dbx 166...

[tc4b]

I decided on a 166 for a dedicated bass compressor and went hunting on ebay. Can anyone here tell me the differences between various 166's? I mean, there's the 166xl, the 166a, the plain ol' 166, maybe even more. Are they all basically the same unit? Has anyone here ever used different 166's and noticed a difference? Thanks for your help.

 

[SonicAlbert]

DBX has a habit of keeping names the same or similar while at the same time redesigning the innards of the gear. A current model 166a is very different from a vintage 166.

I've owned both and prefer the vintage 166, which is what I still have in my rack. The difference is kind of hard to describe other than I just like the way the old sounds a bit better. The new version is still a good compressor though.

The DBX 160X 160XT, or 160A also make an excellent bass compressor in my opinion.

 

[dementedchord]

cant say i know the differences but i have an XL and love it... solid performer and the QC is tight so your not gonna find a "bad" one... i you use it here and in my live keyboard rig as well...

 

[tc4b]

DBX has a habit of keeping names the same or similar while at the same time redesigning the innards of the gear. A current model 166a is very different from a vintage 166.

I've owned both and prefer the vintage 166, which is what I still have in my rack. The difference is kind of hard to describe other than I just like the way the old sounds a bit better. The new version is still a good compressor though.

The DBX 160X 160XT, or 160A also make an excellent bass compressor in my opinion.

I love the 160, but the 166 is so much cheaper per channel of compression. I have a sansamp RBI in the rack to record with, but eventually I'd like to add a cab to mic as well. Frankly, I just wanted a combo in the first place, but the RBI sounded so much better for the money, and I don't play out on bass at all. Anyhow, I'd like to use one channel of compression for the DI and one for the cab mic. So, I'm looking at either 2 160's or one 166. This will all be part of my dedicated bass channel. Feel free to explain to me what's wrong with my thinking.