The dbx 1BX Series Two Dynamic Range Expander was released in 1982 as an affordable alternative to the more advanced dbx 3BX Series Two. Designed for home hi-fi use, it provided up to 50% more dynamic range, restoring life and realism to music recordings, tapes, and broadcasts that often suffered from compression and reduced dynamics.
By applying single-band expansion, the dbx 1BX Series Two enhanced the impact of music playback without the complexity of multi-band designs, making it especially attractive to budget-conscious listeners who still wanted to improve their sound systems.
The unit was versatile enough to handle all genres of music. Rock recordings benefited from heavier expansion, adding punch and excitement, while chamber music and solo works could be expanded more delicately to maintain natural tonality.
Users could easily adjust the amount of expansion through simple controls, finding the right balance for different programme material. In addition to dynamics restoration, the dbx 1BX Series Two also delivered up to 20dB of source noise reduction, further improving playback quality and reducing hiss common to analogue tapes.
Like its bigger sibling, the dbx 3BX Series Two, the dbx 1BX Series Two was part of dbx’s effort to bring professional-level signal processing into the home audio market during the early 1980s. While it lacked the three-band sophistication of the 3BX, it still represented a significant upgrade over unprocessed playback systems of the time, giving users a fuller, more realistic listening experience at an affordable price point.
Features
- Single-band dynamic range expansion up to 50%
- Affordable alternative to multi-band expanders
- User-adjustable expansion amount for different music styles
- Improves playback realism for records, tapes, and broadcasts
- Reduces source noise by up to 20dB
- Suitable for all genres of music from rock to chamber works