BBE 462 Sonic Maximizer

Couldn't be easier! Two knobs per channel, a low contour knob, and a process control, wich seems to affect the highs.Turn them to the 12:00 setting, and adjust from there.

I use my BBE in the effects loop of my Line6 Flextone3,or in the loop of my Carvin X100B.I also use it for all my home recordings.It adds a clarity to the sound, and enhances the low end,a must for any mix down! It REALLY cuts out the muddiness!It is very quiet! never any added noise.IT always sounds better with the BBE!

Had mine for 15yrs, never a problem! It's in a RACK!

Never neeeded it!

I play classic rock,motown,blues and some progressive rock. Iv'e been playing for 32 yrs, I play a Parker Nitefly guitar, A Line6 Flextone3 amp, or my Carvin X100B amp.I use a ADA MP-1 tube preamp with both of theese amps,I also Have a 16 track Yamaha Digital recorder and asst FX in my home studio.I would have to replace this if it were stolen or died on me, it's just too important not to!I love it;s ease of use and the big difffernce it makes in my sound.I didn;t compare this to other devices, because I know the BBE is the best out there! Over the years my BBE has helped me on countless recordings, I;m just now starting to use it in live applications.But i must say, it does seem to have a greater affect on a whole recording or band, than on just a single instrument.

Easy to use......just set it at 12 o'clock and increase or decrease the knobs until the sound is right!

I have two in one rack before and after my 2 DOD EQ's And have in my final rack(BBE 362) splitting into the effects loop and the front plug in of my Carvin X-100 B, to give it a polished sound every step of the way.

Had it since 1997 and it's still sounds great!

Never needed their help !

Very great sounding. I have two(462's) in 1 effects rack, one 362 for the amps(split)effects loop and front plug in......couldn't sound any better! I plan on getting the pedal version to put between my Digitech RP-12 and RP-1 to get it more sweeter sounding...some say it's over kill but the more BBE's the better!!!!

Two knobs per channel control everything. One is for low frequency, and you could essentially say that the other is for high, although this one most directly controls to effect of the unit. Simple to use. Tweak the knobs until you like what you hear.

This unit will improve any sound. I've heard people complain that the bypass switch is not a true bypass, and so your unprocessed sound is worse than it actually is without the unit in-line. All I know to say to that is that I had this unit patched in before my amplifier in my stereo system for about a year and a half. Hard times forced me to sell it. When the BBE was gone, it literally took me about a year before I could listen to my stereo again without feeling like there were pillows over my speakers. The sonix maximizer made that much of a difference.

I've read professional reviews which opine that a sonix maximizer works best on multiple sources. In short, you'll notice more of a profound difference when it is used on a band than on an individual instrument. However, it adds great clarity to an individual instrument, as well.

Because of the incredible difference this unit makes, it's very easy to over-do it and make your sound very harsh. Using the unit takes discipline, because over-use will result in thin sounding recordings. They'll be very clear, but it's easy to get used to the better clarity and forget that the bottom end. You should sum all knobs to zero and build up from there, and you should also reference your sound without the BBE.

I've never noticed any noise with this unit. Some of the higher level units with XLR inputs are lower noise, I'm sure, but I've had no complaints with the 462.

Simply put, the 462 does what it says it does. I submit that if you cannot get a good sound with the 462, you are probably over-using the effect.

The first 462 had some kind of wiring problem right out of the box which made it hum like a mad banshee. The music store I bought it from repaired it with no problem (it was a simple loose wire). But once I got it home it worked fine the year and a half it was in my possession.

I haven't had my latest 462 long enough to notice any problems. I will say that the unit seems durable, and I have not been worried about it.

I've never had to deal with BBE customer support, so I can't really comment on it.

I've used the 462 on everything from individual instruments, to full mixes, to my home stereo. It does the job it claims to do. I play and record progressive rock, and must say that the recordings I made during the time that I had my last 462 are the recordings that people often believe were recorded in a studio (they were recorded on a Fostex MT4X cassette 4-track using a Hughes & Kettner Tubeman for guitar tone, an Alesis Quadraverb for effects, and an Alesis D4 drum machine).

I have not just missed having a 462, I have ached to own another one. I am piecing together recording equipment after almost a ten year absence from recording, and the idea of recording with a sonic maximizer in my race is simply inconceivable to me. Needless to say, I would buy another unit if something were to happen with this one.

I find it hard to believe that in all the years this unit has been available (yes, I've tried other sound clarification unites), no one has come out with anything to match it. But that is probably because BBE has patented the process which its circuitry uses to achieve its effect. It really is that unique.

ITS EASY. JUST HOOK IT UP...AN TWEAK THE KNOBS TO YOUR LIKING...THATS IT.

