A highlight of the 2023 NAMM show, the Headliner R2 is a budget conscious rotary style mixer for DJ’s who want to delve into the world of rotary without having to break the bank.
Rotary style mixers have typically been reserved to a small selection of hand made boutique offerings but a recent resurgence in popularity thanks to the likes of Jamie XX and Floating Points have meant that interest in rotaries is higher now than ever. This resurgence in popularity has prompted a stream of releases aimed at entry level users who are keen to swap linear faders for rotary knobs in their setups.
The Headliner R2 is the latest addition to this budget friendly rotary style line up and it lands stacked with features. The R2 is a 2 channel all analogue mixer with both Phono and Line level inputs on both channels as well as an independent mic input. Each channel features a full kill isolator EQ which passes through a hi-pass/low-pass filter on the master channel. The filter includes a resonance control to help sculpt the tone of your filter.
The R2 lands at a price of £399 RRP which makes it significantly cheaper than a number of other rotary options. However, the low price does not reflect a lack of quality. The mixer has an all metal construction and comes as standard with Headliner branded wooden cheeks (which are always a favourite with rotary lovers).
Whilst the R2 can’t compete with some more niche rotary options in terms of sound quality the mixer sounded punchy on our testing and can definitely stand up to a number of other mixers in the same price range in terms of output quality.
Despite the lack of a master isolator, which are synonymous with rotaries, the implementation of a high pass/low pass filter in its place really sets the R2 apart from its competitors. These features along with its rock solid build quality help cement the R2 as a strong option for rotary curious DJ’s on a budget.
