Teac DX-2B
A two-channel dbx outboard box that plugged directly into the tape machine's own rear-panel loop. No line-level matching, no meters to babysit.
Overview
The DX-2B is a two-channel dbx noise-reduction unit built by Teac as an optional accessory. It is not a standalone processor in the usual sense. The difference from a generic outboard encoder/decoder is where it connects. The rear panels of certain Teac tape machines carry two pairs of special inputs and outputs - eight phono sockets in total, normally joined by shorting links. These let the dbx encode and decode circuits be inserted directly at the proper point inside the recorder's record and playback amplifiers. Owners report that this sidesteps the business of matching line-in and line-out levels, and that the host machine's mic inputs, level controls, and VU metering all work exactly as normal once the unit is patched in.
The host deck also has a multiway connector that lets the DX-2B switch modes automatically, encoding during record and decoding during replay. The operator never has to remember which way the box is running. That is the real argument for buying Teac's own unit over a third-party dbx box: functionally, it becomes part of the tape machine.
The DX-2B was sold as an optional extra for the Teac 32-2 (and its later 32-2B revision), the two-track quarter-inch machine that the British press grouped with the Revox B77, the Neal/Ferrograph SP7, and the Otari MX5050 in the budget-professional class. Period coverage describes the recorder as a two-track machine with FG servo capstan, full IC logic transport, memory stop, and an "optional DX-2B plug-in dbx noise-reduction module". That is the wording of a magazine that treated the box as part of the deck's feature set rather than a separate product.
Pricing shows how the unit was positioned. British dealer listings of the period put the DX-2B at £303.48 plus VAT as an optional extra, next to the 32-2's £433.91 base price. That is roughly two-thirds the cost of the recorder itself, enough money to make a buyer think hard about whether dbx was the answer to their noise problem. Later clearance and secondhand listings show the box dropping in price fast. One dealer advertised new-old-stock DX-2B units at £199 including VAT, and a private classified in Electronics & Music Maker offered an unused-in-box example at £175.
The 32-2's own limits shaped what the DX-2B could do for its owner. The recorder could only record on both left and right tracks together, which ruled out sound-on-sound and similar tricks as it stood. The British review noted that a reasonably proficient soldering-iron user could rewire the safe/ready switch to enable separate-track recording, or repurpose the mic attenuation switch. The Teac's microphone preamplifier had enough headroom to handle high-output capacitor models, so the attenuation switch was somewhat redundant. None of this is the DX-2B's fault. The unit was bought for a two-track deck with a noise problem and no bounce capability, and dbx was the sanctioned answer.
The comparison table from the same period review gives a reality check on the 32-2 platform the DX-2B was built to serve. Against the Revox B77, the Neal/Ferrograph SP7, and the Otari MX5050, the Teac scored well on tape threading and ease of operation, less well on transport logic and VU metering, and was judged good value for money at its price.
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