I've had this thing for years, but it suddenly stopped working properly. Sometimes, LEDs would light up, almost none of the effects worked even with the Process Bypass button toggled on/off. I contacted DBX about this and they said it's likely a hardware issue, but wanted almost the full price just to check it out, and that's not including shipping. Why bother? Go for something that lasts. I see no reason for this to have failed, unless there was a sign of a power outage and there wasn't. Everything else was working just fine and didn't need to be reset. After reading how others have experienced similar issues with this device and their experiences with DBX customer service, I won't be buying another DBX product.

I was most impressed with the functionality, ease of use, and sound quality of the DBX286S.
I use it with a Shure SM7B for radio broadcast.

It lasted 3 years. I logged in to go live a recent morning and the signal chain was distorted, sounding awful. I was able to work bypassing the DBX effects section, only using the preamp.
I'm replacing it with some trepidation. We'll see how long this one holds up.

Matt is smart and very helpful. Thorough service and knowledge.

If you are looking for an entry level channel strip with all the functionality you need to get up and running, this is one of the only real contenders. I found just using the cloudlifter lacking when it came to my SM7B. The added gain, along with the gate and compressor filled in the gap on the hardware level. Yes I can gate in the mixing stage, but keeping my raw tracks clean is one less task I have to worry about. And it's great for podcasting\Discord, Discord's noise gate sucks, so now it's just a secondary backup, and I can keep my input levels higher so I'm not constantly fighting the app to get a good balance. Would recommend this 10 out of 10 to anyone.

The 286s is an outstanding tool for anyone looking to elevate their audio quality.

With its robust preamp and versatile processing features—including a compressor, de-esser, enhancer, and expander/gate—it offers everything you need to achieve a professional sound. Even microphones that already sound great benefit from the 286s, gaining that extra 5% to go from "great" to "amazing." The preamp and downward expander alone are worth the price of admission.

One minor drawback is the lack of an XLR output. While the balanced/unbalanced 1/4" TRS output works well, an XLR connector would offer more convenience and flexibility in professional setups. Despite this, the 286s remains a top-notch choice that provides great value for its price.

We joined a small local church recently which had a decent PreSonus StudioLive mixer and a pair of EV FOH cabs (actually mounted on the side walls in the right spot!), but they had purchased the standard inexpensive Shure gooseneck mic which sounds terrible even EQd, plus the song leader has a strong sibilance even with a soft voice. We can barely hear him before feedback and that's with the low mids cut way back. I had the church get for starters the right gooseneck mic, the one I put in all church installations: the Sennheiser MEG 14-40 B Cardioid Condenser.

But out of my own pocket I also grabbed this dbx channel strip because the PreSonus has no de-esser, and I heard good things about the dbx.

WOW.

The combo of the Sennheiser with this channel strip is GOLD. The pre sounds excellent, the comp and de-esser are smooth but on the money and the Gate nails the quietness needed between breaths. This combo sounds nearly as good as the Sennheiser EW100 handhelds we use! Our pastor likes to sing certain things at the pulpit and now that is not only doable, it WORKS. The song leader now sounds smooth but present and for the first time we have a great problem: he's sometimes TOO loud and I have to pull him back in the mix when he's leading congregationals! Praise the Lord, FINALLY. That mic and this strip is a clear winner. The demo Sweetwater sent was listed as nearly new condition and it WAS. My only complaint: no On/Off switch, which is fine in a rack, but our small setup just has it on a shelf above the mixer. Easy fix was a switchable outlet on the power strip, solved. Highly recommended.

This was the first piece of analog gear that I picked up and the first piece of analog gear that I sold to free up rack space.
My favorite part of this channel strip is the noise gate!
I did a shootout between this channel strip, wa-412 into a wa-76, and a wa-273 into a black lion Bluey. The DBX sounded so dull and muffled in that comparison to the point that I listed the DBX on reverb the same day.
The compressor in this channel strip is okay but very slow acting making it not ideal, the de-easing was effective, and the eq I barely touched.
It's great for voiceover/podcast kind of work. But as far as for vocal tracking, I'd look into a neeve style preamp and a good 1176 style compressor to compliment that preamp.

