Tweet
BBE DS24 Forewarning
I just received my own BBE DS24 - which is a "speaker management" piece, with crossover and EQ functionality for two ins and four outs.
Friends of mine in the pro field have used them to great praise, and I've heard the results. They do indeed work well for the pro field.
I should note, however, that the documentation is deceptive. Crossover frequencies are not fully customizable. There are many of them, but you cannot choose on a 1Hz basis. For instance, 320Hz is available, but the next point is 326. Exact crossover design is one of the benefits of an active setup, and it is definitely shy of "exact."
The "31 ISO frequencies" of EQ do not allow for selectable scale; they are fixed points in the 20-20Khz range, which is not helpful for exacting hifi designs. I had to rework my network heavily and add three passive filters to make up for notch filters that the DS24 simply doesn't allow. I, for instance, had a notch at 1800Hz; the nearest available notches were 1600Hz and 2000Hz. Not helpful.
Filter Q is listed as ".5-10", but in reality it's ".5, 1, 1.5, 2" and so forth. Even .7 Q filters - which are common - are impossible to make. Gain on filters is only adjustable in 1dB increments, not .5dB.
The DS24 still allows for otherwise nearly impossible crossover filters - including 12dB filters with quality ranging in .1 increments from .1 to 1.0, which is interesting - but makes me wonder, why can't I use this sort of customization for my other filters?
Anyone looking to build a no-compromise system should stay away from the DS24. Stick with the Behringer DCX2496. If you're willing to accept the limitations, though, it IS cheaper, and likely more ruggedly built (it is a beautiful piece of equipment.)
Friends of mine in the pro field have used them to great praise, and I've heard the results. They do indeed work well for the pro field.
I should note, however, that the documentation is deceptive. Crossover frequencies are not fully customizable. There are many of them, but you cannot choose on a 1Hz basis. For instance, 320Hz is available, but the next point is 326. Exact crossover design is one of the benefits of an active setup, and it is definitely shy of "exact."
The "31 ISO frequencies" of EQ do not allow for selectable scale; they are fixed points in the 20-20Khz range, which is not helpful for exacting hifi designs. I had to rework my network heavily and add three passive filters to make up for notch filters that the DS24 simply doesn't allow. I, for instance, had a notch at 1800Hz; the nearest available notches were 1600Hz and 2000Hz. Not helpful.
Filter Q is listed as ".5-10", but in reality it's ".5, 1, 1.5, 2" and so forth. Even .7 Q filters - which are common - are impossible to make. Gain on filters is only adjustable in 1dB increments, not .5dB.
The DS24 still allows for otherwise nearly impossible crossover filters - including 12dB filters with quality ranging in .1 increments from .1 to 1.0, which is interesting - but makes me wonder, why can't I use this sort of customization for my other filters?
Anyone looking to build a no-compromise system should stay away from the DS24. Stick with the Behringer DCX2496. If you're willing to accept the limitations, though, it IS cheaper, and likely more ruggedly built (it is a beautiful piece of equipment.)
Comment