If there was ever a an owner of a company boutique or not, that not only stood above and beyond for quality and ethics for their products, its got to be this guy. You always want the hardcore nerds selling you products like this, because you know if its that important to them, its going to be a great product. I've been casually looking at a few of the hi fi mixers available, Bozak, Mastersounds, Condesa, et al, but this Isonoe may have just sold me.
Cue General Jack D. Ripper: "That's the way your hardcore nerd works!" The Mastersounds, Formula Sound, and E&S tested well, while the Iso420 and digital MP2015 were the best on distortion and response... and that was piping in unusually hot signals into the Isonoe to boost its measurements and leaving out some tests. The Condesa and old analog Rane tested pretty horribly, but Alpha Recording and the new Bozak was not included in the round up. I assume Alpha and PlayDifferently would lump with the Mastersounds, Formula Sound, & E&S league. Iso420 is built in a place that specializes in audio test gear, so Justin is getting them hand made to some very exacting standards, and he's designed it apparently as well as he knows how. If the MP2015 had been designed and built like that, I have no doubt it would test even better than it currently does, but high-end digital tends to do fidelity easier and for a cheaper price. Heck, you can't even bypass the MP2015's channel isos, so right there it's at a disadvantage on the bench. If you want mastering grade analog, you'll have to pay a premium for it and wait for his OEM there in the UK to build one specifically for you. Doesn't look like anyone who buys one of these rare Iso420 is easily parted with it.
Best sounding mixer I've ever come across. Built like a tank. Like any other ISONOE gear. I've heard it in many venues, festivals, and different sound systems. D&B, L'Acoustic, Danley, Funktion One, Nexo, etc. A ridiculous amount of clean headroom. I've never heard it distort as the input to the sound system or mixing console will distort first. With great power comes great responsibility. Not for red light DJs.
Then what's the point of all that headroom? That would sort of freak out me as a live sound engineer guy, and would probably lead me to put some huge analog meter in front of the DJ mirroring the system limits, with me telling the DJ if they go into that meter red or do any really dumb stuff, I start turning the entire sound system down by halfs. That's one of the advantages to analog mixers that clip really hard at red like the Biamps and digital mixers with a full-scale brick wall and the ability to turn the limiters off: you can calibrate the system to their clip point, and no one wanted to hard clip those. All this boutique stuff's high-headroom and soft-clipping of the analog Xones has limited utility in a live club or festival environment. Same shit they were dealing with at Paradise Garage and Larry Levan's terrible habits on a Bozak. It's not even that useful in a studio recording or streaming, as the ADCs have their own hard clip point. And using compressor-limiters is a horrible idea except as an occasional early-chain audio effect for like funk or disco. The only thing limiters protect are tweeters from ultrasonic clip harmonics, and that's only if they're set up right and in the proper spot in the chain. Compression can easily be more dangerous for woofers, as DJs are more likely to abuse them.
When someone is wearing a cardigan you know they mean business! Lol.. This is a very natural and honest and very formal review! To date the best I've ever heard! Allen and heath 96 deffinatly doesn't use tight tolerance components! After hearing this review I kinda wish this had an X-fader like my Master sounds 4v....the guys at mastersounds are a bit up their own arse tbh!....one thing I do know is the master sounds is good....and I mean good! Not sure if this is on par or better....?? Would love to see the video that he said they tested 7 mixers!? The guy reviewing this knows his stuff big time! and to reiterate the best review I've heard on any DJ mixer on the net!
John, Justin mentions at some point that there will be some testing results on different rotary mixer being posted somewhere. Got any link? Do you know if these results were finally posted? Thanks
Here are the test results: drive.google.com/file/d/1MlNQhF66XWy0ZkftbkSqJgVxWwNWwhgV/view?fbclid=IwAR2HHQCEA2AslDz5641bv-1yECk_f8yyhahdw6zO90vKi4-fWxFKqq_nU2U&pli=1
MasterSounds said the results were misleading (with potential bias) so did a response test of their own here: drive.google.com/file/d/1blkv44tX21yymjRwfVhr7bYV5TDh1H1C/view
This is the kind of kit that get's me seriously contemplating my wants/needs and budget. That thing would be a dream to mix on, dual switchable isolators is a killer feature. I would also need a seriously solid amp and some hefty speakers to get the most out of it though...
More like resolving and musical speakers and amps, IMO...almost all clubs sound like crap, because very few people care about sound quality these days as their reference system is their smartphone... its all about size, unfortunately.
He's saying the front/bottom fader knob when wide open at its unity is essentially a short interconnect. Bozak is like that, too, but people oddly don't seem to know that unity is at max on it. Would rather have a dedicated master meter and channel meters, as well as split cue, but I suppose this is a good minimum set of features for live mixing on a big system without doing headphone-only stuff. Very pleased to hear the isos can be bypassed with the D for direct setting. That should allow good tests possible with waveforms. Eager to see the results of the audio analysis tests when they come out. I hope the MP2015, DB4, and a DJM900NXS2 were included. Edit: Lion & Lambs Mixer Test eventually did compare a bunch of mixers, though DB4 and DJM900NXS2 were not included.
Undoubtedly a tasty piece of beautiful engineering. I'd previously heard that these mixers sound amazing hence the big price, quality does not come cheap. Awesome sound & pricey, your choice...
We got a party with IIWII this Friday in MAAS Groningen. Klipschorn soundsystem, Isonoe420, neon lights and disco heavyweight Darryn Jones coming over from Chicago playing a 3,5h set after me :)
That is David Mancuso's LOFT..His system is awesome,and he really does not mix.He plays records end to end most of the time,yet from what I know,his selections are amazing...It's a different concept...I spin somewhere in the middle,being a hiphop DJ who then started spinning mostly everything else,yet i understand the concept of space in sets,not just going full on 100% of the time..
@@michaels8088 He actually didn't use or believe in mixers. He said it took away from the PURE SOUND. And instead, just switched input positions. Super clean output! Been to his Loft many times back in the 80s! Best parties ever!
