with his release, the swing was out of the gate Omnis-Duo all-in-one DJ controller and Wave – Eight speaker today. The two products are the first under the company’s new name since its rebrand from Pioneer DJ, although both brands are expected to co-exist for now. It coincides with the beginning NAMM event this week and it is also the 30th anniversary of the landmark event .
Both the controller and speaker are rich in connectivity and battery power, making them an attractive choice for mobile DJs. Record box It’s a must-have right now for either direct play or file preparation, and the software comes bundled with the Omnis-Duo controller. Serato DJ Lite support is expected later this summer and the software should already be integrated with the product. Wave-Eight is more flexible and can work with any audio source that has an RCA output.
Omnis-Duo
The Omnis-Duo ($1,499) is designed to be portable, but it also packs some high-end technology. It’s a 10-pound device with what the company says is a fairly discreet and minimal style, given its 20 x 12 x 3-inch dimensions. Below each is a two-channel mixer surrounded by two jog wheels and eight performance pads, though these only work for hot cues and only have white LED lighting. Up top you’ll find an XDJ-style workflow and a touchscreen with both light and dark modes. The screen is flat and not angled upwards for easier viewing.
You get dedicated controls for volume, EQ, playback, pitch, and beat jump and beat loop. There are also eight types of beat FX and six types of timbre FX to choose from, but expect some touchscreen coordination to choose which channel to apply.
On the front edge, you’ll find both 1/4-inch and 3.5mm stereo headphone jacks. The rear panel displays a wide selection of options for USB-A, SD cards and USB-C laptop input alongside a USB-C charging port, allowing you to use a power bank or AC adapter to charge the battery. The system has an eco mode that should give you around five hours of runtime when fully charged, and if things look bad.
As for wireless connections, there’s a new Bluetooth input option. People can find and connect to Omnis-Duo in their mobile device settings. If the phone has the files, the DJ should actually be able to select, load and play the files in his set with effects and all. It’s not entirely clear yet, but the other option is likely normal playback from a connected Bluetooth device via a controller. This is for one user at a time as multipoint is not supported. There’s also a wireless output option for connecting to a Wave-Eight speaker using a SonicLink Bluetooth transmitter that plugs into the RCA outputs.
You can use CloudDirectPlay to access cloud file storage via a wirelessly connected computer or Rekordbox-enabled mobile device for Wi-Fi connectivity. Additionally, you can use Rekordbox Link Export to select and play tracks directly from a connected device running the app.
Wave – Eight
The Wave-Eight speaker is not part of a bundled release, but is simply a great pairing with the Omnis-Duo given its portability, battery life and wireless capabilities. This speaker has an 8-inch driver and what the company calls a “Vortex Bass Accelerator” for its output. The 28-pound build includes an extendable handle and wheels for luggage-style rolling, plus several handy handles for carrying local cargo.
You can mount it on a stand with a pole socket, so it’s a proper PA speaker, and it’s IPX4 rated, so it’s good for outdoors unless it really starts to rain. There’s an onboard battery that should give you about eight hours of playtime on a charge, and it takes about four hours or so of charging to get back to a hundred percent. Obviously, if you have an outlet nearby, you can use it as a powered speaker all night long.
What makes this speaker interesting is the removable AlphaTheta driver with SonicLink technology. Each speaker comes with a transmitter built into the side panel. They have an RCA input and a USB-C cable. With a speaker, you remove the transmitter and plug it into the RCA output from your audio setup. Then go back to the speaker and set it to connect wirelessly via SonicLink. Once connected this way, it should show a green light on the front panel so you can confirm the status remotely.
If you have a second speaker, you take its transmitter and plug it into the first speaker via the USB-C port. This will transmit the audio to the second device you set to connect via SonicLink (etc.). Speakers are supported left and right for stereo delivery, as well as via a channel selector button on the back.
To make things more interesting, each speaker has different audio output settings including Music, Music (Low Cut), Flat, Flat (Low Cut), Vocal and Subwoofer modes. This means that each Wave-Eight speaker can be set as top or bottom. If you want, you can put one speaker on low and use the other as a subwoofer accompaniment.
SonicLink is said to provide a lag-free listening experience, so there should be no lag and you can adjust from output to ear. Of course, you can also send audio to a single Wave-Eight via a normal Bluetooth signal and expand to more speakers as before. However, this time you are subject to the vagaries of a normal Bluetooth signal in terms of potential audio delays.
An interesting thing about Wave-Eight is that wired connections (except for power) are not mentioned anywhere in the press. You can use the speakers via Bluetooth or with a SonicLink transmitter from any device with an RCA output. We asked for clarification, but at this point we believe it only supports wireless connections. We’re still curious about the Bluetooth range for these devices, but expect it to fall within the normal range of around 30 feet.
AlphaTheta has chosen an interesting combination of high-end features, wireless connectivity and battery-powered portability. While they aren’t cheap, there’s more than enough in both products to balance the equation.
The all-in-one DJ controller ($1,499) and speaker ($899) is available starting today.
Features of Omnis-Duo:
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19.7 x 12.1 x 2.8 inches
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Bluetooth 5.2
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Wireless LAN: 2.4Ghz / 5GHz, IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
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Audio codecs: SBC, AAC
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~5 hours battery life (47.52Wh rechargeable lithium-ion)
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~3 hour charging time
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Weight: 10 lbs
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Introduction:
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Output:
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Master 1: XLR
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Booth Master 2: RCA / RCA – SonicLink transmitter (Bluetooth, no delay)
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On-board Bluetooth output (normal with delay)
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Wave-Eight Features:
