Stereo Compresssor / 160SL Limiter with AutoVelocity™ ® Stereo Compresssor / 160SL Limiter with Stereo Compresssor / 160SL AutoVelocity™ Limiter with AutoVelocity™ Since its inception the 160SL has become the mark for which other compressors reach. As the leader in VCA and compressor design and engineering, we at dbx are always seeking to improve our products and give you the best possible compression solutions. With the newly improved 160SL, we introduce the patent-pending AutoVelocity™ technology. With AutoVelocity™ it is now easier than ever to dial up the exact attack and release effect you are looking for, via the program-dependent, or non program dependent manual mode. Still on board is the venerable dbx Auto mode. Now you can set your maxi- mum preferred settings in manual mode, and let the 160SL do the rest for you, depending on your pro- gram material. The same striking blue front panel machined from 1/4" aircraft aluminum, handcrafted solid aluminum knobs, LEDs mounted individually in machined stainless steel housings, custom VU meters with peak indicators, and heavy gauge chassis still mark the 160SL as the leader for decades to come. The 160SL combines the best features of all the great dbx compressors, past and present, and gives you more ver- satile performance than ever before. In addition to having the auto attack and release as well as the hard knee threshold characteristics of the classic dbx 160, the 160SL now offers AutoVelocity™ manual mode, in addition to our classic OverEasy® mode, made standard by the classic dbx 165A. And speak- ing of the 165A, all of its features, including variable attack and release controls, as well as dbx’s lat- est limiting algorithm PeakStopPlus™, are included in the 160SL. The heart of any dynamics processor is its VCA. The dbx 160SL is no different. It features dual pro- prietary V8™ VCA modules. This state-of-the-art implementation of dbx’s original Blackmer decilin- ear VCA boasts an unheard-of 127dB dynamic range and ultra-low distortion. Encased in a specially designed aluminum-zinc housing for shielding and thermal characteristics, the V8™ maintains its supe- rior performance in harsh environments. The new 160SL takes full advantage of the most technologi- Stereo Compresssor / cally superior components available today. Premium active electronics, precision 0.1% and 1% metal 160SL film resistors, great sounding temperature stable polypropylene capacitors, high-reliability board-to- Limiter with board connectors with gold-palladium-nickel contacts, Jensen® transformers, gold plated Neutrik® XLRs, rare earth magnet relays with gold contacts in a hermetically sealed nitrogen environment, mil- AutoVelocity™ itary grade glass epoxy circuit boards, to mention a few, contribute to the most technologically advanced compressor in the world. • New patent-pending AutoVelocity™ circuit • 127dB Dynamic Range • High-Drive output transformer drives 1000 ft. of 8760 S. Sandy Pkwy. Stereo Compresssor / Sandy, Utah 84070 160SL Belden at .007% THD Phone (801) 568-7660 Fax (801) 568-7662 • Hard-knee/OverEasy® switchable Limiter with Int’l Fax (801) 568-7583 • Program-dependent “Auto”, AutoVelocity™ Manual, customer@dbxpro.com http://www.dbxpro.com or fully variable attack and release modes AutoVelocity™ A Harman International Company 18-1716-B 01/99 3 3 7 5 0 7 5 0 10 3 10 3 20 20 - + - + -20 -15 -10 -20 -15 -10 -25 -5 -25 -5 -30 DECIBELS 0 -30 DECIBELS 0 ® ® 160SL 160SL STEREO COMPRESSOR / LIMITER WITH AUTOVELOCITY™ Dual Vacuum Tube Preamp 586 TYPE IV™ Conversion System Stereo Compresssor / 704 160SL Limiter with AutoVelocity™ The dbx160SL is a 2U stereo Compressor/Limiter in the tradition The dbx160SL THD + Noise: < 0.008% at +4 dBu, of the industry standard dbx160. The signal path consists of a Inputs 1 kHz, unity gain high precision input stage followed by the worlds widest dynam- Type: Electronically bal- Frequency Response: +0/-3 dB 2 Hz - 200 ic range voltage controlled amplifier - the dbx V8™ VCA - and anced/unbalanced, RF kHz +0/-0.1 dB 20 Hz then an output stage with phenomenal performance. Each stage filtered - 20 kHz is small signal square wave compensated to assure precise phase Input CMRR: > 100 dB at 60 Hz Deviation from Linear Phase: alignment at all audio frequencies. The unit features hard knee Max Input Level: 30 dBu balanced < 1° 20 Hz - 20 kHz Bandwidth: >200 kHz Power Supply Rails: +/- 24 Volts low noise and classic dbx Overeasy® compression threshold functions. regulated supply The dbx160SL also has attack and release controls as well as pro- V8 VCA Power Transformer: 60 VA toroidal in > 20 Stereo Compresssor / gram dependent time constants selectable with an auto switch. Dynamic Range: > 127 dB dB mu-metal enclosure 160SL THD + Noise: < 0.007% The dbx160SL has a low distortion, its high CMRR, wide band- Bandwidth: >200 kHz Compressor Limiter with width and wide input common mode range amplifier configura- Threshold Range: -40 to +30 dBu Outputs Ratio: 1:1 to ∞:1 tion for it’s input stage. Type: Transformer balanced Threshold Charateristic: AutoVelocity™ /unbalanced, RF fil- Selectable, Overeasy™ The dbx V8 VCA is a state-of-the-art implementation of the tered or hard knee David Blackmer deci-linear VCA. This VCA topology is used by Output Drive Capability Attack/Release: Selectable manual or nearly all dynamics processor manufacturers and has been the > 30 dBm auto dominant VCA topology in the audio industry for 25 years. It has Output Stage THD: Unmeasurable maintained this position for several reasons. It has extremely Earth Potential Isolation: Limiter > 200 VoltsDC Threshold range: +4 to +30 dBu (off) wide dynamic range, low distortion, low noise, low control volt- Output CMRR: > 110 dB Ratio: ∞:1 age feed thru, maintains this performance over time and temper- Bandwidth: > 200 kHz Limiter type: PeakStopPlus® 2 stage ature and most importantly, it inherently sounds (or rather does- limiter n’t have a sound) very transparent. Overall Unit Specifications Dynamic Range: >122 dB Options The dbx160SL has a high precision, high drive transformer cou- Head Room: 26 dB reference = +4 Type IV™ digital output module pled output stage capable of performing with incredible accuracy dBu Analog output module Signal to Noise: 96 dB, reference = +4 and sonic transparency in virtually any audio environment. The dBu custom designed transformer coupled with a discrete distortion canceling driver circuit is capable of driving 1000 feet of Belden 8451 cable terminated with a 150 ohm load at remarkably low FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: distortion levels. dbx Professional Products dbx engineers are constantly working to improve the quality of our products. 8760 S. Sandy Pkwy. Specifications are, therefore subject to change without notice. Sandy, Utah 84070 Phone (801) 568-7660 Fax (801) 568-7662 ® Int’l Fax (801) 568-7583 customer@dbxpro.com http://www.dbxpro.com A Harman International Company