Should maximum be 10, 11 or infinite? My take is - not required and a design aesthetic. - Markers are ON the knobs (as an etch and collar). - Most people have a sense of a clock face or min/max. - Our ears can be the primary judge.
@@ShellstaTube My concern is repeatability of settings, possibly matching levels, not just an aesthetic choice. I find it particularly odd that the knobs have a notch but no printed scale to point to! :) It might well be that in use people just rely on the approximate position of the notch - around 1pm say - but I am still finding it very odd.
Been waiting for this for 4 years. I wish someone would've asked Justin why he designed the mixer with the channel potentiometers in front. Seems like it was meant to be used sitting down. I have nothing to compare it to other than an oven to see how comfortable it is to mix on.
I have been looking for something like this, one year research pointed me out to condesa mixers but never found testings to the mixer. I am very interested in this mixer/pre amplifier. I would love to see those testings results of that event about the mixers. Thank you John and Justin
I thought the Isonoe would have had the better hifi creds, but a recent blind testing at Nowadays (NYC) had the Carmen V beating the Isonoe and the Alpha Industries mixer that I'd also heard good things about
@@richardnordlund9920 The person I know who was at the test was surprised to see it described as blind. They could see the mixer operator, as well as each other - not blind by A/B/X standards. The mixers weren't level matched with test tones, and there was a long time between auditions. On top of that, no one knew the EQ settings of each mixer. Several other clubs have conducted similar tests (Public Records had all 3 mixers on long term loan) and came to different conclusions. At most, you can conclude that the Condesa suited the 'SBS Slammer' better than the other mixers. From a scientific point of view, you could argue that polling 10 people, with long gaps between takes, is not statistically significant enough to draw a meaningful conclusion
Condesa tested by far the worst in the RSH roundup, though that might be part of its 'charm'. The old Rane analog has a bit of roll off on top, but otherwise tested about as well as the Mastersounds, Formula Sound, and E&S. The top two, the Iso420 and MP2015, had similar response flatness ranges, with the Iso420 having slightly lower noise and distortion probably due to its far fewer features, the fact you can unassign those two isos, and that it costs substantially more. With the way most DJs seem to use the Iso420, though, it's not going to have better noise & distortion figures than the digital Rane. I haven't seen a single DJ running their Iso420 volume controls at max and controlling the sound system with the master out like you'd do on an old Bozak. People seem to also forget that the MP2015 doesn't just have a bypass-able master iso, but also has non-bypass-able channel isos, among a bazillion other features that the other mixers in the roundup lacked. It's shocking that Rane was able to do 2nd order isos with such low contributing distortion and use digital wizardry to keep the response that flat. Someone claimed the tone controls on the MP2015 are actually using FIR filters, but I have no idea. I only know their ADCs use FIR. Also curious are the number of DJs running digital sources into the Iso420 and/or running it into a sound system with digital processing, as there's no chance it can beat the Rane being fed SPDIF and/or outputting SPDIF in such a situation. Most of the tests run for the RSH thing, though, were useless, and they failed to run some basic tests that might have been valuable, like IMD & phase tests or even passing an impulse test waveform through them.
Problem with investing in this high end equipment is the only way to get the best out of it, is by ensuring you have the best monitors, cartridge, styli, turntables, clean records etc. So much is necessary, quite expensive. Hope to be able to experience these some day in toronto, Canada.
Looks like very interesting piece of gear....Only tried rotary mixer once on a poor PA but the overall feel and sound was cool...using only knobs for mixing is rather unique. I much prefer using faders and knobs althogeter for now., but wouldn’t mind getting one of those rotaries at some point...probably for home setup ;)
Great video! I'm in to sound quality as a dj as well and i own a rotary mixer as well. I'm curious about a real audiophile opinion about the mastersounds radius 4v rotary mixer. Because most of us dj's don't know real sound quality (i didn't too till about a jear ago).
Yes, illuminating, but only the THD+Noise and frequency response measurements are relevant, and they oddly didn't even do phase tests or measure IMD. I'm surprised they didn't test more mixers.
@@djdeejdjay8669 The new tabletop Bozak is a very similar architecture, just with per-channel isos that can't be bypassed and not made to the same test equipment standards. They both use a passive mix bus where unity is max on the volume control.
TIL it's not pronounced EYE-SUN-OWE. It'll be interesting to see the results of that rotary shootout. I assume the Isonoe will come out on top. I would've guessed Condesa for second place but maybe that was the mixer with the high-end roll-off. This is a lovely piece of kit but I'm not sure I could justify 3 grand (inc VAT) on a mixer. Also not sure about the placement of the channel levels. Looks a bit awkward.
Cool video! It would be awesome if one day you could make a video about your point of view on a good sounding home DJ turntable setup (turntables, mixer, amp and speakers) I know... not very audiophile.
Let me guess... the «warm» mixer is a A&H xone mixer? I own 2 xone 92s (one for gigs and one for home use) and at home when listening to music I always turn the high EQ band to 2 o clock and the high mid to 1 o clock...now I think I know why.....
Interesting are you going to do test it out would like to know what the phono stage is like, is it better than the dynavector or mod right? what part of the UK is in? Happy New Year. I think the design is really ugly It should have some silk screening on it dividing the sections lettering looks too small in the club at night hard to see make it reflective as well
London. The aesthetic is definitely intentional and geared toward people like me who like a minimal, industrial and 1930 or 40s feel. When I look at this, I think of of a scientist in his lab working on the Manhattan Project. Kinda cool look, but that's just me.
The phono stage is VERY good indeed. I own a 420 (serial no 007, so I've had it a long time) and I can tell you the phono stage is a good as many/most outboard units costing much more than the mixer. When I collected it from Justin we discussed this and he had tested his phono stage against high end Moon phonos and it performed as well, if not better in most cases. Hence my purchase.
Yes good words because that's how I see it, Justin made a eq enhancer type machine, it was really smooth made my really really rough tune I was working on sounds very pleasing indeed.
