DBX 376: Your opinion

  • Thread starter Thread starter Beathoven
  • Start date Start date

Would you buy this unit if you had the cash and would be recording with a C1?

  • Yes

    Votes: 3 33.3%

  • No

    Votes: 6 66.7%
  • Total voters
    9
By the way...

... what do y'all think of my new avatar?! Annoying, heh? Just like me :D

Beathoven
 
Last thing... does this unit has Phantom Power? Don't seem to be mentionned anywhere...

Thanks in advance,
Beathoven
 
OK, for those who answered 'No' to the poll, could you please tell me why you wouldn't buy it?

Beathoven
 
But why?! And could you suggest me something else?

Thanks in advance,
Beathoven
 
It does have phantom power, as do most all mic pre's I'm aware of (though some of the cheap ones can't keep it at 48V).

Here's a very positive review of the dbx 376:

http://www.proaudioreview.com/par/october01/DBX.shtml

I voted 'no', and I'll tell you why: for the price, you could do much better. dbx is not exactly known for their preamps, and even their more recent compressors (the products they ARE known for) are not well-respected. If you're looking for one of these "all-in-one" units, I would look into the Focusrite Penta, Symetrix 528/528E, or even some of the Joe Meeks. On the other hand, that $500 you'd spend on the 376 would buy you an M-Audio DMP3 and an RNC and leave you with a month's worth of lunch money.
 
I looked at the Focusrite and I was wondering what type of 'amplification' does it use? Tube? Optical?

Beathoven
 
Useful Info

I have the dbx 376. though I won't say it is the worst instrument in my rack, it is certainly not the best and I am disappointed in the sound quality. Tends to be a little grainly. I use it with a RODE NT1. By no means do I think it sounds bad. It is clean, warm etc. but...as the man before me said, you could probably do better for the money. In general, I think that budget do-it-all instruments tend to come up short in all respects and so there is no one unit in this price range that will sound like six thousand dollars worth of individual processing. In the end, you must listen to the device as carefully as the real world will allow before you purchase and then purchase from womeplace with an exchange policy. Then you can try it out under circumstances wherein you have a reasonable chance of knowing what the instrument does and this is particularly what it does WITHIN YOUR SYSTEM! Something I fell I have overlooked all too often.
 
Re: Useful Info

Jeroleen said:
In general, I think that budget do-it-all instruments tend to come up short in all respects and so there is no one unit in this price range that will sound like six thousand dollars worth of individual processing.
Click to expand...

Maybe not, but I think--as do many others--that there is at least one unit out there (Joemeek VC1Qcs $599) that performs the "all-in-one-task" quite admirablly.

The Presonus VXP (Bruce Valeria uses one) and the ART Pro Channel are also reported to be excellent all-in-one boxes and great values.

http://www.prorec.com/prorec/articles.nsf/articles/06E03733904615448625687A008135A4

http://www.prorec.com/prorec/articl...052ce8cb2faac9818625687a00752a7b?OpenDocument
 
The VXP is not an all in one box if youre looking for something thatll do both clean and dirty. Ive used an mp20 (the same pre as in the VXP) for a little while and there is barely a hair of a dif bet that pre and Maudio's DMP2 pres. The DMP2s may be a drop airier, or they may not. In blind tests I did, it was impossible to tell the dif. And thats with layering tracks. The DMP2s (or the DMP3s which are the upgrade) can be had for under $200 for 2 pres. The MP20 and the VXP both go for $500. Really not worth the money IMO.
The only reason to my mind that the MP20/VXP units enjoy such unqualified respect is bec their 8 channel pre, the M80, is used by several mid level studios as a cleaner alternative to mackie and some board pres. I will say they are very clean at high gain where Maudio was a bit noisier but still clean. If youre not working with high gains as I dont usually have a need to turn the gain beyond the 12 o clock, (which I dont unless Im room micing or micing overheads) then you really should save your money. Especially if youre looking for diversity. Presonus pres are not diverse. The IDSS just covers the top end and slightly boosts the low mids, barely noticably. Get a meek or mindprint which are much more diverse.
 
Anyone own the Penta and could tell us about how it sounds and if he/she likes it?

Thanks in advance,
Beathoven
 
JuSumPilgrim,

The DMP2 may be everything you say it is, and that would be a good thing. Gidge sings its praises, also. So I'm inclined to believe you. But "all-in-one" box refers to a mic pre, compression, and eq--all in one box--not clean and dirty. The DMP2 doesn't have compression or eq. The VXP does. There's a significant difference between having these features and not having them.
 
If you got in on the Mars DMP2 deal, or even if you didn't, then there's a significant difference in price as well. DMP2 + RNC is still cheaper, and EQ can be done pretty nicely in software. Still, I understand the appeal of one box that does it all, but they can lack flexibility in certain situations. You may not be able to do things in the order you want...like de-ess after EQ, etc. The Symetrix 528/528E avoid this limitation by including I/Os for each stage of the unit. And even then, WTF do you do if you really like the compressor but aren't too fond of the preamps? You can't sell it and get something better. Half the functionality you paid for is wasted.

The ultimate flexibility is still in buying separate components.
 
Amen Dolemite. Buying separate units gives you more combination options. For sure.

Tdukex, I was comparing the DMP2 and the MP20 which are both dual channel pres. One is $500 and one went for under $200. They are very similar in sound...really clean, sparkly and airy. The only real dif between them is the $300 price differential.
 
Right on. I'm looking forward to hearing what the DMP3 can do. The competetion in the prosumer market is so fierce it keeps driving the quality up and the prices down. It's a good time to be a home-recordist.:)
 
Beathoven was asking about the Penta up there, so here goes:

I like it quite a bit. The compression is much nicer than my nady and my art (of course), the tube effect is tasteful, the stereoizer effect has its applications, and the preamp is nice and transparent. I haven't had much experience with a bunch of other preamps (the blue tube and the Tube MP are the only other preamps I have used) but the Penta is much better than those, and blows the preamps from my mixer (a Fostex 450) out of the water.

So, to sum it up: I quite like my Penta.
 
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