Behringer DCX2496 Ultradrive Pro

I've been running a bunch of these, both in rental and installation usage and these run great. They are able take tremendous amounts of abuse and still beat up the big boys. Spill a drink on a device that costs more than four times what this little beast does and your night is ruined. Do that on a DCX and it still runs fine, of course buttons will be a bit sticky but that's all. Outdoor events are no problem, and it performs as well on a sunny beach as during the coldest Finnish winter nights.


It's a bit shame that this device doesn't have a modern interface connection and only comes with a outdated RS-232 serial port. However, the UI is great and every option is configurable from the front panel only. There are some caveats what comes to channel naming and initial setup (especially this is extremely misleading - DCX's routings are not limited to what initial setup offers), but once one does that a couple of times the rest is simple. DCX's UI easily beats up in usability some of the higher end gear that are either software-only configurable or front panel driven.


One of the most useful feature is dynamic EQ. It may sound a bit ankward at first, but for fixed installations it's terribly useful for compensating eg. lack of bass when the night is still young and sound levels are quote low. As it may be applied as well for outputs as inputs, it doesn't eat up all DSP resources. DCX doesn't have unlimited resources, but they'll grant EQs in all inputs, steep HP/LP and limiters in all outputs. The percentage of remaining DSP resources is readily shown, which is not always the case with these kind of devices regardless the make.


Of course, the DCX and it's cheap price only gets it so far. Connectors are pretty poor, feel flimsy and are no match for brand names. Also, the third input channel is pretty useless as only two channels may be summed together. Neither input nor output sensitivity is selectable, but usually it's something that one can live with. In a prolonged installation usage internal power supply will eventually fail after a few years as the input caps dry. When that happens, usually most of the input and output channels are also destroyed thus rendering the device beyond any economical repair. Diyers take note.


While DCX gradually fades in obscurity at this pace (due to lack of modern interfaces or any real hardware upgrades within the past 10 years), it still offers a great bunch of features for a fraction of price what more modern devices cost. Unless more input channels (consider this as a two channel device) or a network connectivity is required, I'd still buy DCX and a spare unit to go along as nothing is eternal.

Perfect for those, who are just starting out with audio.
I personally was in need of a crossover, but considering the price of this processor i pick'ed it because i thought i would get the most for my money. And i really think i was right. This unit has pretty much all the features you would need in a speaker processing unit, and the sound quality is very good considering the price.
One of the main things that got me pretty much addicted to this unit, was it's simple layout and easy to use functions.
5 stars from me :)

The Behringer DCX2496 Ultradrive is a great device, and does more than most other units.
The price is great, but dont let the cheap price put you off. This unit has more functions that some DBX units and its a 3rd of the price. It will take some time to digest every single function, but once you have had a browse through the unit is a dream to use and is very flexible.
We have used several of these on installs and they are simple to setup. You can also set a pin code so that you can effectively "lock" the unit to prevent DJ`s and the like messing around with the unit.
Great item at a great price. Behringer do it again!