DBX 286 S Reviews

Can't find a fault with it!

All across the board, from construction, through feel, sound quality and range features, along with a small price tag, this unit hasn't failed me yet in its daily use! Can't recommend enough.

Almost perfect!

I had been recommended to this product by colleagues who were extremely happy with the same model. I can see why everyone likes it and the 286s is in great demand.

There are too many positives to list, but I will highlight the efficiency of the expander/gate which is excellent. The only negative is the one everyone mentions - there is no power switch, so it is permanently on.

I'm sure they'll address this on the next version, but at £139 this is excellent value, especially when used versions are selling on eBay for significantly more!

Perfect for improving audio during video meetings!

I bought the DBX during the COVID lockdown primarily for video meetings, because I wanted to have a better audio when using my Rode NT1A microphone.

At first I tried various digital workarounds (microphone routed through DAW with noise reduction/gate plugins, compressor, EQ, and looped back) but I had loads of problems that way. Sometimes it worked perfectly, other times my coworkers complained about all sorts of problems that I didn’t hear on my end, not to mention the extra latency.

Eventually I gave up and started looking at hardware options. After watching loads of reviews online I decided on the DBX and it worked great! The compressor and noise gate were especially helpful.

I think that for video meetings/calls or for streaming the DBX is the best choice for this price. However for the usual audio recordings (vocals or voice over) I use it only as a preamp with processing bypassed and then do all the post processing in my DAW afterwards, because that gives me more wiggle room to process the recordings anyway I want.

totally wourth it

This device is something you really need with a rode broadcaster or sm7b.

It sounds 10 times better for a penny.

Nice unit, preamp not an upgrade from interface

Great looking device with well thought out features.

Very easy to use.

The low and high frequency detail (which isn't "just" EQ) sounds nice as long as you don't pump it all the way up.

It can just add that tad which is missing especially when you are using the 80hz cut off.

The De-esser does it job, similar to the compressor.

It's not too fast, not too slow. So perfect for controlling rather than removing peaks.

Tho for non-sensitive mics, beware for the noisy preamp.

I originally bought it thinking it would probably be less noisy than my Audient iD14 preamps but I was wrong.

From 30dB you start to hear the hiss.

Since you have to drive the compressor, it only amplifies it.

Not an issue for the majority of condenser mics since you will stay under 35dB anyways.

If you are buying it mostly for the effects section, it might be better to use the insert with another preamp if you are going to use gain hungry mics and especially if you are going into another (multiband)compressor/broadcast processor.

It's certainly a decent product for the price.

Good preamp - does the job

I brought this to use with my Shure SM7B as I found that it wasn't loud enough. It works very well, especially if you want to do some processing before it goes to your Daw. However If you wanting this for live use,I'd look at something smaller for portability.

Professional value at affordable price

I use voice recording in an office/studio which operates a lot of electrical equipment and and having a hardware sound chain and preamp in one channel strip like the dbx 286 S Microphone Processor helps me cope with white noise and outside traffic noise while coping with anything from Office 365 Teams telephony and professional voice production.

Packaged in a 19" rackmount form factor may terrify those who are new to audio production, but the unit enjoys plenty of professional YouTube commentary to help understand the learning curve and configure this workhorse. The unit is excellent for those moving up from entry level microphones to prosumer and professional tools. Also, a hardware sound chain like the dbx 286 S may be quicker to get to grips with than learning audio processing software to achieve the same results in tools like Audacity, Reaper, and other post processing apps.

I can disable the sound processing chain and record raw mic input for post processing, and I can always fall back to preconfigured settings for telephony/rush recordings, casting etc. In this respect the High Pass filters and Expander/Gate really help cope with outside neighbourhood noise and suppressing electronics fans etc.

I marked down the the "Features" by one star because the unit does not have a power on/off button. This means having to unplug the unit from my rackmount power strip, and it is a feature I would be very pleased to see included in future iterations.

the best i love it

Very satisfied!

All right. All the products our local companies imported were 110v in total, so I couldn't buy them. Later, I happened to find this site and bought it in 240V version. It was delivered safely and the power cord arrived just right for 240v. I'll give you nine out of 10 points for durability, stability, sound quality and effectiveness. All the functions in one piece are what I need, so I'm satisfied.

Beast features for the budget

I'm on the second unit, first one broken on warranty, got repaired, and has broken again out of warranty (~3 years)

Bought the second one because i think that's the perfect piece of equipment for my microphone adjustments, that comes at a really low cost comparing to other mic preamps that don't have that much features.

And if it will break again i will buy the 3rd unit. Hope not :)).

DBX 286 S Microphone processor

Thank you very much. Very pleased with the product.

you you do any type of vocal recording this is a tool to have on your arsenal

a small orban compressor for your mic

It does what exactly it promise

Perfect

At this price there is no excuse to not have one. Gives your podcasting the professional sound it deserves. Fantastic noise cancellation, adds warmth and removes those "sssss" :)

Excellent for the money

This has given my ‘radio voice’ the boost it needed! I wouldn’t think of doing my podcast without it.

Great piece of kit

Use it for voice over work and it is very good. A lot can be done in post processing but to use this DBX and get the sound correct in real time at time of recording just saves time and extra work.

The mic preamp is too bad

The mic preamp is too bad. It has lots of hissing noise

Compact and perfect

I love this product, I use it for live situations, most for singing, because I needed a compressor and a de-esser besides a goot preamp, and it has both of them. And I also like the gate feature, it works great for me. In this proce, it is unbeatable.

This is a great unit, does just what it says, no fuss no bull.

I also own the focusrite ISAone, the DBX pre-amp on its own without the dynamics turned on sounds remarkably like the Focusrite.

add the dynamics and dare i say it... I prefesr the DBX to the focusrite!!

Next time would change my mind

Was interested in getting this as it fit my purposes for killing two birds with one stone - a pre amp and a compressor.. However in future I would get seperate units. This is a wonderful device - it does exactly what it says it will.. however having studied a little more I think I would transfer the pre amplified signal into an EQ before putting into a compressor. If you have the money then I recommend doing this as I think you would achieve a better sound. On the other hand I was trying to save money and still, the audio out of the box is of undoubtable quality. If you're looking to save money, or especially for voiceovers I think this is a great cheap alternative, however if you're looking to make a more serious long term investment I would go with seperate units.