AlphaTheta Corporation announced the release of the company’s first-ever rotary mixer: the euphonia. The 4-channel mixer is the also the first piece of hardware from the company that features the AlphaTheta brand logo, replacing the Pioneer DJ branding. euphonia is a combination digital/analog mixer with rotary faders that features a custom-designed 3Band Master Isolator, built-in Send FX, and more.
Let’s take a look.
Key features
The euphonia weighs in at just under 21 lbs – notably lighter compared to Pioneer’s other mixers like the A9 (almost 29 lbs) and V10 (37 lbs). The new mixer offers a refreshing layout and a swath of rotary features and effects including:
- Four rotary faders with a new design and feel – Elastomer has been applied to the outside of each knob to absorb any vibration, and optimum weighting has been integrated so DJs will feel a difference in the knobs as they turn them at different speeds.
- Digital quality sound with an analog finesse – the euphonia uses HQ 32-bit A/D and D/A converters + 96 kHz/64-bit floating point mixing processing operations in the digital signal processor (DSP). Sound then passes thru a transformer circuit designed in collaboration with Rupert Neve Designs, a company known for its analog audio circuitry.
- 3Band Master Isolator – You’ll find the three knobs on the top left of the mixer. By default the knobs live at the center and can be turned left or right to reach minimum or maximum. This is notably an interesting decision on AlphaTheta’s part to place the knobs at 12:00 that are common with their other mixers – it seems surprising they’d stick with that sort of build particularly since so many rotaries have a full-range EQ that start all the way at the left (a theme we also saw with the V10’s filter knob). I would’ve expected the company’s first rotary mixer to be built more in-line with rotaries on the market already. You can also utilize three boost levels: +12dB for dynamic performances, +6dB for sound quality adjustments, and 0dB for reverb effects that won’t affect the volume at all.
- Energy Visualizer with a Mix Level Meter – Directly to the right of the isolators is the Energy Visualizer and a new Mix Level Meter built specifically for euphonia, which offers a needle for every channel so you can more easily monitor your mixing and track volume levels.
- 5 built-in Send FX and a High-Pass Filter – including Delay, Tape Echo, Echo Verb, Reverb, and Shimmer. The Send/Return knobs also allow DJs to connect external effect units and adjust each channel to customize the level of said effect to their liking. Plus, you can push any of the Send FX to the Master Isolator frequency bands.
- Inputs – 4x digital ins (coaxial), 4x line ins (RCA), 4x phono ins (RCA), and a Mic in (XLR & 1/4″ TRS jack)
- Outputs – 1 each of the Master, Booth, and Recording outputs, as well as two headphone jacks (a 1/4″ and a 3.5mm)
- Built-in USB Type-C audio interface for PC/Mac
- 2-Band Booth EQ
- Lockable power cord
- Compatible with both rekordbox and Serato DJ Pro
A $3,799 Pricetag
The $3,799 cost for the euphonia comes with something of a sticker shock, though – especially when you consider the state of the current economy, the ongoing commentary about how the music industry is struggling in an array of places, and the fact that this is the first full rotary mixer we’re seeing from the once-lovingly-known-as-Pioneer DJ, AlphaTheta brand. It’s an interesting jump to the other end of the cost spectrum when you look at other well-established rotary mixer companies like Headliner, who announced their $599.99 R4 mixer at NAMM earlier this year that clearly was priced with a more budget-friendly approach in mind.
When you’re considering dropping $3.8k on a mixer from the company – one more expensive than Pioneer DJ’s DJM-V10, which costs $3,499 – we’re curious to see how much of an appeal this will have to rotary-loving DJs and gear lovers. It’s a premium mixer at an undoubtedly premium cost.
AlphaTheta’s euphonia is expected to be available in-store later this month for $3,799. What do you think about the mixer – would you buy it? What do you love about it, and what would you want to see changed or added? Let us know in the comments below.