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[Ray Jackson]

I had a failure two weeks ago of a client's old BSS 9088iis DSP in a drive system feeding a cluster of individual JBL components and Yamaha amplifiers.  This is at a church install from back in the 90's(?) with about 2000 seats.

In researching new options, I'm not finding anything that is a great fit.  I know a lot of line arrays and current speakers have their own proprietary processing in today's world and that will be fine for the new system. But I'm looking for something today to bridge this gap. This system has a total of 5 inputs and 11 outputs for the mains.  It's currently running on their backup of really old Yamaha D1030s using analog I/O, PEQ, HP, LP, Crossover, and some Delays per output. 

Any suggestions for a temporary replacement, while a new system is being designed, funded, and installed?  Looking for something mid-range in price and reliable till a newer system can be purchased.  I've considered a pair of Lake LM44s (not sure will hear the benefits to justify the cost given other components in this system), Meyer Galaxy (too long lead time and costly), BSS London BLU (not my favorite interface), QSC Q-SYS (seems complicated for basic DSP functions), Biamp (eh?), Ashley Protea SP series (hard to control remotely on 3rd floor amp room but functionally seems ok), multiple DBX drive rack (there's got to be a better option than trying to tie 4 of these together)...other options...what am I missing in today's products? 

What's your favorite go to box for a situation like this? Thanks for any suggestions!

[Raul Suarez]

Do you have the original Sound Web file?  Certainly if so, get a used 9088 ($150-$200 e-bay) to tide them over.  Cheap and performance they are familiar with and won't think "Oh, my gosh this sounds so much better, maybe we don't need to upgrade."  :-)

Raul Suarez
Third Ear Sound

[Steve-White]

If you can't find a used BSS 9088, and want things in a single package find a used Ashly NE8800 and add an additional output module if needed.  You will have to make up the cables, which is easy as they have Euroblock connectors on them.

[Ray Jackson]

Do you have the original Sound Web file?  Certainly if so, get a used 9088 ($150-$200 e-bay) to tide them over.  Cheap and performance they are familiar with and won't think "Oh, my gosh this sounds so much better, maybe we don't need to upgrade."  :-)

Raul Suarez
Third Ear Sound

Sadly, I do not have the original files as I did not do the install and the original company no longer exist, but yes, that's a good thought.

[Ike Zimbel]

I had a failure two weeks ago of a client's old BSS 9088iis DSP in a drive system feeding a cluster of individual JBL components and Yamaha amplifiers.  This is at a church install from back in the 90's(?) with about 2000 seats.

In researching new options, I'm not finding anything that is a great fit.  I know a lot of line arrays and current speakers have their own proprietary processing in today's world and that will be fine for the new system. But I'm looking for something today to bridge this gap. This system has a total of 5 inputs and 11 outputs for the mains.  It's currently running on their backup of really old Yamaha D1030s using analog I/O, PEQ, HP, LP, Crossover, and some Delays per output. 

Any suggestions for a temporary replacement, while a new system is being designed, funded, and installed?  Looking for something mid-range in price and reliable till a newer system can be purchased.  I've considered a pair of Lake LM44s (not sure will hear the benefits to justify the cost given other components in this system), Meyer Galaxy (too long lead time and costly), BSS London BLU (not my favorite interface), QSC Q-SYS (seems complicated for basic DSP functions), Biamp (eh?), Ashley Protea SP series (hard to control remotely on 3rd floor amp room but functionally seems ok), multiple DBX drive rack (there's got to be a better option than trying to tie 4 of these together)...other options...what am I missing in today's products? 

What's your favorite go to box for a situation like this? Thanks for any suggestions!

What was the failure mode on the 9088? These units are known for having capacitors fail in the power supply section. Perhaps having a qualified bench tech look at it and replace the PS caps (it may be even just one capacitor that's failed) will get you back in business with loads of time to design a new system.

[Ray Jackson]

If you can't find a used BSS 9088, and want things in a single package find a used Ashly NE8800 and add an additional output module if needed.  You will have to make up the cables, which is easy as they have Euroblock connectors on them.

I'll look into this model. I feel like Ashly is probably inline with this system, just need to be able to remote control it for setup and this might just work. Thanks!

[Ray Jackson]

What was the failure mode on the 9088? These units are known for having capacitors fail in the power supply section. Perhaps having a qualified bench tech look at it and replace the PS caps (it may be even just one capacitor that's failed) will get you back in business with loads of time to design a new system.

I'm not sure of the exact failure, but it still has power and shows input, just no output. The primary Yamaha M7 console also failed with all analog I/O.  All digital slots still work and the Aviom and Cobranet I/O still works, but the analog on both units failed, which was noticed on a Saturday night and resulted in an emergency midnight service call till 3am Sunday morning. Fun times trying to figure out what happened.  No power surges that we are aware of as of now.  Ironically, the operator likes the additional headroom using the old Yamaha D1030s vs the processing that was setup in the Soundweb....I could open it up and replace the caps, but given the age of greater than 20 years and not having the original files to re-compile, I'm thinking the time spent is best used re-tuning the system with a more current product.  Hoping the system is replaced as a part of a larger technology upgrade, but that will never happen soon enough, as we all know...

[Steve-White]

I'll look into this model. I feel like Ashly is probably inline with this system, just need to be able to remote control it for setup and this might just work. Thanks!

"NE" means Network Enabled.  They have an RJ45 port on the back and works well on ethernet interface well with static or dynamic IP addressing available.

The control application runs well and is very easy to use.

[Kevin Maxwell]

Where are you located?