IM USING THIS FOR MY DJ SETUP. SO FAR IT SOUNDS SUPERB. BOUGHT IT LESS THEN 6 HOURS AGO. SO HAVENT REALLY KICKED IT YET. MAKES THE HIGHS SOUND CRISPY....AN THE LOWS NICE AND TIGHT.

I HAVENT TRIED IT YET. BUT LIKE THEY SAY...I THINK ITS BUILT LIKE A EQ...SOMETIMES U FIND YOUR OLD EQ FROM THE 80S IN YOUR BASEMENT...AN U HOOK IT UP...AN IT STILL WORKS. I CANT SEE IT ACTUALLY BREAKING.

HAVENT NEEDED IT YET. SO ILL GIVE IT A 10.

I PLAY HOUSE MUSIC. ALOT OF THE OLD SKOOL 80S HOUSE. PLUS SOME UNDERGROUND. BUT I HAVENT FULLY TESTED IT YET. ILL BE USING IT WITH MY TECHNIC 1200 TURNTABLES AND A BEHRINGER DJX 700 MIXER. IT SOUNDS LIKE IT BOOSTS YOUR SOUND ALSO...LIKE A EQ DOES. BUT I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM OTHER DJS INSTEAD OF MUSICIANS TO HEAR HOW IT AFFECTED THERE SETUP. I PLAY IT MOSTLY THRU MY PIONEER HDJ 1000 HEADPHONES. BUT I KNOW ITLL KICK THRU MY SPEAKERS TOO.

Nothing could be easier.

Fucking incredible. I bought this after using the demo plugin for my PC. I record direct using various tube preamps.

Unless you DROP THIS from 100 feet or so. Come on, it sits in a rack, it'll last forever.

Never needed to contact. I'll assume its good.

This should sum it up for you all considering this unit. I've had the same rig for 3 years - so I am very familiar with my sound. When I added the BBE and hit the PROCESS switch, I could not believe my ears. I was SO USED to my old sound, then when I turned the process switch OFF I couldn't believe how muddy and unclear the sound was!!

This thing is like magic - I know what it does technically and it makes sense. This unit REALLY makes a difference on high gain and rock tones - palm mutes, chugs, etc. I was shitting my pants by turning the unit IN and OUT. Again - I could not believe that my "old" sound sounded like it did after hearing the BBE process.

This piece will NEVER leave my rack and will ALWAYS remain on. Unbelievable. There was a Guitar World a long time ago with a Vito Bratta interview. He was talking about his gear, the ADA MP-1 and such, and he said he used the BBE in his rig - he said that ADA should bundle the BBE with their preamp because it sounded SO MUCH better with it.

Seriously - if you are a guitarist you should NOT BE WITHOUT this unit. Totally incredible. This isn't some bullshit trickery fakey thing, it just ADDS LIFE SPARKLE CLARITY DEFINITION to your sound. God I wish I had one of these things 10 years ago!!

if you can say B-B-E SONIC MAXIMIZER, then you can work this unit. it's not hard at all.
no manual needed, i bought mine used...

i play mostly heavy music modern hardcore,post hardcore, metalcore,punk,screamo, emo,grindcore, easy listening influences from radiohead to glassjaw to pig destroyer. this can make any rig sound better.
i use it with my jmp-1,ibanez msp 1000(compressor,graphiceq,nothc filter), and g major effects unit with either a peavey classic 50/50 or a mesa 2:90 through two 4x12's loaded with v30's ad g12t-75's and that sounds great without the bbe, but once you turn it on you're like "whoa".
i even max out everything on it so itmaxs my setup sound huge, with a natural scoop sound that sounds mean as hell and then i use my graphic eq and my preamp to compensate my mids.

it's an older model, and hasnt failed yet, don't see why it would.

havent had to deal with them so they get a 10

like i said i play heavy music, but this works for everything. i've been playing guitar for years so i know my sh*t by now.
makes me sound better. no side effects or compromising my tone.
i have also played through a couple other sonic maximizers and the aphex aural exciters. i like this just fine.
if lost or stolen i'd hunt the bastard down and break his legs, or buy a new one, it didn't cost much, but it sure makes my already expensive rig sound even more expensive.

Extremely simple to use, mine didn't even come with a manual and it took seconds to set it up.

Setup: Strat w/ Hot Rails or Ibanez RG550 > Morley Bad Horsie Wah > Marshall MG 100DFX through a Peavey 2X12. The BBE is in the effects loop of the amp. This thing makes my tone much thicker and heavier. My amp isn't that great but with the BBE running through it it sounds a million times better. The Low countour tightens up the bass and the BBE process just makes everything sound clear, defined, and heavy. Great unit.

I haven't gigged with this yet, but it's obviously been working for a while since it's an older used model.

Dunno.

