dbx

Explore dbx vintage audio equipment in the Vintage Technology Archive.

Compressors

• 160X — dbx 160X single-channel compressor/limiter with Over Easy and hard-knee modes, Infinity+ negative compression, stereo strapping, and 19-LED metering.

Processors

• DriveRack PA2 — dbx DriveRack PA2 loudspeaker management system with AutoEQ, AFS, and iOS/Android control — a live-sound workhorse from the 2010s
• Model 165A — dbx Model 165A — mono OverEasy compressor/limiter from the mid-1980s; $699 list. Little documentation survives. Find specs and period review notes.

Unknown

• 142 — dbx 142 broadcast noise reduction system, introduced around 1977. Very little documented; mentioned in Modern Recording (Feb 1977) and DB Magazine (Dec 1978).
• 202 — dbx 202 — little-documented audio component, mentioned in Studio Sound (July 1989) regarding dynamic range benchmarks. This page has production dates.
• 33 — dbx 33: an obscure, undocumented dbx audio model. No period reviews, specs, or dates located; the honest record is noted here.
• 85 — An obscure, little-documented model — the period record shows only the TASCAM 85-16 recorder with integral dbx noise reduction, not a standalone dbx 85.
• 90 — Little is documented about the dbx 90 as a standalone product name, but a 1983 equipment profile in Audio (March 1983, p.70) describes what appears to be.
• 92 — Little is documented about the dbx 92. An Audio magazine equipment profile (Nov 1986) lists specs: 10 Hz–20 kHz response, 96 dB dynamic range.
• RM-157 — dbx RM-157: obscure four-channel tape noise reduction system for small studios; documented mainly through dbx's 1973–74 launch ads.
• SFX-1 — dbx SFX-1, the controller/processor for the Soundfield One loudspeaker system, with phase-corrected equalization for wide-dispersion stereo imaging.

Other Models

• 160 — A pioneering analog compressor limiter using true RMS level detection and the first commercial Blackmer VCA. With full specifications and production years.
• 160S — dbx 160S compressor/limiter — late-1990s update to the classic 160 line, with PeakStopPlus limiting and the feed-forward dbx heritage.
• 160XT — dbx 160XT single-channel compressor/limiter with true RMS detection, OverEasy/hard-knee modes, and Infinity+ negative ratios.
• Model 158 — dbx Model 158: eight-channel simultaneous encode/decode noise reduction for small multi-track studios, 30dB+ reduction, modular frame with spare module.
• MODEL-100 — dbx Model 100 Subharmonic Synthesizer — late-1970s bass enhancement processor that synthesized a subharmonic octave below the source. Period ad campaign ran in High Fidelity and Audio.
• MODEL-110 — No verified documentation exists for a dbx MODEL-110; the archive declines to fabricate specs for this undocumented designation.
• MODEL-20/20 — dbx 20/20 computerized equalizer/analyzer — octave EQ, real-time analyzer, pink noise and SPL meter in one 19-inch rack unit, with ten storable curves.
• MODEL-21 — dbx Model 21 Disc Decoder — the tape-monitor-loop box that unlocked full-dynamic-range dbx Discs on ordinary stereo systems.
• MODEL-224 — dbx Model 224 Type II tape noise reduction — 85dB open reel, 80dB cassette, $275–$299. Two-chassis companding for home recordists.
• MODEL-700 — dbx Model 700 digital audio processor — CPDM delta-modulation pro unit, $4,600 in 1984, used at WGBH and pro studios.