DBX 200X Owners Manual

Page 1

db:
Model 200X
Program-Route Selector

Instruction Manual

Page 2

CONTENTS
Inspection and installation
Introduction
Front panel
Rear jacks and connections
Block diagram
Some typical hookups
Usage notes
Warranty and factory service

Schematic

10

11

12

17

18

Page 14

make sure that that processor is out or bypassed during the equalization process.)
The third category is equalizers that come with your speakers to improve their
response, usually at one or both ends of the audio band (Allison, Bose, dbx, EV,
McIntosh, etc.). Sud) a dedicated equalizer must do its work after the 200x,
making the final correction. It might be placed in a tape-monitor (Tape 2) or ex-
ternal-processor (EP, SP, etc.) loop, or it can be put between preamp and power
amp if you have separates. (Follow the manufacturer's directions.) This advice
also pertains to narrow-band parametric or third-octave equalizers used only for
changing speaker response and usually left to one setting.

Another solution for this is to put the 200x "inside" the speaker equalizer, in
its tape-monitor loop. Your preamp's Tape Out goes to the speaker EQ's Line In
(or From Preamp Tape Out), and the EQ's Line Out (or To Preamp Tape In) re-
turns to the preamp's Tape In. Meanwhile, the EQ's Tape Out (or To Tape Re-
corder In) goes to the 200Xs Line:ln, and the ZOOXs Line:0ut returns to the EQ's
Tape In (or From Tape Recorder Out). Note that the speaker EQ itself is always
set to its Tape Monitor.

Bass Reinforcers

A subharmonic synthesizer -- the dbx 120 or its predecessors (the 100, 110,
500) - should follow a user-controlled program-source equalizer, so that defi-
ciencies in the recording or broadcast can be somewhat corrected before the
synthesizer gets the signal. In other words, the subharmonic synthesizer should
have the best possible signal to work with.

However, an automatic equalizer (the dbx 10/20 or 20/20) or other EQ used
principally to equalize speakers should come after a l20. The reason for this is
that the low frequencies created by the synthesizer will then be reproduced by
the smoothed-out system, and the synthesizer won't have to operate on a signal
already modified for room/speaker irregularities. Likewise, other components
that process the bass as well as boost it should be placed after a program EQ but
before an automatic EQ.

Dynamic-Range Expanders and the like

Expanders, such as a dbx lBX Series Two, BBX Series Two, or l.LBX (or their
predecessors), and compressor/expander/enhancers, such as the previous dbx
models 117/8/9, also should be located after program-source EQ and before auto-
matic EQ. The reasoning is similar to that for bass processors. One, dynamic-
range expanders should have as "correct" (in frequency response) a signal as poss-
ible to work with. A second reason is that dbx expanders, at least, provide some
noise reduction (when they make soft sounds softer they also push down the noise
floor several dB). Therefore they will make equalizers quieter, which sometimes
is desirable because many of them aren't quite as low in noise as they could be.

In this sequence, some combinations of EQ settings, expanders, and program
material may occasionally result in "surging" in the sound at various frequencies.
Feel free to switch the order of equalizer and expander to see if theres an im-
provement.

Finally, if you own both an expander and a bass reinforcer, we recommend
the expander be first.

Imagers

These are the devices that alter the stereo image - its depth and width.
They are best placed after everything in the sound-processing chain except

I3