# Any experience with BBE Sonic Maximizers?



## Tomegun (Jul 4, 2011)

In regards to BBE Electronics Sonic Maximizers, BBE 382isw in particular;

I tried searching the forums for user experience, reviews, recommendations, etc. No results have shown up. Has nobody tried or using this brand of signal processor?

I have a 382isw, not installed yet but curious what, if any, experience others have had.


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## Wayne A. Pflughaupt (Apr 13, 2006)

This is a home theater forum, so we have no use for such a processor. You might ask at the Gearslutz, Tape Op or Pro Sound Web forums.

Regards, 
Wayne


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## Tomegun (Jul 4, 2011)

Sorry:gulp:, I did not realize a home theater with two channel sound wasn't considered a home theater. Since there appears to be a lot of interest in room equalization, and the way audio sounds, I would think experiments with various forms of signal processing may come into play. Being as how the device mentioned is normally used at the output end of audio chain, driving speakers or recording equipment, I didn't think my question was out of line.:huh: Home Theater Shack noticed I hadn't posted lately and this just came to mind.

As a side note; In my younger years, as a Projectionist, we didn't have the luxury of more than Altec Lansing two channel sound systems. Very few folks had home theaters. Mine consisted of modified used equipment from local theater upgrades. 

Best,
Tom


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## Wayne A. Pflughaupt (Apr 13, 2006)

Guess I came off as harsh – my apologies, didn’t mean to! 

Still, I think the answer to your question about other’s experiences with the BBE can be found in the fact that you haven’t been able to find anyone else’s experiences. Consider that its use in a home theater would by necessity be limited to those with component systems with separate pre-amps and amplifiers, which is a small percentage of home theater enthusiasts. So, the field is narrowed considerably going in. 

Then there’s the fact that, since most HT enthusiasts have at least 5.1 systems, it would require the purchase of no less than three BBEs. At that point the question becomes, “Will this get me a $400-$500 improvement in sound quality?” I’m sure you can see the problem…

As I mentioned, your best bet to find out people’s experiences with this unit will be the pro-audio forums.

Since you have one, no reason not to hook it up and give it a go. Maybe you can report back on your observations so that others can learn from your experiences. :T

Regards, 
Wayne


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## Lumen (May 17, 2014)

In support of Wayne's advice, give it a go! You might like the effect it has. Just hearing a different presentation can make your system sound "better" to you. FWIW, I have an older BBE 822A Sonic Maximizer. I use it solely as a fancy tone control for poorly-recorded source material. It does a really decent job of making them enjoyable! One possible downside is its single-ended nature (i.e. it doesn't have a tape loop). It's designed to be inserted in series in the signal chain, such as between an amp and pre-amp.

Aside from amplitude (volume) control for bass and treble, the 822A manipulates their phase relationship by imparting a FIXED 2.5msec of group delay below 150Hz, and a 0.5msec delay between 150 and 1200Hz. IMO, it's a stretch of the imagination to believe the result is as effective as real-time measurement of the room/speaker response; as would be the case when using REW to generate filter coefficients for outboard EQ.

Though they can be successfully used in a home-audio application, Sonic Maximizers are targeted at the pro-audio world of sound _reinforcement_, not sound _reproduction_.


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## Tomegun (Jul 4, 2011)

Thank-You Gentlemen, I really appreciate the feedback.

For some reason, I had the impression that the average home theater was comprised of a rack full of equipment, like the good old days of component Stereo and Quadraphonic systems. I tend to be a gear-head and also forget it's not like the day's when a higher percentage of home entertainment enthusiasts were "do-it-yourselfers".


I'm doing home remodeling and when finished, will be using REW and my ears, to test many equipment configurations. I would be delighted to report results.


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## Lumen (May 17, 2014)

Of course, remodeling will be done in 2 weeks, right? 
Just like in the movie "Money Pit" with Tom Hanks: Tom asks the contractor how long it will take, to which the contractor replies, "two weeks." Tom then repeats, "Two weeks? Two weeks? The contractor finally exclaims, "You sound like a parakeet: 'Two weeks, Two weeks!'" :bigsmile:

Good luck with your home remodeling, and looking forward to hearing about it! We love pictures, so post some if you like.


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## SirKevi (Jan 31, 2009)

I would never be with out my sonic maximizer it is one of the fastest ways to quick eq almost like a loudness switch. But they are also supposed to help with phase of the recording I have been using one for about 15 years. I was hooked ever since they came out, I was able to listen to them in a relatively high end system bryston 4b 12b kef107s.


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## mixsit (Feb 11, 2012)

I know they come in several versions, and I've not used any of them. Disclaimer aside, but ran into this in my travels..
Sadly, it spoke sort of worse than along the lines my compass' might have guessed.


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