As far as equipment bulk goes, digital DJs can have a much easier time of it than their vinyl spinning and scratching counterparts. But even if your groove controller of choice is something as portable as Pioneer's DDJ-WeGO3 or as compact as IK Multimedia's iRig MIX, the loudspeakers that will get you heard above the party chatter can add significant weight to a gig bag. The UK's Tibo Electronics has taken an all-in-one approach with its new Urban 500 DJ station, which sits a media controller atop a 500 W speaker tower with wheels on the bottom to help you trundle to your next gig.
Dominating the front of the 48.5 x 40.2 x 98.5 cm (19 x 16.5 x 39 in), 35 kg (77 lb) Urban 500 are two speakers and a horn tweeter, with an integrated multi-colored lighting effect that pulses to the music. After removing the top cover (which converts into a laptop stand), users can start to feed tunes and beats into the 2-channel mixing desk via two USB ports or over Bluetooth from a paired mobile device.
The desk's two large jog and shuttle wheels are surrounded by buttons, knobs and faders for controlling playback, cueing, volume and mix, LCD displays with LED backlighting offer visual status feedback, while LED dB level meters help users keep output clipping and distortion in check. The system includes sound effects, a 3-band EQ and loop and re-loop functionality with three hot cues, loop adjust, sound effect, BPM, sync, loop in/out, reloop and master tempo/pitch options.
The unit also sports inputs for phono or line devices and MIDI over USB capabilities to connect to a laptop running the included Virtual DJ software or other host application. On either side of the Urban 500's metal handle at the rear of the tower are two XLR inputs, a microphone input and a headphone jack for monitoring.
The Tibo Urban 500 is available now and carries a recommended retail price of £700 (about US$1,000, though there's no word on whether this unit will be released in the US).
The video below outlines the main features.
Product page: Urban 500