I play metal in the vein of Shadows Fall, Arch Enemy, At The Gates, Lamb of God, The Black Dahlia Murder, etc. and it really improves my tone. It's a great unit for metal. In my opinion, every electric instrument should have one... it can make even the best amps better. You need to get this unit!

This product couldn't be any simpler to use.

I have this looped thru my 2nd tape monitor on my hifi receiver. What I basically use this for is an ELABORATE LOUDNESS CONTROL. It does a superb job in that capacity. the LO CONTOUR tightens up the bass, giving it a stronger, thicker sound; without muddying it up. The BBE PROCESS adds clarity, sparkle, definition and better imaging to your recordings.

I dont use this professionally, but have owned it for 8 years and it has alot of mileage on it. It has never failed yet. As for the LO and PROCESS controls....you should use them sparingly..the process tends to HISS when overdriven...in home music applications, you need to make minor adjustment from cd to cd.

I listen to everything from classical to all styles of rock and electric and acoustic jazz. I find this product to enhance every style dramatically.

This thing could not be easier to use. Ran my ART SGX2000 via Soldano SP77 pre-amp straight into the back of the BBE then out of the BBE to my Mesa 50/50 power amp.

There is a great switch on the front that allows you to run or bypass the unit. This is great to compare the difference the unit makes. I thought my rig sounded great before, however plug this in and the old sound sucks. It gives the sound real life.

I run a Soldano SP77 series 2 (USA made) pre-amp into a ART SGX 2000 Express (has been modified to switch the channels on the Soldano) then into a Mesa Boogie Stereo 50 power amp. I run a Peavey 5150 quad box and various guitars, PRS CE24, Gibson Les Paul Standard.

I cannot explain how much better this made my sound. Like I said I thought my sound was good before however this has given it real life. It is the secret ingredient that no one ever tells you about.

Only just got it so can't comment yet. I am about to buy another for my home recording studio setup.

Can't yet comment.

I play all sorts of music however my main influences are, Steve Lukather, David Gilmour, Peter Frampton and Steve Morse.

If this unit got lost or stolen I would buy another immediately. Every amp/rig setup needs this.

Very easy to use, only two knobs, process and lo contour. Process control the signal processing and lo control controls the amount of bass frequencies. Two channels in a single rack to use for stereo inputs or process two line inputs simultaneously.

It really improves your sound no matter what you plug in this rack. It is not a effect, it is a sound enchancer, in a way that boosts more harmonics, and correct the phase shifting between the low and high frequencies, resulting in more spark in the sound and clear separation between instruments. I use it after my POD II feeding to a pair of Roland monitor speakers. can be used in other applications like live PA, recording, record restoration, broadcasting etc, so it is a very versatile equipment and is a must in my setup.

Own only for a week, and use it only at home, but I think is very reliable, backed by a 5 year warranty.

N/A

I play mainly hard rock and heavy metal, some blues stuff, it really improves my sound giving a live presence to the sound. On the guitar the solos have more presence and chords are defined. If it was stolen or lost i would buy it again, maybe the higher model, because this model is already discontinued. When i play, this unit is always on, and can be used in multiple applications as i stated before, so it is a good aquisition, don't think , just buy it.

how simple can a sonic enhancer get? How about a bass contour knob and a process knob with an in/out pushswitch?
This is one of the best setups for sonic enhancement I've ever worked with.
I had one many years ago when they first came out, but due to the absence of cash at the time, I was forced to sell it!
Cut to a few hours ago, and I'm hunting through a local pawn shop. What do I stumble across- a 462 for $100 CDN!!!! Needless to say, I immediately grabbed it, went to the counter and paid the coin!
There wasn't a manual for this unit, but you have to be really dumb to not under stand how it works or how it sounds with manipulation of the controls!
One thing I really like about this unit is the 1/4" AND RCA plugs on the I/O jacks. It really makes this unit road and studio worthy!

I have yet to get it back into my bass guitar rig (where I originally used my first one), but just checking it out through my home stereo (to make sure it worked!) was a revelation.
My speakers on the home system are already acoustically time aligned, so using the BBE on it simply sounded hard and edgy. However, when I tried it out on my Fender M-80 practice/small club amp, the result was incredible!!! The amp took on way more presence without hardness, the bass contour control made the M-80 just sound like a bigger amp (and this amp is already WAY loud for rehearsal/ small gigs). It simply sounds like I have a couple of 4x10 cabs behind me now!
this unit doesn't bring up any hiss with the Fender's built in chorus, it actually makes the chorus sound more 3 dimensional (almost stereo sounding). Nice effect!

The only thing beef I have are the QUALITY of the RCA jacks on this product. Whoever had the 462 before me busted one of the RCA's outer contacts (try finding a replacement? Time to contact BBE I guess). otherwise, the unit is truly bulletproof!
I plan on installing this unit in my rack ASAP (rack has two Gallien-krueger 400 RBs bass amps and an Alesis 3630 compressor).