I was introduced to Sweetwater ten plus years ago by a fellow broadcaster. Since then I have purchased all my audio gear from Sweetwater. Every Sales Engineer I have encountered all these years have made my experience fantastic & positive. This is a company wide passion for excellence. I have many other broadcast industry friends that I have introduced to Sweetwater as well. Those new to Sweetwater have been totally happy with their A+++ buying experiences. These Sales Engineers are no nonsense pros who have answers to any questions one may have. If you happen to contact your personal Sales Engineer & they are unavailable no problem! There will be someone there to step in to assist you right away. These pros will amaze you with their knowledge & can do attitude. Believe me, I strive for perfection in my profession & look for the same in doing business with others. There is no question I found that with Sweetwater & you will as well! FYI - My Sales Engineer is Domenic Saracina. Just like all the rest, he is excellent!! If you have never contacted Sweetwater for your equipment needs, do yourself a favor and simply contact them for you next purchase. I assure you, it will be a most positive experience.

A preamp, compressor, de-esser, enhancer, and expander/gate for $199? And it sounds good? Take my money.

This was the first channel strip that I ever owned. I've used it to record podcast dialog, studio vocals, and guitar. It's reliably gotten the job done, time and time again.

The Compressor module sounds fine and provides enough control to tame the dynamics of various sound sources. Now that I own other hardware compressors, it's not my first choice, but it was my only choice for a long time, and I've used it to produce a lot of music.

If you're recording a vocalist with a wispy voice using a cheap microphone that doesn't handle sibilance well, you'll love the De-Esser. Don't overdo it, or your vocalist will sound like they have a lisp.

You can't adjust the frequency of the Enhancer's LF and HF Detail knobs, but they seem to use a wide bandwidth and allow you to apply a musical boost to your lows and highs. You can use this feature to beef up kick drums or add shimmer/gloss to vocals/guitars.

The Expander/Gate is extremely helpful for cleaning up background noise once you figure out how to dial in its settings. I recommend reserving this feature for live applications, like performing on stage or broadcasting a radio show. Using inappropriate settings can result in words or phrases getting cut off, which you definitely don't want when recording an artist. If you can, remove noise in your DAW using a de-noise plugin like iZotope's RX for more detailed control.

Over the years, I've picked up other preamps, compressors, and EQs that I sometimes chain with my 286s if I want to use the De-Esser and/or Expander/Gate. If you want to add some hardware to your studio but don't know where to start, the DBX 286s provides you with a little bit of everything and will remain relevant as your studio grows.

Is one the best chanal straps right now out on the market advitse you to try for your self if you don't think it is we think you don't know your gear because you never shop audio for looking for the best chanal strips for your buck for Cash We aime to save you cash when comes to custom services we will give you are exprit advice when you ask us here from sweet water

I love the premise of this product and what it is capable of doing for your audio when it works. I've certainly gotten many great hours of recording out of it with minimal post-processing needed. However, it has a persistent problem: occasionally, levels drop, the audio becomes muffled and warm, and various pops are introduced. After sending the unit across the country for repairs twice, and a brief honeymoon period, the issue continues. There are a few examples online of the problem (search for AustrianGeek on YouTube) and plenty of discussions if you look for them. I could get by when monitoring my audio live, but finding out that a piece on camera is unusable is just so frustrating. It is not a bad unit or even a bad batch at this point, because units repaired by the manufacturer end can up broken again after weeks or months of low use. I wish I could use this product every day, but it is too unreliable.

I bought this last year, 2021. I've used it maybe a handful of times and the preamp is burnt out. I hate that this happened so quickly.

I have owned my dbx 286s channel strip since 2018. In my unusual voice application it does not get a lot of use, a few times a week. But when I do use it, it needs to work. (I use it for audio processing for my AM amateur radio station.) It has developed an issue that online research reveals is not uncommon: after a few minutes of operation audio output fails. This is unfortunate because when it did work, it did the job well, especially for the price. So, boys and girls, caveat emptor. I am not going to get mine repaired, especially since the price has increased significantly since my purchase. It gets kicked to the curb and a Behringer UV1 will replace it for a lot less money.

This unit is amazing at getting the best possiable sound out of your vocals rather recording or live sound. It has the perfect lineup of all the vocal processing one could ask for in a single unit. I use it for live DJ vocal applications but have used one in voice over applications as well and it makes a huge difference. I would highly recommend for any one looking to have to more control over your vocals. I have several Dbx units from EQ , X-Over, etc and have been very impressed with them all.

