As we celebrate the best of 2021 and look forward to 2022, the Alpha Recording System Model 9100 takes the award for best new DJ mixer.
Teased via Instagram in January before landing in stock later in the year, the Alpha Recording System Model 9100 is our favourite DJ mixer of 2021.
We make no bones about the fact we’re big fans of ARS here at Juno. The Tokyo brand is devastatingly consistent when it comes to DJ mixers, crossovers and isolators. Also available in a version with wooden end cheeks, the Model 9100 rotary mixer is effectively an evolution of the brand’s Model 9000, a four-channel, tabletop design which packs plenty of neat design touches alongside the kind of high-end audiophile sound the brand is known for.
There are clever updates and additions to the Model 9000 formula all over the 9100, from the VU meters to the adjustable effects sends and LED cue indicators. The 9100’s three-band master isolator is also complemented by versatile hybrid three-band iso-EQs on the channels (standard ±12 dB high and mid band EQs, plus a low frequency +6 dB/-∞ isolator).
In summary, it’s a joy to use and a mixer with genuinely top-notch sound quality. It’s certainly not cheap, but once you get your hands on the 9100 you can understand what you’re paying for, as we explained in our recent video:
The Model 9100 is unashamedly high-end. It’s a true premium experience from start to finish, handmade in Japan from carefully selected components in order to offer a true audiophile experience. The brand’s ethos is very much inspired by classic audio gear of the 1970s, but the hints of Bozak and UREI DNA don’t mean ARS are slaves to being retro. The Model 9100 is a mixer for the 21st century, based on classic design philosophy.
The Alpha Recording System Model 9100W is in stock now, priced at £3,055.