The djm-800 or xone 92 (2/6)

   LOCKED 

So We want pictures of it

Remember, mixing is all about SOUND QUALITY.  Beatmatching is easy, mixing two tracks is easy, learning tricks for cutting is relatively easy...but knowing how to PROPERLY EQ is the true secret to great sets.  You want to prevent ear fatigue, but still have crisp highs.  You want to have deep, powerful bass...but never get too muddy.  You want to be able to isolate the vocals at any given time (for that matter, you want to be able to isolate any part of any track, but that's getting into years of practice), but you don't know what exactly to bring up or down. 

If your mix sounds muddy or distorted or too trebly or whatever -- it doesn't matter how well you beatmatch or scratch or anything else -- your set will suck.

So...that being said, the choice for the expert is the Xone 92, hands down.  Why?  The four band EQ.

Some of you will laugh at the fact that I actually use a Stanton VRM 10.  I had a DJM 600 for starters, but soon realized that my sound quality was not only lacking, but was truly horrific.  I had no control over the key element -- the mids.  The VRM 10 has a parametric mid EQ, which allows for ANYTHING and EVERYTHING, not to mention it is a valve mixer, which adds a beautiful warmth to trance and techno, which is what I primarily spin.  (Trance haters save your flames -- I mix good sets of trance, believe it.)

SO about this DJM 800 -- Yes I have listened to it and played around with it for a bit, and yes it is superior to the 600 in every way.  The 600 and 800 look similar, but they are two totally different animals.  That new 800 is a very good mixer and the default sound quality is, as was mentioned above, just as good as the Xone.  So why the Xone?

Control over the mids is everything when mixing a live set.   The number of people in a given room can change your eq needs, as people absorb sound.  The more people in the room, the tighter your mix will sound because the sound waves are absormed and baffled by the bodies in the room, thereby eliminating standing waves.  This is a great thing, because all you have to do is choose the right track at the start to get people on the floor and you have an immediate advantage.

The Xone eq panel is tough to master.  Your best tool as a DJ is your ear, and once you get that Xone you will understand why everyone who owns one will swear to its sound quality.  Because sound quality is not determined by signal to noise ratio (once you pass 85dB, you're in the range that people cannot distinguish a difference live as long as you properly EQ your music).  You, as a DJ, will have total control over your sound with the Xone, whereas with the 800 you will have a CLEAN sound, but not necessarily a GREAT sound, because GREAT sound is a result of GREAT mixing.

You may be wondering why I have the Stanton instead of the Xone.  Two reasons: First, I got it for a steal.  It is a rotary mixer, which is the only way to go on the VRM 10 because the faders are too loose and will slide down if the mixer is at an angle on the console or in the booth.  Moreover, I personally prefer the feel and accuracy of the big, heavy knobs to any fader I have touched.  But that's me.  The second reason is the valve sound.  I love the warmth and nuance of heated tubes -- there is nothing like it.  As a guitar player I came to appreciate the difference between solid state and tube ampifiers, and when I listened to my CDs through the VRM 10 (a true test of sonic quality in a mixer -- most mixers will make CDs sound very flat compared to vynil - whereas the VRM 10 brings wonderful fullness to CDs, allowing me to play them live).  Not only that, the parametric EQ on the VRM 10 allows me TOTAL control over the EQ.  We're talking +/- 25 dB here, not +/- 12 dB like the Pioneer.  That is huge.  HUGE.  The VRM 10 also has two filters that are almost identicle to the Xone filters -- and here again, filtering is a crucial element to sound control.  The only feature the VRM 10 lacks is a total kill, but I take care of that externally.  The VRM 10 is a difficult mixer to master.  That is why you will find some DJs that say it sounds muddy or has too little headroom or just sucks in general.  Those DJs simply cannot mix, period.  

When I got the VRM 10, the 92 was brand new and very expensive.  I test drove both for a few days before deciding, but I must say I am very pleased with the choice I made (almost two years ago now).  I have learned to control the sound with a precision that is simply not possible on the Pioneer units -- ANY of them, including the DJM 1000.  (I actually think the DJM 800 is a superior unit to the 1000).

I am adding a Xone to my collection.  I will run the A&H valve pre through it -- which is the best sounding set-up I have played with yet.  

So that's my two cent ramble.  If you want to have total control over your music, go with the Xone.  You can add the tube unit to it and you will practically be using a V6, at which point the DJM 800 will seem like a toy.

Summarily:  The DJM 800 is for a person who wnats to play records back with a very clean, true sound.  The Xone 92 is for the DJ who wants to MIX his records.

 

Hands down for the VRM-10!

Were did you find the rotary's for the VRM? Thge problem that i had with my VRM were the faders, i searched everywhere for the rotarys buth they seemed to be unfindable...

The Parametric EQ + the filters on the VRM were really really nice, i miss it a little, buth my rotary mixer is on it's way!

One last question!! what kind of cables do i need for the booth output?? I get my Xone tomorrow evening, and i just noticed that the booth holes look bigger than the "record" output! Because yesterday i bought two cables for 100 dollars each! the quenex 2!!

Does this fit into the booth or mix two jack!! please help, if not what other cable would i need to buy?? (Dont say XLR, because thats a given )

And rate which outputs i would get the best sound quality from!!
Is there a difference in sound quality in each output!
What cables would you recommend?

then you have to go back to the store or contact allen&heath tech-support. 
www.xone.co.uk 

I shouldn't use (turn on) the unit when something inside rolls back and forwards. When it is metal it might cause a shortcut.

Send the mixer back or go to an official service center. Possibly something got loose or broke off during transport. When you open the mixer yourself you void the warranty.