Decent low-$ FM processor?

[menotti1]

the dsp-mini is around 1700 new.if you can swing that it;ll do fine,has the latest dsps.but i just think the omnia one will be a killer box, probably replace the 3 , is priced right.No, i don't work for Omnia, but i've been around this stuff about as long as bill defelice.i like the most bang for the buck..i agree with Goran Thomas the dsp-x is a killer box and will hang with units costing twice as much and more.the old orban 8000 was a neat unit, use to run daps in front of it, turned it into a little monster.loved the 8100a, hated the 8200 orban's rush to the digital market,caused lots of station to switch back QUICK to the 8100A with Texars.8300,8400 and 8500 are very nice boxes.But IMHO it's just hard to beat the clarity of the Omnia 6ex,clean clear and loud.

 

[Robert Bass]

Bill,

I'm a jack of all trades, or at least I am trying to become one. I don't have a knack for doing transmitter repair yet, but I do have a number of years of audio mixing and producing under my belt.

Having said that, I'm sorry your experience with the Behringer 9024 was not a pleasant one. It took a lot of time to get mine to sound right, but it worked very well considering the price range.

As most of us know, audio processing is a very subjective issue, and everyone's mileage may vary.

R

 

[BobOnTheJob]

Agreed-not only is the 9024's limiter trash-the whole (%$#!) thing is trash.

Could not agree more on the 9024. Behringer's Combinator multi-band processor (which was discontinued 10-12 years ago) was a marvelous unit. Why they decided to discontinue it & eventually replace it with the 9024 defies logic. Ebay sale prices say it all...9024 = $50 or no bids. Combinators = $400 & sell really quick...on the rare occasion they are listed.

 

[Robert Bass]

Behringer's Combinator multi-band processor (which was discontinued 10-12 years ago) was a marvelous unit. Why they decided to discontinue it & eventually replace it with the 9024 defies logic.

Isn't that a bit like saying "Why Orban discontinued the 8100..."?

Perhaps it's for the same reason, in both instances... Parts were becoming scarce.

R

 

[Sgeirk]

Bottom line: get demo units of all the boxes you're interested in and have a shootout. Pick the one that sounds best with the program material you're planning to run. Have fun. Drink your beverage of choice. Have lots of radios to choose from.

If I was signing on an LPFM, and not a major market flamethrower, and had those kind of bucks...I'd demo the new Omnia 1, look at a DSP-X seriously, or a used Aphex2020mkIII. Flame away.

 

[radiorob2.0]

I have a 9024 and despite limitations you get what you paid for. If you want to add it to you home sound system to add a certain "radio sound" to non-critical music, then the 9024 works wonder with a consistent signal and where a limiter isn't necessary. The only bell and/or whistle I use is the tube emulator but sparingly. It could work on the air in a pinch with a AGC in front of it and limiter after it, yes the 9024 limiter is there for decorative purposes only.

The 1424 is a good processor as well, especially for the money, but it has the same demon plaguing the 9024 a delay that makes live radio a challenge. Plus, the 1424's limiter is as obnoxious as the 9024

 

[Robert Bass]

Ditto Rob... AGC to DSP9024 To Limiter for air use.

R

 

[RadioMan203]

If I was signing on an LPFM, and not a major market flamethrower, and had those kind of bucks...I'd demo the new Omnia 1, look at a DSP-X seriously, or a used Aphex2020mkIII. Flame away.

Three boxes worthy of consideration, for sure. I'd love to demo the DSP-X if my stations were in the market for processor upgrades. My current pet project is a high school FM that looks like, due to having zip for a budget, will end up either with a reworked 411 Volumax or a pair of Moseley TFL-280's. Heck, at least it will get them something on the air.

 

[mp3RadioGuy]

I'd try the MBL4 "software" audio processor. Does an excellent job on FM...and the best part "Its Free".

http://www.burnill.co.uk/

 

[Robert Bass]

MBL4 is good as well, provided you can put up with the latency.

R

 

[wgliradio]

What's sad is that Behringer got multiband correct with the MDX-4000. That became part of the Jim Somich Banshee chain. Didn't put the horsepower into it for digital.

 

[dspxscott]

I have a friend with an LPFM, and he needs a processor. He can probably only spend $2k-$3k.

My world is one of high end Omnias and Orbans, so I know nothing of the cheaper stuff. He could probably get a used 8100/XT for that amount of money, but it may be 15 years old right out of the box. Where's it going to be in 5 years?

So what's good? What would compete with that XT and yet have new parts? I see from another thread the Omnia-1 for FM is shipping. That sounds like a definite possibility. Does anyone know the going price for that?

What else is there to choose from?

DSPXmini-FM. Street price of $1700-$1900 brand new. It is a killer for the price.
Money back guarantee if bought through broadcast warehouse and you are not happy with it.
Any questions, just shout.

 

[BobOnTheJob]

I have a friend with an LPFM, and he needs a processor. He can probably only spend $2k-$3k.

My world is one of high end Omnias and Orbans, so I know nothing of the cheaper stuff. He could probably get a used 8100/XT for that amount of money, but it may be 15 years old right out of the box. Where's it going to be in 5 years?

So what's good? What would compete with that XT and yet have new parts? I see from another thread the Omnia-1 for FM is shipping. That sounds like a definite possibility. Does anyone know the going price for that?

