Behringer ULTRADRIVE PRO DCX-2496
A digital speaker-management processor with three inputs, six outputs, and more crossover and EQ control than most home studios can use.
Overview
The ULTRADRIVE PRO DCX-2496 is Behringer's digital loudspeaker-management processor. The owner's manual calls it "um sistema de gestão de altifalantes digital de primeira qualidade" - a first-quality digital speaker-management system, pitched at both live-sound and studio applications. The box is basically a diplexer on steroids. The manual's introduction lays out the logic. A single driver can't reproduce the entire audible spectrum with equal quality, so you split the signal into bands, feed each band to the driver that handles it best, and avoid the intermodulation distortion that comes from asking one cone to do everything. The DCX-2496 does the splitting, with a maximum of six outputs.
The architecture is specific. There are three balanced analog inputs (A, B, and C), each with its own six-digit LED level meter plus a CLIP indicator. There are six outputs, each with a five-digit meter plus MUTE, CLIP, and LIMIT LEDs. The front panel is dense with channel keys, a data wheel, and a display that walks you through the routing, setup, and parameter pages. The manual admits this is not a plug-and-play box for the impatient. It has a whole "Quick Start" chapter for users who want to get moving, then warns that the chapter is merely a starting point and that the full manual should be read to exhaust the unit's functions.
Each channel gets a serious amount of processing. Each input channel can use delay, EQ, or a dynamic EQ. Each output channel can provide crossover functions, EQ, dynamic EQ, limiting, and delays. Crossover points are set per output, with selectable filter types on each flank of each band. When the X-OVER ADJUST MODE is set to "LINK," adjacent frequency bands shift together when you move a crossover point, according to the manual. That saves a lot of re-tweaking on a multi-way system.
The input and output gain stages each span -15 to +15 dB. The manual is emphatic about watching the CLIP LEDs on both sides, since overdriving either the inputs or the outputs produces "distorções digitais desagradáveis" - unpleasant digital distortion. Output naming is handled through a preset list rather than free text. You pick from names like LEFT LOW-MID, RIGHT HI-MID, or SUBWOOFER, and the assignment is automatic depending on the selected output configuration. Input names allow up to eight characters of your own choosing.
Output configuration is where the flexibility shows. There's one mono mode, which takes input A and splits it into six frequency bands, and three stereo modes. The stereo 3-way LMHLMH configuration routes input A to outputs 1, 2, and 3 and input B to outputs 4, 5, and 6. A second 3-way arrangement interleaves the two channels across the outputs. The stereo 2-way configuration uses all three inputs, with A feeding outputs 1 and 2, B feeding 3 and 4, and C feeding 5 and 6. The manual flags this as suitable for a 3x2-way speaker system, such as triple bi-amping. An OUT STEREO-LINK function lets you decide whether processing like EQ and limiting applies to linked outputs together or independently, and the display draws connecting lines between linked channels.
The I/O is servo-balanced on both inputs and outputs, with automatic noise rejection on balanced signals. The servo function recognizes unbalanced connectors and internally corrects the nominal level by 6 dB, so there's no mismatch between input and output. The manual also notes that the unit ships with a mains cable and that all connected equipment must be properly earthed. That's standard safety language, but it applies to anyone racking one of these into a live rig.
There's a PCMCIA slot on the front panel for a 5 V ATA Flash card (minimum 4 MB), used to move files between the DCX-2496 and a PC. The manual caps storage at 60 presets regardless of card capacity. A COMPARE key lets you A/B your current edits against the previously selected preset, and while COMPARE is active, value changes are locked out. That's handy when you're tweaking a crossover by ear and want to hear the before-and-after without committing. Setup also includes a Dly-Corr./Auto-Align routine. It measures propagation-time differences, phase offsets, and polarity between outputs using a test noise signal, then calculates and applies the best delay values automatically. It needs at least two outputs unmuted to run, and if the test noise is too low it refuses and tells you so.
The DCX-2496 also has an RS-232/RS-485 serial connection for PC control. According to coverage in Audio-Express (July 2004, p.35), the software lets you change crossover points or EQ center frequencies and Q on the fly with a mouse, and settings are saved to memory on the unit. The same publication, in its September 2003 issue (p.64), described the DCX-2496 as offering a way of speaker control with a huge feature list and equally impressive performance specs. The reviewer also said he was waiting for the unit to hit the streets specifically to use it for speaker building. Mix-Magazine (April 2008, p.68) noted that the unit's control and mute functions can also be operated by an AMX NetLinx system, so it found its way into installed-sound racks as well as studio and live rigs.
For anyone building or tuning a multi-way speaker system, the appeal is plain: parametric EQ, dynamic EQ, limiting, and delay on every output, three inputs, and a crossover section with selectable filter types. The Audio-Express reviewer noted that a midrange bump no longer requires outboard Zobels, because the parametric EQ is right there. The unit assumes you know what you're doing, and you'll need to read the manual.
Similar items on eBay
No exact Behringer DCX-2496 listings are live right now — these searches show current Behringer and similar vintage synth gear on eBay:
As an eBay Partner, we earn from qualifying purchases. This helps support our independent vintage technology research.