DOD 285 Gray Box/Cabinet Emulator

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The second (and final?) cosmetic variant of the 285 Cabinet Emulator, from the mid 1990s

The DOD 285 Active Direct Box was arguably DOD's first attempt to compete with pro-level cabinet emulators, such as the industry-standard Hughes and Kettner Red Box. In addition to the functionality of the 275 Active Direct Box, the 285 featured a three-position switch for a flat e.q. response (same as the 275), for emulating a combo amp, or for a 4x12 cabinet emulation. However, note that the cabinet emulation only affected the balanced XLR output. The 285 Cabinet Emulator was introduced in the early 1990s, and at least two (cosmetic) variants were produced (the first named the "Gray Box" Cabinet Emulator, and the second version shown above). The 285 was apparently not retained when production shifted to China with the VAC series at the end of the 1990s.