[Riley Casey]

Those descriptions would have me looking at the power supplies and any bipolar 15-18 VDC supplies that ran the analog stages. These could be a relatively cheap fix compared to replacing a large format console and a new DSP with it's attendant wheel reinventing.

I'm not sure of the exact failure, but it still has power and shows input, just no output. The primary Yamaha M7 console also failed with all analog I/O.  All digital slots still work and the Aviom and Cobranet I/O still works, but the analog on both units failed, which was noticed on a Saturday night and resulted in an emergency midnight service call till 3am Sunday morning. ...

[Jim McKeveny]

Do you have the original Sound Web file?  Certainly if so, get a used 9088 ($150-$200 e-bay) to tide them over.  Cheap and performance they are familiar with and won't think "Oh, my gosh this sounds so much better, maybe we don't need to upgrade."  :-)

Raul Suarez
Third Ear Sound

HOW!? is Raul Suarez a newbie?

As others have mentioned here: try to revive what you have, THEN look at needed upgrades.

[Mal Brown]

i have a 9088iis sitting on the shelf.  Tested and put away. $100 and freight.

[Dan Richardson]

I'm not sure of the exact failure, but it still has power and shows input, just no output.

You should be able to extract the settings from it, then.

[Ray Jackson]

You should be able to extract the settings from it, then.

I'm not a Soundweb expert at all but from my research, with the original green units, there is no config file to download. My understanding is it operates in the old way that requires you to compile the design file and then upload it via network or serial connection.  If there's a trick to getting that compiled file and pulling a design from it, I'd love to hear how to get that to work.  So far, I have been unsuccessful retrieving that file.

[Ray Jackson]

Where are you located?

This client is in South Carolina.

[doug johnson2]

My go to for this type of thing is a Bi-Amp Audia Flex, loaded with analog input and output cards.  Cheap to buy on the used market, even if you need to buy a couple to get enough cards.  Pretty powerful and on board ethernet.

[Kevin Maxwell]

This client is in South Carolina.

I was asking because sometime there might be someone in that area that could help you.

[Mike Caldwell]

A pair of DBX 360's would work, maybe you could use the AES input function.

[Lee Buckalew]

I'm not a Soundweb expert at all but from my research, with the original green units, there is no config file to download. My understanding is it operates in the old way that requires you to compile the design file and then upload it via network or serial connection.  If there's a trick to getting that compiled file and pulling a design from it, I'd love to hear how to get that to work.  So far, I have been unsuccessful retrieving that file.

This is correct. 
You cannot connect and extract the file as it is a compiled file.
You have to connect with a system that has the same layout and then you can connect and pull settings but only if the DSP programming matches in terms of processing blocks and connectivity.

It would be worth checking around and seeing if the original files were turned over to the church on a CD or other storage format.

Lee

[Thomas Le]

Yamaha has the MTX series of matrix processors that was installed at a church pre-COVID, works for basic matrix but it's overspec for us lol, we have the MTX5 when we could have gotten the MTX3. I have some dbx SC32's which is kinda like the old Shure P4800's, they're alright, kinda cumbersome to work since it lives in it's own window in Audio Architect. At least with the newer DSP's they're networkable so its easy to communicate and program.

I saw a mention of Biamp audia flex, those units are kinda fickle on network settings. It took me forever trying to get it to communicate, it's not plug n play.

[Steve-White]

A pair of DBX 360's would work, maybe you could use the AES input function.

Yep.  I'd be inclined to walk in there with something I knew would work, get it done and walk out. 

[Adam Kane]

I'd think an Ashly ne24.24 loaded with the appropriate cards would fit nicely. Robust and good sounding. Easy to control. If it's buried in a closet somewhere, take a decent WiFi router with you and connected to the DSP, then you can get into it remotely.

[Tim Woodworth]

Not sure what your budget is, but you can find a pair of used XTA DP448 for around 5k on ebay. Each unit is 4 in / 8 out. XTA has always been solid for us over the years. Not sure what the wait time is for anything "new".

[Ray Jackson]

UPDATE: Thanks for all the suggestions. We did end up using two of the DBX Venu360s and everything worked out well. Easy to setup, program and control via the laptop app. (Hoping the iOS app gets updated soon!) Simple, effective, and reasonable all around given the age and design of the current system.  Now, to start looking at new systems! Thanks again for all the suggestions and help.  As a longtime reader and rare poster, this has a great resource to have over the years.  Another success story and I am thankful for your help! 

I had a failure two weeks ago of a client's old BSS 9088iis DSP in a drive system feeding a cluster of individual JBL components and Yamaha amplifiers.  This is at a church install from back in the 90's(?) with about 2000 seats.

In researching new options, I'm not finding anything that is a great fit.  I know a lot of line arrays and current speakers have their own proprietary processing in today's world and that will be fine for the new system. But I'm looking for something today to bridge this gap. This system has a total of 5 inputs and 11 outputs for the mains.  It's currently running on their backup of really old Yamaha D1030s using analog I/O, PEQ, HP, LP, Crossover, and some Delays per output. 

Any suggestions for a temporary replacement, while a new system is being designed, funded, and installed?  Looking for something mid-range in price and reliable till a newer system can be purchased.  I've considered a pair of Lake LM44s (not sure will hear the benefits to justify the cost given other components in this system), Meyer Galaxy (too long lead time and costly), BSS London BLU (not my favorite interface), QSC Q-SYS (seems complicated for basic DSP functions), Biamp (eh?), Ashley Protea SP series (hard to control remotely on 3rd floor amp room but functionally seems ok), multiple DBX drive rack (there's got to be a better option than trying to tie 4 of these together)...other options...what am I missing in today's products? 

What's your favorite go to box for a situation like this? Thanks for any suggestions!

[ProSoundWeb Community]