I purchased this from sweetwater in 2020 as my first piece of outboard gear (besides my interface).

Originally got it because I needed a noise gate and compressor for vocals.

Originally left a good review because I didn't know better.

Things to note:

- input stage has high distortion: I originally didn't notice the distortion using this on microphones on vocals. Recently I plugged a synth into the Line In and the signal was so distorted at medium gain that I immediately unracked it and tossed it.

- The compressor on the unit is awful. No control over attack or ratio. You basically have an input drive and a release with no threshold control.

- the de-easer doesn't work. I couldn't get it to work unless I turned it all the way up. After opening up the unit I can see there are calibration screws on the board. Maybe this would be useful if it was properly calibrated at the factory… but it isn't.

- the gate is the only thing I have no complaints about. If the unit didn't have such bad / unmusical distortion then it would useful.

As it stands I can only recommend this channel strip to one group of users: podcasters/streamers for non professional use.

As it stands this product is not suited for musical applications and is best for live radio broadcast/streaming or podcasting.

Save your money. If there's one thing I've learned… there's not much high quality outboard gear available for under $500-1000. Sub $1000 would be Golden Age Project and Warm Audio.

Personally I'd recommend just saving your money and using plugins for musical processes. If you need a hardware vocal chain… save your money. Treat/dampen your room for reflections. Buy a high quality mic, preamp, compressor etc.

Example for rap vocals:
Neumann TLM103 -> Universal Audio Solo 610 -> Warm Audio optical compressor

Sony C80 or C100 -> ELI Mike-E

Mojave MA300 -> Focusrite ISA One -> Warm Audio optical compressor

I bought this unit because I had a specific need for this exact feature set. I hesitated initially, however, because its extremely low price point made me second-guess its quality, both build and sound.

Ultimately I made the purchase because there's nothing else available on the market (at any price point) with this specific feature set. That is, except for a Behringer unit which, I'm pretty sure, is meant to be a slightly cheaper copy of the 286s. Other than that obvious no-go, the closest thing feature-wise is the Neve 8801 for three grand. I would've made that jump but, again, I was looking for this exact feature set....so I pulled the trigger on this piece.

I've had it a couple months, and it's all good. I'm entirely satisfied with its performance. The preamp is really clean and transparent until you push it really hard, at which point it just rounds things off a smidge and gives you a tiny bit of attitude. I use every one of the processors as intended. No complaints....except G.A.S. (Gear Acquisition Syndrome).

This is by far the lowest cost item in my signal chain. The compressor I have on its insert was literally ten times the price I paid the 286s, as was the microphone I have feeding it. Though I'm not having any issues with the unit AT ALL, I keep finding myself wondering if it's somehow a bottleneck in my signal path, like, maybe there's a more "pro" channel strip out there that would open up some untapped potential in my vocal chain....but there isn't, not with the feature set I need....and this thing sounds A LOT better than it should. If it were priced closer to a thousand dollars, I wouldn't question it.

The 286 is an awesome value. Make no mistake, cheap does not mean sacrificing quality or performance. I use a Shure 7M7b and have enough headroom with my Presonus USB interface to do broadcast quality recording for voice tracks, newscasts, interviews, and commercial production. Honestly, dbx is leaving some cash on the table with a current price in the low two hundred dollar range. I now own two for my home studio and we have three units in service at our main studio. I like the noise gate in particular and find it quite effective in managing ambient noise while not impacting the main vocals. Easy to dial in and go. Two of our studio units are powered up 24/7 and we have had no issues--even after three or four years of use. I highly recommend the 286!

I've tried virtually all of the inexpensive channel strips and this is the only one I've stuck with. Almost all others (such as the Presonus studio channel) have mic pre's that crap our fairly quickly. I don't overuse or abuse this equipment, I treat it with the utmost care, and still I've lost mic pre's with most inexpensive units.
After owning and using this unit for a year it seems different... super-solid. I'd love more EQ control, but I think they must have felt that would have raised the price too high, so they didn't try to cram too much into a lesser-priced unit. I wanted to write so that others could learn from my mistakes. Unless you have the money to spend, this is the best option out there by a large margin from what I've tried and used.

