Extensive compressor reviews and FAQ

dbx 166A: This is another one-rack-space line-level unit, but it has two separate channels and extra features such as gating, expansion, and peak limiting. I directly A/B compared it to the 160A, with identical input signals, and I strongly preferred the 166. I felt that it had even lower noise, a better low end, and the "contour" function allows an even bigger bass sound by making the compressor less sensitive to low frequencies. The highs were about the same between them, in other words pretty decent but not awesome. The highs seem brighter at lower comp ratios, and more damped at higher ratios. Otherwise the sound is fairly transparent, one of the most "invisible" comps you could hope for in this price range. It is also quite versatile, with a wide usable range of tweakability to dial in exactly what you need. I also was able to set the 166 to sound and compress pretty much identically to the 160A and the 163X. The gate/expander works fine, but it is not subtle at all. I would use it on stage, but in the studio I would pick a more unobtrusive gate. The peak limiter, unfortunately, does not seem to do anything at all; and, overall I'd say this unit is better at general compression than it is at sharp peak limiting. Of course the flip side of all the controls available is that it takes some effort to find the right settings. It is not as easy to set up as the two or three-knob units, and there are no presets. The "contour" function is interesting: if your bass has relatively even output levels across high and low notes, engaging the contour will give you a bigger, bassier sound, which sounds really good. However if your bass (or playing technique) puts out big loud spikes in the low frequencies, you want the compressor to control those spikes, so you would switch off the contour in that case. All in all, this unit knocks my socks off for the punchy clean sound, low noise, and versatility, especially considering they can be found fairly cheaply on the used market.
 

 
 
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