The most common sizing mistake we see on Enova DGX installations isn't buying too big — it's buying just barely big enough. The AMX DGX1600-ENC and the DGX800 look close on paper when you're staring at a quote, but they serve different installation profiles, and the gap between them shows up quickly once a project scales.

If you're trying to decide which enclosure to spec, here's a practical way to think through it.

View the AMX DGX1600-ENC Enova DGX 1600 Enclosure Product Page

What You're Actually Choosing Between

Both the AMX DGX1600-ENC Enova DGX 1600 Enclosure and the DGX800 are enterprise-grade digital media switchers built on the same Enova DGX platform — same board architecture, same NetLinx NX control core, same fiber and twisted pair transmission specs. The fundamental difference is how many I/O slots each chassis holds.

• DGX800: supports up to 8x8 matrix (two input boards, two output boards, four connections per board)
• DGX1600-ENC: doubles that — four input boards, four output boards, up to 16x16 matrix capacity

That's the number that drives almost every other consideration: cost per zone, rack footprint, redundancy options, and how much buffer you're building in for the client who says "we probably won't need more than eight zones" on day one.

The DGX1600-ENC: What It Does Well

The DGX1600-ENC is AMX's entry point into genuine mid-scale matrix switching. At a 16x16 maximum, it handles installations where the DGX800 would either max out or leave you with no room to add endpoints without a chassis swap.

A few things that matter for real installs:

• 26 Gbps data rate — headroom for 4K/UHD content across the full matrix without bottlenecking at peak load
• Redundant power supplies included — not an add-on; standard in the enclosure. For permanent installs in conference centers, hospitality, or education, this matters when a single PSU failure can't take down a boardroom or a lecture hall mid-session
• Hot swap module replacement — boards can be pulled and replaced without powering down the enclosure, which is significant in facilities that can't schedule downtime
• NetLinx NX Integrated Controller — onboard control processor means you're not paying for a separate controller to manage the matrix; it's already in the chassis
• Fiber transmission up to 10 km over single mode fiber, 300 meters over multimode, 100 meters over standard twisted pair — the right tool for campus-scale distribution or buildings where copper runs aren't practical

Audio support covers Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio, and 2-channel through 8-channel L-PCM — you're not stripping down to stereo PCM just to move signal across the matrix.

Management connections: 1x Gigabit LAN RJ-45, 1x mini-USB Type B, 1x RS-232 DB-9 — standard for AMX infrastructure, accessible to any integrator who's touched Enova before.

When the DGX800 Is the Right Call

The DGX800 makes sense when the installation genuinely tops out at eight inputs and eight outputs, and the client has no plausible reason to grow beyond that. Small corporate suites, fixed retail displays, single-building hospitality installs with a defined endpoint count — these are real use cases where the DGX800 is the correct tool and you're not leaving anything on the table by speccing it.

The honest trade-off with the DGX800 is that you're buying a chassis with no room to grow within the enclosure. If the project adds endpoints, you're looking at a second enclosure or a chassis replacement — neither of which is cheap or clean to execute in an occupied facility.

Cost-Per-Zone Economics: Where the DGX1600-ENC Pays Back

This is where the comparison gets interesting for installers who are building budgets.

The DGX1600-ENC is available new at $17,515.00, or as B-Stock at $14,012.00 — the same enclosure and the same AMX infrastructure, with cosmetic or minor blemishes noted in the listing. For permanent rack installations where the enclosure is never in view, B-Stock is worth a close look.

At 16 possible output zones, the new unit works out to roughly $1,095 per zone at full build-out — and that's before you account for the included NetLinx NX controller, which you'd be paying for separately on a lot of competing platforms.

Compare that against what it costs to swap a maxed-out DGX800 mid-project: new chassis, re-termination labor, potential downtime coordination with the facility. On any install where there's a reasonable chance of adding four or more zones in the next two to three years, the DGX1600-ENC math usually works out in its favor from the start.

Who Should Actually Buy the DGX1600-ENC

This enclosure fits best when:

• The project requires 9–16 I/O endpoints at launch, or is likely to reach that within a reasonable project horizon
• The facility can't absorb downtime for a chassis swap — hot swap and redundant PSUs are load-bearing features, not nice-to-haves
• Long fiber runs are in play — 10 km on single mode means this works for campus distribution, not just in-building
• The client wants a single, integrated control and switching platform rather than separate AMX controller + matrix hardware

It's probably not the right spec if the installation is genuinely fixed at six or fewer zones and the client has zero expansion plans. That's not a knock on the DGX1600-ENC — it's just honest sizing.

Our Take

For most mid-scale commercial installs — conference facilities, university AV, multi-room hospitality, larger corporate environments — the DGX1600-ENC is the enclosure we'd recommend speccing in, not because it's bigger, but because the cost of under-buying shows up later in a much less convenient way than the cost of right-sizing shows up now.

If you're already confident the project maxes at eight zones and stays there, save the money and go with the DGX800. But if there's any ambiguity in the endpoint count — and there usually is — the DGX1600-ENC at $17,515.00 new or $14,012.00 as B-Stock is a more defensible spec.

View the AMX DGX1600-ENC Enova DGX 1600 Enclosure Product Page

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the maximum matrix size of the AMX DGX1600-ENC?

The DGX1600-ENC supports a maximum 16x16 matrix. It holds four video input boards and four video output boards, with four connections per board. The DGX800, by comparison, tops out at 8x8.

Does the DGX1600-ENC include a control processor, or do I need to add one separately?

The DGX1600-ENC includes an integrated NetLinx NX controller built into the enclosure — you're not paying for or racking a separate AMX controller to manage the matrix. That's part of what makes the cost-per-zone math work in its favor on mid-scale installs.

What's the difference between the new and B-Stock DGX1600-ENC, and is B-Stock worth it for a permanent installation?

B-Stock units are the same AMX DGX1600-ENC hardware — same specs, same redundant PSUs, same hot swap capability — with cosmetic or minor blemishes noted in the listing. For rack installations where the enclosure isn't visible to end users, B-Stock is worth evaluating seriously. At $14,012.00 vs. $17,515.00 new, the savings are meaningful on a project budget. Check the specific listing notes for the blemish detail before committing.

How far can the DGX1600-ENC distribute signal over fiber?

Up to 10 km over single mode fiber, 300 meters over multimode fiber, and 100 meters over standard twisted pair. The single mode range in particular makes this viable for campus-scale distribution where running copper the full distance isn't practical.