Say what you will… the dbx 286s is (in my opinion) the finest channel strip ever! It's the most simple to use and straightforward piece of sound shaping equipment I've ever used. Dead simple knobs give you super-easy sound shaping for everything. The de-esser is the best I've E-V-E-R come across! If you don't have this this rack-mount dbx 286s, you're missing out on one incredible sounding shape and 'S' controller! Easily shape instrument EQ-ing just as easily as vocals. If you're looking for an amazing vocal, as well as instrument sound shaping tool… (and thankfully the best 'S' tamer/eliminator control) this dbx unit is a real workhorse!

I've used this in a WFH situation for about a year and a half in conjunction with an SM57. Prior to this, I used to get comments from my coworkers about my audio dropping off as I was speaking and turning my head to look at an adjacent monitor, as well as being asked to mute my mic on occasion due to background noise. I use the compressor to help even out the signal to my USB interface and have the Expander/Gate adjusted so that background noise doesn't make it through-- and it works beautifully for that. I've not had a single complaint on either prior mentioned issue since implementing this.

I highly recommend this to people in a WFH situation as well as podcasters. The features on this piece of gear can save you a lot of work in post if you set them up properly. Is the sound quality "the best"? Of course not. You get what you pay for, but it is MORE THAN ADEQUATE for spoken word applications. Only the old crotchety snobs will find room for complaint.

I docked half a star for having a somewhat weak preamp. I am nearly maxed out on my SM57, and would have gladly paid more for a unit equipped with a preamp having a little more headroom. If you are working with notoriously insensitive dynamic mics (you know the ones), a slightly different gear combination might work better for you-- i.e. standalone preamps and the dbx 266XS.

While looking for a mic strip, mainly a mic-pre & compressor unit, I kept seeing this dbx unit. Didn't like the minimum controls and differences from my other mic-pre strip I own, mainly because it's different than the normal compressor type settings. But I ordered one... used it in a real environment yesterday and WOW! Perfect combination between the 286, my mic of choice and the talent! Never heard him sound better. I thought my Symetrix 528E sounded good, but the 286 is spot on the right choice for this spoken word application. Looking forward to trying it in a singing application.

This device has pretty much everything you need built into one well-priced design. Only real downsides are the noise it can add to the chain; but it's worth it for all of the features at this price point. Had it for 2 years with no issues or failures!

This is without a doubt one of my favorite pieces of equipment in my recording studio. I would seriously hate to try and get along without it. An investment that will last a very long time and hold it's value just as long.

Got it & love it! Every VO artist's studio is complete without one. Makes you sound like a million bucks. Mr. Franco was very helpful and attentive. He took the time to reach out to me to make sure I received the product and was happy with the purchase.

You can do everything here in your DAW (software), and for tough cases it's good to have the original, but this saves a lot of time on voice auditions, and things like the noise gate and the compressor work more cleanly as a circuit/firmware than in regular software. It's also great for giving you tons of clean gain for weaker close-up dynamic mics. Take your time and learn what works one bit at a time, and don't push it, but it's a great way to build some pro engineering into your tracks when you can't spend forever friggin around. It took me time to get back to this...had to treat my room properly...but it's a great deal for some polished pro equipment.

You can't have a microphone and not have the DBX 286S in the audio chain. It makes a microphone sound like a microphone is supposed to sound. It makes you sound professional. The customer service at Sweetwater is what customer service is supposed to be. You can't go wrong, no matter what you need, buying from Sweeetwater.

Alan DuPriest

If you're using a bunch of plugins to improve your mic for live situations, such as live streaming and meetings, it's time to ditch plugins that emulate De-esser, noise gate, compression, light EQ. It's adding latency/delay in your vocals, and you're having to account for that. This is where the 286s comes in, by offloading audio processing to hardware. You'll account for the core portion of your audio processing through the 286s, and will pretty much ditch all plugins for live use cases.

My chain is the following: RE20 > dbx 286s > cloudlifter > SSL2 > PC. While the cloudlifter is overkill, I don't like pushing gain on the 286s or SSL2. The cloudlifter has let me keep my gain settings at +30 on the 286s and 4/10 on the SSL2. This helps avoid concerns with noise in the chain around the 286s, by adjusting gain settings to ideal configurations.

