dbx 166 Compressor/Limiter/Gate

Very straight forward if you know how to use a compressor.

Very clean sound. I use it on guitars, keyboards (rhodes, wurly's, yamaha electric pianos), bass, and pretty much anything that needs some warmth with a bit of bite. I didn't like it on drums as much, but I can't name very many compressors that are great on everything. Certain percussion instruments like tabla's came out great through the 166. For the price this thing rocks! I try not to squash things too hard... saving room for fader rides helps mantain the integrity of a musician's dynamic performance (assuming they don't suck and need to be squashed). I love the warmth and simplicity of this unit.

Never had a problem. DBX builds things like tanks!

The DBX website explains great techniques for compression. I never dealt with an individual from this company regarding this unit.

Comparing the price to the quality and the overall usefullness of this unit, I have to give it high marks. This is no Neve 33609, Urei, SSL, etc..., but a reliable/cost effective friend.

dbx 166XL. Bought it 2nd hand in the morning. Drove around all day with it in trunk of my car. Got to the gig, plugged in my bass, used it like an fx pedal. Set everything to 12 o'clock except the noise gate (of course): Worked perfectly!!! Will read the downloaded manual tomorrow. BTW, been playing 30 yrs, funk, latin, jazz. No issue with chops or repertoire, throw anything at me.

Using custom basses, Miruzzi neck-thru-body with Bartolini pickups, Aphex Bass Exciter goes into dbx 166XL and into GK 1001RB into SWR Henry the 8x8. Best and easiest, and cleanest, fastest rack compressor I've used live.

Thank God I can live without it! You've got too much too lose if you rely on any one thing. I've got lots of compressors, when something breaks down, you fix it. No concept, no issue, fuggedaboudit.

Not needed yet.

Style: Latin jazz, funk, brazilian, techno. 4 and/or 5 string basses, Miruzzi neck-thru-body, Fender Jazz, ancient Ibanez Fender copies.
Year: playing 30 yrs! My Minimoog still comes with me.
If lost or stolen: Definite replacement object.
It's cleaner than any gtr xf I've bought for the job. I use MXR, Sans Amp, Ibanez fx with compression in those brands as well. each one does it's thing. The dbx 166XL is utterly tranparent in comparison (I used Avalon in studio for over 4yrs, too heavy to lug to gigs).
Wish it had on/off switch and front panel 1/4" input.
I make varied styles: rap, techno, jazz, rock, latino, dance, hip hop, movie, gypsy music and this adds to the sonic palette beautifully.
Mine's made in USA, the new one's are made in China. I like US made stuff.
How come so cheap?

Extremely simple operation. Set your ratio and threshold, and dial the output to perfection.

The dbx 166 is a recent purchase for me, but it has pretty much transformed my sound overnight. I'm using it as my main stereo compressor, and it injects a lot of warmth into my Pro Tools mixes. The compression algorithm is very smooth and transparent, although I don't push the gain reduction over 2 dB.

Haven't had it very long, but it seems to be great so far.

Haven't dealt with dbx customer service yet, so no opinion.

I use the dbx 166 for underground hip-hop and electronic mixdowns, and it really makes a huge difference as most of the songs I work on are very "digital-sounding" projects. I've been through various phases my career, getting all hyped about outboard/tube/magic boxes, but then I'll get jaded and go back to mixing in-the-box. Then a few months ago, I read an article about the legendary D&D Studios in NYC, and how the dbx 166 compressors were a major part of the sound. After subsequent purchase, and hearing the results of the dbx 166 on my own material, I must say that I am extremely impressed.

FOR A VIDEO EDITOR, THIS THING ROCKS!

Why?

I have a Kona 2 / Final Cut Pro edit system. The Kona 2 offers SDI (Serial Digital Interface) for audio and video. But you know what? When I shoot solo, news-style, in the field, and people are screaming, loud noises don?t work in the digital realm. There?s NO headroom on an SDI signal. Over-modulated audio sounds like "gaaaaaaack!" Adding a USB audio I/O box allowed me to put my dbx-166 back inline, feeding the Mac. When loud sounds hit it, it immediately clamps down and saves my butt. And, it makes everyday audio much easier for an editor to deal with.

XLR is the standard in the video world, so, no problem there. Read the manual years ago. The Easy mode is just that, Easy.

