Allen & Heath XONE:92 Review: the best guide before buying!

Allen and Heath didn’t always cater to the DJ world. But now, DJ mixers are a big part of their business. Allen and Heath got to where they are now through a lucky meeting and a leap of faith. 

Allen & Heath has been one of the best British mixer companies for a long time. They began in 1969 in the middle of London’s swinging music scene. Back then, they made mixers by hand for Genesis, Pink Floyd, The Who, and other big bands of the time. Now, years later, they are one of the biggest mixer companies in the world, and their Xone DJ mixes can be found in clubs and tech riders all over the world.

The rules for playing records and CDs are pretty clear, but it’s not so clear for choosing a mixer. But as the 2000s went on, a mixer made by Allen & Heath in Cornwall, England, called the Xone:92 started to show up in more and more DJ booths. It was easier than the others in some ways since it only had analog circuitry and one effect on board, a voltage control filter (VCF). We had higher hopes for this DJ mixer because it had four-band EQ, effects sends, and MIDI built into its heavy metal frame.

Background 

Andy Rigby-Jones, who helped make the Xone line, says that Allen & Heath didn’t seem like they were going to become big names in the DJ world. The company was better known for its mixing machines, especially when it came to live sound.

At the same time, Rigby-Jones (who was also a DJ) made a prototype in the hopes of starting a new line of DJ mixes. Everything went well. He made the “ClubWiz,” which was a mix of a mixing disk and a DJ mixer and later became the Xone:464. As luck would have it, he met Richie Hawtin at Frankfurt ’99, who was a big fan of their studio gear. Richie took a DJ product with him on the road because he thought it might be being made. Since this was the height of minimal techno, Hawtin was a DJ who other DJs looked up to and followed. He came back with changes he wanted made, such as the ability to use MIDI. At the time, this seemed like an odd request, but Hawtin was using a strange new piece of software called Ableton Live in his live sets. This is how the Xone:62 and then the Xone:92 was made.

Layout and Design

The standard in the industry, A&H’s Xone:92, is a flexible six-channel analog mixer known for its big, interesting sound. As a result of its strong build and simple interface, the 92 is used by many of the world’s best DJs and is always in the booth at many of the biggest superclubs.

One of the first professional DJ mixes to have MIDI for controlling DJ software or external devices were the Xone:92. It was also the first to have innovative dual VCF filters. This mixer has one of the best EQ parts out there, two stereo FX sends, and two Mic/returns. Definitely, it is a DJ’s dream tool.

Input & Output

The Xone:92’s inputs and outputs were carefully designed. The master output is available on both XLR and 1/4-inch TRS connectors. The booth also has a 1/4-inch TRS output and line-level and phono RCA inputs are provided for all four channels. Users with CDJs can connect via the line input, while those with turntables can benefit from the built-in phono pre-amp. In addition to the stereo RCA record out, there are additionally two return channels (1/4 inch TRS), aux inputs (numbered AUX 1 and AUX 2), mic inputs (numbered Mic 1 and Mic 2), and record out.

Controls

If you only wanted to use one type of filter at a time, the Xone:62’s VCF part had X and Y cutoff knobs. Because the 92 had two separate filter parts, you could low-pass one channel and high-pass another. This mixer is like the finishing touch on a certain kind of instrument, and this is where DJs really play it. The Xone VCF is probably the most well-known product in the line. DJs know it, and many customers know what it sounds like even if they can’t say exactly what it is.

Sound Quality

The Allen & Heath Xone 92 has a warm sound and a lot of unique features that make it a good choice for high-end club mixes. There are, however, some traits that stand out: With the new clever cues, channels can now be previewed with and without EQ processing. This lets the right channel be tweaked even more precisely. Not only do the standard Allen & Heath filters sound great, but each one also has its own LFO with a tap-tempo function, which gives performers even more freedom to be creative. There are two separate gain controls for each channel’s two AUX inputs. This way, when you change inputs, there are no level differences.

MIDI

The Allen & Heath XONE:92 panel buttons can send MIDI data so that external effects, samplers, and sequencers, like Ableton LIVE and the Korg KAOS Pad, can be controlled from a distance. MIDI stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface. Tap Tempo-related MIDI clocks are also sent from the XONE:92 so that MIDI sound modules can be synced with pre-recorded sources that are playing through the XONE:92.

EQ controls

For more creative freedom, XONE:92 has 4 BAND EQ controls instead of the standard 3. There is a safe +6dB boost for each band. The HI and LO bands can be turned off completely with a sharp 12dB/oct roll-off, and the XONE:92’s MID bands have a huge -30dB cut, which is more than enough to shape your sound beyond the normal EQ range without overworking your system.

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Takeaway

Overall, the quality of A&H’s Xone:92 totally lives up to the hype. Everything Allen and Heath learned from the DJ market went into making the XONE:92. Indeed, with features for all kinds of music types, from breakbeat to techno to trance to house, the Allen & Heath XONE:92 is a mixer that can do it all.

Why You Should Read Reviews Before Buying

While finding a perfect set of studio monitors (or any other devices for that matter) can be a bit of a headache, you need to explore more on your options rather than settling down on the first thing that you see. As smart buyers, we know how important it is to do research on a product and think about its pros and cons before we buy it. with that, it’s great that the internet gives us access to so much information that we can learn everything we need to know about a piece of equipment before we decide to buy it. So, there should be no excuses on your part as a smart buyer.

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