BBE Stereo Sonic Maximizer Tone Processor Controller 1/4' and RCA in/out

$275.00

Model# 422A

It’s a little hard to explain what an aural exciter does in basic terms, except that it makes it all come alive. With just 2 simple knobs per channel, it’s easy to dial things in. Lows become more defined and the highs have more air to them.
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The Sonic Maximizer is a dual channel enhancer designed to operate with -10dBu levels. It works by applying phase correction to the high frequencies which it does by splitting the sound into 3 bands, crossover frequencies being 150Hz and 1200Hz, and applying delays to the two lower bands. The high band passes through a VCA and is controlled in relation to the mid band. There are two modes - 'Auto' mode provides dynamic response so that the 422A expands or compresses the high band in relation to the mid, while in 'Manual' a factory preset expansion ratio is applied. Each channel has a Lo-contour and a Definition knob. Lo-contour is for bass EQ at 50Hz, Definition regulates the processing of the high band in relation to the mid and effectively adds more top end.

The BBE® Process—"What Is It"
Loudspeakers have difficulty dealing with the electronic signals supplied by an amplifier. These difficulties cause such major phase and amplitude distortion that the sound reproduced by a speaker differs significantly from the sound produced by the original source. In the past, these problems proved unsolvable and were thus delegated to a position of secondary importance in audio system design. However, phase and amplitude integrity is essential to accurate sound reproduction. Research shows that the information which the listener translates into the recognizable characteristics of a live performance are intimately tied into complex time and amplitude relationships between the fundamental and harmonic components of a given musical note or sound. These relationships define a sound's "sound". When these complex relationships pass through a speaker, the proper order is lost. The higher frequencies are delayed.

A lower order frequency may reach the listener's ear first or perhaps simultaneously with that of a higher frequency. In some cases, the fundamental components may be so time-shifted that they reach the listener's ear ahead of some or all of the harmonic components. This change in the phase and amplitude relationship on the harmonic and fundamental frequencies is technically called "envelope distortion." The listener perceives this loss of sound integrity in the reproduced sound as "muddy" and "smeared." In the extreme, it can become difficult to tell the difference among musical instruments, for example, an oboe and a clarinet. BBE Sound, Inc. conducted extensive studies of numerous speaker systems over a ten year period. With this knowledge it became possible to develop an ideal speaker and to distill the corrections necessary to return the fundamental and harmonic frequency structures to their correct order. While there are differences among various speaker designs in the magnitude of their needs for correction, the overall pattern of correction needed is remarkably consistent. The BBE® process is so unique that 42 patents have been awarded by the U.S. Patent Office.

Product Description
The BBE 422A is an intelligent audio processor designed to solve a series of complex problems as described in the previous section. It is, however, very simple to set-up and operate and once installed will function flawlessly without further attention. It is a dual channel, rack-mountable device for use in -10dBu unbalanced line level applications such as those found in semi-professional and musical instrument applications. The BBE 422A takes up one EIA standard rack space of 19 inches width and 1.75 inches height (1U). There are two separate channels to allow for either full stereo program or two independent mono channels: A house P.A. mix feed for one channel and the stage monitor feed for the other channel. BBE" applies different phase correction algorithms to three separate frequency bands. The variable front panel control allows the user to adjust the amount of process desired.

"How It Works"
The BBE® process imparts a pre-determined phase correction to the high frequencies where most harmonic information exists. This is done by breaking the signal into three sub-bands or groups: the low frequency group which is crossed over at 150Hz, the mid-range group which is crossed over at 1200Hz and the high frequency group that handles every-thing else up to 20kHz. The low group is delayed about 2.5 ms (milliseconds) via a group delay within a passive low pass filter.

The front panel control allows for either a flat response, a cut or a boost of the lows at 50Hz. The mid-range group is delayed only about 0.5ms and passes through an active band-pass filter while the high frequency group is passed through a high quality VCA (Voltage Controlled Amplifier). The high group is used as a point of reference to make dynamic amplitude corrections in both positive and negative directions to the high frequencies. Two RMS average loudness detectors continuously monitor both the mid-range and high frequencies to compare the relative harmonic content levels of the two bands and apply the appropriate amount of control voltage to the VCA, thereby determining the amount of high frequency harmonic content present at the final output of the BBE0 processor.

Specifications
Frequency Response 
	Bypass 			DC to 20kHz  
	Process Mode 		program controlled 

Absolute Noise in Process Mode 	—87dBu below rated max output of OdBu 

Total Harmonic Distortion
	in Process Mode 	less than 0.1% @ — 10dBu Level 

Input Characteristics 
	Input Impedance 	50K Ohms 
	Nominal Input Level	— 10dBu 
	Maximum Input Level 	+ 16dBu

Output Characteristics 
	Minimum Load Impedance 
	 for full output level	1K Ohm  
	Nominal Output Level 	— 10dBu
	Maximum Output Level 	+ 16dBu

Power Requirements 
U.S. Model 			100-120Vac, 50/60Hz, 10 Watts
Standard Model 			200-240Vac, 50/60Hz, 10 Watts

AC Line fuse protected 		U.S. Model, 250Vac,
				1/2A Fastblow type fuse 
				Standard Model, 250Vac, 
				.125A Fastblow type fuse

Terminations/Connectors
	Rear Panel 		RCA Jacks and 1/2" Phone Jacks

 Dimensions 
	1¾"H x 19"W x 5¾"D 	Standard 1U single rack 

Weight 
	4½ lbs (2.5Kgs) 

NOTE. OdBu = 0.775 Vrms