Mic Pre Amp / Channel Strip Processor

The dbx® 286s is a full featured Channel Strip Processor that delivers a studio quality microphone/instrument preamplifier and four processors that can be used independently or in any combination. Why mic up vocals and instruments through a noisy, blurry mixer? The sonically pristine dbx 286s Mic Preamp has all the features you need, including wide-ranging input gain control, switchable +48V phantom power, and an 80Hz high-pass filter to remove low frequency hum, rumble or wind. Use the patented dbx OverEasy® compressor to transparently smooth out uneven acoustic tracks or deliver that classic “in your face” vocal performance that only a dbx compressor can. Eliminate vocal sibilance and high frequency distortion from instruments such as cymbals with the frequency tunable De-Esser. Fine-tune the Enhancer HF Detail control to add sparkle and crispness to your tracks and make adjustments to the LF Detail control to add fullness and depth to vocals and bass instruments while cleaning up the muddy low midrange frequencies. And, the separate threshold and ratio controls on the Expander/Gate allow you to subtly reduce headphone leakage or radically gate noisy guitar amps.
The dbx 286s offers a full compliment of metering and status LEDs to visually guide you to achieving the right sound. The floating balanced XLR Mic Input accepts balanced or unbalanced inputs to easily connect to professional and home studio microphones. The additional 1/4″ TRS Line Input can accept balanced/unbalanced signals to process live electronic instruments or pre-recorded tracks at mixdown. Use the Insert jack to interface between the Mic Preamp and the signal processing sections to “loop out” to external processors (such as EQ or delay unit) or to mix the Mic Preamp’s signal out to an external destination.
The cost and hassle of patching together multiple processors for use on one track can be frustrating. The dbx 286s provides you with all the mic processing you need in one box, with the shortest, cleanest signal path to keep your music sounding its best!
Recommended for: Studio.

 

Features

 

Studio quality Mic Preamp/Channel Strip Processor
Classic dbx Compression puts great sound within easy reach
Frequency tunable De-Esser reduces sibilance and high frequency distortion
Enhancer increases the detail and definition of the high and low frequencies
Program adaptive Expander/Gate
Insert jack allows you to add an external processor
Full compliment of meters and status LEDs
+48V Phantom Power
Precision detented controls

 

Downloads

 

 
Version
Language
Size
Uploaded

 286s CAD drawing front
 
 
166 KB
Feb 15, 2022

 286s CAD drawing rear
 
 
208 KB
Feb 15, 2022

 286s Cut Sheet-English
 
 
1.42 MB
Feb 15, 2022

 286s Owner’s Manual-English
 
 
2.01 MB
Feb 15, 2022

 286s Owner’s Manual-French
 
 
706 KB
Feb 15, 2022

 286s Owner’s Manual-Spanish
 
 
962 KB
Feb 15, 2022

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Specifications

 

Mic Preamp Connector
XLR Floating balanced, Pin 2 Hot

Mic Preamp Input Impedance
~4.2kΩ

Mic Preamp gain
0dB to +60dB

Mic Preamp Phantom Power
+48VDC, applied to XLR pins 2 and 3 through 6.81kΩ resistors

CMRR
>40dB, typically 55dB

Mic Preamp max input level
0.2Vrms, Gain = 30dB

Mic Preamp Equivalent Input Noise (EIN)
-125dBu, 22Hz-22kHz, 150Ω source impedance

Input Connectors
(line) Floating balanced, TIP Hot

Input Impedance
(line) 10kΩ unbalanced, 20kΩ balanced

Max Input
(line) >+21dBu, balanced or unbalanced

Input Gain Range
(line) -15dB to +45 dB

Insert Connector
1/4″ TRS: Normalled; tip is Send, ring is Return

Insert Impedance
>5kΩ (ring-return); 100Ω (tip-send)

Insert Max Level
>+21dBu; >+20dBm (600Ω load-tip)

Insert Noise
+20dBm (600Ω load)

Gain Adjustment Range
-30dB to +10dB

Noise
1s for small level increases, down to 10ms for larage increases

Compressor Release Time
Program-Dependent; adjustable between approximately 1dB/sec and 75dB/sec

Compressor Distortion
Typically <0.05%THD, 20Hz-20kHz, 15dB G/R, +10dBu Output, DENSITY @ 0

IMD
SMPTE: 50dB

Expander/Gate Attack Time
Program-Dependent, approximately 2mS (at maximum attenuation)

Expander/Gate Release Time
Program-Dependent, approxiamtely 10mS/dB

Expander/Gate Dynamic Range
Typically 105dB

Power Consumption
15W

Operating Voltage
DO: 120VAC 60Hz, 100VAC 50/60Hz; EU: 230VAC 50/60Hz

Operating Temperature
0°C to 45°C (32°F to 113°F)

Dimensions
1.75" x 5.75" x 19" (4.5cm x 14.6cm x 48.5cm)

Unit Weight
4.5 lbs/2.04 Kgs

Shipping Weight
6.54 lbs/2.97 Kgs