Here’s a miniature review on the BBE DS 48. Please note that I’m fairly busy at the moment so, I didn’t have a chance to fully evaluate all the features of this device. However, it is safe to say from what little I’ve explored, the unit works fine. Price I picked up the DS 48 on Ebay for $289.00 (US) with free shipping. So, you can disregard the $449.00 price many online shops are selling this piece for. Inspection Surprisingly, it doesn’t offer that candy red color you may have seen in photos plastered all around the internet. The color is more or less a subtle metallic hot pink.
However, the BBE units offer connectivity to a PC and we are nearly giving them away right now. We are WAY over stocked thanks to a software error, and we'd like to move some of these units out before the end of the year. Special pricing is available on the DS24 and the DS26 (not on the DS48). Please call or PM for pricing.
This is a good thing if you don’t want it standing out in your rack like sore thumb. Convection cooling is apparent with slotted vents located on the sides of the unit to wards the back. The six buttons seem fairly durable and, offers an audible sound like a very old desktop keyboard. The pan pots offers the detent function so, you can precisely dial in the correct settings.
All the outputs are muted (By default) upon powering it up. You have the option to have the DS48 to fire up with all outputs non-muted. Under those circumstances, the output’s gain will rise gradually to prevent any accidents like having your mixer faders at volume 9 unknowingly. The DS48 also offers the RS232 interface with the software CD (Very small CD btw) in addition to the proper cabling as well. I might add it is much less time consuming (Not saying maneuvering throughout the hardware functions is tedious in anyway) to use the software so you can visualize what’s happening. I actually used an old AMD K6 400 MHZ computer running on Windows 98.
So, there is still use for that old laptop sitting in the closet collecting dust. Keep in mind Windows Vista is not listed in terms of software compatibility in the manual. However, it will function on anywhere from Windows XP down to Windows 98 First Edition (Which I used btw). It will even work on Windows ME if you are daring enough to try it. Despite offering no PDF manual on BBE’s website, it comes with a 32 page (English only) well illustrated and, well informed instruction booklet. Displays Each channel offers 6 LED input/output indicators. Decibels range is the following: -30 dB -24 dB -12 dB -6 dB -3 dB Limiting Clip LED color display is green ( - 30 dB to – 3 dB) yellow (Limiting) and, red (Clip) This applies to all channels whether input or output.
The display screen offers a sky blue background with the lettering in royal blue. Routing the Crossover You can route the DS48 in the following manner: 4 times two-way Crossover 2 times three-way plus 2 Aux 2 times four-way Crossover 1 times five-way plus 3 Aux Mono Distribution Stereo Distribution LCRS with Mono Subs 4 times four-way Crossover Muted/Flat Startup (Default fresh out of the box) Parametric There is no third, two-third, or one octave equalizer. Instead, you have 5 Parametric devices to do whatever that tickles your fancy per channel.
Each band is a full 20 – 20 KHz so, you are not limited to a particular frequency band. The “Q” ranges from 0.5 through 128 with a +/- 12 dB gain. Of course, you can increase or decrease the gain on a particular frequency if you use 2, 3, 4, or all 5 parametric equalizers on a particular band. Personally, I don’t miss a graphic for I can achieve the same affect with a parametric. And seeing how it offers 30 memory presets, you can mimic any graphic setting you like.
Crossover The following slopes are available: 6 dB, 12 dB, 18 dB, 24 dB, & 48 dB using either or a mixture of Butterworth, Linkwitz-Riley or Bessel curves. High-pass and, Low-pass filtering range fro 10 Hz – 16 KHz and, 35 Hz – 22 KHz. Limiters Personally, I’ll never use these and my biggest gripe was not having a bypass switch like the parametric equalizers offer per band. You need the literally use the controls to minimize the effect. Luckily, the manual tells you how to execute such a fete if you don’t have a standalone compressor available to guide you through the process or, if the numbers just don’t match up.
For what an analog label states and a digital readout states are never the same. If you are going to be clipping this unit it would be best configure it properly. Digital clipping are far less tolerant than analog devices. Delay I haven’t had time to toy around with this as of yet. Which, I feel would be more suitable to review in the field.
For those that are interested in this device you can download the DS48 software from BBE’s website and see if it suits your requirements. At the moment, I’m only using it as a parametric equalizer. For $300.00 I would say it’s a good bang for the buck. It’s very quiet (- 110 dB A weighted) and offers no BBE processor which is a plus in my book. The maximum output voltage is 7.6 (Peak to Peak) and, the distortion level is 0.01% THD. The latency goes as follows: AD Latency = 0.806 MS DA Latency = 0.513 MS Best Regards.
There is a processor BBE DS48. How to adjust wireless management of his adjustments from a workplace sound engineer at accommodation BBE DS48 on a stage? Whether it is possible to use for these purposes WI-FI wireless router? In the processor there is a port RS232, how it to connect with router? WI-FI wireless router has network ports LAN. I have decided this task.
USB server (agestar lb3-g). Router (Asus ADSL) + USB server (agestar lb3-g) + USB to serial adaptor (STLab U-350) + BBE DS48 I have connected all together, having put with disks drivers - and all has earned! Now it is possible to operate a complex wireless! Edited by seregan1 - 13 April 2012 at 2:33pm Elliot Thompson.