ's but when you have the feel of the 3 EQ's on the Pioneer they are quite useable too...
TBH the Ecler EQ's remain my favorite. Rane is also great. I only played on a Rane 68 once but it was excellent.