Allen & Heath Xone series

[gruvjack]

Any of you guys have one or has had the pleasure of playing on one?

 

Thinking about getting a used Xone:464.

 

Pricey but worth the money, correct?

 

V.

[6ftabovsealevel]

I don't have one, but played around with one in a record store a while back. Obviously very well built, and it seemed to sound pretty good even though I couln't tell that much about it on an unfamiliar system w/ nothing to immediately compare it to. The filters are fun, 4 band eq is very musical. Everything I've heard about these mixers points to them being the best combination of features and sound/build quality around, but you pay for it.

 

Do you really need all those inputs on the 464? I'm pretty sure the 62 has most of the same features, just minus a couple mic/mono inputs and a lot of space. The 464 is huge... Also, I didn't really care for the European style linear faders, but that's just a matter of taste.

[gruvjack]

I need something rack mountable with at least four channels and two accessible mic inputs. Seems to me that the 464 is the only choice. The two sets of master bus outputs is also a very usable feature to me. This would be for massive rooms with MCs.

 

I've got plans

 

V.

[djprimeminister]

check out some Rane mixers at Rane.com

they are a bit more rugged. If your not so worried about sonic quality maybe check out the pioneer

mixers.

 

A&H sounds great and has tons of features but they are not built the best.

[gruvjack]

 

Originally posted by djprimeminister check out some Rane mixers at Rane.com they are a bit more rugged. If your not so worried about sonic quality maybe check out the pioneer mixers. A&H sounds great and has tons of features but they are not built the best.

 

 

Rane has great stuff, just an odd power supply that could leave me high and dry if it goes kaput. Xones have universal auto switching supplies via standard IEC320 C13s.

 

What makes you say they're not built the best? What went wrong?

 

V.

[gruvjack]

Hmmm, almost got a Xone:464 on Ebay but quit when the bidding went up to over a grand. Rethinking my priorities. The Rane MP44 is definitely a good candidate too. If I need more mic channels, I'll get a one rack unit mic mixer, probably Rane too

 

Anyone ever used an MP44? Any experiences to share, good or bad?

 

V.

[6ftabovsealevel]

Being on my third mixer model of theirs I can't say a single bad thing about Rane. No Mp44, but I've had an Mp22z, a 2016, & my present 2016a and each one exceeded my expectations. I like the simplicity of their designs & robust build quality, everything makes sense and works exactly like it should. Their clarity has always been pleasing to my ear also. Some would disagree with me, but I don't need Bozak caliber sound to be happy. I've also heard their customer service is excellent, though I've never had any reason to contact them. The power supply is kind of funny, but I've never had one go out on me and they're cheap enough to keep an extra around if you're concerned about it.

 

Obviously the MP44 doesn't pack as many features as the 464 and doesn't carry quite the same hype, but that will probably help you find one a little bit cheaper. If all those cool A&H bells and whistles aren't that important to you I see no reason to pay a premium for them.

[Manipulate]

I've been using Rane mixers for 6 years now. I'm more into the scratching end of things so its the faders that draws me. The Xzone scratch mixer's faders can't touch the faders on the Rane TTM 56. Sound quality between the two is comparable.

 

The dope thing about Rane is the customer service. They come with a 3 year warranty. I usually send it in right before the 3 year mark for them to refurbish. I sent my Rane TTM54 in for a jack I messed up and they fixed it without a problem. Quick turnaround. You can e-mail Rane with questions and they'll respond. They've just got a good thing going on over there. Chris Duncan handles a lot of the tech support and he does his job well. He one time told me that they fix anything under warranty short of a bullet hole through the mixer.

[gruvjack]

Thanks for the replies, fellas. Good to know that I can come here for proper discussions

 

6thlevel, how do you like the 4 band EQ on the MP22z? Do the two midrange bands facilitate some creative filtering? I wonder if the lower mid will allow some wicked mangling of upper bass frequencies and vocals. I've never played with a 4 band EQ before and that was one the the main attractions of the Xone series.

 

Manipulate, I've been a big fan of Rane for years but mostly their signal processing gears. I was not familiar with their mixers because when the MPs and TTMs first came out, they were pretty much too pricey for me and my peers...so I had to make do with post '92 Numarks and American DJs (let's not go there..)

 

Now that I'm older and have better income, these mixers are more accessible to me. For rack mount, I would go for an MP44 or MP22...the MP24 does not have individual channel EQs which is a must for me. For 10 inch, the Empath looks like a winner. Rane makes it's own rules about how a piece of gear should be built and that's what I love about them. This is very evident in their odd power supplies. I wonder what's next?

 

V.

[6ftabovsealevel]

I really liked the 4 band EQ as it inherently allowed for slilghtly finer frequency manipulation and it was very natural sounding, not nearly as drastic as others. Very useful for rounding off or filling in those upper bass frequencies as you suspected. This is good in my book, but it's only like that because the eq range is only something like +/-8. I think Rane designed this mixer with such a limited range to keep the signal path as clean as possible, and the components used were probably among the highest quality available at the time this mixer was made. This all kind of adds up to an eq that is weak by the numbers but can still do surprising things as long as you keep your expectations realistic.

 

The A&H on the other hand has full cut on each of the 4 bands, which is also good because I found that I missed that after a while with mixing on the less powerful mp22. I thought the sound of the cut on the 464 (who really boosts more than a little bit anyway?) sounded great all the way down to zero as long as it's applied with discretion.

 

From the impression I get of what you're after, the eq might be the only reason to keep the 464 or 62 (they make a rack mount kit) on your short list. Especially if the cost of the 464 could be preventive considering that its the only one that has all your mic goodies and anything else would require something external. But how much would that stuff cost? You have to add that to the price of the cheaper mixer to compare it to the 464, right?

 

If money grew on trees the MP44, outboard mic mixing/processing gear, and a nice 4 band isolator on that effects loop would be killer...

[gruvjack]

BOOYAH!

 

V.

[6ftabovsealevel]

Very nice! And only 2 bids, don't you love ebay?

 

Make sure to let us know how you like it when it shows up, though there's little doubt in my mind you'll be impressed. I know I'll never revert anything of lesser quality if I can help it. The superiority of products from companies like Rane and A&H over those in the cheaper echelons is immediately obvious in pretty much all aspects of construction and operation, and anything less soon becomes a big letdown. Like I said, I'll never go back.