FYI - A "direct input to output short" when the volume control (potentiometer) is at maximum is true of *all* such circuits. I know, I know, there has to be a certain amount of marketing blather, but this mixer is in no way unique in this aspect!
I didn't think he phrased that as marketing blather, just trying to get rotary heads to use passive pots with unity at max correctly. Most want to run pots, even like these, at like 7 or something. About the only players I can think of that would benefit from the latter is like the Denon SC Primes to roll off their current ultrasonic garbage.
Lovely piece of kit. Really like the addition of proper aux sends and a balanced in on channel 4. Mr Scruff basically did a 1.5 hour advert for it in this set: th-cam.com/video/vjhOmEEMPTg/w-d-xo.html , fantastic delays.
The results have been posted by RSH Audio on Facebook. One of the manufacturers whose item was tested isn't happy about the accuracy, so another test is being arranged soon. As shown in the current PDF posted by RSH, the measurements will be taken by a completely independent engineer, with no relationship to any mixer manufacturer. The weird thing is, in hifi, all manufacturers expect lab tests on their gear, whereas your kitchen toaster seems to get more scrutiny than the average rotary mixer! Why should rotary mixers be any different?
17:50 Dixon "(...) is one of the hardest-working guys on the circuit (...)" Seems like engineering becomes ideology at some point... The hardest thing is you cant separate the audio quality from the perception of it (DJ and crowd). Even if you use measure things like frequency response and resistor tolerance. Even though I absolutely believe this mixer sounds brilliant. I guess the biggest part about the rotary hype is the better haptics of these handcrafted boutique mixers. Not to mention those lovely VU-Meter and the stunning Bozak Knobs :) Does anyone know if tantalum capacitors are used in this (probably discrete) circuits? I was wondering if there is a profound correlation in costs and benefits....
I heard the MP2015 tested well on this guy's own bench and he struggled to meet its capabilities. Not sure if he ended up finally matching it, let alone besting it, but his site only says the 420 bested every other analog DJ mixer he'd tested. The MP2015 cannot currently bypass its channel isos (even the new X1800 can at 12 o'clock) or change them to normal EQs (x1800 can do that too), so even then it's at an inherent disadvantage and yet still was the prior top dog to try and rival on measurements... and it has way more features than what people are trying to compare it to.
@@Reticuli Can't say for the ISO420 but Justin did confirm the uber minimal Isonoe custom built 19 inch rack mount mixer I got off him a few yrs back does indeed measure better than the Rane digital!
@@billywoods7098 It better if it's got hardly any features on it and costs that much. Many of the measurements he and RSH have been using to compare, though, are useless in this context since they were all within the necessary thresholds to have zero audible effect during proper use of the mixers: input clip point, output clip point, crosstalk, kill level, etc. The RSH thing oddly left out IMD tests, impulse response, and phase tests, which leaves only frequency response and distortion & noise as relevant.
Need a new copyright date. But, I LOVED this video. Very informative. Would like to try this mixer out. I currently use an Allen & Heath DB4, and despite being a fully digital mixer, I really enjoy the sound I get out of it. And it's ability to turn into a "pseudo" rotary mixer. Would love to read the results of that testing, and hope my current mixer is in the crop (even though its not strictly a rotary) so I can see how it fares.
You'd be insane to do so... Your mixer is excellent, and can be used for serious mixing anywhere. This thing is a niche item for an extremely niche scenario. Amazing for that, but useless otherwise.
This is no ordinary dj mixer most people know! This is an instrument grade piece of superb quality and integrity. I would love to see the interior of this. I expect to see a PCB on the line of Spectral Audio or Sutherland. I’m talking the very top drawer of what layout and component excellence can be. Probably transparent and velvety at the same time! Eargasm time! Am I wrong? Never heard it but it may be in the Rupert Neve class of commercial gear as described! Must be lovely!
The 420 is based on the design ideas and components that Justin used for the original Floating Points mixer. The internal is just as you'd expect and is built with the precision and obsession of someone who cares very much about the sound. Justin had a background in high end studio gear and you can really see that in the designs and implementation of the mixer.
I'm assuming you mean the part at 7:30 where he's switching between iso groups. This is very indicative of analogue rotaries, and is a really attractive part of using such a tangible interface. Stiff, tangible switches are satisfying.
You might be interested to know that the new V10 has similar input architecture to the Numark, Denon, and Rane digital mixers, though the Rane uses an exotic FIR ADC filter and does some other stuff better. Curious that Pioneer change from their prior analog input design, as they used a valid alternative and had found ways of metering it well for the NXS2 and Tour mixers.
Aside from the 1000 DJ gigs in 2 years comment LOL,, Truth seem to be at the hart of this product. At 2.5k sure its got to deliver something very special. What do people think as percentage the mixer/preamp should be of total system, i mean source to ear so the room as well. Say 10% of a 25k install seem fair place for this mixer? I like the look of the Layout and seem a good balance for DJ/AP. i would like to see a L/R balance and a more matrix stye uv meter with a pre and post option that would allow for super fast visual level matching of 2 signals. I can see growing audience for this out side of individuals with a lot money in dedicated audio bar cafes. How many units have been made? Will someone post a link to the test data here mention when its out? Would love to here this on our system one day I hope.
Heh, it's definitely not a DJ mixer for serious DJing - Audio quality at the cost of functionality and key interface requirements. Would be ideal for someone rich with an acoustically awesome room, who wants to do basic mixes, where audio quality is your KPI.
By serious I mean doing more than EQ blends on 2-channels, which is entry-level, simple and very limited. The rotary fader is useless for scratch, which is about the only form of 2 channel mixing that's got scope for real creativity where the mixer is a part of what you're doing. The 4-channel version can't show 3 meters at once, making it useless for more complex mixing of techno, and even more useless for styles that involve chop like drum and bass (and most other bass genres really). This isn't a dig a DJs wanting to keep it simple, it's more a frustration that it's ultra-high quality bit of audio kit, but incredibly limited for creativity or anything beyond a simple blended mixing style.
