DENON DJ UNVEILS FLAGSHIP DIGITAL MIXER, THE DN-X1700
(Denon | Posted 2009-05-19)
ITASCA, IL, May 19, 2009 -- Denon DJ, a leading manufacturer of reliable, premium-grade DJ equipment, unveils its flagship DN-X1700 Digital Mixer. The DN-X1700 represents an important achievement by Denon's R&D department, which, during the development process, worked closely with some of the top professionals in the industry, gaining key input on its design and functionality. The result is a market driven professional digital mixer that is best in its class. Years of consultation and design have gone into the development of a mixer of this caliber, and nothing in its specification and construction has been sacrificed. Meticulous attention to detail, layout and component quality make operation of the DN-X1700 extremely intuitive, and Denon's engineers have provided every capability professional DJs will require: working with vinyl, CD, digital files, DJ software applications via laptops and USB storage devices.
The immediately impressive aspect of the four-channel "industry standard"-size table-top design is the simple spacious layout, with highly tactile controls widely and logically laid out to enable easy operation during performance. This features large high-quality rubberized knobs, studio quality 60-mm Alps K Series channel faders, 45-mm FLEX cross fader, high visibility color LCD display, extended 24-point LED channel and output metering and LED ring metering around the control knobs.
In operation, principal features related to the power and flexibility of the DN-X1700 are its Matrix Input Assignment with digital input and MIDI / USB audio, independent and three-band EQ with Kill on each channel and dual independent EFX processors. The two EFX processors are located together, with the 3.5" TFT color LCD positioned directly above, for ease of operation. Specific parameters for each of the 11 different effects can be linked to the beats per minute (BPM) of every track passing through the mixer. In addition to the new Beat Breaker effect, each effect's processor has other popular effects including delay, echo, transform, flanger, filer, phaser, reverberation, looping, reverse looping and pitch shift. Either one or other or both EFX are selectable per channel, and combined EFX operation is available. External effectors are also supported and can be easily routed through either effects block.
Each mixer channel has a discrete MIDI layer, enabling external control of various PC and MacŪ Audio / Video DJ software applications, with the LED ring indicators switching color to indicate MIDI operation. A five-pin DIN MIDI output terminal with Start/Stop MIDI clock action is also available. USB audio I/O extends to eight mono/ four stereo in / out, making the mixer an extremely high quality USB audio interface. Individual user settings - including those for audio, system and MIDI settings - can be exported and imported in file format and saved to a USB memory device, HDD, laptop, etc. This allows users to export their personal system settings to another DN-X1700 mixer when traveling abroad without it.
The 32-bit floating point DSP engine at the heart of the DN-X1700 is state-of-the-art. It delivers a level of processing power that provides exceptional performance in terms of signal processing quality and control. To match this processing power, Denon has equipped the DN-X1700 with 32-bit digital analog conversion at the audio output stage. Even the world's best-selling DJ mixers, CD / DVD players and home theater systems boast only 24-bit DA conversion; 32-bit conversion provides additional "headroom" in the conversion process, providing an analog output signal with greater resolution and frequency response. The resulting ultra wideband output signal makes the DN-X1700 one of the best sounding pieces of digital audio equipment ever made for the DJ market.
Sound quality is paramount in the DN-X1700. Much of the component layout is derived directly from Denon's award-winning top-of-the-line A/V and audiophile products. This extends to discrete series and switching power supplies, respectively, for the analog and digital signal paths, and an R-core low noise transformer and custom-made capacitors. Vinyl quality is given special attention with a high grade phono FET equalizer circuit, derived from the "Pure Amp" circuitry from one of Denon's audiophile stereo amplifier; this features an 88 dB signal-to-noise ratio and performance specifications to complement the output of the best cartridges.
Digital audio inputs and USB ports enable direct digital connection of CD decks, laptops, Media Players and the like - avoiding degradation of input signals by analog connections and soundcards of varying quality, and multiple digital analog and analog digital conversions; The included ASIO driver & Application ensures low latency from PC soundcards. The attention to sound quality extends to a high quality, low noise discrete microphone pre-amp and high power discrete headphone amplifier.
What makes the DN-X1700 complete for any style DJ is its powerful and extensive Utility mode that offers various customized user settings for, Audio, System, MIDI and Owner's setting for the onboard Limiter that protects expensive speakers, amps and other gear in a club environment.