I will have to report back on this as soon as I contct BBE for that RCA jack replacement!

We'll have to see what the future holds for the 462. I haven't had a chance to use it in a live situation with my main stage rig, but it does the job in rehearsal, so I guess thats a good thing.

two knobs- basically treble and bass.

I use it in my guitar rig, but you can use it for numerous applications. It really does give you more punch and clarity, especially with distortion. My mesa screams louder, and my fender stage gets a much bigger sound now. You really have to play with the mids on your amp hen using this product.

Seems solid. Put it in a rack case, and your good.

It definitly needs to be in the effects loop of your amp. I've been playing about 10 years and have spent THOUSANDS of dollars trying to get THAT sound. Although I wouldn't say this is for everyone, I would say to give it a shot if you have a rig you love but want more clarity and balls out of it. Oh yeah, The knobs at around the 12 o'clock position seem to work best.

This thing is so simple and easy to use. Plug it in, connect your signal (left in one channel and right in the other) and power up. there are only two major controls... bass and treble. The bypass switch shows you how well it is working. The room acoustics make a big difference if you are using it to make your home theatre sound great. But that is the idea, to make the sound richer and fuller, which it does. I love playing my guitar through it or just running the internet radio through it even.

I think it sounds great with no perceivable noise or distortion. I love what it does to 'thin' sounds and how it makes a room sound so good too.

I have used it for 6 months with nary a flaw or glitch. I can't imagine there is much to go wrong with such a simple unit.

Haven't had the occassion to call support.

I bought this unit from zZounds.com and love it and low price for how much I enjoy listening to this unit. I haven't used it much with recording, but as a listening enhancement it sings.

This is a addition to a previous review of mine. I hate to tell you guys this but, one of the reasons that your tone sounds so lousy when the unit is in "bypass" is because its not TRUE BYPASS. The highs are sucked right out just like they are with a boss pedal when in its buffered "bypass mode". The BBE does make a difference but to truly hear the difference you have to completely disconnect it instead of just toggling the BBE's On/Off button. Get the next model up, I think it has true bypass when you toggle the unit on and off. Again, sorry guys,...just trying to correct the ignorance. I was there myself!

So simple even my singer might be able to figure it out...and that is sayin a lot!

This little black box is absolutely AMAZING! I remebered the old ads that featured ex-Kiss guitarist Bruce Kulik, it simply said, if the BBE is off, there is something wrong....man, he wasn't kidding. I picked this up for about $70 at a pawn shop and it has made the single most significant improvement to my sound in 22 years of playing! I run this through the effects loop of a Peavey VTM60 head that powers a 4x12 cab, and the second channel is run through a Peavey Bandit 65 that powers a 4x10 cab, the guitar is run into a Digitech RP5 that goes stereo to the amps....Phoenomenal! I have gotten so many complements on my sound...think earthshaking heavy, yet it cuts through the mix like a bell! This thing is exactly like buying a whole wall of 4x12 cabinets! Okay, maybe not like that, but it definitely is like removing ear plugs, I swear, once it is on, you'll never be able to play with out it!!!!!

I give it a 100 on a 10 scale!

Had it for about 7 years now, never a problem! I do baby it though!

Never had to deal with them.

Buy this. I'm serious, i don't care what kind of amp you play, buy this! It will open up a whole new world of amazing sounds, way cheaper and much better than an arsenal of foot pedals! This is the cornerstone of my guitarsound, and I can't imagine anything ever sounding better!

Reading the past reviews of this product, it seems like it's mostly a love/hate relationship. My take? Get one if it's the last thing you do! I really don't know how I ever lived without it. I went from having the best guitar sound I could find (Mesa-Boogie amps, Seymour Duncan pickups, Gibson guitars) to the exact sound I've always heard in my head. Perfect!! The best money I've ever spent. I bought one for my home theater, too, and had similar results. Even my car stereo has one built in. It's brainless to use... two knobs, highs and lows (for each channel). I know that this will probably won't be the case for everyone, but you really owe it to yourself to at least try one with your gear. I'm still busy kicking myself for waiting so long!!

No additional noise (in any system in which I'm using one) that I can detect. Absolutely unbelievable benefit to the overall sound quality in any situation I've tried.

No problems so far...

Improves everything it touches... pristine clean guitar, too-distorted crunch, bass, keyboards, vocals, movies, CDs, everything... even my girlfriend sounds better through it!! (just kidding)

Couldn't be easier...two knobs, one each for high and low contour. I just bought this used and do not have a manual but I can't imagine anyone would have any difficulties learning to use it.

