Having a leading hand in getting the playDifferently MODEL1 into the consciousness of the masses, it’s now time for the spotlight to firmly shine upon Allen & Heath. And it would appear that they’ve been beavering away in their Cornwall HQ working on their next DJ product. And that product is the Xone:PX5. But what is it?
In an unusual move, the name has been floated around via a Facebook post about a preview happening at Berlin’s Berghain club in July. There’s no clue as to what it might be from the flyer, other than the location, which may or may not be relevant.
Intrigued, I fired off a mail to A&H, and as I suspected got back a response that says nothing, but also might say more than you think:
“We’ve announced a special preview event to take place on July 12th at Kantine am Berghain. The event will feature performances from Torsten Kanzler, Faray, Phable and Undulation covering house, tech house and techno music. We hope attendees will enjoy the sounds of the underground through our selected electronic music artists’ showcases, discover more information and get hands-on with the next Xone product release. As readers would have noticed we’ve been updating the Xone range and the Xone:PX5 confirms our firm foray for a new professional DJ offering. The event starts at 8PM and is free entry, we welcome DJs to bring vinyl and USB sticks with your music on.”
So let’s look at what evidence we have:
- Berlin, home of a huge number of DJ related companies, including Native Instruments.
- “Bring vinyl and USB sticks” — this indicates mixer, but could equally mean controller.
- Although Allen & Heath are generally known for mixers, they have done controllers before, and nothing explicitly says mixer. It keeps it vague with “product release” and “professional DJ offering”.
- The Xone:PX5 nomenclature is like the old Xone:DX, which was a controller.
So this could be an analogue mixer that sits between a pair to turntables or CDJs, or indeed could be an all-in-one mixer/controller with the ability to hook up to turntables or play from USB sticks. Dan has just suggested an FX unit or isolator too, which makes a lot of sense. The lack of external effects units in the market is clear.
I’m not sure I can call it. As much as I loved the Xone:DX, it didn’t do well for A&H, and their traditionally strong market is mixers. But given NI’s evolving but unofficial open nature in recent times, there’s a super slim outside chance that perhaps a certified controller is in the offing, but that really is a long shot so don’t get your hopes up. For the record, reaching out to NI got a negative response.
I’d love to see an all-in-one (that doesn’t mean it has to work with Serato or Traktor), but my gut says 4/5 channel successor to the Xone:92, maybe with an audio interface, and it’ll be the mixer for those who don’t want or can’t afford anything quite as exotic as the MODEL1.
SPECULATE AWAY
We don’t know what the Xone:PX5 is, but we’ll be digging. But I 100% guarantee that it’ll leak before the preview date. We’ll continue to shake the grape-vine of course and will update when we get anything.
But what do you think? Is the venerable Xone:92 getting a make-over, or is A&H dipping their toe in the emerging all-in-one market, or just throwing themselves at it wholeheartedly?
Over to you…
Don’t know about you, but I’m excited to find out!
New Rotary to complete with the slew of new options coming out?
P-portable
X-crossfader
5″
So its a portable 5″ turntable with a built in crossfader!
How could I have missed that? ;)
Or, an ultra-portable mixer that’s simply a crossfader with 5 inputs ;-)
Watch it just be a new pair of headphones. lol
Or “Speakers”
Maybe a totally genuine turntable manufactured in china by a company named hanpin…
I’m guessing we’re going to see the filter eq architecture from the Model 1 in a more affordable package. And I’d be stoked.
Really could be almost anything, but seeing this isn’t a standard naming convention for them suggests that this is likely a new product category for A&H. We have seen on previous products that the word ‘Xone’ isn’t exclusive to mixers (just look at the K1 as a perfect example of this). Although it is true that A&H’s strengths definitely lie in their mixers, they are also extremely well known for the effects systems in their stage mixers, which were implemented quite well in the DB series. Which lead me to think of something like this:
P – Portable
X – Effect (Play on words of FX?)
5 – Five effect types (likely what we see on the DB range)
Diversifying towards FX boxes seems like a natural progression and would be a smart move requiring minimal R&D costs for A&H. So many of the mixers that are getting headlines and love from the community lately (Rane MP range, boutique rotaries, MODEL 1) are all shipping WITHOUT effects, which would make a high-end FX box a natural addon for consumers in the high-end mixer market wishing to use the occasional delay or reverb to spice up their mixes.
