DBX Expander

dbx NR (Type I or Type II) pretty much requires good equipment to start out with. The system is not tolerant with an unstable/mis-aligned tape transport, or being creative with the record levels printed to the tape. It exaggerates the problem of bad heads, intermittent loss of high frequencies, etc.

FYI, a 5bx just sold on Ebay tonight for $1100 which was actually cheap considering it's condition. I would have bid on it, just to have a 2nd unit - but I figure my wife would've ridiculed me perpetually - so I restrained myself.
Anyway, there was an interesting link provided by the seller, which is a "white paper" giving many details about the unit. Here it is for anyone who is interested:

http://forums.klipsch.com/forums/storage/4/929253/dbx%205BX-DS%20Marketing%20Notes.pdf

Opalchip,

Nice read about the dbx gear. Thanks.

The compression on the 5bx sounds useful for apartment dwellers or others that must listen to wide range recordings at lower volumes.

I have a 3bx and used to have a 118 single band expander/compressor. 1 band was rough, but 5band expansion and compression sounds like dynamite if adjusted correctly.

What a great thread!

I have a perfect 3BX-DS sitting in my closet I have not thought about in many years.

I had bought it new when CD first came out and I used to like to fall asleep listening to music, and found CD's (and later movies) to be too dynamic.
So I was mostly using it for compression, however I did like the effect of expansion for full scale listening sessions.

I am getting ready to move soon and would honestly probably have just left it on our trash floor with all the other gear I won't have space for (of course with a note indicating the stuff works)

So now I'll definitely not throw out the DBX. I'm curious to now try it - however it will be a challenge to try out since my system is currently balanced. I'll probably end up selling it however, now that I know what it's worth.

If you dial it in properly, I doubt you will want to sell it.
Looking at your system, you may not be into compression*** anymore - but the Impact Restoration on any analog recordings, when not overdone, is addictive. I have my 3BX-DS in the closet, just as a backup in case God Forbid, my 5bx ever has a problem.

***One really valuable use for compression is if you make CD's for listening in your car. By compressing, you can actually hear the quieter sections over road noise, without the louder passage blowing you away. I often wondered why I like the FM radio for car listening better than the built in CD player - that's why.