I use this with a Jackson guitar going into a Sansamp PSA-1 preamp (incredible product) and a Peavey power amp and finally into an old Pro cabinet with 35 watt celestions . I agree wih the other user that described it as taking a pillow off of your speakers. The guy at the music store said that he thought that they were an okay product and that you may or may not like it because it adds frequecies to your sound. Well, I can't imagine why there are so many used ones out there for sale but I only needed to hear it for about 1 minute before I decided that I had to have it. It is definatley the best $99 bucks i have ever spent for my sound. There is a button you can hit to override the maximizer and you can't believe how dull the sound is when you turn it off. Also, there was a guy in the store that was listening to me play and couldn't believe his ears. Needless to say, he went and bought one also. But like I said, there are lots of used ones out there so try it first! I used to have gearhead syndrome and now I bring my amp to the store to try out gear.

I have only had it a couple days...

Never dealt with them...

I dabble in blues (all hail SRV) and play heavy hardcore (Sheer terror, sick of it all). I've been playing for about 8/9 years. If it were stolen I would be right back at the store to buy another one..no doubt about it. I didn't compare it to anything else although I hear that Behringer (sp?) makes comparable products.

Very easy to dial in due to 4 knobs...Lo contour x2 and process x2...The manual goes into detail about their technology...They are proud people.

At first I bought it to clarify the detail of my guitar...I had money to burn and that's exactly what I did. I was using emg pickups and these pickups are too bright to begin with so the BBE just made it harsh sounding...I don't use ultra-high gain/distortion which is where the bbe stands out when used in a guitar rack. So I returned it and some other junk I collected for a thinline tele with humbuckers..

It is in a rack so....

never dealt with them...

I had this thing for about 6 months before I returned it. Now I am getting into digital recording and will probably buy the smaller 264. Now listen, these things may just be a hi frequency enhancer, kinda like a 2 band eq that is virtually noiseless...I always read the manual of stuff I buy and research it now that I am on a tighter budget and I noticed some strange things regarding the high frequency at which the high process knob on the different models of sonic maximizers are set at. The 264's knob is adjustable at 2500 hz, the 462 (last years model)is at 5,000 hz, and the 311 (which is like 6 years old) is set at 10,000 Hz. I bought the 311 used and it was Noisy! And I think it was due in part to the higher frequency on the high process knob and older technology...hmmmm, so now I am thinking that maybe this whole thing about these BBEs' phase correction might be misleading...I would like to see a electrical engineer take a look at one of these things...Yeah it does make a differnce in track mixdowns and master mixes but it just may be a very expensive 2 band equalizer. So I'd like to see. I hope I don't get sued...

" Same as Previous Review

I noticed on my: V.U./Singnal-Strength/dB-Meters when I measure
how many deciBells I have in the TREBBLE of the signal, using
this 462 will increase your TREBBLE about up to 6dB with the
process up all the way and it will leave your MID-RANGE Frequencies
to be MORE-QUIET than your TREBBLE Frequencies, mostly uneffected.
So this leaves me to believe that SONIC-MAXIMIZERS are just another
GLORIFIED-EQ

"Same As Previous Review"

"Same As Previous Review"

"Same As Previous Review"
(I have had this thing for too long!)

Not enough controls on it...So it is easy!

It sounds like it just adds High-Frequency-Trebble with the
Process-Knob and Low-Frequency-Bass with the Low-Contour-Knob
...It leaves the Midrage frequencies unaffected...Although I
fully understand that the whole concept is: "TO TRICK YOUR BRAIN
INTO THINKING YOU HEAR MORE-TREBBLE" because of its
"PHASE-RE-ALIGNMENT" by at different times you hear different things
within less than a second...More sounds that you didn't know were
even there, but I still can't hear it all...I use it with all kinds
of music: CLASSICAL, PUNK, METAL, ROCK, FLEMENCO and I still can't
even hear all the weak notes all with the help of: a COMPRESSOR and
a 31-BAND GRAPHIC EQUALIZER...I think that the outcome can just get
too trebbly and harsh instead crisp, full, and "NON-OVERLAPPING...
So I leave it off until my FINAL MIXDOWN for DIGITAL RECORDING...

No Problem!

No Problems

I don't trust using this with the PHASER effect due to a
possible PHASE-CANCELLATION...I would like to buy an APHEX
104 AURAL EXCITER TYPE C2 due to the fact that they invented
Sonic-Enhancement such as Phase-Re-Alignment way back...
I guess this thing is OK but I state that it SHOULDN'T be used
for EACH INSTRUMENT SEPARATELY OR INDIVIDUALLY for the FINAL
MIXDOWN(That applies to all Enhancers)...

SIMPLE. 2 knobs.

