You must forgive me for treating every email that comes through today with suspicion. But when serious and traditional mixer company Allen & Heath sends out PR about a new product, I’m scouring it looking for jokes. But there are none — just a new solid lump of four channel mixer loveliness. The Xone:43 is a new take on the Xone:42, one that continues A&H’s rich analogue heritage, but adds a few new tricks.
The official words from their Cornwall HQ:
ALLEN & HEATH LAUNCHES XONE:43 ANALOGUE DJ MIXER
Allen & Heath has launched the Xone:43, a classic 4 + 1 channel analogue DJ mixer with a host of enhanced features, including the legendary Xone filters, X:FX routing, 3 band EQ, VCA faders, and adjustable crossfader.
At the heart of the mixer is the renowned analogue Voltage Control Filter (VCF) system offering HPF, BPF, LPF, frequency sweep and ‘mild to wild’ resonance control. The Xone:43’s intuitive and simple to use X:FX feature provides a single control per channel over the send/return to work with external FX units. X:FX can also be routed to the Xone filter to add layers of FX and filtering.
In addition to the 4 phono/line channels, Xone:43 features a flexible mic / aux input with XLR and phono connectors and 2-band EQ for tonal balance. The replaceable crossfader has three curve settings and is also compatible with Innofader for enhanced scratch performance.
The main mix output and mic input are on professional standard balanced XLR’s, and there is a dedicated record output. The Xone:43 is equipped with a simple headphone monitoring section, which offers both 3.5mm and ¼” headphone sizes, with level, cue / mix control and the option for split cue monitoring.
“The Xone:43 mixer is designed for DJs of all abilities and experience, whether you’re an electronic music enthusiast or a working DJ needing a compact quality mixer and fantastic analogue audio quality. The Xone:43 is a stylish addition to the Xone Series,” comments Greg Ibbotson, Xone product manager.
RRP: €899 ex VAT Shipping: immediately
IT’S ALL ABOUT ANALOGUE
It’s funny how things always come full circle. And here we are, back in very familiar territory for Allen & Heath. There’s no USB or even mentions of sample rates. Digital is not part of this mixer, and that’s something that will keep many people happy.
A&H is famous for its VCF filters, and the new xone:43 continues this with more filter control than most. There is a single filter though, so high pass on one channel and low pass on another isn’t possible, but you can assign it per channel. The X-FX seen on the 42 continues on the 43. This gives a simple wet/dry control that lets you route channels through to eternal effects units.
Essentially the Xone:43 is a slightly reworked 42 with digital stripped out, and all vestiges of old Allen & Heath ID gone. There is a certain irony that this new product would feel equally at home 10-15 years ago, and still be just as good then as it is today. For analogue DJs, the Xone:43 is ideal and lets them use CDJs and turntables on their own, or adding an external effects unit to bring some more audio creativity. Obviously you can still plug in your DVS interface of choice to make the Xone:43 every-DJ-friendly, but it definitely seems to be aimed at those wanting to keep the analogue faith. This is for A&H fans everywhere.
The quoted price of €899 equates to around £785 including VAT, which isn’t insane for a four channel analogue mixer with an A&H badge on it. It’s nice that there are new mixers being made too, but with the increased interest in turntables, it was inevitable.