Do DJ Mixers ACTUALLY Sound DIFFERENT // DJM-900, Xone 92, Model 1 Shootout!

@3:38 to jump to Halcyon nightclub
@6:26 to jump to A/B/C shootout of mixers

For years... decades even, I've heard this argument about one mixer sounding better than the other. Analog being better than digital. The Model 1 being the Holy Grail of all DJ mixers. Some people are Pioneer DJ tribalists, others Allen & Heath, and a growing number are even Denon tribalists. One thing is for sure: they're all fantastic mixers and have top notch sound. BUT, I wanted to figure it out for good and listen to all of them back to back so I could know for certain. I figured I'd film it all and let you enjoy it as well, so here it is!

My thoughts:
Pioneer DJM-900 Nexus 2: This is a fantastic mixer and perhaps one of the most widely used and accepted DJ mixers in the entire world. Pioneer has had a strong-hold on the club scene and for good reason- their products are built to take a beating for years and to reliably produce high quality sound. There's a few things I love about this mixer- mainly it's easy to use FX and one-knob filters. Also, the internal limiter in this mixer is bar-none one of the most transparent sounding limiters I've heard in DJ gear. Most of the time I have a tough time audibly being able to tell if the mixer is redlining.

Allen & Heath Xone 92: Also a fantastic mixer. This mixer is all analog which is fantastic, but don't just get caught up in the analog hype. It has it's pros and it's cons. The Xone 92 indeed sounds flawless in terms of quality and does have a ton of gain to boost your signal. It also has a nice "roundness" to the bass frequencies. I don't believe it has an internal limiter so if you're not paying attention with all that gain, you can clip your signal pretty easily. It's analog, so the clipping does sound pretty good, but it's still clipping. For contrast, the DJM-900's internal limiter seems to handle clipping peaks in a slightly more intelligent and transparent way.

Playdifferently Model 1: This mixer is indeed the Rolls Royce of DJ mixers. It has practically any feature you'd want on a mixer without being overly complicated. The dual high pass and low pass filter knobs and sweepable midrange filters are fantastic and really allow you to sculpt your sound however unlike Pioneer's one knob filter, you can't as easily go from HPF to LPF as easily. Also, your average DJ isn't going to know what to do with all those filter options. The dual headphone outputs, direct record output on the mixer face, channel drive knobs, and EQ'able booth are what make me love this mixer the most. Sure, it has a built in audio interface and 6 channels, but those are things only the most experienced producers-turned-DJ will use. Also, the build quality is bar none and many of the knobs have fantastic resistance to them when turning.

All of them seem to have their own filter sounds too. Not one is exactly like the other. But what do you think? Do you like one mixers filters the best? Was it helpful hearing these things back to back? Let me know in the comments!

Need mixing and mastering? 💎 Dance Diamond Mastering 💎 https://tinyurl.com/27yn6u8d

If you'd like to help support my channel, click these affiliate links of the gear I use in my studio before buying your new gear:

// DJ Gear //
DJM-900 Nexus 2 Mixer: https://tinyurl.com/42r4r8ry
Allen & Heath Xone 92 Mixer: https://tinyurl.com/479p9x7p
Pioneer CDJ-2000 Nexus 2 Media Player: https://tinyurl.com/s2695eek
Pioneer RMX-1000: https://tinyurl.com/jv96medc

// Audio //
Reason 11 Suite: https://tinyurl.com/34be0gah
Focusrite Scarlett 18i20: https://tinyurl.com/yx8tlc28
Ableton Live 10 Suite: https://tinyurl.com/y3a3vak3
SSL 2+ Audio & MIDI interface: https://tinyurl.com/y3zh95vt
Golden Age Pre73 preamp: https://tinyurl.com/yy57btut
Rode NT-1A Condenser Microphone: https://tinyurl.com/yy7xtssj
Pioneer Pro DJ HRM-6 Headphones (best headphones EVER): https://tinyurl.com/y4gmv87o
Ableton Live Push 2 MIDI controller: https://tinyurl.com/y6juwv2x
Mackie Big Knob: https://tinyurl.com/yxexx95s
Furman Power Conditioner: https://tinyurl.com/yyoah2v3

// Video //
Sony A7S mirrorless camera: https://tinyurl.com/y6nfyffd
Sony A6000 mirrorless camera: https://tinyurl.com/y3kuj8bt
Sigma 24-105 lens: https://tinyurl.com/y2xofj4o
Rode VideoMicPro: https://tinyurl.com/y8q2vfhy
Neewer LED lights: https://tinyurl.com/y3znlypt
Neewer light reflector: https://tinyurl.com/y4ptnxkj
Logitec C920 webcam: https://tinyurl.com/y4q566zf
iPad: https://tinyurl.com/y4v2db4n

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#DJM900 #Model1 #Xone92