DBX 163x/163a - maybe for Tom Cram?

[Dick Flansen]

I'm sure this is really boring, and Tom is tired of questions about discontinued gear, but... I can't seem to find a definitive answer on this.

I love the 163x, I have several, and on a whim I picked up a 163a. Am I crazy, to think that they sound different? What's really the difference between the X and the A models, really? SHOULD I hear a difference?

If this has already been covered to death, please just point me there and I'll shut up. Thanks!

 

[Tom Cram]

Uh, answer?

They are the same layout but a different board revision. They may have different tolerance parts and that may account for the difference in sound. Also age and state of calibration of the unit may play into the equation. To be truthful, without having both units right here in front of me, it's just speculation on my part.

Let's just say there are a number of different factors that could play into making different rev's sound different?

Tom Cram
dbx Senior Technical Support
(801) 568-7530
tcram@dbxpro.com

"I should have been a plumber."
-Albert Einstein-

 

[Dick Flansen]

Good enough!

I have a pair of 163x's that sound similar, but the 163a definitely has a different character. Not bad, just different...

Thanks for the info!

 

[darrin_h2000]

I wish Dbx would bring back the stuff they built right, like that comp. Im using a dbx118, 163x, 263a. and I love them all, but im not crazy for the new stuff.

 

[Dick Flansen]

I also use a 118, which I picked up for, like, thirty bucks or something ridiculous. I've got a 118, 2 163x's and a 163a - all together, that set me back maybe $165.

And, of course, they're usually the first things I reach for. I LOVE the old DBX stuff... The 118 is a ridiculous steal, even though ebay prices are creeping upwards.

 

[Tom Cram]

I wish Dbx would bring back the stuff they built right, like that comp. Im using a dbx118, 163x, 263a. and I love them all, but im not crazy for the new stuff.

Darrin, I'm not picking on you but, you should have heard what people said about these units when they were released. We wouldn't bring that stuff back for anything. They only became cool after we stopped making them, as usual.

One man's garbage is another man's treasure.

I have a couple of the 119's that I love and will never get rid of, very similar to the 118's. I used to have a couple of the 163x's but they were way too inflexible for me, but they did sound good. And I personally think that 902's smoke 263's in every possible way.

I guarantee that 15-20 years from now people will be talking about how great the Mini-Pre is and they wish we would make it again. In fact, I'll bet you five bucks right now that is what will happen. Get back to me in 15 years...

 

[Dick Flansen]

You know it! Probably a good idea for a new thread, too, "gear that will become classic" - I mean, people dog the mini pre and the tube mp and the little bellari knockoff thing, saying that they sound "funky" or whatever in comparison to REAL preamps... Hey, I'm sure that's the same kinda thing people were saying about all of the now-vintage guitar stompboxes from the 70's; now little noiseboxes like the E.H. stuff are part of people's "signature sound" and they can't live without them, going for $200+ on ebay...

Like those 163x's, for sure they're not particularly flexible and tend to crush everything in their path - which, of course, is why they're beautiful and useful to me...

 

[tutton]

and tend to crush everything in their path - which, of course, is why they're beautiful and useful to me...

I love it
hahahah
your a monster recordist

Tony

 

[MiXit-G]

I just picked up a dbx 163x from a pub for next to nothing.

Just a couple questions:

The hi-Z input is for high impedance signal like guitars and bass right?, and is the trim on the back for?

Are the outputs balanced? and if so is can it be used instead of a DI?

 

[acorec]

I wish Dbx would bring back the stuff they built right, like that comp. Im using a dbx118, 163x, 263a. and I love them all, but im not crazy for the new stuff.

I laugh when I hear this stuff. Not laughing at anybody. I was part of the design team way back in the late 70s. DBX was located in Watertown, Ma. We had an engineering dept and a small assembly dept. While we were trying to get some of these "famous" devices to work as the design was intended, people were marvelling over the "pumping an breathing" effects. These were the artifacts that we were trying to eliminate. There are alot of early hand made DBX devices out there that were built in engineering/manufacturing and anywhere in between. We shipped units with extra switches and other weird stuff used for test beds in engineering. Those "famous" early DBXs were awful, but they sure made great effect boxes. Oh well, I could make a fortune today on the stuff I threw in the dumpster back then....