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writes:

Frank Stearns wrote:

I did find a used DBX1066. If you don't hit it too hard it can be quite
effective and transparent. And while there is some sonic loss just looping
through with no GR, it's nowhere nearly as noticeable as the RNC.

Methinks you had a unit in need of repair, which is more rare among
these things than practically anything else on the planet. I can't
imagine a DBX 1066 being more transparent, or having less inline signal
loss. That's a pretty colored device.

But it's no fun getting poor sound no matter what the reason, and it's
a drag to make it right, tweaking or fixing. Glad the DBX is working
out for you.

When I got the 1066, I knew I was walking into VCA crunch land, but the
dealer said try it for a month, bring it back if I hated it. Once I got a
feel for it, things seem to work reasonably well, and I did like the
flexibility of the controls. Doing mostly classical and acoustic work,
compression use is infrequent.

The RNC drove me nuts after a while because I'd use it, think it was sort
of okay, but then soon discovered the sparkle killer aspects. It was used
both at the +4 balanced tape out/balanced console in point and more often
at the unbalanced higher-Z -2 insert points. The effect seemed the same
regardless of which path was used.

It probably does measure flat, and I wouldn't call the "darkening" a loss
of HF (though that's certainly the implication). The realness and
aliveness simply got sucked away.

I dunno. It's the difference, perhaps, between a garden variety mid-level
console mic pre and a Hardy/Grace/Millenia, et al. [Uh oh. Is Kev around?]

For $200, though, it's probably a great box for many applications. Did the
price really go up to $350??

Frank Stearns
Mobile Audio

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