Did you like dbx Discs?

[JCOConnell]

This guy did.....

https://youtu.be/1qtxPSR8q98

[Rob]

i haven't heard one in a very long time, not sure I care to now. its impact from what I recall was short lived, when the novelty wore off you couldn't give away dbx encoded anything. it hasn't changed.

[JCOConnell]

I have a few Nautilus superdiscs where I have both the standard and dbx versions (allman bros, Clapton) but I don't ever recall doing critical comparisons and I haven't listened to the dbx versions in decades.


PS. I still have a dbx II processor for my open reel tape deck but don't record with dbx any longer, it has a dbx disc decoder mode.

[Joe Pittman]

I have a few Nautilus superdiscs where I have both the standard and dbx versions (allman bros, Clapton) but I don't ever recall doing critical comparisons and I haven't listened to the dbx versions in decades.


PS. I still have a dbx II processor for my open reel tape deck but don't record with dbx any longer, it has a dbx disc decoder mode.

If you have the decoder, you should be able to play back your dbx LP's right? If you can, it should be a fun experiment.

Our audio club president, Rene Jaeger (jaegeraudio.com) worked for dbx at the time, and demonstrated the system recently at one of our club meetings. Members said it sounded really good (I didn't make it unfortunately). True encode/decode systems can be very effective, unfortunately dbx disc never took off. Looks like Meridian's new encode/decode MQA technology might succeed now due to its software/hardware based design...

[astrotoy]

I did a fair amount of encoding dbxII (the consumer version IIRC, dbx I was the pro version) onto cassette. When I got my Dragon, it had dolby C which was similar in intent to dbx II i.e. more agressive than dolby B. I also bought a fair number of dbx discs and there were even a few dbx II encoded R2R tapes from Barclay-Crocker (in addition to their standard dolby B encoded tapes). One advantage to dbx was that it did not require a test tone to set the level for decoding that dolby B required. I still have a dbx decoder that I used to rip the few dbx encoded R2R tapes I have.

They even made a 12v decoder only - to put in your car to play dbxII encoded cassettes, which I did. Of course, compressed music was usually better in a car, where the background noise level was so high.

As I remember, the major issue with dbx II was that the aggressiveness in compression/decompression would sometimes result in an audible pumping sound in the background. Of course there were only a small number of dbx II encoded discs. For classical M&K released maybe 10-20 of them. Don't think any of the big labels did any, at least in classical.

Larry

[defdum&blind]

I had done the same thing with the dbx car units from Concord. I needed two units for ten speaker set I had installed in the Riveria. The compression allowed you to record at a higher signal level on the tape raising the noise floor. Couldn't use it the Fiat sports car I had as it was just to noisy and the volume had to set higher on the small speakers that would fit.

[JCOConnell]

I bet what really killed dbx disc was not that it didn't work, was that it came out just before the final solution, CD, came out.

[defdum&blind]

The only real issue with dbx encoded material was the breathing/ pumping that would happen. It led to the pricier two and three band decoder units to alleviate this problem.

[JCOConnell]

Youre confusing dbx's one way dynamic range expanders with the two way noise reduction system. The expanders with two and three bands were not decoders, they were expanders designed to work with normal unencoded source material.

[Joe Pittman]

I think JC is right. I remember having the original dbx dynamic range expander then went to their more exotic 3bx three band unit that was supposed to reduce the pumping effect. Ah, the good old days.