Connect your shit too a good dac digitally then feed through the mixer. Whole point of this is sound quality, you would be wasting your money otherwise
the dude said this dj did 1000 gigs in 2 years. more then 1 gig per day. a lot of lies came out of this interview. mixer not being actually discrete. the referred test of many mixers being a scam to favor isonoe, 1000 gigs in 2 years. auch
It's clearly made by someone who doesn't know what a real dj's want. Is it better sounding than xone 96? Maybe, but it doesn't matter because it has shitty ergonomics. Mixing without faders is pain in the ass. Vinyl is a joke too, because nowadays 100% is cut from digital source(in the vinyl plant) and if we speak about electronic music then it's made in a computer. Nowadays 99% DJ's play with CDJ's and vinyl is just pure marketing item to generate hype and to be reselled later on discogs for 2-3 times the price. This mixer it's not the tool, it's expensive toy for hobbyists.
056 056 A real DJs? U mean producers who DJ to be able to tour and earn money and DJs who are into 320 kb mp3s and wont spend the extra dollar on .wav files...? Most imo «Real» DJs spend 100% of their time listening to other peoples music (cuz producing takes up to much time), organizing the music, play music from a wide range of geners, and their into the soundquality. rotary mixers is not that uncommon among DJs who is really into the sound quality and the whole signal chain that goes into presenting their medium (wav, vinyl, cd, aiff). Mabey u dont see them on EDM festivals used by one gener DJs/producers, but in the smaller clubs run by music lovers their not that hard to come by. Theres actually a talk on YT where some of the most influencial people in the industry come together and complain about how they them selfs have been destroying the industry by booking DJs/producers that knows marketing rather than music. Now their premium clubs is full of people with their cellphones posting on SM, and producers playing short sets using their own tracks and tracks by other people signed to their lable..
Dixon is a real dj, and he obviously wants one and uses it at gigs. in fact i know a lot of real dj's that take their own rotary mixer's to venues, rotary is more about precision when blending a mix, no more difficult then using the eq.
As a DJ who is regularly booked to support internationals to crowds paying money, I cannot agree with you more on your first couple sentences. The 4-channel mixer doesn't even show levels on 3 channels at once... This shows a fundamental lack of understanding of the BASICS of what a 4-channel mixer requires.
I haven't been mixing with vinyl for over 12 years now, but here I am watching rotary mixer videos.
houses are overrated, buy some turntables
If there was ever a an owner of a company boutique or not, that not only stood above and beyond for quality and ethics for their products, its got to be this guy. You always want the hardcore nerds selling you products like this, because you know if its that important to them, its going to be a great product.
I've been casually looking at a few of the hi fi mixers available, Bozak, Mastersounds, Condesa, et al, but this Isonoe may have just sold me.
Cue General Jack D. Ripper: "That's the way your hardcore nerd works!" The Mastersounds, Formula Sound, and E&S tested well, while the Iso420 and digital MP2015 were the best on distortion and response... and that was piping in unusually hot signals into the Isonoe to boost its measurements and leaving out some tests. The Condesa and old analog Rane tested pretty horribly, but Alpha Recording and the new Bozak was not included in the round up. I assume Alpha and PlayDifferently would lump with the Mastersounds, Formula Sound, & E&S league. Iso420 is built in a place that specializes in audio test gear, so Justin is getting them hand made to some very exacting standards, and he's designed it apparently as well as he knows how. If the MP2015 had been designed and built like that, I have no doubt it would test even better than it currently does, but high-end digital tends to do fidelity easier and for a cheaper price. Heck, you can't even bypass the MP2015's channel isos, so right there it's at a disadvantage on the bench. If you want mastering grade analog, you'll have to pay a premium for it and wait for his OEM there in the UK to build one specifically for you. Doesn't look like anyone who buys one of these rare Iso420 is easily parted with it.
Best sounding mixer I've ever come across. Built like a tank. Like any other ISONOE gear. I've heard it in many venues, festivals, and different sound systems. D&B, L'Acoustic, Danley, Funktion One, Nexo, etc. A ridiculous amount of clean headroom. I've never heard it distort as the input to the sound system or mixing console will distort first. With great power comes great responsibility. Not for red light DJs.
Then what's the point of all that headroom? That would sort of freak out me as a live sound engineer guy, and would probably lead me to put some huge analog meter in front of the DJ mirroring the system limits, with me telling the DJ if they go into that meter red or do any really dumb stuff, I start turning the entire sound system down by halfs. That's one of the advantages to analog mixers that clip really hard at red like the Biamps and digital mixers with a full-scale brick wall and the ability to turn the limiters off: you can calibrate the system to their clip point, and no one wanted to hard clip those. All this boutique stuff's high-headroom and soft-clipping of the analog Xones has limited utility in a live club or festival environment. Same shit they were dealing with at Paradise Garage and Larry Levan's terrible habits on a Bozak. It's not even that useful in a studio recording or streaming, as the ADCs have their own hard clip point. And using compressor-limiters is a horrible idea except as an occasional early-chain audio effect for like funk or disco. The only thing limiters protect are tweeters from ultrasonic clip harmonics, and that's only if they're set up right and in the proper spot in the chain. Compression can easily be more dangerous for woofers, as DJs are more likely to abuse them.
When someone is wearing a cardigan you know they mean business! Lol..
This is a very natural and honest and very formal review! To date the best I've ever heard!
Allen and heath 96 deffinatly doesn't use tight tolerance components!
After hearing this review I kinda wish this had an X-fader like my Master sounds 4v....the guys at mastersounds are a bit up their own arse tbh!....one thing I do know is the master sounds is good....and I mean good! Not sure if this is on par or better....?? Would love to see the video that he said they tested 7 mixers!?
The guy reviewing this knows his stuff big time! and to reiterate the best review I've heard on any DJ mixer on the net!
hi, have you ever try a rotary mixer with discrete circuit?
