XONE : S2

Allen & Heath create a workhorse top contender for the club installation market

By Dennis Sebayan

One of the year’s most anticipated products comes from UK-based audio mixer console manufacturer Allen & Heath. The company, which has been around for over 35 years, constantly wows international DJs alike with their superior live, installed and nightclub mixers. The S2 promises to be a surefire solution for the club installation market, as a 19” rack-mounted 4U mixer.

XONE: S2 features four stereo dual-input channels, two mono mic/ stereo line channels and a USB audio interface for the integration of digital media and recording. The unit can be equipped with either linear or rotary faders, interchangeable by switching a removable panel at the turn of a few screws – effectively, this can be done without removing the mixer from the rack. The main mix outputs are on balanced XLR. An additional mono output – also on XLR – can be used as a zone feed or for a sub-base stack. A booth monitor and music ducking facility were implemented into S2’s design as well.

The S2 serves as a safeguard for the demanding (and sometimes dangerous) infrastructure of a nightclub, featuring an output limiter system that can be preset by the venue’s engineer, regardless of input level. Furthermore, a dedicated alarm input will mute all the system’s channels in the case of an emergency, such as fire or evacuation. This function allows for a dedicated alarm message audio input connection.

I managed to interact with the mixer at this year’s NAMM conference and by Allen & Heath’s standard’s I’m still wowed. Each of the four main stereo channels come with 3-band equalizers that provide +6dB boast and total kill. All the sliders have a warm, tight feel to them and the mixer has an attractive, Pro DJ look to it. The mixer is equipped with A&H’s trademark XONE filter system, which allows for four main channels to be routed individually to the filter. Three separate headphone sockets are also provided.

The XONE:S2 will be unveiled at WMC and ships March 2007. Contact for pricing, http://www.allen-heath.com/US.

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