I spent more money on plugins than I did after finding out about, and buying, the 286s. For live use cases, hardware is definitely where its at with the cost-effective dbx 286s.

I recently got this preamp and I'm using it with the Avalon 737sp. They are a match made in heaven!!! Once you gain stage it perfectly it's a Beast!!! The expander/gate will allow you to produce studio quality vocals regardless of the environment, And the enhancer is spot on. I use this with the Sony C100 hi res condenser microphone and it really brings out the vocals. It's very transparent. Just amazing!!! Probably the best budget solid state channel strip available.

I used a dbx 286A back in the day, and have coveted this piece of gear for a long time. I love it so much that I've bought three of them in the last year. Big bang for your buck here. Fantastic outboard channel strip with 4 separate processors (compressor, de-esser, 2 band EQ, and expander/gate). It's awesome to be able to handle a lot of this processing outboard, freeing up CPU and giving your DAW a little more breathing room. You just can't even come close at this price point. Just pull the trigger, you need this gear!

For anyone interested in home recording the 286s will step your sound up in a major way. The preamp sounds great but the star of this hardware is the noise gate. You can quickly eliminate background noise from air conditioners, a pet or a truck driving by with the turn of a knob. Ideal for people with untreated workspaces, this unit can be beneficial to anyone looking to improve their sound.

It helps a lot specially if u don't have a treated room

Quiet, smooth, airy, thick, defined, warm... get what you want from vocalists with this gem! I had one 26 years ago and sold it.. Missed it ever since. Finally bought one again and I am thrilled as it is even better than my vintage 286 I missed so greatly. I would stack it up against any of my more expensive strips for vocals. This a must in my studio!

This really helps the vocal sound in a live situation. Quite well priced. I bought two.

I have had the original version of this strip for 25 years. I have not used it since I went all in on DAW and VST's. That said, I have obtained remarkable results with the 286 project priced mics like Octava LDC and AKG small capsule's. I am using UA pres now but am about to start using the 286. I have tracked great sounding vocals with it. The compressor is very well tuned and the enhancement functions can be used subtly and musically as can the dessser. It is not dead quiet but not an issue for me and I have treated rooms so I'm noise conscious. I have gotten great results very easily with the 286
and am putting it back in the rack.

If you record at home and have background noise, you"ll need this. It's either this or the Neve 5045. If you don't have the money for a Neve 5045 then go with this.

Right out of the box I could tell that this channel strip was worth the money spent. After getting it hooked up to my interface and microphone, I could immediately hear that I sounded much better on my live streams. The only thing I wish this channel strip had was an EQ. It has a high pass filter, which is indeed useful, but a little more filtering options would have been preferred over the "enhancer" section.

Like the personalized service of Sweetwater.

I've owned this channel strip for about 2 years. I use it as my preamp/channel strip for recording vocals. My vocals sound great through this and require almost no further processing in my DAW. The vocals sound warm, in your face, and have no harshness. I'm thinking about buying a second one for my mobile setup.

Bought this for a broadcast microphone application. It functions well but not having the option to pad the output is disappointing. The price point is great.

I've used tons of VSTs for my Voice Overs throughout the years but never quite got the results I was looking for. This unit far exceeded my expectations! I finally have top-notch recordings with every session now.

The Gate is incredible on its own! The De-Esser is perfect, the Compressor is spot-on for getting a super professional sound and the Enhancer makes everything sound so detailed and present that I don't think I'll ever record a session without this processor again!

In short, I'm getting EXACTLY the results I've been hoping to hear for years.

Do yourself a favor and order one. I can't find a single drawback with this unit.

WOW! The 286S delivers an amazing sound regardless of the price. I was looking for something special for my voiceover, podcast and streaming work, and this mic pre / processor is easily the best gear for a little over $... you can get. What a deal! I own the Electro-Voice holy trinity (RE20, RE27N/D, and RE320) and running any of them through the 286S puts the icing on the cake. No muss - no fuss. Sure, I could keep spending precious time processing my voiceovers and video audio tracks with plugins in post, but you can't do that in live streaming. And quite frankly, I like the sound of the 286S better than any of my post processing plugin chains.
If you're considering the dbx 286S, just get it.