@@discothequenyc7811 no but I think I would like to, if I had the money.
Warp on that record though!
They're all like that
Nice one John. Thanks Justin - I appreciate your passion and integrity.
Got one. Can't recommend them enough.
I have a Rane Mojo and love it..What don't you like about this one??
michael s he means he loves it 😀
Very cool video, and the fact that you got to film it in Hard Wax too makes it even better!
John, Justin mentions at some point that there will be some testing results on different rotary mixer being posted somewhere.
Got any link? Do you know if these results were finally posted?
Thanks
i‘m looking for them as well!
Here are the test results:
drive.google.com/file/d/1MlNQhF66XWy0ZkftbkSqJgVxWwNWwhgV/view?fbclid=IwAR2HHQCEA2AslDz5641bv-1yECk_f8yyhahdw6zO90vKi4-fWxFKqq_nU2U&pli=1
MasterSounds said the results were misleading (with potential bias) so did a response test of their own here: drive.google.com/file/d/1blkv44tX21yymjRwfVhr7bYV5TDh1H1C/view
This is the kind of kit that get's me seriously contemplating my wants/needs and budget. That thing would be a dream to mix on, dual switchable isolators is a killer feature. I would also need a seriously solid amp and some hefty speakers to get the most out of it though...
More like resolving and musical speakers and amps, IMO...almost all clubs sound like crap, because very few people care about sound quality these days as their reference system is their smartphone... its all about size, unfortunately.
saw the river and instantly knew where we were going.. so many steps haha
Those important company dates seem to be etched on the ceiling of that shop in Berlin.
Not a DJ but now I want another turntable and one of these...Mr Darko you are killing me financially !
He's saying the front/bottom fader knob when wide open at its unity is essentially a short interconnect. Bozak is like that, too, but people oddly don't seem to know that unity is at max on it.
Would rather have a dedicated master meter and channel meters, as well as split cue, but I suppose this is a good minimum set of features for live mixing on a big system without doing headphone-only stuff.
Very pleased to hear the isos can be bypassed with the D for direct setting. That should allow good tests possible with waveforms.
Eager to see the results of the audio analysis tests when they come out. I hope the MP2015, DB4, and a DJM900NXS2 were included.
Edit: Lion & Lambs Mixer Test eventually did compare a bunch of mixers, though DB4 and DJM900NXS2 were not included.
Undoubtedly a tasty piece of beautiful engineering. I'd previously heard that these mixers sound amazing hence the big price, quality does not come cheap. Awesome sound & pricey, your choice...
Ever heard of that club in NYC that rocks klipshorns, mark levinson amps , and kotesu cartridges .
That’s a system that takes music to another level .
what's it called?
We got a party with IIWII this Friday in MAAS Groningen. Klipschorn soundsystem, Isonoe420, neon lights and disco heavyweight Darryn Jones coming over from Chicago playing a 3,5h set after me :)
Klipschorn speakers courtesy of O2musicnl*
That is David Mancuso's LOFT..His system is awesome,and he really does not mix.He plays records end to end most of the time,yet from what I know,his selections are amazing...It's a different concept...I spin somewhere in the middle,being a hiphop DJ who then started spinning mostly everything else,yet i understand the concept of space in sets,not just going full on 100% of the time..
@@michaels8088 He actually didn't use or believe in mixers. He said it took away from the PURE SOUND. And instead, just switched input positions. Super clean output!
Been to his Loft many times back in the 80s! Best parties ever!
beautiful video, thank you for sharing
Awesome Mixer. Highly Technical Interview. True Audiophile. :)
Very interesting... Wondering what the thinking was in not putting any markers around the knobs.
Should maximum be 10, 11 or infinite?
My take is - not required and a design aesthetic.
- Markers are ON the knobs (as an etch and collar).
- Most people have a sense of a clock face or min/max.
- Our ears can be the primary judge.
@@ShellstaTube My concern is repeatability of settings, possibly matching levels, not just an aesthetic choice. I find it particularly odd that the knobs have a notch but no printed scale to point to! :) It might well be that in use people just rely on the approximate position of the notch - around 1pm say - but I am still finding it very odd.
Was exactly looking for this kinda content! awesome!
look amazing , in price range of alpha recording , this is killer
Been waiting for this for 4 years. I wish someone would've asked Justin why he designed the mixer with the channel potentiometers in front. Seems like it was meant to be used sitting down. I have nothing to compare it to other than an oven to see how comfortable it is to mix on.
You can raise and lower the signal without bending your wrist giving you more circular motion and therefore more control.
Pretty sure it's meant to be a flat tabletop unit but so the front volumes are slanted like you were using some rackmounted unit.
Gives it that that Bozak look dunnit..
Fantastic video. Looks like a truly extraordinarily piece of kit.
I have been looking for something like this, one year research pointed me out to condesa mixers but never found testings to the mixer. I am very interested in this mixer/pre amplifier.
I would love to see those testings results of that event about the mixers.
Thank you John and Justin
I thought the Isonoe would have had the better hifi creds, but a recent blind testing at Nowadays (NYC) had the Carmen V beating the Isonoe and the Alpha Industries mixer that I'd also heard good things about
@@richardnordlund9920 The person I know who was at the test was surprised to see it described as blind. They could see the mixer operator, as well as each other - not blind by A/B/X standards. The mixers weren't level matched with test tones, and there was a long time between auditions. On top of that, no one knew the EQ settings of each mixer. Several other clubs have conducted similar tests (Public Records had all 3 mixers on long term loan) and came to different conclusions. At most, you can conclude that the Condesa suited the 'SBS Slammer' better than the other mixers. From a scientific point of view, you could argue that polling 10 people, with long gaps between takes, is not statistically significant enough to draw a meaningful conclusion
@@richardnordlund9920 hi, where can I consult that testing
@@richardnordlund9920 where do I laugh at you ??
