Behringer DCX 2496 ULTRADRIVE PRO

Behringer DCX2496 ULTRADRIVE PRO — 24-bit/96 kHz Loudspeaker Management System

The Behringer DCX2496 ULTRADRIVE PRO is a 1U digital loudspeaker management system built around a 32-bit Analog Devices SHARC DSP. It routes audio between three analog inputs and six analog outputs, applies crossover filtering and EQ, and protects drivers with zero-attack limiters. Several hundred thousand units have shipped into touring rigs and fixed installs worldwide.

What sets the DCX2496 apart from typical crossover units

Most budget crossovers ship with fixed slopes and basic EQ. The DCX2496 pairs a SHARC DSP with AKM 24-bit/96 kHz converters and an integrated sample-rate converter that accepts external digital streams from 32 to 96 kHz. A PCMCIA card slot and 60 user presets let engineers carry venue-tuned configurations between gigs.

Conversion quality and I/O flexibility

Signal integrity starts at the converters. AKM 24-bit/96 kHz A/D and D/A stages deliver a 120 dB dynamic range, while servo-balanced gold-plated XLR connectors keep the analog path clean.

• Analog Inputs: 3 XLR (one switchable to AES/EBU) — plus summed A/B/C bus as a fourth source
• Analog Outputs: 6 XLR, servo-balanced, gold-plated
• Converter resolution runs at 24-bit / 96 kHz through AKM A/D and D/A stages
• Dynamic Range: 120 dB

Crossover topology and equalization tools

Each output channel runs an individually configurable crossover, handling a two-way stereo pair, a three-way LCR cluster, or a four-way bi-amped stack without external routing.

• Crossover Filter Types: Butterworth, Bessel, Linkwitz-Riley
• Roll-off Slopes: 6 to 48 dB/octave, selectable per output
• Each I/O accepts Parametric EQ, Dynamic EQ, and LP/BP/HP shapes
• Output Modes: 4 mono/stereo configurations

Driver safety, time alignment, and system integration

Zero-attack limiters guard every output, while adjustable delays compensate for room temperature, phase, and arrival-time differences across delay-line clusters.

• Limiters: "Zero-attack" on all 6 outputs — protects drivers without audible pumping
• Adjustable Delays: per input and output, manual or automatic
• Remote control via RS-232 and RS-485 through the free ULTRADRIVE PRO software
• Preset Memory: 60 user presets, PCMCIA card slot
• Power Supply: internal switch-mode, 100–240 V auto-ranging