If you don't know what BBE is, it's not "bass boost enhanced" or "Bass Boom Extra" but actually a proper analogue process often used to master a CD to make it sound a lot crisper before the pressing stage. They seem to have gone a little more consumer recently with guitar effect pedals rather than the older rack mounted, $5000 units they used to sell. The little chips that can be torn from the products can be used for guitar effects and one was successfully modded by myself one.

BBE Sound

BBE is not really a "Audiophile" system, more a "pro audio enhancing" though it's highly effective when processed audio is played through so-so consumer grade speakers. With good speakers (tested on JBL pro montors, Missions, various Kef based systems and some rather nice kit speakers from Jaycar (JC-30) as the highs can be a little shrill. It also contours the bass to make it sound more punchy and clean but not Boom Boom Boom bass.

I does a superb job of processing MP3's however and brings out a new life in them.


Since about 1992, they have been licensing the technology to Aiwa and more recently, some large Sony Televisions have it.

I have torn two from older Aiwa stereo's which just contains far too many op-amps, 7 from memory to make it sound any good. (BBE does help an awful lot in these dungers and those lovely indonesian-sweatshop-made speakers however)

T-Bass has nothing to do with this however and this is handled by the actual DSP. this is just "Bass Boosting" (at 80-170Hz) yewww.



Note this is pretty crude and new capacitors and a new PCB wouldn't go amiss.

I will post a step by step guide to removing one and the pinouts so it may be used in external use for enhancing and crisping audio.

The chip to look for is a little high density 30-40 pin DIL chip which should be surrounded by small electrolytic capacitors (best Aiwa model list shortly) and have two "polyester greencap" capacitors at the input side.
This needs to be carefully sawn out of the donor stereo. (I might draw a circuit diagram if I get the time)
When the little beastie is out, it's ready in it's bare form to feed line level audio in and get BBE processed audio out at line level, it's really just a glorified preamp.
You should really mix it with the incoming audio stream as it tends to be on the "crisp" side. (Perfect for FM broadcast however)
Power supply is 9v, supplied through the small resistor which is on the board.

Pictures and better instructions soon when I rip my lastest one out.