Stanton SK-2F Limited Review
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Stanton SK-2F Limited Staff Review
Stanton SK-2F LIMITED Review:
By: DJ BLAZE (djblaze@djbooth.net)
The Stanton SK-2F LIMITED Mixer is the latest version of Stanton’s Original SK-2 battle mixer. The first Stanton SK-2 battle mixer was a sleek; great performing mixer that met most battle standards. The second iteration of the mixer, Stanton SK-2F, outfitted the mixer the new Butter-Smooth and lightening quick Focus Fader. With this latest version of the Mixer, it has been fitted with the new Focus Fader V2 digital optical crossfader with adjustable curve control, the OS2 optical scratch switches (like mini-faders), and a second headphone output (3.5mm mini jack). Another change from the SK-2F to the SK-2F LIMITED include a new cool Black Paint-job. All of the mixers in the lineup include: two-channel mixer with two phono and line inputs, a separate microphone input, two master outputs, a 3-band EQ and gain.
The first change you will notice on the SK-2F LIMITED is its pleasing All-Black Finish. Gone is the black finish with silver removable panel, and the silver finish with blue panel for a nice all out black-on-black appearance. This will also make it easy to match your gear! The layout of the mixer is almost identical to that of its predecessors.
The input and cross faders are right in the middle where they need to be and free of clutter. Also in the upgrade of this mixer, the input line faders are like mini Focus Faders which you can even perform extremely accurate CRAB scratches with. These mini-line input faders are also fully adjustable 8-position faders! They are neatly located right above the channel faders, while the top half of the mixer (just as the other battle mixers) is dedicated to the 3-Band EQ, Gain Controls, Microphone Controls, Master Controls and Monitoring Controls.
Now we will talk about what everyone really wants to know about…the faders. The SK-2F LIMITED is marketed towards mainly battle and Scratch minded DJ’s but this is also a versatile mixer and can still hold its own in the mixing category. The Focus Fader V2 was an awesome fader and ahead of its time and now in 2006 it still is in its own right. The movement of the Focus Fader is the slickest I, or anybody else, will ever use. There are no contact points whatsoever and it is fully optical in design. The fader is so sensitive that it can be moved from right to left by simply lifting one side of the mixer and giving it a slight tilt. On this mixer with the new Focus Fader V2, you can fully adjust the crossfader curve from remarkably sharp, (with optics providing a true on/off cut rather than a sharp fade), all the way to a full flawless fade! The original Focus Fader V1 found on the regular SK-2F can only be set at sharp cut and curve adjustment was over-ridden (the only way to mix on it was to connect the original fader also included). Whether the Focus Fader V2 is for you is all up to personal preference. The fader is crazy fast, and can, at times, be a little difficult to control if you aren’t watching over it very carefully. The SK-2F LIMITED, just like the SK-2F, comes with an original Stanton SK-2 Crossfader which is more designed for general mixing, but it surprisingly still has a remarkable cut in time if curve adjustment is set accordingly. All of the faders on the SK-2F LIMITED have reverse switch and curve control including the Focus Fader V2! The Line faders have a choice of three curve assignments which are cut, short fade, and long fade.
The Stanton SK-2F LIMITED is fitted with a nice 3-band EQ (+9/ -26 dB on the channels, and +/-12dB on the microphone). There are also gain and pan controls on each channel, including the microphone, and a helpful cue-pan control so that you can listen to both channels at the same time. And the Cue also has a selection of Master or Cue Mode so that you can hear your mix in the headphones while you are performing. This is very helpful in a situation where your monitor may not be around or you are just doing a few practices to yourself.
In conclusion, the Stanton SK-2F LIMITED mixer is absolutely great! I had a lot of fun with this mixer even though it was created years ago. The build is still solid and relevant to today’s mixers. The features are excellent, and the all-round performance is up there with the best of them. The crossfader is also fully interchangeable with new P&G style faders and the new critically acclaimed Pro-X-Fader. The design of the SK-2F series is marketed towards scratch-minded DJ’s, but with an awesome 3-BAND EQ and sound quality it won’t be taken lightly when putting down a mix.
Stanton SK-2F Limited Features
The SK-2F Limited is a modified version of the SK-2F with new added features. First of the all, the Limited sports a second generation focus fader. Unlike the first generation focus fader, vesion 2 is able to be used with the curve adjustment, allowing a gradual mix or the standard clean cut. Secondly, the SK-2F Limited's line/phono switches use Stanton's OS2 technology (optical scratch switch). These allow cutting to be done with the line/phono switch, giving scratch DJs more freedom. Lastly, the SK-2F Limited also includes a new headphone output using a 3.5mm jack.
- 3 band EQ (-26, +9 dB), balance
- OS2 line/phono switches
- Includes Focus Fader vesion 2
- 3.5mm Headphone output
- Crossfader reverse and curve adjustment
- Headphone mute
- Bar Graph LED
- Curve adjustment for each channel fader
- Prefader Cue, Postfader Cue
- Single mic input with a 3 band EQ
- RCA and quarter inch outputs
- Inputs: 2 phono, 2 line, 1 mic
- Length: 14.5" Width: 10.25" Height: 3.14"
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