Condesa tested by far the worst in the RSH roundup, though that might be part of its 'charm'. The old Rane analog has a bit of roll off on top, but otherwise tested about as well as the Mastersounds, Formula Sound, and E&S. The top two, the Iso420 and MP2015, had similar response flatness ranges, with the Iso420 having slightly lower noise and distortion probably due to its far fewer features, the fact you can unassign those two isos, and that it costs substantially more. With the way most DJs seem to use the Iso420, though, it's not going to have better noise & distortion figures than the digital Rane. I haven't seen a single DJ running their Iso420 volume controls at max and controlling the sound system with the master out like you'd do on an old Bozak. People seem to also forget that the MP2015 doesn't just have a bypass-able master iso, but also has non-bypass-able channel isos, among a bazillion other features that the other mixers in the roundup lacked. It's shocking that Rane was able to do 2nd order isos with such low contributing distortion and use digital wizardry to keep the response that flat. Someone claimed the tone controls on the MP2015 are actually using FIR filters, but I have no idea. I only know their ADCs use FIR. Also curious are the number of DJs running digital sources into the Iso420 and/or running it into a sound system with digital processing, as there's no chance it can beat the Rane being fed SPDIF and/or outputting SPDIF in such a situation. Most of the tests run for the RSH thing, though, were useless, and they failed to run some basic tests that might have been valuable, like IMD & phase tests or even passing an impulse test waveform through them.
The Isonoe Feet is on my to buy list for a future 1200.. Justin has a Simon Pegg vibe.
Where do you buy one of these and what's the price? The US distributors listed on ISONOE's website don't seem to carry it.
title card says "The ISO420 sells for 2500GBP."
Price is around £3K.
You can buy direct. You would pay £2500 (no VAT), but add on import taxes www.isonoe.com/
Fantastic video! I’d love to see you take a look at the RDM20 by Varia Instruments. Another cool mixer and all rotary dial!
Problem with investing in this high end equipment is the only way to get the best out of it, is by ensuring you have the best monitors, cartridge, styli, turntables, clean records etc.
So much is necessary, quite expensive.
Hope to be able to experience these some day in toronto, Canada.
The volume controls are mounted vertically? I don't like that.
Thanks for the video and insight into the design and designer
Looks like very interesting piece of gear....Only tried rotary mixer once on a poor PA but the overall feel and sound was cool...using only knobs for mixing is rather unique. I much prefer using faders and knobs althogeter for now., but wouldn’t mind getting one of those rotaries at some point...probably for home setup ;)
So thats how you pronounce the name... been saying it wrong for years!
Me too ... and I'll probably continue to so. 😉
I think the dude said “iss on no ay” at the beginning
I've definitely been saying " I Sun Oh" hahaha
Thanks for this very interesting interview.
Are you using the Jico 'N44-G' styli? If so, they are just different coloured Jico N44-7 styli.. as advised by Jico when I contacted them about it
Great video! I'm in to sound quality as a dj as well and i own a rotary mixer as well. I'm curious about a real audiophile opinion about the mastersounds radius 4v rotary mixer. Because most of us dj's don't know real sound quality (i didn't too till about a jear ago).
Have you been able to try one? I'd be interested to know about the radius 2 as I'm ordering one
Did that list of the findings of the other mixers’ performances come out? Where can I find it?
I guess this is it : drive.google.com/file/d/1MlNQhF66XWy0ZkftbkSqJgVxWwNWwhgV/view
@@MisterCombe Thanks for sharing that. That was very illuminating.
Yes, illuminating, but only the THD+Noise and frequency response measurements are relevant, and they oddly didn't even do phase tests or measure IMD. I'm surprised they didn't test more mixers.
that mixer layout is too weird for me, at that price i would go bozak or contessa
Bozak is old hat and not in the same league ...
@@djdeejdjay8669 The new tabletop Bozak is a very similar architecture, just with per-channel isos that can't be bypassed and not made to the same test equipment standards. They both use a passive mix bus where unity is max on the volume control.
how much is it?
Beautiful endgame mixer, nice video!
Thank you for the information and review this product . Awesome 👍👍👍👍👍😀
420 😎
Vet each 1% tolerant component, damn that's crazy. I would like to have a spin on one.
You just won a convert Isonoe.
hi, how does compare to the condesa lucia and Bozak AR-4? i have both... and im thinking of getting one of this
Those don't measure very impressively.
TIL it's not pronounced EYE-SUN-OWE. It'll be interesting to see the results of that rotary shootout. I assume the Isonoe will come out on top. I would've guessed Condesa for second place but maybe that was the mixer with the high-end roll-off. This is a lovely piece of kit but I'm not sure I could justify 3 grand (inc VAT) on a mixer. Also not sure about the placement of the channel levels. Looks a bit awkward.
Super mixer
Oh wow! He's got the brand new 1200 MK8's with trackballs!
What is that beautiful track at the intro?
Ecobel - Chakra Dub
@@K8aan stunning..
Right Vinyl is messed up.
It has done all before, besides that bypass pot or whatever they come up
Cool video! It would be awesome if one day you could make a video about your point of view on a good sounding home DJ turntable setup (turntables, mixer, amp and speakers) I know... not very audiophile.
Let me guess... the «warm» mixer is a A&H xone mixer? I own 2 xone 92s (one for gigs and one for home use) and at home when listening to music I always turn the high EQ band to 2 o clock and the high mid to 1 o clock...now I think I know why.....
Funny I don't even know the sound of a Xone mixer, but was thinking the same, that he was probably talking about those.
Great video.
Have they posted the results on the test they did on the mixers? If so, where can I find it? Thank you, and keep on posting great hi-fi content.
Where can I buy this mixer?
Interesting are you going to do test it out would like to know what the phono stage is like, is it better than the dynavector or mod right? what part of the UK is in? Happy New Year. I think the design is really ugly It should have some silk screening on it dividing the sections lettering looks too small in the club at night hard to see make it reflective as well
London. The aesthetic is definitely intentional and geared toward people like me who like a minimal, industrial and 1930 or 40s feel. When I look at this, I think of of a scientist in his lab working on the Manhattan Project. Kinda cool look, but that's just me.
