Description
Pair of vintage dbx 160X compressors with sequential serial numbers. These have the rare AB-1 balanced output boards. They have been refurbished, switched to 220 Volts for the UK & Europe and pots & switches cleaned & lubricated. New UK power plugs have been fitted – Euro plugs available on request. Supplied with a stereo link cable
In excellent vintage condition with minimal marks. Tested & working 100%. Photos show the compressors for sale
These 160Xs are fitted with the optional AB-1 balanced output board. These are quite rare – I’ve not seen a pair of before! The board plugs into the accessory socket on the right-hand side of the motherboard to give an electronically-balanced output. It looks to be similar to the output stage of the 160XT
These are Japan-made 160Xs and the componentry & layout looks like the sought-after USA-made versions
The 160X is a super-simple compressor with just three controls: threshold, compression ratio and output gain. Threshold and output level are self-explanatory. The compression ratio is infinitely variable from 1:1 through 4:1 and 8:1 all the way to ∞:1 and beyond, to negative ratios, where output decreases with input. This allows for some pretty extreme compression effects
The front panel also has an Over Easy switch, which changes the shape of the threshold knee, a meter input / output switch, bypass switch and slave switch for stereo linking. Metering is via two horizontal LED bargraphs, one for input or output level and one for gain reduction. Dynamics of the LED displays are excellent and it’s easy to see what the compressor is doing, even from a distance and under poor lighting conditions
“I think the 160X is the best compressor for drums that I’ve found. You just give it a little bit on the kick and snare while you’re recording and it brings them into focus. I don’t think you can find anything better for kick and snare — they’re amazing! You can really slam them too! I love the fact that they have a really quick recovery, and you can exaggerate it if you need to” – Glenn Ballard
“The 160X is about the best bang-for-your buck compressor that you can get”
“The 160x/xt is fantastic. Don’t be fooled by the price. You should buy one whatever happens”
“160X’s have that unique ability to be aggressive with grit that few compressors have”
The 160X is famous as a drum compressor. It adds punch & attitude to kicks & snares and is excellent for squashing overheads and ambience mics. Use a pair for drum bus parallel compression and you’ll have instant punch to beef up the drum mix. The 160X is superb for bass guitars and synths – it’s one of my favourites for bass guitar as it sits the bass just where you want it without killing the dynamics
The 160X is definitely a compressor with its own sound. It’s not a transparent, invisible compressor, but more like a giant hand that grabs hold of the signal to bend & twist it. The Americans call the 160X a “color compressor”. I can’t argue with that description as it adds colour and aggression to any signal that passes through it. It doesn’t suit every situation but it’s a hard compressor to live without once you’ve used one
I tested these 160Xs on drum loops and bass guitar and got superb results with both. With loops, the threshold setting is critical – too much compression and it can kill the dynamics. With the right threshold setting, and appropriate choice of hard knee or over-easy, the 160X adds snap to drums and tightens up loops. On bass guitar you can dial up quite large amounts of compression, adding colour and growl to the sound
The 160X is a great tool for parallel compression. It’s also worth experimenting with the dbx and another, softer, compressor in the signal chain
The dbx 160X / XT sits at #3 in my revised Compressor Top Ten
