DJM 800 VS. Xone 62
Trying to figure out which is a better investment, DJM 800 (or pioneer branded mixer that is comparable to the 800’s ability) OR a A&H Xone 62 ( or better) ?
Any thoughts and suggestions in hard earned cash to reasonably shell out?
I upgraded the DJM 800 to the DJM 900 and it works flawless. I also believe most Pioneer gear will hold their value over time better then any other brand.
this comparison is personal preference… do you want an all in one mixer/effects unit? then the answer is clear. or are you a major audiophile that will be messing around with analog sounds and send and return processes? all depends on your style and what you want to accomplish. there is a major divide between xone vs pioneer mixers. it can be argued about all day. watch as many videos as you can and look into tech specs of each mixer.
As said above, there are big differences between the Pioneer and Allen & Heath brands, and what you can achieve with each product line.
I personally had the DJM 800, and it is a great mixer. The effects aren’t very “lush” though compared to my A&H DB4. Presumably you are buying second hand, and if its an effects unit your after as well as the mixer, the A&H DB2 would be a very worthwhile consideration. I was looking at these when I sold the 800 and planned on upgrading to the DJM 900. In the end I blew the budget, but if thats not possible, the A&H DB2 has pretty much all the same studio grade effects of the DB4, so will be a very worthwhile contender.
As said though, have a look at videos on youtube, and check specs etc.. And if you can, get a shot of one at your local dj gear shop. It was my local shop that said they would have the DB2 all day long over the DJM 900. And the DB2 is substantially cheaper.
I also suspect the A&H mixers will hold their value just as much as the Pioneers though.
Besides the quality for me the major reason to stick with Pioneer is that all clubs and venues I spin have Pioneer gear. If all clubs and venues had A&H I would probably have that instead.
I agree…every club here in LA has some sort of Pioneer mixer in the booth - DJM800 (most common), DJM900 (also common), DJM2000 (only saw this at one club here in LA), and…I have not seen one A&H unit out here…
Ok I see, well it settles it, its going to be a Pioneer product then for sure---- so since we are there, what is a reasonable price to pay for a used DJM 800? What should I look for when buying one?
for second hand gear I usually don’t want to pay more then 50% of the new price if it is in mint condition. That might be hard to get for a DJM 800 but as with all things don’t rush it and wait for the right opportunity. It’s all about negotiating and if you can act fast some might be willing to lower their price instead of having to wait longer.
I bought my Genelec 8040’s for 900 euro second hand which is roughly the price of a single speaker. They were used by a producer in his home studio and he wanted to upgrade. They were as good as new so that was an excellent deal.
I sold my DJM 800 for £650 a couple months ago, so your probably looking in about that price range (in the UK). It might be easier if you tell us where you are, as prices are very much area dependant.
While it is true that you will most likely find a Pioneer mixer in any club you might play in, it is also true that there is better sound quality in the A&H mixers. And Pioneer mixers are VERY easy to use. It really would be worth trying to demo your mixers before buying, to see what you actually like, rather than just getting the most popular one. I did like my 800, but not enough to keep it.
DJM800 everytime for me, the a&h 62 or 92’s just fall apart and the gains are redhot ! My only problem with the DJM800/900 is the booth output is a really hot output… When you lead these things out to friends with DJ monitors that lint’s a good thing 
Check the pioneer site frequently for refurbished items. For the past couple of weeks, they had a DJM 800 for $850. It has since sold out but will eventually come back in stock.
Wow it’s been almost over a year since I posted here!
Since then we’ve been playing out as our duo - illegalPARTY - at pretty much every venue from Los Angeles to San Francisco. I still rarely see the Allen & Heath mixers in the booth. Only place I can remember was Vessel SF, Sound LA (they have Xone 92, Xone DB4, and DJM900 NXS), Pattern Bar LA (they have an awesome Xone 92R), and Verboten NY. Pretty much where all the techno, tech house, and deep house acts are making their tour stops.
We still own a DJM800 but during our “search” to find ourselves as DJs and as House producers, we’ve really taken a liking to the Allen & Heath brand of mixers. So much so…that we splurged on a A&H Xone DB4! :thumb up:
An update to our setup (we bring our mixer to every show now since this mixer just found its way to us and now we can’t live without it for our type of sets):
With all of the effects on the mixer as well as Traktor’s effects, I’ve had NO reason to even explore external effects units. So with all this…
It’s a pain in the butt to haul all of our gear…but we really wouldn’t want to go back to the busted house mixers with dodgy filters that cut in and out lol.