Every home studio should have one of these in the chain. I know it's used by musicians but for broadcast/voice work this is a faultless piece of kit. Coupled with the station processing it never fails to sound a million dollars on the air.

I wish it had an EQ and I wish the inputs were on the front. I knew this before ordering so I can"t take anything away from it. It works fine. Worth the money.

It is what my son wanted and he is having a awesome time

My main use is for live vocals,with an SM58 mic plus a Behringer Virtualizer hooked up as a mono effects unit via the insert jack of the 286s. It's proven to be a great set-up...inexpensive,yet quality performance day after day. Not one glitch in three years of hard use out on the road. Recently we needed an extra mic pre to feed into a line in on an RME Babyface Pro in a remote recording situation. We were out of the studio, where we usually have access to some great outboard preamps, but I happened to have my live rig rack with the 286s still in my equipment van. Man...were we surprised at what the dbx channel strip was able to provide. We used it with a ribbon mic, plus a condenser LDC for vocals and acoustic guitar tracks. Both required 48v phantom power, an option I never needed with my SM58, yet the 286s provided it. Sweet! Clean,quiet with plenty of headroom,plus compression, noise suppression/de-sser. When compared to a couple of the more expensive studio preamps we have, all I can say is the 286s delivered professional results yet had more options for the money spent.. Yep, I found myself reconsidering some previous purchases, looking back it probably would have been better to have bought 3 of these instead of one of a well known name brand. Bottom line-The dbx 286s should be the 1st preamp considered for live and home studio users that don't have a gazzillion bucks to spend. Actually, even if you do have a gazzillion bucks, the 286s is a very good mic preamp option. Solid performance w/o a break the bank price point. Plus, Sweetwater offers a 2-year warranty!

Handles my RE27N/Ds wonderfully. Confident output.

Let my review be proof of the magic this will bring to your home studio and your recordings. I mainly bought this thing because it is able to extract out lots of white noise and any fuzz, his or backtound noise you had floating around. I purxhase this product by myself like all products i have purchased.

I have this thing paired up with a shure sm7b mic going staright into the dbx286s and then finally ending with my UA apollo twin. After.

My previous setup before was a tube channel strip dbx376 which was a beast, but ill be honest i love the clean prestine backround that this leaves with your recording. That is the main purpose of this piece of gear. It can mimic a very quiet studio booth. I strickly use it for mics like the shure sm7b and its a great fit together.

I also do live broadcast for music performances and this gives you such a perfessional feel to your set/backround, extracting out all the bullshot noise whenever you are not talking, or singing. The only purpose i use this for is that. I dont even use the conpressor. I set my gain on my interface at medium level like i always do, and ser the dbx drive to max for the type of mic i have. And leave the gain master on the right al the way to 0, zero. Sounds wonderful. Now i will puxhase something to color my vocals and chain it to this beast as the last part of my chain.

Over all, this thing is awesome, dont rely on it to give u beef for recording or ur instruments, the pre amp is good, i would suggest side channing some color to it with a different module, thanks.

In short: GET THIS!

Unless you're already a pro, and have a $1,000 mic, a $2,000 pre-amp and are experienced in applying effects in post production... Getting the dbx 286s is one of the best moves you can make.

I'm sure some 'expert' could tell you that the pre-amp used here isn't as good as ______ because of _______, but whatever!

I have a microphone that's about $300. I have an expensive sound record that does a great job of recording what goes into it. And the signal coming from my inexpensive mic, to the dbx 286s and to the recorder, is great.

I got several of these, put them in a SHALLOW Gator travel case/rack, and set them on my desk when I interview 2-3 people. For a solo podcast or video voiceover, it's just as easy.

When I'm done, I put the end covers on the Gator case, and put it away, out of sight until I need it again.

If you want a pre-amp that's super portable, get a Focusrite or a MixPre. But if you can spare a bit of extra space, and want a nice pre-amp that comes with all these other features, get this 286s.

The only editing I do in post is to cut out the parts where I messed up what I was saying. I don't use any plugins or effects in my DAW, since this channel strip has everything I need... and, unless you're recording a Grammy-winning artist, or are a very experience VO artist who already has 'the best', the dbx 286s is a great place to start. I foresee myself using this for years to come. I'm very happy with the quality and the features available.