The phono stage is VERY good indeed. I own a 420 (serial no 007, so I've had it a long time) and I can tell you the phono stage is a good as many/most outboard units costing much more than the mixer. When I collected it from Justin we discussed this and he had tested his phono stage against high end Moon phonos and it performed as well, if not better in most cases. Hence my purchase.
Yes good words because that's how I see it, Justin made a eq enhancer type machine, it was really smooth made my really really rough tune I was working on sounds very pleasing indeed.
Looks immersing, and mention of the price range?
It's around £3K currently.
Is the isolators 2 pole or 4 pole? Thanks!
Probably a 4th order Linkwitz Riley like any normal 3-way crossover.
FYI - A "direct input to output short" when the volume control (potentiometer) is at maximum is true of *all* such circuits. I know, I know, there has to be a certain amount of marketing blather, but this mixer is in no way unique in this aspect!
I didn't think he phrased that as marketing blather, just trying to get rotary heads to use passive pots with unity at max correctly. Most want to run pots, even like these, at like 7 or something. About the only players I can think of that would benefit from the latter is like the Denon SC Primes to roll off their current ultrasonic garbage.
Lovely piece of kit. Really like the addition of proper aux sends and a balanced in on channel 4. Mr Scruff basically did a 1.5 hour advert for it in this set: th-cam.com/video/vjhOmEEMPTg/w-d-xo.html , fantastic delays.
Never seen one in the wild.
Dose any one know how much this mixer is? Very interesting in purchasing one. I believe it's custom built so that will effect the price!!!
It says in the description 2500 pounds so its a pricey piece but it looks dope
£3245... Quality all day long 💟🎧
Can you please link the results of all the mixers?
The results have been posted by RSH Audio on Facebook. One of the manufacturers whose item was tested isn't happy about the accuracy, so another test is being arranged soon. As shown in the current PDF posted by RSH, the measurements will be taken by a completely independent engineer, with no relationship to any mixer manufacturer. The weird thing is, in hifi, all manufacturers expect lab tests on their gear, whereas your kitchen toaster seems to get more scrutiny than the average rotary mixer! Why should rotary mixers be any different?
@@arinroy002 Do you have a link for the results? Can't find them on FB.
@@arinroy002 Agree I would love to see the results but can't find them on facebook - can anyone point me in the right direction?
drive.google.com/file/d/1MlNQhF66XWy0ZkftbkSqJgVxWwNWwhgV/view
@@MisterCombe any information on the results of the second test mentioned above?
Bottom big knobs?
17:50
Dixon "(...) is one of the hardest-working guys on the circuit (...)"
Seems like engineering becomes ideology at some point... The hardest thing is you cant separate the audio quality from the perception of it (DJ and crowd). Even if you use measure things like frequency response and resistor tolerance. Even though I absolutely believe this mixer sounds brilliant.
I guess the biggest part about the rotary hype is the better haptics of these handcrafted boutique mixers. Not to mention those lovely VU-Meter and the stunning Bozak Knobs :)
Does anyone know if tantalum capacitors are used in this (probably discrete) circuits? I was wondering if there is a profound correlation in costs and benefits....
dope
There you go , some of use do play with our music .
might be time to trade in my MP2015 for a ISO420. thanks for the amazing content guys!
I heard the MP2015 tested well on this guy's own bench and he struggled to meet its capabilities. Not sure if he ended up finally matching it, let alone besting it, but his site only says the 420 bested every other analog DJ mixer he'd tested. The MP2015 cannot currently bypass its channel isos (even the new X1800 can at 12 o'clock) or change them to normal EQs (x1800 can do that too), so even then it's at an inherent disadvantage and yet still was the prior top dog to try and rival on measurements... and it has way more features than what people are trying to compare it to.
@@Reticuli Can't say for the ISO420 but Justin did confirm the uber minimal Isonoe custom built 19 inch rack mount mixer I got off him a few yrs back does indeed measure better than the Rane digital!
@@billywoods7098 It better if it's got hardly any features on it and costs that much. Many of the measurements he and RSH have been using to compare, though, are useless in this context since they were all within the necessary thresholds to have zero audible effect during proper use of the mixers: input clip point, output clip point, crosstalk, kill level, etc. The RSH thing oddly left out IMD tests, impulse response, and phase tests, which leaves only frequency response and distortion & noise as relevant.
I thought Team Darko made a trip to London
What is on that ceiling!?!?
Ha ha ha
so that i nowhere can find a price means this costs more then 3.000 €?
2500.
Need a new copyright date.
But, I LOVED this video. Very informative. Would like to try this mixer out. I currently use an Allen & Heath DB4, and despite being a fully digital mixer, I really enjoy the sound I get out of it. And it's ability to turn into a "pseudo" rotary mixer. Would love to read the results of that testing, and hope my current mixer is in the crop (even though its not strictly a rotary) so I can see how it fares.
This interview was filmed early December 2019.
Yes I can confirm your mixer is in the CRAP 💩
brother look good , what's up with price ?
ps price is 3200$ for dose who from US)
The clouds know x
Cool stuff! But I'll not be trading my Allen & Heath mixers anytime soon.
You'd be insane to do so... Your mixer is excellent, and can be used for serious mixing anywhere. This thing is a niche item for an extremely niche scenario. Amazing for that, but useless otherwise.
GloriousMane lol people will never finish surprising me.
yes a rotor yay mixer
Thank you, for letting me know which mixer I need to upgrade to. My wallet is not happy :-)
This is no ordinary dj mixer most people know! This is an instrument grade piece of superb quality and integrity. I would love to see the interior of this. I expect to see a PCB on the line of Spectral Audio or Sutherland. I’m talking the very top drawer of what layout and component excellence can be. Probably transparent and velvety at the same time! Eargasm time! Am I wrong? Never heard it but it may be in the Rupert Neve class of commercial gear as described! Must be lovely!
