I will be buying 2 sc5000s. I was thinking about getting the xone 96. Because everyone is always talking about the good sound quality that Allen and heath mixers produce. Is it that much better then the x1800? Would it be better to have the x1800 with the sc5000? Just want some good sound while I dj. Thanks in advance
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If you are getting the SC5000’s, I would recommend getting the X1800. The mixer is built for the players and vice versa.
The 96 is a fantastic mixer, but you will be more than happy with the Denon
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Given that all you’re gonna get here is people’s opinions, I will say this to get you on the right track:
If you go for any mixer other than the X1800, there is functionality you would be giving up on having the SC5000 decks. I would recommend you look at those functionalities and then ask yourself if they are important enough to you or not. If they are, then stick to the X1800 if they are not, then go for whatever you like.
As for my personal opinion, I’ve always liked DJM mixers but acknowledged the warm sound of the Xone mixers too but it was not enough for me to go with A&H as I liked the functionality provided with a matched set. The X1800 is a good mixer IMO, but you might need to adjust to it based on what you are used to. My adjustment struggle has been FX related as I liked the sound of my FX in my previous mixer but given that the X1800 can and will be improved (as it was designed to be enhanced through updates) I am happy with my decision. Since release, they have added two more FX and more could be coming; same would go for fine tuning the present FX for better sound.
Hope this helps.
Cheers,
Shain
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I will look into the ecosystem of having all Denon. My whole thing is I want good sound. I bought the ddj1000 last year and it can sound pretty harsh at times. So, I want a real mixer with good sound. I love the layout and jogs of the ddj1000 but the sound isn’t good. The price for the prime series is really great but if the sound is better with the xone 96, I would go with that. Ill do some more research. Thanks for the reply’s
If sound quality is so important I would recommend to listen to a few setup’s.
There are advantages when using the X1800 mixer with the SC5000 so I would test this combo for sure and use this as the base, if you then prefer another mixer go for it.
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TBH I doubt most folks will be able to spot any difference in sound quality between most mixers at this price point. I’ve just agonised over A&H and Pioneer alternatives to go with my SC5000M and in the end I went for the X1800. It was the integration between the units and the FX that sold it for me over anything else.
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As I frequent use the two layers on each of the sc5000, having the x1800 show me the layer colours on the x1800 cue buttons to match the layer colours is incredibly clever and good way to stop performance mistakes.
When the new musical key match firmware is out, having the Prime mixer might be vital to make the key feature to work
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Bold statement. But rubbish. At least regarding key matching feature.
That’s why I used the word @ might @ instead of & Will &
Key-sync works like regular sync, so if both SC’s see each other (via x1800, via another switch or direct ethernet), it will work.
Get the X1800 first, as you owe it to yourself to experience the integration and you’ll constantly be wanting to get one if you don’t. If you’re dissatisfied with the sound, borrow a good analog mixer and see if you prefer that pairing. Digital mixers might be too revealing of the SC Primes’ audio processing flaws and the X1800 is not among the best sounding DJ mixers I’ve ever heard, anyway, but I see no reason why that couldn’t be improved with future firmwares on the mixer as InMusic has promised on the players. Oh, and if you do fancy getting a second mixer that’s analog, don’t just limit yourself to the newest A&H at such a premium. The difference between sound quality in good analog mixers is not as great as, say, the difference between one of those and an MP2015, for instance.
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If you always use the same channels on your mixer you can still achieve this by using colored electric tape and putting it over your cue button on your mixer (for the respective channels for each layer)
just sayin’… LOL
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The X1800 also uses the BPM data from the players for the FX unit, color FX, and Midi Clock Send. Also, on air mode on the players is activated by the faders on the X1800.
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Are you sure about color fx? Usually those fx don’t depend on bpm…
Both the Dub Echo (at 3 oclock) and Gate appear to be BPM synced.
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Definitely not down with the knob mixers like the mp2015. If I was only djing techno, I probably would be. I like being about to do quick mixing if I have to. Knobs are for long super subtle mixes.
I’d definitely recommend listening to the X1800, as well as any others. You’re spending a lot of money so give all your options a fair trial. If you’re looking at xone:96 money then you might as well look at the Formula Sound FF4.2