I started narrating audio books about six months ago. I'm on the mic for long periods. My problem was that outside noises would interfere with recording - trucks would rumble by or some other low-end noisemaker cut through. The acoustical treatment in my home studio is fine for normal use but not for dealing with these external problems. The dbx 286s came to the rescue. The noise gate offered precise control over the frequencies causing the most trouble. I was truly blown away with how quiet the recordings were once I started using the 286s. And it works great to eliminate other noises like computer fans, etc.
The other feature I needed was better pre-amp for greater gain. Although I use a condenser mic for narration, I'm planning to use dynamic mics for podcasting. This device took care of the gain problem too.
The dbx 286s is solid, well-built and works great. For my requirements, it's been perfect.

This was one of the first pieces I got for my home studio and it is one of the best investments a vocalist can get. The gate is really nothing to play with! Paired with the 80hz roll of enabled, there is complete and utter silence between phrases. Even the hum of the AC unit and computer can't be heard while tracking. The compressor is also very consistent and easy to use, drive controls the input gain and density works more like a release control to smooth out everything. And it's program-dependent so no need to fuss about threshold and ratio. Additionally, the hi detail enhancer option adds a nice sheen to vocals at the most minimum setting. Overall, any vocals I've processed through this unit requires little to no extra EQ and compression when mixing. It really is a must have.

I am a beginning voice actor and have slowly been building my home studio and equipment. Prior to purchasing and implementing the DBX 286s into my signal chain I was having to edit out miscellaneous sounds, compress, remove breaths, etc. using plugins in my DAW. It could be very time consuming. I researched and found a lot of experienced voice artists are using this.

I ordered two days ago and it arrived today (quick free shipping). I hooked my Rode NT1 to the DBX 286s then line to Focusrite 2i2, to my MacBook. Dang is all I have to say. I am getting auditions the exact way I want them in one to two takes and no additional editing required other than normalizing to -3.

I was also impressed that someone from Sweetwater called me to confirm they were processing my order, I even got an immediate notification it had arrived, which was great because I did not hear the FedEx guy. Any new voice actors, this is a must.

If you record where your equipment is no matter how much you treat the room for total silence
and try to muffle the sound of even an almost silent computer, there is still noise that mics pick up. Get one of these and your problem is solved. Works really well.

Lots of features for a good price

I have an older USA made model. It is said to be a bit different internally. I looked inside and found some nice THAT chips. It also has Neutrik connectors on the backside. Either way, i'm sure this current piece is similarly usable. I use mine for music, not voice-over and it works great. Just a nice modern sound with that classic DBX dynamics. Try this box as a budget mic-pre / channel strip for singing and rap and you might be surprised. Great value.

I've read a lot of reviews on this unit, but, as the saying goes, seeing (hearing) is believing. My studio is not setup with a lot of sound treatment, so, I my microphone picks up little background noise...not too bad but not what I want. The preamp is supper clean. The noise gate, well, WOW doesn't really discribe it. The compressor, supper clean. The remainder of feature are just icing on the cake. When I get ready to add another mic for voice, I will certainly be purchasing dbx-286s to go along with it!

I love this thing. I use it for vocal processing for voice overs and for gaming or "broadcasting" if you like. The only reason I don't give it five stars is the compressor controls. "drive" is easy enough to figure out but "density" was not so obvious. The manual explained it clearly enough, but I would still would prefer it labeled as "release."

I was facing the task of creating dozens of training videos for software applications. These are basically videos of the application performing certain operations with a voiceover track. The first attempt was with an inexpensive USB headset/mic combo equipped with a small wind screen (marginally acceptable, but not great). The audio tracks were recorded directly into the video capture program, but that left little opportunity for sweetening because of the limitations of the particular program.

I decided that it would be better to tweak the signal going in and not have to do any post-processing of the vocal track after the screen captures, so that's where the dbx 286s enters the picture. The main signal path is a Shure SM58 (with a windscreen and pop filter) going into the dbx 286s and then into a Focusrite 2i2 interface. The output of the 2i2 is going into the computer via a USB port and this all makes for a very simple and manageable setup.