Digital is not always better.

Good Luck!

We use it with nat-sound from our DVCam videotapes. It?s very easy to set it up so that you do?t hear the tell-tale compressor "breathing."

I depend on it to turn out video with solid, no-distortion audio every day.

Never had to get help... this thing is as relaible as a brick!

An unusual use, maybe, but critical to our mission.

the controls are real easy to use,
if u know compressors then this one works within a minute.
BUT, the connections on the back, i had a pretty old 166 and i ONLY had XLR connections on the back which sucks in my opinion, i can't connect this compressor to my TRS snakes that go to my patchbaty.

i sold the unit since it was E X T R E M E L Y noizy !
even in bypass it hissed like a crazy machine.
OK so i bet something was wrong with my unit,
bought it second hand for about $100 and never liked the unit.
noize, distortion, hiss, hum, ...
for bigger reviews goto: http://belgianunderground.info

mhhh, it was an old item, got it second hand, sold it,
i can't comment on this since it wasn't reliable at all,
but i bought it with a malfunction so thats my bad..

didn't even bother mailing them, sold the compressor and replaced it with a new dxx 166 XL

i make industrial, dark ambient, darkwave, fat and dark music, just call it that way. So i love to pump up, sqeeze and manipulate sounds with all sorts of FX and processors. my DBX 166A works FINE for this,
and the dbx 166XL does the job even cleaner. So in my opinion the 166 isn't so great (noize, lack of controls, lack of connections on the back). The 166A is ALOT better, and the 166XL is a nice upgrade where the soundquality has improved a little bit, you get more controls (attack and release on compressor) + the limiter is upgraded and works better.....

Understanding how compression works can be tricky the first go around. The manual is very good and even tells you how to set the unit for different situations.

My unit is very quiet. A lot of people mistake "compressor breathing" as noise. This is when it is set incorrectly. This unit actually helps quiet one of my single coil Rickenbacker 4001's. Makes all the diffences in equaling out sting uneveness and volume differences.

I haven't had any problems with it yet.

I hear they are good. Hope I never have to call.

It works very well in my bass rig. I haven't used it for recording yet. I would definitely recommend this unit. If it was stolen or lost I would buy another one.

I chose this unit because it was within my budget and I liked all the light indicators and myriad of features it had. I had never used a compressor before, so the ease of use was difficult. This took a lot of time to get used to using and understanding how to use a compressor, noise gate, etc. If you know how to use a compressor, noise gate, etc already, then, this unit should be no different than other ones. I'll rate this from knowing nothing from the start (where I was...). Manual was good...READ IT!!!! It will give you roundabout settings for different instruments and vocals, etc and explain some of what you need to know. I also went to other manufacturer's sites and downloaded other user manuals to get more prospectives and more ideas. Haven't messed around with the side chain yet as I don't have an outboard EQ. In the sidechain, you can use an EQ unit to cancel out unwanted signals by overemphasizing them on the EQ and "tripping" the compressor/limiter to control them...ie. de-essing. Like I said, READ the manual. lol.

Overall sound of this unit is very good. A little harsh, but I'm being real picky. Very happy with it and would but it again and again, especially due to the fact that it's in my budget! I use this unit on every instrument I record in the studio...drums, guitars, bass, vocals...it's imperative to get multiple units if you are recording multiple inputs at once, etc. This unit is a must have to use as you are recording because the compressors on my computer (I use Logic) are useless to use after the track is recorded (if no compression was used). Digital rocks, but we still need outboard gear!!!! lol. This brings out the individual tracks more. You could have loud, heavy guitars happenin' (EMG's and Marshalls/Mesas cranked to heaven) and have the singer singing softly and hear every word they're saying coming out in the mix clear as day. This unit also helps control my main vocalist who is notorious for going from soft to VERY LOUD during a recording. It works great! Another thing I like is the noise gate. This is a great feature because it keeps everything silent until you start playing or singing into the mic. I could be having a discussion with the singer between passages and everything would be gated out. Works very well. I also use the noise gate to control bleed through between the snare and bass drum on the drumset. This unit controls that very nicely and with the compressor, I'm able to get a nice slap and cut-through with the bass drum and a nice crack happening on the snare. It will give you thunderous, controlled tom-toms and real nice controlled cymbals, letting every nuance through. Last but not least, the illuminated meters are awesome. I use them all the time to adjust my thresholds for different instrument sources and mic preamp levels. I run my mic preamps into this unit, then from there into the computer (Motu 1296 box). This unit made string (for example picking the guitar strings on an acoustic) come out evenly and smoothly, at the same levels. You have to agonize over the settings to achieve the best tone, because if you don't, it's easy to make your tube amp come through sounding very solid state and cheesy on the recording. But you'll get the hang of your best settings and remember them after a while. I am happy with the unit, but like I said before I have nothing else to compare it to because it was my first compressor. I just bought it because of all the meters and features it had and because it had the "dbx" name associated with it. I think they made the first compressor, if I'm not mistaken..... I know this unit uses VCA's and there are some higher priced compressors that use optical compression, etc... And then there's tube compressors as well. The HHB Fat Man looks like a great product. But again, it doesn't have as many controls I can use to taylor the sound. Total control is important on a device like this for me. As far as the tube/solid state thing, I have tube and solid state preamps in the studio that I use exclusively for different instruments, etc. So that may give me an idea for the different compressor vibes....

