DBX 570 Vari-Z microphone preamp

General

The DBX 570 is a compact, top-quality variable impedance microphone preamplifier from the 500 series. It's designed to give you a wide variety of tones and breathe new life into your microphone. It has an input on the front and is equipped with Phantom power so that you can use condenser microphones with it. The DBX 570 is capable of delivering up to 68 dB of gain to your mic. The impedance can be adjusted between 150 ohms and 3 kOhms and low and high pass filters offer even more possibilities.

Microphones, preamps and impedance

While every microphone has an output impedance, every microphone preamplifier has an input impedance. The relationship between the two plays an important role in the tone and overall volume of the mic. A low preamp impedance (aka Z) makes a microphone quieter and gives it more variation in the frequency response. A higher Z gives more volume but a flatter response and also influences the high tones, as well as the response to transients. A higher Z usually has more clarity, as a result. Impedance on its own doesn't mean much. It's the combination between the mic and the preamp that is the most important factor. Naturally then, some combinations are better than others.

500 series: a modular system

The biggest advantage of the 500 series system is that different components can be combined however you want. All of the products in the 500 series are compatible with each other. That means you can assemble your rack using only the components you need, depending on the situation. It also means you won't have to shell out any extra cash for additional expensive power adapters. Of course, you can put together your rack for each situation using only the components you need from your collection of equipment.