This just in: the Xone:PX5, and what we know

Allen & Heath just previewed their new Xone:PX5 "product". So we've trawled social media to get the inevitable blurry cam shots.

Allen & Heath Xone:PX5 mixer (5)
Allen & Heath Xone:PX5 mixer (5)
Image grabbed by Arkaei from Benji Tale’s FB page

Last week, Allen & Heath teased us with some teasing about their next lump of nextlevelness. Called the Xone:PX5, it’s being previewed live in Berlin as I’m writing this. And no sooner did I post:

“Where are the xone PX5 posts? Why aren’t kids internetting this stuff like they normally do?”

…that the first pictures started arriving. And after speaking to A&H this afternoon who told me that official info will appear in a few weeks, we find ourselves honour-bound to dissect the little bit of info that we have to fill in the yawning gaps in our knowledge.

Allen & Heath Xone:PX5 mixer (2)

IT’S A MIXER

While I wondered off on a flight of pure speculative fantasy, I think I got pretty close with “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”. While not a successor to the Xone:92, the Xone:PX5 is more of a Xone:63, a name that I’m surprised that this didn’t get.

Now rather than pull apart the handful of pictures that are floating  around social media from the event (thanks deejay-basics.de) , there’s a photo of the basic spec:

Allen & Heath Xone:PX5 mixer (3)

The interesting stuff:

  • The FX send is internal, external, and dual, hopefully meaning that you can blend say software with hardware effects. I remember the Korg Zero 4 being a bit like that.
  • There’s one filter control that you can apply per channel. It’s unclear if that can be done to all channels at once, but it’s a fair bet that it’s just like the Xone:43.
  • The internal effects have pre and post controls.
  • There seems to be line and channel curve switches.
  • The channel selectors are line, phono, and 20 channel USB, so aside from the usual physical hookups, you should be able to run 4 decks in say Traktor with channels to spare. This would be nice to hook up to Ableton Live too.
  • Effects seem to be assignable to individual channels or the master.

So there’s some interesting stuff going on here. We’re told that this is a prototype with more finished versions appearing at BPM.

To us, this looks like a direct DJM competitor rather than a balls-out xone wet dream. It’s ticking a lot of those boxes, and certainly won’t look out of place between a pair of CDJs either. But there’s only so much that can be gleaned from blurry nightclub phone pics. And I’m sure more will be available on Twitter in the morning. But you certainly get the idea.

OVER TO YOU

Do you like what you see? And realistically, how much would you pay?

GALLERY

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Mark Settle
Mark Settle

The old Editor of DJWORX - you can now find Mark at WORXLAB

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80 Comments

  1. It’s like a reimagined DJM-900 with Xone 42 DNA. Miniscreen, position of the parameter knobs, layout…..all the classic Pioneer elements are there. Nothing beats those sweet filters, though…

    • I think this is designed to challenge pioneer market dominance. It’s simple and more familiar to those used to that gear. I imagine the DB4, model 1 and even the 92 with it’s 4 band eq are a little scary to those who only ever use pioneer gear. Which would not them 1st choice for smaller venues with a single mixer.

      I can see this being able to really compete to be used instead of pioneer gear rather than as an option for those who can ask for it on their rider.

      • Interesting take on it. I hadn’t considered that. As much as I’m not a fan of three band EQs, I know many that just can’t seem to get their heads around 4 bands or more exotic EQ methods.

        Hell, I remember one guy asking what I did to “screw up the mixer” one time on a DJM 900. All I’d done is turn the EQs over to ISO mode!

        • I’m sad to say that doesn’t surprise me. No idea how those people don’t monumentally screw up when they have no idea how the equipment works.

    • What you really want is filters. I think the model 1 system is the best I’ve seen, it brings a whole new level of precision.

      Andy Rigby-Jones who designed most of the xone series is behind the DB series trimodal EQ (filter) and the model 1.

      4 bands give more control than 3 but not as much as the model 1.
      However traditional eq is simpler than the model 1.

    • This is the 92 refresh. Anyone who wants a new mixer with analog filters needs to buy a Model 1. The trade off is you get an integrated FX unit and 20 channel sound card (refresh of the 4D).

      • I see what you are saying, but the Model 1 has a much higher price tag and an unusual eq system that is going to put most DJ’s off. I wouldn’t be surprised if the 92 is their biggest seller, and its probably the 2nd most popular mixer in dance clubs (not including low budget setups in pubs and small bars).