With the Serato/Traktor/Rekordbox landscape becoming more… problematic for a company like A&H, an FX box seems would be a fantastic addition to their range that wouldn’t require needing to worry about anyone else for certifications and the like. ANY mixer with a send+return would be able to connect and use an A&H FX box, meaning that it’s market ‘reach’ would be considerable. The FX box market isn’t exactly massive, but A&H has always been a company about quality over quantity.
It would be great to have an alternative to the Pioneer RMX series or Korg’s Kaoss range. I have used and LOVED my Empathy Rotary and EFX1000 for years now, but if I could add the FX engine of the DB2/4 in there, I would be thrilled. That’s my two cents anyway :)
Excellent idea. I’ve been hearing more and more pro djs who are on A&H 92 + CDJs, that they want to spice up their setup in some kind of way. A A&H FX box for touring DJs would be an absolute winner for them
I dont think they would host an event for an fx unit.
This will probably be the follow up to the X92, A&H dont care about name typing, i mean after the 42 62 92 came the db series so names dont mean nothing.
If it is a mixer, i hope it does not need drivers or firmware…because that is not their strongest point..looking at you db4.
Yes the 42,62 and 92 don’t mean too much, but the differentiation between the DB2 (two effects units) and the DB4 (four effects units) means that some vague naming convention couldn’t be ruled out either. I agree that the PX5 is likely to not have any naming convention that means anything, but I wouldn’t rule it out either.
Also, I would eat my hat if this was a new 92. All of their recent updates have moved to ‘3’ (this being the 23 and 43). My guess that is that the 92, the most successful and popular model of the lot, the one installed in all clubs around the world, the one with the greatest market penetration, won’t be upgraded until last. I really want to be wrong about this, and would love to see 92esque replacement mixer, but I doubt that will be the PX5. Maybe another high end mixer category in the same way that the DB2/4 was separate from the ‘regular’ series, but EXTREMELY doubtful of a straight 92 (93?) successor.
It is worth paying attention to where the product is being unveiled… Berlin seems like a perfect place to launch an effects unit, and the time of year seems i8deal as well, as it is less likely to get swallowed up during the music conference news vomit that seems to sprout all at the same time. Nothing to compete against with a new category guarantees that all of the DJ news headlines.
I am 50% sure it would be a new FX box, but 100% sure this won’t be the 93 :D
PX5 = https://www.amazon.de/Turtle-Beach-Ear-Force-PX5/dp/B004R9Q1IA Shame on you A&H xD Its a Headset
P = Player
X = Crossfader
5 = Fingers
It’s a maracca!
I’d just be happy if they release a filter box.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BCl5ty_nxpU/
I see an RME UC or UCX audio interface, Maschine, a Xone K2 controller, and a bunch of cables, all running 4 channels in Traktor. So my guess is that the Xone:PX5 is a mixer (possibly analogue if an audio interface is being used), with 4 channels of audio being handled by the RME, and the Maschine and K2 controlling Traktor.
I’ve done some hunting for shots of his setup. Over the last year or so he’s been using a xone 92, with a single K2 always on the right hand side.
https://www.instagram.com/p/4hef_tHxkX/?taken-by=torstenkanzler&hl=en
So the missing item is the mixer, question is was it a xone 92 or it’s replacement that he used that night.
Good find Rob. I started looking but needed breakfast. So yes, it’s a mixer, backed up by another solid source too.
Let’s hope it’s an FX box – that would make sense given the ridiculous size of the X:FX rotaries on the Xone:43C :-D
So hope it’s an updated xone 92, 92 is by far my favourite mixer
I’m going with a live dj/production mixer, 5 channels, with some kind of funky internal/external Midi Sync built in for the likes of Maschine / Ableton or external equipment.
The DX was teased on one of the images – which seemed a little odd ? So perhaps contains a similar 10×10 i/o stereo Soundcard ?
Production
Xone
5 (stereo channels)
Here we go ;)