words: LUKE PEPPER TECH Allen & Heath Xone:K2 KEEP IT IN THE XONE
K2 is the second largest mountain on Earth! Can Allen & Heath’s new compact controller scale up to these heady heights?
VERDICT BUILD QUALITY
EASE OF USE FEATURES
8.5 8.0 9.0
VALUE FOR MONEY 8.0 SOUND QUALITY
8.0
HYPE Extremely well thought-out and
customisable controller with on-board soundcard that packs a shed-load of professional control features into a very portable package.
GRIPE MIDI mapping the K2 can be a
real headache in some software for the less technically-minded.
T
here can never be ‘too much choice’, and thankfully Allen & Heath do not bow down to this once-quoted idiom, as is evidenced by their latest controller — the Xone:K2.
It’s rather an accommodating bit of kit. The Xone:K2 replaces the discontinued Xone:1D, and despite having a similar slim and compact housing is far superior to the 1D. It’s much more in-keeping with the current range of software on offer, and ways that DJs are using controllers these days.
The Xone:K2 follows in the footsteps of Native Instruments’ X1 controller with a similar-sized footprint, but has a lot more features such as four nicely-sized faders and an on-board soundcard capable of providing a main out as well as headphone monitoring. The other ace that the K2 has up its sleeve is the fact that this controller has been designed to be completely flexible and customisable, giving users the choice of which software they choose to use with the unit, and with fully customisable controls. So the cat has well and truly been put amongst the slimline controller pigeons, with the obvious winners being DJs and performers who have gained even more choice over how to do their thing on stage. Essentially the Xone:K2 is a four channel mixer-style controller with four rotary encoders above each of the channels and a bank of sixteen buttons, each with a tri-colour LED backlight to give feedback on the status of the parameter they are mapped to. Being an Allen & Heath product, it’s no surprise that there is a decent quality soundcard on-board that can provide a stereo
096
out as well as driving a pair of headphones from the socket at the front of the unit. This means that the Xone:K2 can perform the duties of a four channel mixer all on its own, without the bulk or the weight of a mixer to spoil the fun.
The care and attention to detail that has gone into the design, specification and manufacture of this unit is made clear by the many lovely little touches that can be found on the Xone:K2. These touches include the carry case that comes as standard with the controller. This also doubles as a stand, so that the control surface is the same height as the mixer it is sitting next to. The X:LINK connection interfaces with another Xone:K2 unit or an X:Link equipped mixer such as a DB4, without using up more USB ports on a laptop — something that Mac users will appreciate more than anyone. Even the X:Link (or standard Ethernet cable as it’s known to the rest of the universe) is supplied in the box, along with the ubiquitous USB cable. The result of all of this care and attention is that the build quality of the Xone:K2 is absolutely lovely. Not only does it look amazing, but should stand the test of time on the road thanks to well thought-out manufacturing techniques like having nuts attached to all of the encoders to ensure that the unit won’t break if it’s dropped face-down onto the floor. All of the components used are a joy to look at and operate, the buttons are rubberised and have a nice feel to them as well as a click, and the rotary encoders feel nice and smooth in addition to featuring a push-button action to further extend their usefulness.
www.djmag.com
priCE $299.99
CONTACT
allen-heath.com
A controller that manages to provide everything a DJ needs in one small box, it works with a range of software and is completely customisable to keep the tweakers and tinkerers well and truly busy.
7.5/10 8.3/10
The faders used by Allen and Heath on the Xone:K2 also have a lovely smooth action and are a decent length at 60 millimetres — especially considering the small footprint of the unit — and make this controller a joy to use for precise mixing. While it is a little larger than Native Instruments’ X1, it has a lot more packed into its diminutive frame and when considerations like a soundcard are added to the equation, the Xone:K2 wins hands-down with its on- board sound card. Another bonus for anyone looking to cut down the amount of luggage coming with them to gigs is that the Xone:K2 is USB powered, so there is no external power supply to pack and then promptly lose at the gig. There’s also the bonus of skipping the dreaded task of reaching around in the dark under a DJ booth trying to find a power socket, and finding all manner of sticky evilness and the chance of an electric shock!
Allen & Heath have done an amazing job on the Xone:K2 and have produced a feature-packed and ultra-portable controller that will work with a range of software. It’s completely customisable as well as being expandable by connecting another Xone:K2 or an X:Link enabled mixer, and the on-board soundcard rounds off an impressive set of features.
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