DEAR LORD this is the greatest peice of equipment i have ever used. i JUST got it 10 minutes ago, and have been using it for only a mere 5 minutes, but felt it was so amazing i had to submit a review asap. this thing rules. What it does is taken your sound, and make it 9843094598432754387 times better. takes a slugy horrible sounding distortion, and make it sound heavenly, crisp, clear. defines every note.

had it for 5 minutes. ive heard it is VERy reliable though. probably should get a rack for it, since i dont have one yet.

dont know

i play punk rock. but i like a really sweet sounding distortion. i use a marshall JCM 900 SL-X 100watt through 4x12 cab, and i thought that sounded good, well when i hooked this up, it was a whole new world. i dont know how i lived with out this for so long.

this baby is simple. 2 knobs and a power button. well 4 knobs, but thats only cause there are two channels but you only need 2 for each. one knob is a bass adjustment and the other controls the amount of processing the baby does. this isnt rocket science, its rock n roll!

This bad boy is absolutely necessary. I honestly dont know why these puppies arent mandatory when you buy an amp. I could never ever, ever, ever, ever play without it. Put it this way, if I plugged your ears with cotton and played some music out of a mono record player it would sound muddy and muffled, then when I pulled out the cotton and played it even louder on a surrouond system you would hear every little detail. Thats what this baby does. Its not a booster! It just makes your tone as perfect as possible. It makes it sound very tight and every note bursts through your amp with 10x the power! I play metal, so this thing makes my palm mutting and all that sound way better. Without this thing I sound like Alvin & the Chipmunks or something. WIth it I sound like Pantera! Enough said!

Its BBE!

Great! AT first I got the 262, and it doesnt work at low volumes so they let me swap for a used 462. Pretty sweet. So I got this baby for the price of a 262. Nice!

bottom line is get this! Just do it. i dont care how you have to get the money. it will totally change your sound. it will give you balls you didnt know you had. if you suck it will make you sound better! and if you rock, it will make you rock harder!

You have to be stupid not to know how to work this thing. Two knobs: Lo-Contour and Process controls... which are basically equivalent to low and high end knobs. Don't think you need a manual how to work this thing. Just connect it to anywhere that has an audio signal: Recording units, Guitar rigs, Your home stereo. All ya need is a 1/4" cable to get things going.

I have this baby connected to my send effects loop in my Crate Stealth 100W amp cause it didn't sound right before the input of the amp. This thing has a bypass mode which I don't even bother turning off but when I did, I was simply amazed how much this ... this... thing worked with my sound. Much cleaner signals and bass are more defined and crisp. I think every single death metal band has this as part of their rig if they want their distortion to stand out from the mud their amps or distortion boxes are causing. Just proves to ya why this is very necessary if ya play extremely heaving distortion.

Absolutely! Played gigs with this before I bought my 4space rack. Rugged, tough, hell... I've placed my 50lbs amp on this thing and it never dented. If i lose thing this, I'd buy myself a new one ASAP!

Never bothered trying cause I should now that BBE are very dependeble if they come out with excellent products

This is DEFINITELY recommended to any guitar players out there who needs to clean up their sound if their amps can't do justice to their sound. If I had the extra cash, I'd buy the new version of this (BBE 482) just because it's newer =) I'm currenly using one channel on this while my drummer hooks up his drum module on the other channel so we basically share the same rack but it works good for the both of us. If there was a rating of 11, I'd go for it but since this is limited, 10 is all I could give for now.

Couldn't be simpler. Just plug in and go. The easy-to-read manual will help guide you in answering the most common question which is, "Should this thing be put in the audio chain before or after the EQ?"

Although I bought the unit to enhance the performance of my band's PA and monitor system, I first hooked it into my home stereo to check it out. Now my stereo sounds pretty damn good as it stands so I wasn't really expecting any great improvement. OMIGOD! It was though I had suddenly upgraded every component to top-of-the-line audiophile gear. Every track, even on extremely dense and processed music, just popped out of the mix. The high end simply sparkled and the lows just bloomed without a trace of muddiness or boominess. Switching the unit out of the chain was like sucking air out of the sound. I nearly cried when I had to disconnect it so I could load it into the PA rack.
The tears vanished when we cranked up the system with the BBE in it, though. The front-of-house gained an astonishing degree of clarity and I was able to back off the overall gain by a couple of db for the same amount of apparent loudness. The very first night we used it, several people who had been following us around for awhile (including a few musicians) remarked on how we suddenly sounded better than we ever had and how distinct the vocals were. On the monitor side, my bandmates have quit bitching about not being able to hear themselves.
I don't think I can recommend this unit highly enough!

This is the upgraded successor to the very dependable BBE-462, so I would anticipate no major problems. Besides, if the thing stopped working during a gig, it can be easily dropped out of the chain.

BBE seems to have a pretty solid reputation, but I've had no dealings with them personally.

