dbx 160SL Review: The Ultimate dbx Compressor?

There was a time when it was difficult to walk into a serious recording studio without finding a dbx 160 somewhere in the rack. They were particularly ubiquitous in the New York studios we knew, while the LA world seemed somewhat more enamored with UREIs. Either way, the 160 became one of the defining dynamics processors of the analog recording era.

The 160SL feels like dbx’s attempt to take everything the company had learned about analog compression and put it into one machine.

That resulted in an extraordinary compressor.

It also resulted in a compressor with an awful lot of controls.

We own two 160SLs, both purchased new-old-stock several years ago, and the first thing that still strikes us about them is the construction. These were not boutique products built a few at a time by a tiny manufacturer, yet the 160SL is built with an extravagance that would be unusual even in expensive equipment today.

Each one weighs about 20.5 pounds. The front panel is quarter-inch machined aluminum, the knobs are machined aluminum, and inside are dbx V8 VCAs and Jensen output transformers. It feels less like a conventional rack processor than a piece of laboratory equipment.

And then you look at the front panel

If your idea of the perfect compressor is threshold, ratio, attack, release and gain—or perhaps even fewer controls—the 160SL can initially look ridiculous. There are buttons and indicators everywhere.

In addition to the conventional compressor controls, there is selectable hard-knee/OverEasy operation, automatic or manual attack and release, sidechain facilities, PeakStopPlus limiting, multiple meter modes and stereo coupling.

The irony is that underneath all of that complexity is an absolutely first-rate dbx compressor.

The classic 160, and considerably more

It can do the familiar dbx 160 thing extremely well: firm, controlled VCA compression with the sort of authority that has made versions of the 160 useful on bass, drums and other transient-heavy material for decades.

But the SL can go considerably beyond that basic job. Switch between hard-knee and OverEasy behavior. Use manual attack and release or let the program-dependent Auto circuitry handle them. Engage PeakStopPlus when actual peak control is required.

The technical performance is equally excessive. dbx specified better than 122 dB overall dynamic range, typical THD+N of 0.008 percent at +4 dBu, output capability exceeding +30 dBm into 600 ohms, and frequency response extending beyond 200 kHz at the -3 dB points.

Too much of a good thing?

Does all of this make it better than every simpler compressor? Of course not.

In fact, the complexity is probably the 160SL’s greatest weakness. Sometimes you do not want to think about multiple operating modes and limiter behavior. You want to turn two or three knobs until the track sounds right. There are compressors that make that process considerably more inviting.

But there are not many that combine this degree of flexibility with the classic dbx character and this level of engineering.

Verdict

The 160SL is discontinued now and exists primarily as a used-market proposition. If you find a clean one at a sensible price, do not dismiss it because the front panel looks intimidating. Set it up as a straightforward compressor first and discover what it can do from there.

Underneath all those buttons is one of the finest compressors dbx ever made.

Highly recommended.

Specifications

• Type: Two-channel analog VCA compressor/limiter
• VCA: dbx V8
• Output transformers: Jensen
• Compression: Hard-knee and OverEasy operation
• Timing: Manual or program-dependent automatic attack and release
• Peak limiting: PeakStopPlus
• Overall dynamic range: Better than 122 dB (manufacturer specification)
• THD+N: 0.008% typical at +4 dBu
• Maximum output: Greater than +30 dBm into 600 ohms
• Weight: Approximately 20.5 lb

Manufacturer: dbx Professional