The dbx brand now offers the dB10 passive direct box and the dBb12 active direct box. While not compact at 5.82” x 5.44” x 2.20,” the direct boxes are similar in size to the higher quality direct box offerings and are fully featured for the variety of needs for both performers and sound people. I give kudos to dbx for using steel over aluminum to help block magnetic fields from penetration into the sensitive audio circuits. This is especially important as direct boxes are often mounted on instrument amplifiers, which have AC power transformers nearby.
The Gear
The dB10 direct box uses a large audio transformer to handle up to +33 dBu of audio level across the 20 Hz to 20 kHz frequency spectrum. At 0 dBu, the residual distortion is less than 0.003% and the insertion loss is about 21 dB from unbalanced input to balanced output. The dB12 active direct box handles a more modest +10 dBu without padding, but only gives up a single dB of insertion over the 20 Hz to 20 kHz audio spectrum. At most of the audio frequencies, the residual distortion is about 0.003% or less, with distortion increasing to 0.03% at 50 Hz.
Both direct boxes offer input and thru TS phone jacks with a 0 dB, 20 dB, 40 dB switched pad function to adapt to speaker-side signal amplitudes if necessary. Also, a 6 kHz low-pass filter is switchable to knock out hiss for signal sources that do not need high bandwidth. On the XLR jack side, each dbx direct box includes the usual ground lift switches and polarity invert switches. The dB12 active direct box also adds a green power applied LED for external phantom power detection. No battery compartment is included, but most consoles provide phantom power enough for the 8-mA draw needed by the dB12 circuits.
The Gig
As usual, I broke out the tools and peaked inside the dB10 and dB12 direct boxes. Inside, a sparse but professionally laid-out circuit board made all the interconnects to quality jacks, switches and other electronics. The board and chassis say it’s made in the U.S. (built in Sandy, Utah), so patriots will not take umbrage with the issue of manufacturing. In bench testing, I found both units worked quietly and met all the specifications I could test for. As expected, the high amplitude level distortion goes up slightly as the frequencies drop from a low 50 Hz toward even lower frequencies.
Out at the gigs, I found no musician issues with accepting dbx brand direct boxes, and the black paint cosmetics work well in hiding the boxes onstage. I could not find any performance issues, and the audio seemed to pass through the dB10 and dB12 without loss of fidelity. Taking a dispassionate view, one could say that the dbx direct boxes are larger and more expensive than some competing direct box offerings, but I find these offenses minor for the audio quality experienced.
dbx dB10 and dB 12 Direct Boxes
Who It’s For: Everyone.
Pros: Good cosmetics, clean signal path, fully featured.
Cons: None.
How Much: dB10 $129.95 SRP, dB12 $179.95 SRP.
Web site: www.dbxpro.com
