Urei 1620 Review [Back to HOME page]

Rotary mixers and I go way back. As an eleven year old roadie, my mentor took me to a mobile party and introduced me to his Bozak mixer and the joy of blending on a rotary mixer. Six years later, I got my first gig at a proper club and began to get my head around their glistening, new Urei 1620. For the better part of the next decade, I spent my weekends in venues all over the East Coast, twisting those familiar pots, all the while falling in love with the subtle, rich tones and incomparable way that a Urei makes a good set sound great, and a great set sound amazing. Most venues in Boston and New York had Urei 1620s in the booth and since most of us were not privileged enough to run into a Richard Long sound system, we learned to work our mixes without channel EQs, simply basking in smooth transitions, gain structure and subtle and deft changes that make mastering the Urei such a challenge. Anyone can step up and twist the knobs, but a true understanding of the unit only came from years of experience mixing on it night after night.

JBL/ Urei ceased production of the 1620 at some point in the mid 90s and the club installation market went through a period of uncertainty. Venues began to install a myriad of different mixers, many with effects, individual channel EQs and other “innovations”; yet old school jocks still longed for their reliable 1620. With many quality competitors recently joining the rotary mixer market (Allen & Heath V6, Rane 2016), it is worthy to note that original Urei 1620s are still in demand and regularly gather large sums on E-Bay and other similar sites. Years later, the devotion to the iconic status of the Urei 1620 remains strong.

Respected as a maker of quality live and studio mixing consoles, the Soundcraft Group, had been looking to enter the DJ mixer market for sometime. This void in the market proved a perfect opportunity and the rebirth of the Urei 1620 began to take shape. With so much love and respect for the original design, it was imperative that the basic layout and operation remain unchanged. It was also paramount that the new incarnation address some of the engineering flaws that plagued the original and bring the components up to 2005 standards. I am happy to report that the newly released Urei 1620LE succeeds on all 3 fronts and does so with flying colors.

Like an old friend

Out of the box, the Urei 1620LE was reassuringly recognizable. Aside from a few cosmetic changes and the gold finish of the knobs and side panels, the layout, design and size is identical to the original. The mixer features six stereo channels with discrete balance knobs and smooth, consistent rotors. Channels 1 and 2 feature RCA phono inputs, and auxes 1, 2 and 3 feature line level preamps, for direct connection of external sources. Optional preamp cards are available that allow auxes 1-4 to carry mic, line or phono level inputs. Aux 4 features a dedicated mic preamp and the familiar five selectable aux inputs (A-E) can be routed to aux channels 1-4, for unsurpassed flexibility. The right side of the mixer features the booth, house and headphone volume, cue section and the infamous 4 knob master bass and treble controls that give +/-10dB of sweetening on all main outputs.

But Better…

While the original Urei 1620 was a beloved part of early club culture, it had many flaws and faults that needed to be addressed in this updated incarnation. All of the connectors on the new model are gold and all of the cable headers lock into place to prevent many of the problems the previous model had. There is a lighted, chrome plated headphone socket for easy operation in darkly lit DJ booths and a well conceived red/green led on the top of the cue select switch which quickly allows you to see at a glance if your headphones are monitoring the cue or the master source, alleviating an issue that caused many an anxious moment for old school DJs wondering why they weren’t hearing the record they were cueing up. The rear panel of the mixer also boasts enhancements including mono, balanced and unbalanced master and booth outputs (the original Urei had unbalanced booth only), Aux/Mic XLR inputs and a retaining clip on the power cord (a small, but very useful touch.)

The potentiometers are an updated design from ALPS, the same Japanese company that made the original pots and all of the switches, jacks and accessories have been drastically improved upon. Essentially the circuitry and layout of the 1620LE is identical to the original, with added improvements to safety and reliability. Lots of thoughtful research and development went into the making of this unit, and the results clearly place the piece as a member of the lead pack of quality DJ mixers.

Deja Vu

With the recent resurgence of rotary mixer, I have had the pleasure of reviewing many quality pieces over the past year or so. There are many traits that are unique to each unit and many features that are common throughout, but I can safely say that none of the current crop of rotary mixers feels like a Urei. It was impossible to lay my hands on the rotors and not begin to feel nostalgic for my days with the original. The knobs were smooth and responsive and the sound slowly and steadily cascaded from the off position. Unlike many other mixers, there is an immediate reaction to the fader, and the music from the cue source was immediately audible in the mix. As with the original 1620, a DJ who is “dead on” sounds fantastic on a Urei, but any fluctuation or misstep, is completely evident, like a cosmetic flaw under a microscope. The headphone amp was strong and the lighted, chrome socket and selector switch are simple, but helpful improvements.

The sound emanating from the 1620LE was simply stunning. Crisp and warm, it made my source material come to life and brought back memories of the hundreds and hundreds of mix tapes I made on Urei’s of old.

I Am What I Am

There are two schools of thought when looking at the Urei 1620LE and its list of available features. When its predecessor was introduced in the mid 70s, it was a breakthrough design and was unique in a many ways. DJ mixers of the time did not feature split cue, individual channel EQs, cross faders or level meters, so DJs of the time learned how to blend and manipulate their mixes through thoughtful use of gain structure and accurate volume control. In the hands of a competent performer, the Urei is capable of a smooth, even flow of music that isn’t possible with most other units.

On the other hand, there have been many advances in mixer design over the last 30 years, and a lot of modern DJs would be hard pressed to translate their current performances to a 1620LE. I started out as a mainstream dance and house DJ, and my early education in the DJ booth centered on the smooth, even mixing that is best accomplished on a rotary mixer. Because there were fewer variables and tricks that were possible, I learned the importance of quality programming and selecting songs that work well together and this foundation has served me well in the preceding years. However, as a jock currently focusing on techno, I can’t see myself giving up the filters, EQs, cross fader and effects that have become such an integral part of my current performances.

A mixer like the Urei 1620LE forces you, by its very nature, to perform in a certain way and that isn’t conducive to all types and styles of DJing. But for those who seek silky smooth operation, fantastic sound quality and legendary reliability, you would be hard pressed to find a more outstanding DJ mixer. Soundcraft have done a fantastic job recreating this piece of dance music history.