The 'sound' of the X1800 - tell me please ;-)

Wash out is amazing on this mixer

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Ok, thanx for the infos guys

is it me or is the flanger different on the x1800 then on the DJM900? Don’t use it often but last week was using a DJM900 and used the flanger effect and liked it better on the DJM900.

Can’t really describe what is the difference but maybe others do…

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The X1800 flanger has more feedback (at least that’s what the setting is called like in Traktor) than the Pioneer DJ effect.

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i agree this with the flanger from the Pios, but: i dont use it cos of the “hardness” of the flanger :confused:

i love the flanger of the X1500, sounds for me really better as of the 1800! Why do not make a “x1500 oldskool” option on the mixer for it … ? would love that :wink:

regards,

Roland

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Does everyone still feel the same way about the X1800 overall sound quality now that they’ve had it for some time?

Yes definitely.

FX could be better but overall still a clean sounding mixer. However, still want the cross-fader removed and 4 studio-grade up-faders like the Model1 or the X1700.

The fader of the X1800 look cheap :confused: not like the Xone 96 or the 1700 like @Reese say

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Value and quality of a faders audio properties aren’t ascertainable visually.

No it’s not even needed for VCA, but I just like it to feel better.

Hah hah… well, every digital mixer since the Tascam X-9 has been “clean sounding”, but that wasn’t even a fully digital mixer since consumer sample rate converter input chips didn’t yet exist from TI. Clean’s the easy part for every digital mixer since :slight_smile:

Pioneers do not. Apart from the nxs2.

And Allen&Heaths have warmth analog coloring.

Don’t sound “clean”? All their digital mixers have about as low a noise floor as the X1800. The Nexus had a slightly worse S/N ratio than the DJM800 and NXS2, but has darn good transient response. Lot of people complain about that first DJM900, but it does some stuff well, IMO.

I find most of the warmth people are hearing on the analog A&H mixers is actually caused by the EQs. It’s funny on the DB4 how you can mimic them (iso like a 92, eq kinda like a 62), but if you switch it to filter/bypass mode it sounds more like a brand new Mackie! When you have properly-functioning outputs on the DB4, it’s pretty darn amazing. They have some goofy grounding issues on their master outs. Oh, hey, that’s another mixer other than the X-9 with noise issues, hah hah. I really like the DB4 compared to the 62, 92, and even 4D.

Here’s my subjective take on the X1800:

I think the X1800 is more forgiving-sounding than the DJM800 but darker, mushier, and more furry than the DJM900NXS2. Sorta reminds me of the old Numark DM905 tone. Wish it was more the DM900EX tone :slight_smile: Might be the opamps or analog output topology.

X1800 seems like a little less low-level detail than the NXS2, leading to a sense of lower in-the-blend transparency (weird because digital summing math is supposed to be settled science) and less ambience retrieval, particularly in spatial depth reproduction. The in-the-blend stuff is probably just the overall tonal character and low-level detail reproduction rather than bad summing math.

X1800 is more cohesive-sounding to my old ears than any of the digital Pioneers, though, even the NXS2 that while the smoothest and most refined Pioneer mixer yet and not quite as bloated in the lows, glassy in the mids, and crunchy in highs as the DJM800 still sounds like three separate, synthetic bands that don’t quite gel. Synthetic is the operative word there even if it’s smooth and has that warm lower midrange. The NXS2 highs are like artificially delicate or something without being quieter.

So X1800 sounds a little less clear & open and sounds less dimensional in its imaging, but does sound more real and organic to me even if its separation of instruments within a song or blending of layered channels isn’t as good. X1800’s got more grunt and palpability to it than the NXS2 at the expense of clarity, spaciousness, and freedom from added processing texture, but the NXS2’s smoothness, clarity, and openness is at the expense of realism.

I do think for some weird reason the X1800 might sound better at lower sampling rates. The X1700 is more transparent to the original signal at the sample rate you pipe into it if you match rates, but does really nifty stuff to upsample… musical processing to the mids & highs at 96khz. I definitely am not hearing anything beneficial to upsampling lower input rates on the X1800, possibly the reverse, but hard to tell. There might be some benefit to running the X1800 right now even lower than the sample rate you pipe into it! You don’t have that option on any of the Pioneers, though.

It’s not a bad sound. Perfectly functional and all. I mean, it’s no MP2015 but it’s a valid sort of flavor compared to all the other digital mixers out there on the market. There also might be some way for Denon DJ to improve the processing on the X1800 even more.

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Nice long text, holy sh… , but clean sound just means “as is” or “nothing added”.

The X1800 lives up to the sound of my RME interface and other mixer brands mostly do not. Befriended sound engineers using L’Acoustics have the same views on this.

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agree with you for this, the DB4 is pretty underrated ! have you tried the Xone 96 ? certainly one of the best new mixer with of course the MP2015 but it’s not the same price tho

I have not tried the Xone 96. The 3D and 4D was an improvement over the 92’s circuits, so I assume the 96 is either taking a page from those or from the Model 1. I still need to do the ground mod on my DB4’s master outs. I was hoping I’d dodged that one but some jostling brought the dreaded noise.

It’s the cheap baker trick… When there’s not much variety in the old, tired, past their best ingredients, bulk it out with sheer quantity

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Been super happy with the X1800 and it’s sound! Echo what has been said. Very nice, clean sound! And at it’s current price, a steal!

I said things about the X1800 no one else has ever said before on this forum and made direct comparisons to other mixers. I wouldn’t call that a rehash of anything just in larger quantity.

I agree that for this price the X1800 is a steal, regardless of its sonic flavors.

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Can you explain i’m curious and i have a db4 ahaha