Need advice! Rane MP44 or A&H Xone 62?

[atitude]

Tried the MP2016 out and boy am I glad I did. Doesn't have split cue monitoring which I want in a mixer. So ok, my minds made up and I order a Rane MP44

What happens next? My stupid friend sends me a link to the Allen & Heath website, specifically the xone 62. DAMN! Left scratching my head again wondering which one should I get.

I mainly spin house/hard house with a bit of trance thrown in. What i am interested in mainly is sound quality, build quality, features, and "thats a sexy peice of equipment" quality in that order.

Help me out guys! Thanks.

 

[mattu]

I'd still stick with the Rane. As much as I love the Allen & Heath mixers, I would still rate that Rane over the A&H's. It's got all the features (except the VCF filter) that the Xone's got, and a few more. Plus, the Rane build quality ain't no joke, baby...
That Rane will be the new industry standard, I reckon.

 

[V]

rane

 

[jmarkSF]

I'm hearing some negative comments from people who have used the Rane MP-44 (haven't used it myself, but one person in particular that I know who has used it is someone who's opinions I trust):

1) The EQ knobs are apparently pretty tiny (much smaller than those on the MP-2016);

2) the channel faders feel "loose" (this is a person used to the sort of faders found on the Urei/Rane 2016's, and the Rane MP-24);

3) in an installation with three turntables and two CD players (not all that uncommon, really), you will always have to be switching inputs while DJ-ing...definitely less-than ideal in the heat of a DJ set...for the price, I think Rane should have added at least one more input channel;

4) the input selection is rather rigid, you can't assign particular inputs to different faders (as you can with the Urei or Rane 2016 units).

The way the MP-44 looks to me (from reading the data sheet and the manual) is that it was designed as kind of "all things for all DJ's" kind of product, and that ended up compromising a few things that might annoy some people.

Personally, the lack of ability to fit rotary faders on the MP-44 way outweighs any worry about "split cue".

The *best* thing to do is try out the different products before committing to such a large purchase. Whatever *my* opinion or anyone else's, you might find you just love the MP-44, or the A&H.

I do think that Rane probably has an edge over A&H in one important area...service/support. Rane is one of those *RARE* companies where you actually get to view full schematics (even from their website), and where people actually return useful, informed replies to e-mails within a short time. If you're in the U.S., Rane will also probably be easier to deal with for repairs/service than UK-based A&H.

 

[atitude]

Thanks for the replies everyone, especially Mark. Most helpful considering that haven't been any reviews on the MP44 at all. You right though, i think the rane does suffer from a lack of inputs. The xone 62 at least has the ability for 12 inputs (6 channels with switchable) and it doesn't tie the mic channels down the way the rane has. Personally I have begun leaning more towards the xone 62 specifically for this reason. My setup now consists of 2 vestax pdx d3 mk1 turntables with 2 pioneer cdj500s CD players. The ability to add a sampler in without having to swtich inputs would be great. Only concern here would be sound/build quality and "that" rane reputation. However i don't think the xone 62 will be far behind