        A refresh of the 92 makes sense to me even if it is just to match the new colour scheme, but I could also see them updating it with a sound card. I think moving away from the 92 would be like Pioneer ditching the DJM layout.

        DJ’s have spent 1000’s of hours moulding the way they play around the layout of that mixer. It would be the same as it currently is with Technics turntables, there are alternatives that do the same job, but the feel and familiarity is too important for pro’s to switch.

  5. Simple, to the point. I like the subtlety. Super logical layout without too much going on, unlike the sometimes baffling DB4.
    Can’t wait to see a video in action of the effects engine in action. If it is anything even close to the DB2/4, I think we will be in for a real treat!

      • I am curious, in what way can you be disappointed? In no way did A&H hint that this was supposed to a ‘flagship’ top of the line model. Okay, this isn’t a DB4 killer, or a 92 replacement, but so what? I don’t think it is fair to say this this mixer is ‘disappointing’ just because it isn’t aimed at the high end of the market, which is what you were hoping this would be.
        Mark said it best, this is A&Hs spiritual Xone 63, and I think it slots into that spot quite well. It will be impossible to tell if it is disappointing until more pricing info becomes available.

        • The ‘flagship’ is the Model 1, but that isn’t branded as Allen and Heath because it’s made in the UK. The adjustable EQs and filters on every channel are Model 1 features that are going to be what you want if you are a 92 owner/admirer because of multiple filters and our four EQs.

          However, the PX5 is most likely Allen and Heath’s top of the line model for the next decade because it provides a different effects routing than the 92 or the 4D because it can integrate both internal and external effects and it still does midi sync. Allen and Heath is smart to have the features be distinct between mixers because there are still a ton of unsold A&H 92s out there.

          Pioneer is the DB series killer. Allen and Heath’s dj mixer reputation is for good quality analogue sound and bad product support for Macintosh. A&H has to accentuate the positive and drop the negatives and that means the had to get out of the digital dj mixer market. the DB series is such a massive commercial failure (50% price cuts) that they will probably never release another digital mixer. The ‘trimodal’ EQs were also a massively dumb idea because they were confusing to enough DJs that clubs really didn’t consider them to replace Xone 92s and Pioneer’s 900 nexus is intuitive to DJs and works with both major DVS software.

      • I seriously looked in to doing the same thing, but no way i am spending 3500 euro + for a mixer, 2500 + for a decent soundcard to use traktor with it and stil wil be needing an effects box…so for me the db4 is still the winner, sound quality is next to the best of them…

        • as a db4 owner, i actually like this px5.
          They learned, by using soft buttons, implementing a send/return, and this mixer is analogue.
          And i think the design is cool.
          Anyway the feature i am curious about, is the midi sync.
          Does this mean you can sync external midi gear to the bpm the mixer displays? That would be awesome!

  7. For me, it’s cautious optimism as I always did want an Allen&Heath mixer, but one thing that instantly puts me off on the design is the incorporation of blue LEDs…. Being light sensitive (and I’m one of the “unlucky” ones that’s also sensitive to most blue LEDs, and get an instant headache from them) means it’s an instant no-go for me. Why the blue LEDs – they’re also really REALLY bad if you want to retain any kind of ability to see in the dark or low light scenarios >.<

    I definitely agree with others as to the whole bit regarding "just whereabouts does this fit into their range?" as well as wondering when the Xone:92 refresh will be.

  10. How was the guy mixing in a night club with no master out coming from the mixer ????

    Little underwhelmed by A&H to be honest with this, also unsure what the input switches are on the top (dual?) and is that really a input select for usb on the back of each channel? Why not in top?

  11. A little underwhelmed, though I suppose I’m not in the market for a mixer so my opinion matters little.

    Just expected a little more with the MP2015 and MODEL1 having been released. This seems a bit same-same, and if A&H were the only choice would still have me gagging for a Xone:92.

  13. They updated the Xone:42 into the 43 and now they’ve just remade it again but more Pioneer-ish. Yawn. I was hoping they’d update the 92 or make a mass-produced consumer version of the MODEL1.

    I can’t see the point of this model really. The Xone line needs a major refresh, but starting on models that have only recently been updated seems a touch pointless.

