Allen&Heath Xone:V6 [Back to HOME page]

Even the most firmly rooted pragmatist daydreams from time to time. South Beach, cruising down Ocean Drive in a Ferrari 360 Spider, top down, sun setting, music playing, beautiful people watching. While it may never become part of your reality, just thinking about that proverbial 'pie in the sky' could be an enjoyable exercise similar to my encounter with this month's featured piece of gear.

The Xone:V6 is a vintage styled, audiophile quality rotary mixer that was conceived, designed and produced for the dreamer in every DJ by UK-based Allen&Heath. From their painstaking research of classic mixer design to implementation of modern science, this mixer comes up trumps on all counts. It is not only a visual masterpiece, but performs like a charm and yields simply stunning results.

First things first; this mixer is beautiful. Not in a sleek, modern loaded-with-bells-and-whistles kind of way, but handsome in its calm simplicity. Using vintage styled VU meters, high-grade Penny&Giles faders and quality filters that Allen&Heath are known for, the V6 is solid as a rock. While the layout seemed daunting at first glance, once I got my head around the myriad of rotors, switches and other options my trepidation turned to comprehension, and I couldn't wait to get on the decks, drop the needle, and let the story begin.

Allen&Heath's expert designers, Andy Rigby-Jones and his team, put a great deal of work into making the V6 as straightforward and pure as possible. Starting with a simple, logical signal path and the finest discrete components, their goal of building a mixer that brings music to life - as naturally and warmly as possible - began to take shape. Utilizing carefully selected transistors and the shortest achievable signal path, the V6 has a clean sound that is characterized by unparalleled transparency and a massive amount of headroom. Similar care was taken with the pre-amps and valve stages on Channels 5 and 6 (which greatly assist in warming clinical sounding audio sources such as CDs). The final result is a piece of gear with a lucidity and delicacy of sound reproduction that is unrivaled.

The rear panel provides a vast array of options including 4 phono/line inputs, 8 line level inputs (or 12 lines if you are not using turntables) and send/return facilities for use with the optional 3-band EQ isolator, or other outboard fx sources. There are balanced XLR Booth and Master outputs, 1/4" Master and RCA Record outputs, plus an additional Master input, XLR Microphone input and a secondary headphone output.

A separate, high performance main power unit (PSU) is supplied which converts AC mains voltage and reliably supplies the various DC power rails required by the console. The PSU has protection circuitry which guards the mixer during power up, if excessive current is drawn, or in case of a voltage failure. This design ensures a clean, consistent signal and the capacity to reproduce a rock solid bottom end.

Although this design hints at the amount of respect and esteem the people at Allen&Heath have for gear from the past, don't let the vintage talk fool you. The V6 utilizes the best in modern technology and engineering, and offers every feature a DJ could possibly want.

I learned to DJ on a Bozak mixer and have spent the better part of the last 17 years mixing on a UREI 1620, so my love and affection for quality rotary mixers is firmly cemented in my being. I love the accuracy, and even attack, that rotors provide and cannot think of a better way to do a smooth mix other than on a well-designed rotary mixer. I have also experienced many worn out and poorly designed rotary set-ups and can honestly say they are the antithesis, and some of the worst gear to work with. Understanding both sides of the fence, I was anxious to see how the V6 felt.

The first thing I noticed about the V6 rotary faders was their unyielding construction. Unlike many mixers where there is little resistance, you have to work HARD to turn the channel volume faders. The resulting action is smooth and consistent, as the volume slowly cascades through your mix. Next up are the channel VU meters with their retro look and cutting edge responsiveness. They are made up of 8 LEDs that represent -18db to +10db, are peak responding and precise in operation. A variable frequency (30hz to 600hz) High Pass filter is also present, and is an amazing mixing tool. Different from a simple EQ cut, the filter sweeps through the frequency range eliciting a variety of possible sound customizations, and performance effects. While there is a very basic Master EQ provided (+/- 6db), the primary mantra of the V6 remains: keeping the original signal as uncluttered and natural as possible.

The cueing system is also unique with push buttons that allow you to switch quickly and effortlessly between all sources. You can depress more than one button at a time, should you want to simultaneously monitor several channels. Add to that a split cue knob, tone control and a strong headphone amp to complete another solid segment. Two large moving coil Main meters, basic microphone EQ (with High Pass filter), booth EQ and master control knobs round out the features. Since its initial launch Allen & Heath have augmented the V6 with three interesting options including a dual 3 channel EQ isolator (which I also checked out), a 6-valve circuit extender card (which adds flat, warm harmonics to all six input channels) and a dedicated crossfader unit.

Your initial observation may be that this is a daunting piece of gear but, once you get into the actual operation of the mixer, you will quickly realize that every knob, rotor and switch is in its proper place and that there is nothing superfluous about the V6.

All technical jargon aside, it is important to state that DJ-ing is all about the 'feel'. You can have a piece of gear with a long and mind-blowing list of features but if it doesn't perform well, and feel right to the DJ, it won't do anyone any good. Even with its impressive design and layout, it's in the actual performance where the V6 truly shines. I set up my modified Xone:V6 (with the 6-valve option and separate 3-band EQ isolator), got out some of my favorite deep house tunes, and went straight to work.

While smooth in handling and delivery, the V6 has an ability to take diverse and inconsistent inputs and make them sound natural and warm. Mixing from harshly pressed vinyl into a CD and then back to another 12", the sound quality was consistent, harmonious and audibly better than any mixer I have ever heard. The faders are like butter, and the filters can add a dimension to your mixing and recordings that you have to hear to believe. Cueing is easy and reactive, there is plenty of volume from the headphone amp, and overall responsiveness is top-notch. With all the options, quality internal construction and immense headroom, I was able to fabricate a mix with the kind of stunning results that I could not produce with any other mixer on the market.

It would be hard to have an honest discussion about the V6 and not consider the price. It is fashioned from superior components that are extremely expensive to begin with. Add to this the visionary design and craftsmanship that was put into it, and you can certainly understand why the V6 is not cheap. It was designed for permanent installations, project studios and DJs with audiophile tendencies - and deep pockets. It is also important to note that the V6 was not built with the performance DJ in mind. The rotors are difficult to turn quickly and, even with the optional crossfader, there are other mixers better suited for DJs who prefer doing tricks. The V6 was designed to reproduce original recordings as true and natural as possible and, as such, is better suited for smooth blending house, trance and progressive DJs.

After spending a week in the presence of such a phenomenal piece of gear, I have to admit that I became attached. Like an overly complimentary friend or the sun on a summer day, the V6 has a way of making everything look (and sound) better. It doesn't do this by coloring the sound or doing anything unnatural; it does so by letting the true essence of your source material shine through with amazing effortlessness. I honestly can't say enough good things about Andy Rigby-Jones, Allen&Heath and their mighty Xone:V6. Well placed controls, thoughtful design and superior build quality make this one of the finest pieces of DJ-related gear I have ever had the pleasure of using.