Choosing between the Xone K2 or Kontrol Z1 sound quality

[electroself]

Hi guys, I would appreciate your advice on my next gear purchase.

I am considering buying the Xone K2 or Kontrol Z1 soon. I have been playing for a year now always carrying my Xone DB4 and my Kontrol D2 around but I feel the need to have an lighter, more portable solution to clubs that already have a club mixer, and I won't be able to benefit from my balanced outputs. Having to plug unbalanced DB4 RCA's to a club mixer's channel made me question that although I love my DB4 hardware FX and Allen & Heath crispy clear soundcard's audio quality, I shouldn't use a portable USB audio interface controller like the Z1 or the K2 and leave my DB4 at home. In terms of audio quality and considering that the K2 doesn't have hardware levels controls like the Z1 and I am an advanced MIDI programmer, which one do you guys think will deliver the best experience?

My sincere thanks in advance for you time and patience.

Peace and Love

Electroself

P.S.: I often use 3 or 4 channel on my mixes but would adapt to 2 for portability.

[ErikMinekus]

I wouldn't trust either of them to produce good sound quality for the club. I would get a proper external sound card like the Audio 6.

[electroself]

I wouldn't trust either of them to produce good sound quality for the club. I would get a proper external sound card like the Audio 6.

I have NI Audio 8 DJ that I could use...I would still need a MIDI controller for Traktor's internal mixer that I could take on my work trips and play when I have free time at hotels. Would audio quality really be an issue from Audio 8 to K2 or Z1? What do you think?

Thanks!

[ErikMinekus]

I think that if you're playing in a club with a large sound system, you should strive for the best sound quality, even if most people won't be able to tell the difference. The output volume of the K2 is also quite low, so you have to turn up the input gain on the club's mixer, which may introduce background noise.

I would definitely go for the K2, as it's well-built and has plenty of controls. You can always add the Audio 8 later if the K2 isn't enough.