Radial JDI or J48 DI box???

[Bluechain311]

I play a EBMM Stingray 5. Pretty hot signal. I'm not sure if I should get the Radial JDI(passive) or the Radial J48(phantom power) direct box.Please help!!

[prd004]

Doesn't make a big difference. Active DI's will drive longer signal feeds with less degradation than passive DI's but unless you're running 200ft of cable between the stage and the board, it won't be an issue.
I have a J48 and love it good box.

[Munjibunga]

The J48 has a 15db pad, so you shouldn't have any trouble with it. I use one to go from my Fodera into the board, and it works fine. I switched from a JDI by the way.

[MNAirHead]

JDI because you can't count on a sound guy having or knowing about phantom power... some boards will send to all channels or none --- in 99% of instances I ban phantom use... it's risky to some gear..

[TimmyP]

If it's an active bass, I'd just go passive - you'll never have any ground loop worries. Don't overlook the ProDI - it doesn't sound quite as good as the JDI, but if the cost of the JDI is a burden, the Pro is a good substitute.

[Munjibunga]

Originally Posted by TimmyP

If it's an active bass, I'd just go passive - you'll never have any ground loop worries. Don't overlook the ProDI - it doesn't sound quite as good as the JDI, but if the cost of the JDI is a burden, the Pro is a good substitute.

You won't have any ground loop worries with the J48, either. The output is transformer isolated and has a ground lift.

[BigMac5]

Originally Posted by TimmyP

If it's an active bass, I'd just go passive -

This.

[TimmyP]

Originally Posted by Munjibunga

You won't have any ground loop worries with the J48, either. The output is transformer isolated and has a ground lift.

Not entirely true - at least not if the guy has a Behringer bass rig ;-(

[Bluechain311]

Thanks for the advice you guys, much appreciated. I ended up getting a JDI. I haven't got a chance to check it out but will let you all know next gig!

[rockstarbassist]

I've had both and currently use the JDI as my backup to the Mesa rig. I like the J48 just fine but again, for some soundboards and venues, phantom power gets you :wat: looks so it's just the safest. If I were using a DI as my main signal I maybe would consider the J48 again but to me they're both great.

[Whisper]

I have had both for a long time. In my experience, most sound guys are used to using an active DI for bass. Also, the output of the J48 is considerably hotter than the JDI, and when I've used the JDI, sound techs sometimes complain about the signal being low (it's not actually that low... just not as hot as your usual active DI)

From my experience: 98% of the time, I use the J48.

However, if you bass has a hot output, the JDI will probably be fine for you.

[Bluechain311]

I told you guys I ended up getting the JDI....And I couldn't be happier! It took the sound guy about 30 seconds to sound check me individually. It just sounded that good coming out of the PA. My tone was so amazing, I had a cheese-eating grin on my face the whole night, LOL! Again, thanks you all for your input, much appreciated.

[basswave]

Originally Posted by Bluechain311

I told you guys I ended up getting the JDI....And I couldn't be happier! It took the sound guy about 30 seconds to sound check me individually. It just sounded that good coming out of the PA. My tone was so amazing, I had a cheese-eating grin on my face the whole night, LOL! Again, thanks you all for your input, much appreciated.

Glad it worked out for You...
I love the tone JDI but I tend to use it more for at home stuff.
Live I use the JDV and what you put it is what you get out...Its uber clean.

[bluesdogblues]

Originally Posted by prd004

Doesn't make a big difference. Active DI's will drive longer signal feeds with less degradation than passive DI's but unless you're running 200ft of cable between the stage and the board, it won't be an issue.
I have a J48 and love it good box.

Is it true? Can you/anybody please explain, esp. about the '200ft cable length"?

I like JDI but bit affraid to use it onstage, because all my basses are passive.

[basswave]

Originally Posted by bluesdogblues

Is it true? Can you/anybody please explain, esp. about the '200ft cable length"?

I like JDI but bit affraid to use it onstage, because all my basses are passive.

The J48 will amplify the signal (this will help with loss over a long cable) The JDI does not have a high output so a long cable will degrade the signal.

Peter Janis explains everything very well here.

Check out the J48 here
YouTube - ‪Radial j48 advanced active direct box - explained‬‏

More info on the JDI
YouTube - ‪The Radial JDI explained‬‏

[bluesdogblues]

Thanks basswave, I haven't but I'll check the link later.

But before that; the thing I'd like to ask is about the" 200ft cable length"

[TimmyP]

Originally Posted by bluesdogblues

Thanks basswave, I haven't but I'll check the link later.

But before that; the thing I'd like to ask is about the" 200ft cable length"

Once you get enough cable, the load that the DI sees starts to drop as the frequency goes up, causing a loss of highs - although for bass I doubt that this is a problem - keys and synth maybe, cymbal mics quite possibly. (It could be that the DI's transformer and the cable form a tuned circuit that causes audio anomalies, just like a guitar pickup and guitar cable. You'd have to ask Agedhorse over on the Harmony Central Live Sound forum.)

[bluesdogblues]

Originally Posted by TimmyP

Once you get enough cable, the load that the DI sees starts to drop as the frequency goes up, causing a loss of highs - although for bass I doubt that this is a problem - keys and synth maybe, cymbal mics quite possibly. (It could be that the DI's transformer and the cable form a tuned circuit that causes audio anomalies, just like a guitar pickup and guitar cable. You'd have to ask Agedhorse over on the Harmony Central Live Sound forum.)

Yeah I understand that.. So Should I not worry about using JDI with my passive Fender P-Basses onstage?
I'm not really sure but I don't think the cable from the DI to the FOH exceed 200ft.

In studio it's not a problem, and I like that Radial JDI.

Actually I once e-mailed Radial ask about this subject, after read in their website they wrote like this about JDI:
"..anyway, who wants to still use passive basses onstage today..."
...well I do.
But they never reply my e-mail so I cancelled to buy Radial JDI then.

[basswave]

Originally Posted by bluesdogblues

Yeah I understand that.. So Should I not worry about using JDI with my passive Fender P-Basses onstage?
I'm not really sure but I don't think the cable from the DI to the FOH exceed 200ft.

In studio it's not a problem, and I like that Radial JDI.

Actually I once e-mailed Radial ask about this subject, after read in their website they wrote like this about JDI:
"..anyway, who wants to still use passive basses onstage today..."
...well I do.
But they never reply my e-mail so I cancelled to buy Radial JDI then.

Honestly the JDI is cool and like the tone as well, but its only a backup for me live.

I don't want to take the chance signal loss so I use the JDV.

I'm surprised about the reply to You about passive basses, those guys are indited and I know cannot reply to everything.

bluesdogblues You will never get a %100 complete answer from all the users on here regarding what you should use because every one has a different take.

I pretty much use only active basses and still use active DIs I would not even consider use the JDI with a passive instrument for a live application (unless it was my only option). Take that for what its worth.

[bluesdogblues]

Thanks again basswave, yeah you give good point.
Well, actually like I said, as much as I like JDI, I'm affraid to use it onstage since I only like to use passive basses.

Well, ok, maybe I better forget JDI for that purpose and look only for active DIs.
Actually I like the REDDI too.