What else is there to choose from?

]
DSPXmini-FM. Street price of $1700-$1900 brand new. It is a killer for the price.
Money back guarantee if bought through broadcast warehouse and you are not happy with it.
Any questions, just shout.

Be careful with Broadcast Warehouse. I ordered one of their products & was told there would be a 3 week delay because a circuit board was being built. After 3 weeks, I was told it would be another 3 weeks. When that 3 weeks was up, Broadcasters General Store (their USA authorized dealer) told me that there were problems in the relationship between Broadcast Warehouse & BGS and that they had to cancel the transaction. Some people may have time to waste on silliness like this...I don't. They may make good products, but if you are told that they will be shipping in x number of weeks, don't bet the farm on it...

 

[Chuck]

I have a friend with an LPFM, and he needs a processor. He can probably only spend $2k-$3k.

My world is one of high end Omnias and Orbans, so I know nothing of the cheaper stuff. He could probably get a used 8100/XT for that amount of money, but it may be 15 years old right out of the box. Where's it going to be in 5 years?

So what's good? What would compete with that XT and yet have new parts? I see from another thread the Omnia-1 for FM is shipping. That sounds like a definite possibility. Does anyone know the going price for that?

What else is there to choose from?

]
DSPXmini-FM. Street price of $1700-$1900 brand new. It is a killer for the price.
Money back guarantee if bought through broadcast warehouse and you are not happy with it.
Any questions, just shout.

Be careful with Broadcast Warehouse. I ordered one of their products & was told there would be a 3 week delay because a circuit board was being built. After 3 weeks, I was told it would be another 3 weeks. When that 3 weeks was up, Broadcasters General Store (their USA authorized dealer) told me that there were problems in the relationship between Broadcast Warehouse & BGS and that they had to cancel the transaction. Some people may have time to waste on silliness like this...I don't. They may make good products, but if you are told that they will be shipping in x number of weeks, don't bet the farm on it...

I don't know if BGS is actually a BW dealer or not. I thought their US distributor was Progressive Concepts. That might explain the problem.

In any case, why not just order it direct from BW? They have a toll free "800" number on their web site. Or you can order on line. I've purchased several of their products and usually got them within a couple of days. Our DSP-Xtra arrived in East Texas the day after it was shipped from the UK. FedEx really out did themselves on that one.

If you call them on the phone, I'm sure they can tell you when to expect your shipment.

 

[Robert Bass]

I don't have first hand experience with BW, but I have purchased several items over the years from a similar supplier. I would echo Chuck's recommendation to purchase direct, rather than going through a dealer. In my case, I worked direct with a supplier rep, and always had excellent service.

R

 

[Info-warrior]

Behringer's Combinator multi-band processor (which was discontinued 10-12 years ago) was a marvelous unit. Why they decided to discontinue it & eventually replace it with the 9024 defies logic. [/quote]

I might be wrong, but I think they were forced to discontinue it as part of the Aphex v. Behringer lawsuit. Behringer copied a number of Aphex's designs right down to silk screening an Aphex logo on one of the circuit boards of their aural exciter product.

It seems like behringer combined the compellor and the dominator into one box with that unit, more or less. The only real differences were related to the VCAs since Aphex doesn't sell their VCAs to others.

 

[Info-warrior]

I don't have first hand experience with BW, but I have purchased several items over the years from a similar supplier. I would echo Chucks recommendation to purchase direct, rather than going through a dealer. In my case, I worked direct with a supplier rep, and always had excellent service.

R

I only own 1 BW product, since I got it on the used market I can't comment on their turn around speed, I can warn you to be careful as things may not be as advertised. The product is a TX4, now discontinued. At the time it was currant, their catalog advertised it as having fan cooling, it doesn't and the thing would heat up to the point of having the final reach a temp of 70 degrees C according to the built in metering. From a cold start, the modulation would drop by about 5 or 6kHz as it warmed up.

I wrote BW asking if I could buy TX5 replacement front and rear panels as they have cut outs for fans. I was told that the TX5 has no fans either even though, to this day, it's still advertised as being fan cooled. After butchering the front and rear panel and adding my own fans, the unit runs very cool, around 42 deg C and modulation only drops about 2kHz from a cold start to warm up.

I can't say it's the worst product, but given that these things are selling for over a grand, there's no reason not to provide decent cooling. I think the reason no one complains is that they know the vast majority of these little transmitters are going to end up in the hands of pirates or hobbiest who just don't know any better.

Now to make this reply somewhat on topic, the BW processors sure do sound good.

 

[menotti1]

got a DSP-X and later the DSP_EXTRA. Both arrived FED EX the next day.order from Scott direct Broadcast warehouse.One of the nicest gentleman i've ever done business with.Very easy to talk to and helpful when you need support.

 

[gtomas]

I too had to wait for a processor for over a month as well, but it was Orban... They said the delay was due to some problem in the factory. So it can happen with the bigger guys as well. A couple of DSPXex that I've ordered, all came within a few days.

Also, a couple of months back there was a delay worldwide with electronic equipment when EU issued a RoHS directive, as many ICs had to be redesigned and re-manufactured.


Regards,
Goran Tomas

 

[greg.hahn]

Thanks to all of your for your suggestions.