I've had it for a while and never had any problems. All the knobs turn solidly ,etc. The only thing that I don't like is that there isn't an off/on button or switch. I use it also in our PA rack for gigs....no problem, but would probably buy another one for that to alleviate the disconnection and reconnection hassle when I remove it from the studio. We were able to run all our instruments and the vocalist into one main PA and have everything come through distinctively and under control. It was great.

I don't know...never contacted them!

I mostly play and record hard rock/classic rock. It has everything I want and use. I don't get the peak stop limiter thingy, though. If i want to do the limiting thing, I just crank the compressor to infinity. I love all of the the control I have on this unit. No others in this price range give you as much with as much control.

quite easey to use. once you check out what "peak stop" is doing you can get a wide range of dynamics from hardly affected to the typical pumping compressed sound.

of course it's no urei. but it's one of the best compressors you can get for that price. it's good for kickdrums, bass, everything that needs a bit more of its "plastic" sound. according to low budget studios it would be also suitable for vocals.
also a good solution to compress fx returns like delays or reverbs. the built in noise gate can strip your fx channels clean during mixdown.
i'm using my dbx 166 also as a master stereo compressor within my live setup. not too bad...

never had any failures regarding my almost 10 years old dby.

N/A - never had to fix anything.

to my mind it's suitable for all kind of music or productions. simply a good compressor. allthough i got compressors in my digital desk (panasonic wr da7) i'm still using my dbx - it's more dirty than digital ones. if it were stolen i would hook up a new one immediately.

it only lacks a switch for input impedance. i think you got to screw it up for accessing -10/+4dB jumpers. however it can handle -10dB inputs when switched to +4 and sound is still ok. dunno if it works also the other way around.

Super easy to use. No attack or release speed controls, just dBx's good old over easy compression.

Sounds good, not as good as a 160a or 160xt, but pretty good considering what you can get them for. I have used these on almost everything, good all around compressor. It's pretty forgiving, and even though it has a peakstop "Limiter" it's not fast for "brick wall" limiting. The gates however aren't so forgiving. What do you expect for $75

The stereo "Master" switch is kinda jacked up, but I got it at a pawn shop so who knows where it's been. Sometimes I just have to work the switch back and forth, really quick, to get it working. I should send it back to dBx to get it fixed, but it's not really worth the effort.

If I find another one of these for under $100 I'll pick it up, you should to. They arn't made any more and the newer generations (166xl and 266) arn't as good in my oppinion.
A good cheep compressor.

If you're familiar with how compressors work, no problem. If not, you should get a manual.

It sounds pleasing to my untrained ears.

Well, I don't know if it's mine, but I got mine used from a bar. All of my buttons act funky. This unit almost made me think my new amp didn't work. Turned out it was one of the buttons on the 166 acting up. Other than the funky buttons, everything else is working fine!

I've not had to deal with dbx. If they haven't figured it out by now . . . ;-)

I got this unit for a song, so don't expect to find it at that price. I use it in my bass rig. Only one channel. Watch your gate setting if used in your instrument rig. If you have your gate set too high, it'll cut you off if you want your instrument to ring out. You can also turn the gate off.

I wish it had a power button though.