The 420 is based on the design ideas and components that Justin used for the original Floating Points mixer. The internal is just as you'd expect and is built with the precision and obsession of someone who cares very much about the sound. Justin had a background in high end studio gear and you can really see that in the designs and implementation of the mixer.
The total opposite to Uli Behringer ;)
He looks like Simon Peg
What dac do you recommend between the Bluesound Node 2 and Naim Nait XS-2
(cables: Audioquest. speakers: Bowers&Wilkins 805D2)
Great video, with a bit of profundity...the world we live in is High quality marketing in a Low quality product...Damn!!
I was disappointing to hear that there are audible plops when switching between eq groups.
wow!
I'm assuming you mean the part at 7:30 where he's switching between iso groups. This is very indicative of analogue rotaries, and is a really attractive part of using such a tangible interface. Stiff, tangible switches are satisfying.
he's wearing Missoni
Is that Moby? Or is that what happens to you when you buy a rotary mixer?
i still wan t the new pioneer mixer... im a basic b.. lol
You might be interested to know that the new V10 has similar input architecture to the Numark, Denon, and Rane digital mixers, though the Rane uses an exotic FIR ADC filter and does some other stuff better. Curious that Pioneer change from their prior analog input design, as they used a valid alternative and had found ways of metering it well for the NXS2 and Tour mixers.
STOP THAT RECORD.
Aside from the 1000 DJ gigs in 2 years comment LOL,, Truth seem to be at the hart of this product. At 2.5k sure its got to deliver something very special. What do people think as percentage the mixer/preamp should be of total system, i mean source to ear so the room as well. Say 10% of a 25k install seem fair place for this mixer?
I like the look of the Layout and seem a good balance for DJ/AP. i would like to see a L/R balance and a more matrix stye uv meter with a pre and post option that would allow for super fast visual level matching of 2 signals.
I can see growing audience for this out side of individuals with a lot money in dedicated audio bar cafes.
How many units have been made?
Will someone post a link to the test data here mention when its out?
Would love to here this on our system one day I hope.
very nice but not for me
Heh, it's definitely not a DJ mixer for serious DJing - Audio quality at the cost of functionality and key interface requirements. Would be ideal for someone rich with an acoustically awesome room, who wants to do basic mixes, where audio quality is your KPI.
Yeah, cos Dixon is just an amateur. And James Murphy. Mark Ernestus? A Berlin bedroom wannabe.
Your gatekeeping is beneath this comments section.
Mr Scruff seems to get by with it.. If he's not a serious DJ in your books I don't wanna read them
By serious I mean doing more than EQ blends on 2-channels, which is entry-level, simple and very limited.
The rotary fader is useless for scratch, which is about the only form of 2 channel mixing that's got scope for real creativity where the mixer is a part of what you're doing. The 4-channel version can't show 3 meters at once, making it useless for more complex mixing of techno, and even more useless for styles that involve chop like drum and bass (and most other bass genres really).
This isn't a dig a DJs wanting to keep it simple, it's more a frustration that it's ultra-high quality bit of audio kit, but incredibly limited for creativity or anything beyond a simple blended mixing style.
So I can't connect my laptop USB or Blue Tooth Cell Phone & it's 2020? Huh??
Connect your shit too a good dac digitally then feed through the mixer. Whole point of this is sound quality, you would be wasting your money otherwise
It's not a DAC.
You'd be happier with the MP2015 if that's what you need.
20 mins of talking about it, just want to hear it.
Clearly focussed to lovers of words... Where are all that thd measurements he speaks of? What topology are the preamps? Common man ...
Where's the fader? You got rid of one of the most important controls on the DJ mixer.
corner liston 🤣
overrated mixer i dont like the layout at all and yes ive played
on one
the dude said this dj did 1000 gigs in 2 years. more then 1 gig per day.
a lot of lies came out of this interview. mixer not being actually discrete. the referred test of many mixers being a scam to favor isonoe, 1000 gigs in 2 years. auch
this guy is wearing a lady sweater and I don't like it,.
Ha ha ha ha
Yeah that reminded me of Mr.Rogers.
It's clearly made by someone who doesn't know what a real dj's want. Is it better sounding than xone 96? Maybe, but it doesn't matter because it has shitty ergonomics. Mixing without faders is pain in the ass. Vinyl is a joke too, because nowadays 100% is cut from digital source(in the vinyl plant) and if we speak about electronic music then it's made in a computer. Nowadays 99% DJ's play with CDJ's and vinyl is just pure marketing item to generate hype and to be reselled later on discogs for 2-3 times the price. This mixer it's not the tool, it's expensive toy for hobbyists.
Fuck off, most of the better house and techno DJs these days play vinyl.
You are a fool.
056 056 A real DJs? U mean producers who DJ to be able to tour and earn money and DJs who are into 320 kb mp3s and wont spend the extra dollar on .wav files...? Most imo «Real» DJs spend 100% of their time listening to other peoples music (cuz producing takes up to much time), organizing the music, play music from a wide range of geners, and their into the soundquality. rotary mixers is not that uncommon among DJs who is really into the sound quality and the whole signal chain that goes into presenting their medium (wav, vinyl, cd, aiff). Mabey u dont see them on EDM festivals used by one gener DJs/producers, but in the smaller clubs run by music lovers their not that hard to come by. Theres actually a talk on YT where some of the most influencial people in the industry come together and complain about how they them selfs have been destroying the industry by booking DJs/producers that knows marketing rather than music. Now their premium clubs is full of people with their cellphones posting on SM, and producers playing short sets using their own tracks and tracks by other people signed to their lable..
Dixon is a real dj, and he obviously wants one and uses it at gigs. in fact i know a lot of real dj's that take their own rotary mixer's to venues, rotary is more about precision when blending a mix, no more difficult then using the eq.
As a DJ who is regularly booked to support internationals to crowds paying money, I cannot agree with you more on your first couple sentences. The 4-channel mixer doesn't even show levels on 3 channels at once... This shows a fundamental lack of understanding of the BASICS of what a 4-channel mixer requires.