    • The only way to consider this a ‘refresh’ of the 43 rather than the 92 is to focus on the single analog filter instead of dual filters. However, the most useful feature of the 92 was the ability to insert two separate effect sources at various points throughout your mix. The PX5 refreshes this feature of the 92 by allowing the use of internal and external effects together in a similar way to the 92s ability to use two external effects unit. The substitution of an internal effects unit is a reasonable trade for an analog filter.

      I believe the market prefers three channel EQs and isolators to four channel EQs without isolators. This is also a major refresh of the 4D because of the integrated sound card and Midi control.

      • It’s not really a model refresh when it strips away most of the selling points of the model it refreshes. That’s called a downgrade.
        Feature set wise, it’s around the level of the 43C. At a push, the 62. But no way is this an update of either the 92 or the 4D. It’s almost non-sensical to compare them based on what we can see.

        • What do you consider the selling points of the 92 that are stripped away? If you are considering purchasing a dj mixer today the selling points are what distinguish any mixer from Pioneer, the market leader. The 92 distinguishes itself with analog as opposed to digital sound, the ability to use two separate external effects units that can be applied to all six channels, four band EQ, and two analog filters. Apart from those four selling points, there aren’t any features that I can think of that would be a selling point to a pro DJ.

          The Model 1 is the mixer with the selling points that people who found the 92’s unique features appealing. Alternately, the explosion of boutique analog mixers appeals to people who would have purchased the 92 purely to have an analog mixer and don’t need unique ways to manipulate those tracks. I’m not arguing that analog sound is better, but I do think you have to acknowledge that there are some tradeoffs between digital and analog. The price of these mixers is much more than the 92 which reflects the small market for DJ mixers that aren’t from Pioneer.

          Allen & Heath has not been doing very well in the mixer market in the US for at least the past decade. The 92 was not a big seller in the United States (especially on the West Coast where I live); Rane mixers have been the primary alternative to Pioneer until Pioneer released the S9 and has been the choice of anyone who used Serato for over a decade. The DB series was barely a blip and spectacularly unsuccessful (hardly any club installation of the mixer because of the offset EQs and no support for Traktor or Serato (until last year)). Traktor specifically didn’t support the DB series because they wouldn’t license DVS software to any mixer with low sales and that meant they only licensed the 900 nexus.

          • It’s down one filter, one band of EQ and traded one of the sends for an FX unit also ditching fader control for the one return track.

            That’s not a trade-off, that’s a downgrade.

            This mixer is closer to the 43C than the 92.

            • I still think you are overlooking the Model 1 when you are talking about the EQ and extra filters. The cost of that mixer shows that the market is a small but affluent, and largely based in the UK because its made there.

              The PX5 is clearly an analog mixer with most of the same features as a Pioneer mixer that is comprehensible to a DJ familiar with a DJM.

              It’s also clearly much more flexible than the 92 if you use digital processing for effects. I think you are discounting that the ability to mix digital and analog effects is a major advancement. You can assign the internal effects to one channel, an external effects unit to another (EFX 500/1000), and also use external digital effects on another (Ableton), which allows you to mix three sources rather than the 92s limit to two. Its distinct from the 92 but not a downgrade.

          • A&H are much bigger in Europe and the UK. I think I’ve only seen a Rane mixer once in a club here in London. That was the MP2015 in fabric and it only made one appearance while I worked there. Likely brought in specifically by one of the DJs as I never saw it in the store room.

  14. Not sure if I’m a fan of it yet, I’d have to see it in the wild and feel it’s weight. The layout looks like it was designed by product researchers and built by engineers.

  15. I wonder if A&H will ever make a DJ friendly effects send and return (seperate one for mic and for music.)To me this was the only thing missing on the xone 62 and 92. You can’t use your external effect like how you can on a Rane MP24.

    In fact I’ve yet to find a dj mixer in a 10 to 12 inch form factor that has separate send and return for mic and music with three band eq on mic.

  16. i would only be interested in this if the crossfader is upgradeable to a 3rd party manufacturer, i tried the stock faders on the newer Xones and they basically start to bleed within an hour and have very big 3mm cut lag, then when you want to upgrade they only have an overpriced mini fader in stock that only works for the Xone.

    I know this is a club mixer so the faders are not designed to be high standard as in scratch mixer, how about a club mixer with proper faders? too expensive but i would like to have a 4+ channel analog mixer that is suitable for scratching

  17. If they come out with a price tag below DJM-750, this mixer will be a killer. I hope A&H has designed it as a 12 inch width mixer, to fit in current cases and booths. If so pios could be easily replaced.

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