Allen & Heath Xone DB4 DB2

[Alekto]

They do look interesting, don't they? Would be fun assuming they can integrate into a DAW like Ableton easily, for example.

[opus jody]

Hiya.
A different angle on this:
I haven't used these, or even seen one up close, but my boss at opus audio (sound system manufacturer) surprised me when he said that they're really (no really) good.
He's normally an analog junky, & incredibly fussy when it comes to sound, & has spent years on developing mixer/pre-amp circuitry, and normally digital dj mixers are the devils spawn.
For him to recommend these is well worth paying attention to.
I should add that he's probably just talking about straight through sound quality, & not about the effects, or connectivity.

[Alekto]

I thought about it, not in DJ mixer terms, but if your needs are basic (I.E. 4 inputs) it could make an excellent audio interface/ FX unit.

[Seanol]

I know deadmau5 may not be the most popular guy around here, but he sure is a big producer. He uses the db4 live. Live though. In the studio, not sure, however Allen & Heath have never failed to amaze me, Im sure they do the same with this product.

[Martijn W]

I have acquired the DB4 yesterday and gave it a testrun on my K+H O300's right away. My first main target was to vertify its acclaimed high sound quality and I have to say I am quite impressed. It sounds quite a lot better than its analog precursor (Xone 92).

When using analog signal the DB4 still sounds a lot better than the X92. That is quite remarkable as the DB4 is digital (converting A/D and D/A in that case) and the Xone 92 is completely analog. The converters used in the DB4 are clearly state of the art.

The filters in the EQ section are great. 2nd order (as the X92) in standard EQ mode and 4th order in ISO mode. The crossovers are also different in ISO mode. Bas/Mid crossover in ISO mode is placed lower in frequency than in standard EQ mode and the Mid/High crossover is placed higher in frequency ISO mode than in standard EQ mode.

They thought this one through. The 4th order filter at these crossover frequencies in ISO mode are a great addition and allow more adaptive mixing.

The mixers is not Traktor Certificied. This is imo the only big down-side of the Xone DB4.

Originally Posted by softflow

I'm especially interested in the quality of the effect units. The guys in the DJ forums talk about "studio quality". But I'm not sure they know what that means. So the question is if they can replace ecternal effects in the 400-500$ range quality-wise.

Sound quality of the effects section is good. Better than I expected. I haven't tried all the effects yet but like on most other mixers the big bunch of the effects seem unessential. The effects I tested intensively are the different delay effects, the sampller and the filters and they work and sound very good!

The DB4 is quite expensive but anyone looking for a mixer in this price range should definately check it out.

Highly recommended!!