SansAmp DI or Countryman DI : What PA system situations use one but not other ?

[Bass301]

In what PA system situations would I not be able to depend on using the SansAmp Bass DI series ?

In what PA system situations would I not be able to depend on using the Countryman DI ?

SansAmp Bass DI series has a good reputation but I have read some threads which say not all PA systems and mixing board equipment are able to handle this DI .

Country Man DI has a good reputation but is said to be "wired wrong", which I assume means it will not work well in all PA systems and mixing board equipment.

I play a passive Fender Precision bass and old school bass tones as heard in 1960s R&B and 1970s classic rock.

I would prefer the SansAmp Bass DI because of having tone shaping knobs which the Countryman does not seem to have from pictures I have seen.

I would prefer not having to buy both DI boxes to cover myself for all PA system situations.

Could I get by with only the SansAmp ?

[Steve]

I know of no situation where either of those units would have issue with any PA.

You're more likely to encounter a sound man that has issue with a box unfamiliar to them than you are to encounter a "real" problem.

I've had guys want to use a Rapco in front of my Avalon.

[baba]

The Countryman is a tank and an industry workhorse DI that I would think all soundmen would be familiar with. Never heard of any PA interface issues.

Check out Radial's offerings as well.

[pbass2]

Originally Posted by Bass301

I would prefer the SansAmp Bass DI because of having tone shaping knobs

This pretty much nails it for you then I'd say.

However, I think it's important to have one good, basic DI on hand at all times. Can't go wrong with the Countryman. Personally, I like having a high quality passive DI on hand and the Radial JDI is pretty much the top of the heap for those. The JDI is an awesome piece of gear.

[JimmyM]

Will the JDI do speaker DI?

[SteveC]

Originally Posted by Steve

I know of no situation where either of those units would have issue with any PA.

You're more likely to encounter a sound man that has issue with a box unfamiliar to them than you are to encounter a "real" problem.

I've had guys want to use a Rapco in front of my Avalon.

That's funny!

I have a Radial JDI as backup. I use the DI from my GB Shuttle.

[James Hart]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

Will the JDI do speaker DI?

hey Jimmy, they make the JDX specifically for that

http://www.radialeng.com/re-jdx.htm




Bass301: if you want tone shaping / dirt from a DI... take a look at the Bassbone
http://www.tonebone.com/tb-bassbone.htm

[Jim Carr]

Originally Posted by Bass301

In what PA system situations would I not be able to depend on using the SansAmp Bass DI series ?

In what PA system situations would I not be able to depend on using the Countryman DI ?

SansAmp Bass DI series has a good reputation but I have read some threads which say not all PA systems and mixing board equipment are able to handle this DI .

Country Man DI has a good reputation but is said to be "wired wrong", which I assume means it will not work well in all PA systems and mixing board equipment.

I play a passive Fender Precision bass and old school bass tones as heard in 1960s R&B and 1970s classic rock.

I would prefer the SansAmp Bass DI because of having tone shaping knobs which the Countryman does not seem to have from pictures I have seen.

I would prefer not having to buy both DI boxes to cover myself for all PA system situations.

Could I get by with only the SansAmp ?

You might get by with the Sansamp. I can sympathize with wanting that unit as it makes your passive bass go active, and with a old P, basically takes the place of what used to be supplied by the amp in a P-bass tone (hence, Sansamp).

However, there are sound people who want unmodified bass signals that are as clean and as quiet as possible. They want to be the ones doing the EQ of the basic P-bass sound.

That is a pretty old school attitude, and you may not run into it all the time. I would expect that such a sound person would whip out the DI they prefer, in a case like that.

So, go with the sansamp, if it is the sound you want. Don't be surprised if the sound people dial-out everything you dial-in.

I have used both a lot and never had any issues with compatibility.

[Jim Carr]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

Will the JDI do speaker DI?

Countryman type 85 does.

[georgestrings]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

Will the JDI do speaker DI?

Sure does - I've run one that way before, and it works pretty well... To my knowledge, the JDI has a slight roll-off for highs and lows that make it's post amp signal more mixer input friendly...



- georgestrings

[bassninja7]

effin sansamp!!!!

i own the pbddi, its a mean little guy.....,

[JimmyM]

Thanks for the info, James and George. I've been using an H&K Red Box, but after my last tube challenge, I'm a little disappointed in it for bass. It's a real MFer on guitar, though!

[Munjibunga]

Originally Posted by Bass301

In what PA system situations would I not be able to depend on using the SansAmp Bass DI series ?

In what PA system situations would I not be able to depend on using the Countryman DI ?

SansAmp Bass DI series has a good reputation but I have read some threads which say not all PA systems and mixing board equipment are able to handle this DI .

Country Man DI has a good reputation but is said to be "wired wrong", which I assume means it will not work well in all PA systems and mixing board equipment.

I play a passive Fender Precision bass and old school bass tones as heard in 1960s R&B and 1970s classic rock.

I would prefer the SansAmp Bass DI because of having tone shaping knobs which the Countryman does not seem to have from pictures I have seen.

I would prefer not having to buy both DI boxes to cover myself for all PA system situations.

Could I get by with only the SansAmp ?

I agree either one would work pretty much everywhere. If it were me, I'd probably go with a Radial J48. You can run a non-EQed signal to the board and run the through out to your stage amp, where you can adjust your monitoring tone to your liking. As Jim Carr said, if you EQ your signal to the board, they will probably EQ it back to the way it works best in the room. The EQ you put on it may make that difficult.

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by Munjibunga

I agree either one would work pretty much everywhere. If it were me, I'd probably go with a Radial J48. You can run a non-EQed signal to the board and run the through out to your stage amp, where you can adjust your monitoring tone to your liking. As Jim Carr said, if you EQ your signal to the board, they will probably EQ it back to the way it works best in the room. The EQ you put on it may make that difficult.

Yep, and that's exactly why I like to run post-EQ. I want to make it difficult to add in what I don't want the audience to hear, especially freqs past 5k.

[TimmyP]

All are good, however for bass I prefer the J48 to the JDI. (I also prefer it to the Sansamp and the Type 85.) If you want to save some $, the Pro48 is quite good as well.