Sony Intros DJ-Style XROSS Fade
By Geoff Duncan
August 22, 2008
Ever want to be an iPod DJ? Sony's XROSS Fade music system offers dual iPod docks, cross-fading, and 450 watts of music-pumping power.
If you've ever considered getting into the DJ business with a pair if iPods, Sony would love for you to consider the newest entry in its Muteki series of speaker systems> the XROSS Fade LBT-DJ2i music system. The XROSS fade can mix and crossfade music from dual docked iPods as well as external sound sources like CD players, and push it out into a party with 450 watts of amplification.
The XROSS Fade comes with a cross-fader with monitor cue and an integrated two-channel mixer, so aspiring DJs can check an upcoming track through headphones and due it up good and proper before setting it loose on a crowd. DJs can mix two songs together or blend seamlessly between two tracks. The console sports dual scroll wheel navigation without having to fuss with the iPod players themselves, and a USB recording function lets DJs save their sessions in MP3 format without hooking up a Mac or PC. The system also features MP3+ Booster for "restoring" sound lost during MP3 compression, and offers pre-programmed drum loops and percussion that can be dropped in over a mix. Also on board: an AM/FM tuner, side audio inputs, quarter-inch mic input, and a single disc CD player. And, of course, speakers: two separate two-way bass reflex speakers with 5.1-inch drivers and 1.6-inch tweeters, and a dual 7-inch subwoofer.
Sony plans to put the XROSS Fade on sale in September for about $500.