Having been in both bands and broadcasting for more years than I care to recall, I consider myself something of a stickler when it comes to good sound. My band plays everything from Sugar Ray to Merle Haggard, so our gear has to sound good under wildly changing situations. Our PA, consisting of Studiomaster board, Alesis processor and one-third octave EQ, ART compressor/limiter and bi-amped into an 850 watt QSC driving SoundTech mains and subs is adequate but certainly hasn't been the epitome of sonic wonderfulness. Adding the BBE has improved its sound dramatically and deferred, if not completely eliminated, any need for more premium speakers or an additional power amp. This is, IMHO, the best $200 we ever invested. Get one. Now.

Incredibly simple to use for the results you get. The 462 is the un-balanced version of the 862 ( I Think!) and works well in all -10 dbu environments. Mine is in the main effects loop of my mixer and is the best sonic improvement you can make for the money. This, or the 862, is a must have.

Go get one. This unit cleverly arranges the different frequency ranges into the proper times (phase) so they appear at your ear correctly arranged. Basically high, mid and low frequencies don't propagate at the same time so without correction the frequencies can overrun each other producing the cassic 'muddy' sound. After proper phase alignment your music will sparkle and amaze you. Again, this is a MUST HAVE!

Rock Solid

Haven't needed them which is a good sign

I use this unit for everything. I have a 16 channel modest home studio and I use the maximizer on all sorts of things including just listening to the stereo. I can't think of anything I don't use it for. NOTE: I have known about these units for quite some time and blew them off as some sort of rip-off. Like what is a sonic maximizer anyay? I was dead wrong and my only regret is that I waited so long to get one. I am currently in the market for a BBE DI box along with an 862 for my balanced applications. I think BBE has a web site that explains their electronics and it was that explanation that finally sold me on the unit. (Yes I'm an engineer and I needed the data to be comfortable in the purchase)

Shortly after buying this product I made a post. I gave the BBE Sonic Maximizer 462 fairly good ratings and described how it brought my 4 track mixes out of their "demoish" sounding shell or hell (however you'd like to interpret that).
Well even though I still have not owned the product for more than a month and a half now, during this time I have really put it to the test and found out a few things and admittedly learned a few things about frequencies/recording. I thought by reposting my new results, it may help someone else out there make a more informed decision on whether it's a sonic maximizer they need or really something else (to fix their muddiness/clarity problem).
And so the story goes...First off I would like to pre-appologize for the shameless plugs for other products whithin this post. It's just a fact of my limited recording life that I ended up finding out that it was other problems within my system that needed fixing/tweaking instead of needing the sonic maximizer as a sort of "crutch" for these deficiencies.
With all that said, I would like to praise the 462 with the fact that it did like I said it did in my previous post. It made my dull recordings come to life. When doing the final mixdown to either cassette or minidisk, I used the 462 and what ended up on tape or md was something that really sounded better than what most 4 track porta-studios can produce (or at least better than what I have heard produced by people). I even tried it out on the guitar itself. I drove the 462 with the proper level via my RP-7 guitar preamp/effects. From the 462 I went straight into the 4-track. It really added some needed grit and punch to my guitar sound.
Right here is where I need to state that while I may have been playing guitar for a while now, using a direct in (only) from a guitar preamp and a drum machine are new concepts for me. Even recording in general is fairly new to me.
To make a long story shorter.....What I found out by analyzing my recording with (I think you call it a spectrum analyzer), I found that all the frequencies above 10k Hz were being truncated (cut off). This was due to the cheezy drum machine I was using that's built into my keyboard. Its signal is very dry (with absolutely no ambiance) and it simply truncates all frequencies about about 10k hz. That's where all the life to a recording is (snare, cymbols, etc.) I even was using too warm of a speaker cabinet simulator on the RP-7 so my high frequency content in my guitar sound was lacking too! By cranking the BBE process to about 5 or 6, it added a much welcome sparkly to my recordings.
My problem with the whole thing is that I was using the 462 to fix things that should have already been right and what I ended up doing was getting an Aleses drum machine (a drum machine with real sampled drums and ambient sound. It also let me have all this at frequencies into the 16k and above range too!!!) This is what was really the problem with my dead sound. I also used a brighter cabinet simulation setting on my Digitech RP-7.
Needless to say being the poor/starving musician, I sent the 462 back to musicans friend.
I feel one of these days, when I have the money, I would probably buy the 462 again to add a bit of definition and/or clarity to my final sound. I would never want to use it for any more than just a subtle enhancment. This is so because in my personal opinion if you crank the bbe process to 5 and beyond in order to let it REALLY enhance/(or fix) your sound like I was doing, YES it adds sparkle to the sound BUT at the expense of making it a little on the grainy side. This added edge makes the sound really "cut through" when you play it back on speakers but through high quality headphones, where the sound is reproduced perfectly, the sound was just too harsh.
The 462 is a good product(it blows the Aphex C3 exciter away, I had one of those too) and after reading some of the other guys posts and if you still decide on the 462 call up musicians frie

2 channels, 2 knobs per channel. 1 1/4 inch ins and outs for each channel, 1 rca type in and out for each channel, 1 bypass switch right on the front with a status light. Very easy to use overall. Whatever you are running thru it, set the lo contour and process for each channel according to what you like.