Using the dbx 286s, I can completely tailor the sound and achieve broadcast-quality output with very little fuss. I set the preamp gain on the mic, add a slight amount of compression, set the de-esser to take care of a pronounced sibilance issue with my voice and then use the expander/gate to easily remove any background noise from computer fans and ambient sounds in the room. Lastly, I fiddle just a bit with the enhancer to add just a little boost to the low end. This is a very intuitive setup and the best part is that it is very repeatable; once set up, I can come back into the studio days later and everything on the new tracks sounds just like the previous sessions. I would guess that this would be very applicable for podcasting applications.

It is probably no surprise that various versions of this unit have been used by many radio broadcasters in the signal chain for their vocal talent for decades. In fact, I have seen racks of them in some stations where they have separate units set up for each individual voice so that they can achieve absolute repeatability of the "sound" of each radio personality at the station. As if that weren't enough, the dbx 286s also has a send/return link so you can drop in a graphic equalizer and/or reverb unit into the signal path and further customize the sound for each voice (and all without having to use any computer software/plug-in assistance).

Anyway, all-in-all, this unit has been the perfect fit for my voiceover application and I would highly recommend it for anyone who would like to create broadcast-quality voiceover tracks on a sub-$500 total system budget. You might be able to spend a lot more on high-end channel strips, but dollar for dollar, I don't think you can beat the sound and versatility of this unit.

The dvx 286s is a perfect mic pre for those of us that can't afford a $2000.00 unit.
The de esser and enhancer functions work great and my mics are responding that much clearer as the fidelity is preserved and the signal is boosted cleanly.

I bought the dbx 286s as a way to, relatively inexpensively, upgrade my home voiceover recording setup from a simple mic preamp to something with signal processing capability. All I can say is, this was money well spent!

Previously, I had been using a moderately priced solid-state mic preamp and while my voice sounded good, the tone lacked any warmth. The 286s is not a tube mic preamp, but when I used the 286 as just a mic preamp, I heard the warmth I had been missing. It took a little time to tweak the compressor, de-esser and enhancement settings, but I am now coming close to my work studio sound and a fraction of the price. There is a lot of value packed into the 286s and while this tool will not turn a poor recording into a great one, you can make a good mic and voice sound really sweet and clean!

My dissatisfactions are few and minor. I would really like to have seen a power switch built into the unit and I would have preferred XLR output instead of the TRS output. As I said, minor, but enough to pull back from a full five star rating. Since none of these has any bearing on the sound quality, it is still one fine channel strip and worth a place in anyone’s voiceover recording chain.

There are plenty of great reviews for this unit. I'm always looking to gain more clarity in my vocal recordings. Previously I ran a Focusrite Trakmaster Pro Platinum & I got a really great sound with it. After dialing in this DBX unit with my other external vocal chain I was completely beyond satisfied. I would recommend this unit to any studio that is on a budget but wants clarity in there recording.

First, let me begin by saying that the output IS balanced. It is not an XLR connector but it IS indeed a balanced audio connection.

Having used the previous model of this processor (286A), I gave this one 4 stars only. The reason is that the internals have changed and been replaced with cheap Chinese components. These lack the warmth of the earlier models. While the outside is exactly the same, the inside is completely different.

All of that having been said, I use one of these in the studio and it is still a great value for the money.

good way to get rid of sibilant sound, especially with vocals

If you want to use the output to dive a wire that is longer than 15 fett, understand that the output is not balanced.
Use the tip and ring to see if you get audio then try tip to sleeve then ring to sleeve and you will see what I mean.
Beyond that the compression setting are confusing to me.
I am used to the old wood paneled DBX160/161 which I have used since the late 1970's so I know what a compressor is and does.
This 286 should have used the compression section fron the 166 or 266. The de-esser is adaquate. The enhancer could have been an EQ section. I dont want or need the gate. Lo cut should be frequency selectable. Price doesn't dictate good ideas.

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Over the years, I've probably installed more than 60 dbx 286 series mic processors. They are priced well, and perform great for broadcast and voice-over use. You can go from very light processing, to very heavy processing. The way the EQ works is also unique. I've recently been installing the S version of this processor. In some cases in the same studios along side the earlier versions. I really can't hear any difference between the two. The gate may work slightly better on the S version, but that might just be my imagination. I've also used the 286 as a bass guitar processor, and was very happy with the results.

One of the best all-around tools in my audio tool-box. I have at least 20 of them, Use them for on-air mics in the radio station, live sound, and a few specialized compressor applications.