fish@ihu1g.UUCP (Bob Fishell) (02/23/84)
(oo)
It's been about 4 weeks since I got my dbx model 120 subharmonic
synthesizer, and I thought that a few people might be interested
in my impressions of it, now that I've lived with it for a while.
The dbx 120 adds an additional octave of bass, half the frequency
of any fundamental between 55 and 110 Hz, at a volume that is user
adjustable from infinite cut to +9dB relative to the input. dbx
claims that this restores bass tones lost in the recording process
and thereby enhances the realism of the listening experience.
The 120 succeeds at this, for the most part, but there are drawbacks.
I have composed a rather lengthy review of the unit and its performance,
but I think it's much too long to put on the net. I'll gladly e-mail
it to anybody interested in reading it. As a brief synopsis, the points
I've touched on are:
1) I like the unit and it's worth what I paid for it.
2) It does what it's supposed to do, but it does things
it shouldn't do, too, like adding an unnerving ghost image
to male voices under some circumstances.
3) It requires a beefy amplifier and deep-voiced speakers
in order to be tolerated.
4) You can't use it all the time.
5) When you can use it, it adds a good deal of presence to the bass
without giving a sense of booming or a heavy ambience. In this,
it does a lot more to improve the bass content of a program than
an equalizer can.
6) Rock fans will love it. Chamber and opera fans probably won't.
It does marvelous things for large orchestras and pipe organs,
and has an unexpectedly pleasing effect on piano music.
--
Bob Fishell
ihnp4!ihu1g!fish