jkowtko
Well-Known Member
Do the DBX EQs, and more specifically the 131/231 models, have audible floor noise? I have two 231s and one 131 hooked up to our FOH speakers (SRM450), and with the outs on the mixing board turned down all the way, I'm hearing a very low hiss coming out -- i.e. on the order of -60db ... very, very low, but audible in a quiet house of all five speakers.
Hitting the bypass switches on the EQs only seemed to increase the noise a bit and change it's texture a bit. Changing the output volume control on the EQs didn't seem to have any effect at all.
Granted, with a loud night club musical like Smokey Joe's Cafe there is no chance of hearing this noise during the show, but for non-musicals where the house needs to be dead quiet, I may be able to hear this.
If in fact these EQs do have a small amount of floor noise, then I can always pull them out for non-musicals. However if this is a known issue and there are other units that are quieter, I might be interested in upgrading
For example, I just read up on the DBX 2231 ... obviously a much more expensive unit, but the advertised S/N ratios are much higher than the 231, and it also has a noise reduction circuit in it that adds another 8db S/N ... am I just going to have to bite the bullet and start upgrading to these?
Also, I noticed the 2231 has a different S/N ratio posted for +-6db fader range vs +-15db ... on my units I'm at the wider range on all channels. I'll try switch to the lower range to see if that has an effect.
Thanks. John
Hitting the bypass switches on the EQs only seemed to increase the noise a bit and change it's texture a bit. Changing the output volume control on the EQs didn't seem to have any effect at all.
Granted, with a loud night club musical like Smokey Joe's Cafe there is no chance of hearing this noise during the show, but for non-musicals where the house needs to be dead quiet, I may be able to hear this.
If in fact these EQs do have a small amount of floor noise, then I can always pull them out for non-musicals. However if this is a known issue and there are other units that are quieter, I might be interested in upgrading
For example, I just read up on the DBX 2231 ... obviously a much more expensive unit, but the advertised S/N ratios are much higher than the 231, and it also has a noise reduction circuit in it that adds another 8db S/N ... am I just going to have to bite the bullet and start upgrading to these?
Also, I noticed the 2231 has a different S/N ratio posted for +-6db fader range vs +-15db ... on my units I'm at the wider range on all channels. I'll try switch to the lower range to see if that has an effect.
Thanks. John
Last edited: