QSC Audio 4800 manual Fast Facts, Contracting, dbx DriveRack, sound? Well, in a word, great

Contracting

BY DAVID RITTENHOUSE

Afew years ago, I reviewed the DriveRack 480, so in turn I will review the new flagship for dbx, the 4800. The 480 was a great

unit breaking new ground for dbx; but has dbx changed and fixed some of its limita- tions? The bigger question here is, as most manufacturers tend to update their products from year to year, has dbx actu- ally improved on their product or just put it in a prettier box? Can the 4800 turn heads and budgets like its predecessor? Let’s find out what the hype is all about.

FEATURES

The 4800 ($4,999) starts off with a new, powerful 96 kHz DSP (which is switchable down to 48 kHz) engine. Dbx has kept the standard configuration of four inputs to eight outputs found on the 480 and from other competitors. These are improved upon by adding fully digital ins and outs via AES/EBU XLR connec- tivity. You can also order the 4800 with the optional CobraNet if desired. One of the hippest new features is the QVGA display that shows, in color, all the rout- ing and processing in the signal chain. This, along with the new accessibility brought on by the integration of the

dbx DriveRack 4800

mute	and	green	for	on.	IN USE
Within the 96 kHz DSP you have full					The 4800 has been with me for months
band-pass filters, plus crossover and rout-					now. It was only supposed to be on loan
ing	configurations		with	Bessel,	for a couple of shows but I could not let it
Butterworth, and Linkwitz-Riley filters.					leave. I have taken it out on everything
Every input also has a 31-band graphic					from gospel acts to Baltimore Symphony
and a nine-band parametric EQ. You also					Orchestra performances. It functions in a
have two selectable insert points per input					much more logical way than the old 480,
and output for dynamics processing such					with control and accessibility features

Now, it is great to talk about the control and

functional ease of the 4800; but how does it

sound? Well, in a word, great!

HiQnet/System Architect, allows full labeling of all in and outs. No more chart sheets of program numbers and which output does what; it is all right on the screen in front of you. New to the 4800 is an output gain control knob on the face of the unit below each output meter. This knob also doubles as the mute for its out- put with a lighted ring denoting red for

Fast Facts

■Applications:

Live sound, sound reinforcement, installation

■Key Features:

Four in/eight out; 96 kHz; onboard DSP; Ethernet HiQnet/System Architect control

■Price: $4,999

■Contact:

dbx at 801-568-7660, www.drive-rack.com, www.dbxpro.com.

as the classic dbx compression and limit- ing, noise gates, de-essers, AutoWarmth (dbx says – ‘AutoWarmth is a dynamic enhancement designed to compensate for the ears’ loss in low frequency response as the signal level decreases’), subhar- monic synthesis and advanced feedback suppression. Dynamic range has been rated at 113 dB A-weighted, with a fre- quency response of <10 Hz –50 kHz (+0/- 3 dB at 96 kHz). Available input delay is selectable up to 682 ms, and output delay is selectable up to a total of 1,365 ms (shared between the outputs).

Controlling the DriveRack 4800 is quite a bit different than the old 480. Dbx no longer offers the remote like they did with the 480R, but it can now be con- trolled via Ethernet (HiQnet) to your own tablet PC. You can even go wireless by using a wireless router. The use of HiQnet/System Architect also allows access to other units like Crown I-Tech series amps. All of this is now integrated and controlled at your fingertips (tablet pen) for your entire system.

that are unrivaled. The ability to control the entire system wirelessly is great for when you have a multi-zoned set-up. You can walk into the zone mute, un-mute and EQ for that zone instantaneously. I say instantaneously but when working from the wireless Ethernet there can be some lag so for show time application it is good to revert back to a hardwired set-up.

One of the most improved features is the speaker processing and pre-EQ func- tions. Rivaling the old 480, on which you could run out of filters or have filters that were not variable, all of your processing needs are taken care of by the new 4800. What this means is you can accurately match the manufacturer’s specs for each speaker, including driver alignment delays. So your system can now sound like it was meant to out of the box.

The addition of the HiQnet/System Architect control protocol is fabulous. You can now, in real time, fully integrate your entire system. No more multiple programs running on your laptop (e.g. one for the

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10 Pro Audio Review – July 2006