Last year I took the plunge into DSP by buying a cheap 2nd hand DSPeaker antimode 8033 and connected it between an integrated's pre-out and a subwoofer in my second system. It was a startlingly good upgrade and at £75 amazing value. However without the ability to high pass the signal going to the main speakers I knew an further upgrade was possible in my main system by also lowering distortion in the bass region.
The Behringer DCX2496 has been in production for 20 odd years now and is readily available quite cheaply at £150-200 with the only problem being it's measurements being quite poor by todays standards. Luckily it is a good candidate for upgrading and that is exactly what I did with mine using the behringermods dcx upgrade.
The unit is capable of 3x balanced input and 6x balanced output, applying parametric eq / room correction via DSP, summing the inputs into a 3rd mono sub channel and applying various types of high / low pass crossover filters per channel. I'm using it between an analogue pre-amp and 2x mono power amps in a conventional stereo system, going from a sub connected via high level cable to one via rca.
Audiosciencereview has the review and measurements:
The mods will be quite simple for most DIYers, it basically involves snipping the XLR connections to the original board and wiring in the supplied board and it's ribbon cable.
The removal of a half a dozen caps, two being very small SMD parts and again wiring in the ribbon cable.
The installation instructions point out to be sure to seat main connector in the middle of the receiving socket, which despite reading and making a mental note of I initially failed to do correctly which lead to a confusing first audition!
Being familiar with the reviews and measurements of both units I wasn't really expecting to hear an obvious difference when putting it back in my system but with the above error corrected straight away the clarity and stereo image seemed obviously stronger. Pure test tones were possibly very slightly less buzzy although this is harder to remember and be sure.
Using DSP to correct the room's response in the bass region is one of the biggest audio upgrades I've tried. High passing the mains to lower their distortion in the bass is also a great upgrade for improved mid clarity and this mod is the icing on the cake. Overall very happy with improvement. Highly recommended!
The Behringer DCX2496 has been in production for 20 odd years now and is readily available quite cheaply at £150-200 with the only problem being it's measurements being quite poor by todays standards. Luckily it is a good candidate for upgrading and that is exactly what I did with mine using the behringermods dcx upgrade.
The unit is capable of 3x balanced input and 6x balanced output, applying parametric eq / room correction via DSP, summing the inputs into a 3rd mono sub channel and applying various types of high / low pass crossover filters per channel. I'm using it between an analogue pre-amp and 2x mono power amps in a conventional stereo system, going from a sub connected via high level cable to one via rca.
Audiosciencereview has the review and measurements:
The mods will be quite simple for most DIYers, it basically involves snipping the XLR connections to the original board and wiring in the supplied board and it's ribbon cable.
The removal of a half a dozen caps, two being very small SMD parts and again wiring in the ribbon cable.
The installation instructions point out to be sure to seat main connector in the middle of the receiving socket, which despite reading and making a mental note of I initially failed to do correctly which lead to a confusing first audition!
Being familiar with the reviews and measurements of both units I wasn't really expecting to hear an obvious difference when putting it back in my system but with the above error corrected straight away the clarity and stereo image seemed obviously stronger. Pure test tones were possibly very slightly less buzzy although this is harder to remember and be sure.
Using DSP to correct the room's response in the bass region is one of the biggest audio upgrades I've tried. High passing the mains to lower their distortion in the bass is also a great upgrade for improved mid clarity and this mod is the icing on the cake. Overall very happy with improvement. Highly recommended!