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A Game Changer For Sound Quality

Let’s do the DBX 286s review. Have you ever recorded your voice and felt disappointed by how it sounded? How about wishing you could make your voice more professional, clear, and pleasant? We used to feel the same way until we found the DBX 286s, a full-featured channel strip processor from DBX.

This device can enhance voice recordings by adding various effects and adjustments. It has a high-quality microphone/instrument preamplifier and four effects processors that can be used separately or together.

Similarly, it has a wide-ranging input gain control, switchable +48V phantom power, an 80Hz high-pass filter, a patented DBX OverEasy compressor, a frequency tunable de-esser, an enhancer, and an expander/gate.

We bought the DBX 286s after researching online and reading some positive reviews. In fact, we wanted to improve our voice recordings for various projects, such as podcasts, audiobooks, voice-overs, etc. Additionally, we wanted more than the sound quality of our microphone and sound card alone, as they made our voice sound dull, flat, and nasal. We tried to fix them with software effects, but they still seemed unnatural and amateurish.

Actually, we were amazed by the results of using it on our voice recordings. They sounded much better than before. In this review article, we will tell you about the pros and cons of the device, as well as some of its features and specifications. By the end of this article, you will have a better idea of whether the DBX 286s suit you.

What the DBX 286s Can Do?

The DBX 286s is a powerful and versatile channel strip that can be used to improve the sound quality of any source if appropriately set. It has the following features:

Mic Preamp. A crystal transparent mic preamp that gives you plenty of gains, phantom power, and a high-pass filter to eliminate unwanted noise.
Compressor. A smooth and transparent compressor that evens out your dynamics and adds punch and presence to your sound. It has two simple controls: Drive (how much compression you want) and Density (how fast the compressor releases).
De-Esser. It is a handy de-esser that removes harsh sounds and distortion from your vocals or instruments. This has two simple controls: Frequency (where you want to de-ess) and Threshold (how sensitive the de-esser is).
Enhancer. A subtle enhancer that adds sparkle and warmth to high and low frequencies. It has two simple controls: HF Detail (how much high-frequency enhancement you want) and LF Detail (how much low-frequency enhancement you want).
Expander/Gate. A smart expander/gate that reduces background noise or leakage from other sources. It has two simple controls: Threshold (when the gate opens) and Ratio (how much the gate closes).
Insert Jack. An insert jack that lets you add an external processor between the mic preamp and the signal processing sections or mix the mic preamp’s signal out to an external destination.
Output. An output section that gives you a balanced XLR output and an unbalanced 1/4″ TRS output. It also has a meter that shows you the output level or the amount of compression.

What did we like about the DBX 286s?

We bought the DBX 286s last year for us to use with our Shure SM7B microphone for recording vocals and podcasts. We were amazed by how much it improved our sound quality. Below are some of the things we liked about it:

Easy to use. The DBX 286s is very user-friendly and intuitive. Each section has only two knobs that are easy to adjust and fine-tune. The LED indicators show you what’s going on at a glance. Its bypass switch lets you compare the processed and unprocessed sounds.
Effective and versatile. It does what it promises and more. Also, it makes my vocals sound more consistent, clear, and professional, especially when teaching online and recording.
Compact and sturdy. Moreover, the DBX 286s is a small, solid device that fits easily in any rack or desk. It has a sleek and elegant design that looks great in any studio or home setup.

What do we dislike about the DBX 286s?

The DBX 286s could be better, though. There are some things that we wished it had or did better. Below are some of them:

There is no on/off switch for individual processors. However, it only has one bypass switch that simultaneously turns off all the processors. Sometimes, we wanted to turn off only one or two processors without affecting the others, but we couldn’t.
No EQ section. Also, it has no equalizer section, so we had to use an external EQ unit or plugin if we wanted to adjust the frequency balance of our sound. An EQ section would have been nice to have for more tonal control.
No digital connectivity. The DBX 286s has only analog inputs and outputs, so we used an audio interface or mixer to connect it to our computer or other digital devices. A digital connectivity option would have been convenient for more flexibility.
No MIDI control. Lastly, it has no MIDI input or output, so it couldn’t be controlled remotely or automated with DAW or other MIDI devices. A MIDI control option would have been helpful for more creativity.

How do the DBX 286s change our sound for the better?

Despite its flaws, the DBX 286s is a great channel strip processor that improves sound. It gave us more confidence and satisfaction in our recordings and podcasts. Moreover, it saved us time and money by eliminating the need for multiple devices or plugins.

Do you have any questions, additional information or comments? Let us know in the section below. Thanks for reading, and see you at the next one!

Note: The images are taken from amazon.com.jp for accuracy purposes.

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