Think of it this way, whatever your "sound" is, this unit will make your "sound" sound better! It can really add fat, warm, punchy low end, while keeping everything crystal clear and focused. I have used it with my beloved rocktron chameleon into my marshall 9000 series tube power amp,50watts per channel, and it breahthes new life into my rig. I finally got my rocktron chameleon running exactly how i like it, but i was not satisfied with the low end on this unit, it just wasnt enough. I purchased the bbe 462 and run the rocktron into it in stereo. NOw, my chameleon sounds like an earthquake, while being very warm sounding, as well as precise. It seriously makes this rig sound like I am running 4x12 cabs, when I am only running a 2x12. This piece has maximized my compact, and now professional sounding rig. I like it set at 5-8 for the lo contour, and 4-5 for the process. Really adds thump and clarity without messing with the original characteristics of the tones. Also, because it has rca ins and outs for each channel, i ran it in between my cd player and stereo. It does amazing thing for an entire mix, you can hear much more separation between instruments which helps me learn new material.

its 3 days old at this point. Seems pretty good. My only concern is the hardwired power plug and the cheesy little bypass switch. All else seems good. It screwed into my rack right now so it is pretty safe. I expect it will last a long time. The other dud in my band played a 462 also, didnt rack mount it, carried it everywhere, and his always worked great. Ill give it 4 at this point becase it hasnt proven itself to me yet.

NO need as of yet. Very helpfull manaul which explains what this thing does, 800 number in the manual if i need it, web site with email, if i need em, ill find em. I give a 5 because The manual gave enough info to get me up and running, and answer a few basic questions.

I play hard rock, metal, and some eclectic material - this unit helps me tailor my sound to each style - ie - for metal, dial in more lo contour, increase process a little and I can cut thru the mix, for rock and classic rock, dial back the low contour and process and my sound gets a little less precise which is perfect for those styles. Most importantly, i gave this unit what i call the wife test - I a/b the bbe with my wife listening. I play the same lick thru the chameleon without the bbe, then with the bbe. I ask her which sound better. She says it sounds clearer with the bbe, and really sounds "neat with that thing turned on" . IF the wife likes it and doesnt want me to turn it down, its probably ok. I give it an 8 because there is no substitute for a good beginning tone, technique, and feel. If you have all that inline, check this unit out, it can add a polished, professional quality to your allready great sound. Also helps you cut in the mix without turning up louder - definately cool.

Its very easy, just two knobs per channel. One for more or less low end and the other for clarity.

I run my Fender Hardtail into an RP-7 and then into a 4 track portastudio. I bounce externally using a minidisk and when its time to do the final mixdown. I run everything through the sonic maximizer before going digital and onto a CD. It takes away the muddiness from the layered sound produced on the 4 track. I really havn't had it long but I am going to start trying it out on each individual external bounce and see what happens. I have heard that it can make even the individual instruments themselves sound better. I am not planning to try that since I am happy with my Strat/RP-7 marriage

Hasn't broke yet...Knock..Knock...Knock on wood!

Haven't needed any support. Nice Web site however..

Rock/Blues based stuff. Cover tunes and original. Been playing on and off since the early 1990's. Just recently started to record again and even though my recordings are good quality, they still end up sounding a little demo-ish (after all the bounces/final mixdown). The Sonic maximizer cleans it up and restores clarity back into the music so that once I mix everything down digitally to CD,. its kind of hard to tell the stuff was originally recorded with a 4 track portastudio.........

Incredibly simple. with two knobs for each channel and an effect activated/de-activated switch, how can you get lost? it has 1/4 inputs/outputs for both channels and also rca inputs/outputs so you can use it in whichever situation you are dealing with. Also the two channels are independant with their own controls, bassically 2 sonic maximizers in one.

I cannot describe the importance of this unit. It is just as important for your guitar rig as distortion/overdrive and reverb. it is just as important for your PA as the level controls on the mixing board. When you play with this thing in your guitar rig (in the fx loop or before the power amp), you sound professional even if you have been playing for only 1 year. works especially well with, uh, everything! the controls are for lo-contour and bbe process. the low contour doesn't really boost the gain of the lows, but gives it more definition and audibility. a must for metal bands, dj's, and bassically everything. the process control just makes everything sound better: more definition, no mud or mush. it doesn't boost