Since its introduction in the mid 1970's, the dbx160 series has been a very popular compressor. Solid construction, fool proof operation, great sound, at-a-glance metering and a bulletproof output stage, all contributed to its popularity with musicians, recording studios, consultants, installers, and broadcast media production people.
The 166XL is a dual channel/stereo compressor/limiter. It provides two channels of noise gating, OverEasy or classic hard knee compression and PeakStop limiting, with complete control of signal dynamics for studios, sound reinforcement companies and musicians. When using the Attack and Release controls, artists and engineers will find that the center settings deliver classic dbx compression, while the full control range produces effects that extend from slow leveling to aggressive peak limiting. The unit's advanced gate circuitry uses a new, program-dependent timing algorithm to produce ultra-smooth release characteristics, even with complex signals such as voice or reverb decays.
Separate precision LED displays for gain reduction, compression threshold and gate threshold allow quick, accurate setup, while the 166XL's intuitive operation lets users easily smooth uneven levels, add sustain to guitars, squash drums or tighten up mixes. In Stereo Couple mode, channel 1 controls become the master controls, and channel 2 follows precisely to ensure a rock solid stereo image, even with high amounts of compression, through True RMS Power Summing.