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Favorite D.I. Box

What D.I. do you/would you like to have on your board?

  • MXR

    Votes: 18 5.8%

  • SansAmp

    Votes: 139 45.0%

  • Sadowsky

    Votes: 39 12.6%

  • Aguilar

    Votes: 21 6.8%

  • Fodera

    Votes: 3 1.0%

  • Other

    Votes: 89 28.8%
  • Total voters
    309
#122
Hey there Max. I have a question for you. Can the Avalon U5 handle phantom power even though it doesn't need it? Most soundguys know what they are doing, but there are a few who I have to work with that are likely to get something wrong and accidentally send me the good old +48 volts even if i didn't need it. Would this ruin the Avalon?
 
#123
As far as I know it can. Avalon Engineering builds ALL of their stuff with such a high level of integrity and foresight into just about any possible sonic contingency. Heck, the U5 can even be run off a speaker output (which is a lot more than phantom pwr voltage).

I have not had to deal with this particular "problem" or scenario..yet. I did have phantom charges completely ruin my SWR Baby Blue a cpl of years back, so I always carrya little DI (either SansAmp, Aphex, or Radial) which CAN run off phantom just in case. Most rock-type gigs I do I don't use the U5, just too big to cart to gigs where it won't really make that much impact IMHO.

You might want to look at the Avalon website, and maybe even e-mail them to make sure......they are quite conscientious about keeping good cust. service (they stand behind their gear 1000%).

Max
 
#125
LOL! Y'know, they might be a bit pricey......but you could waste a lot money elsewhere. Simply put, the U5 is one of the finest pcs of gear a bassist could have. Much more than "just a DI"; it is an excellent preamp as well. The detail, both in construction and sound, is incredible.
They are a bit of apin to cart around, and eat up a lot of rack space....but possibly the best $500 you will have spent.


Of course, check it out prior to buying, as it really may not be the thing for you....


MAx
 
#126
ya know max, the testimony i've heard leads me to belive it's worth a listen, especially since some reviews on the net say that the user found it to be better than the sound from alembic and demeter preamps (both of which i use)
i still use an SWR electric blue head (which after hearing the stories here i will never plug into a board again - :eek: - i would cry if that were to get wrecked), and an eden wt-400 as well, bu tthe demeter and alembic are my favorites.
Is there a place (or can you tell me) where i can find descriptions (a graph would be even better) of the 6 eq curves on the U5? And is there a "flat" setting?
thanks as always
ivan

you bastard.................. :p
 
#127
IvanMike said:
ya know max, the testimony i've heard leads me to belive it's worth a listen, especially since some reviews on the net say that the user found it to be better than the sound from alembic and demeter preamps (both of which i use)
i still use an SWR electric blue head (which after hearing the stories here i will never plug into a board again - :eek: - i would cry if that were to get wrecked), and an eden wt-400 as well, bu tthe demeter and alembic are my favorites.
Is there a place (or can you tell me) where i can find descriptions (a graph would be even better) of the 6 eq curves on the U5? And is there a "flat" setting?
thanks as always
ivan

you bastard.................. :p
Click to expand...


Here you go (U5 manual):

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=102

(Munji posted it back in January)

And the "flat" setting is to not engage the Tone button (which activates the eq knob)
 
#131
rubo said:
Jonathan how would you compare Radial and Ditto?

Cheers
Click to expand...

Well. I've only recently pulled out my Ditto (haven't used it in a while), but they're both great DIs. They're different in sense that since the Ditto is a tube DI (uses a AX7 and AU7) so the Ditto gives a warmer, rounder tone to my sound. They're both built like tanks, I can probably drop both of these things with no problems. I opened my Ditto to see how the tubes were protected and they were encased in a metal wrapping thing. The Ditto is a lot bigger then my JDI and does require a power supply (like all other tube DIs I've seen), so in that sense it's easier to carry the JDI around since its a bit smaller. :) It also gets hot when left on a long time too!

The one thing I do like about my Ditto is that I can use it as a preamp since it has a gain knob to boost the signal. (Yeah, I've been kind of digging my Lakland 55-01 tone direct.. so I just bypassed my normal preamp)

It doesn't use a Jensen transformer like the JDI; it has its own custom-wound one, but it's performed well the last time I used it live.

I hope that helps a little bit.

--Jonathan
 
#133
Gregory Bruce Campbell said:
I'm now switching from my 4 sans amp bass driver DIs to 4 Millennia TD-1 pres...

the millennia pres should have shipped yesterday...

I guess you could say: I’m going from a really nice yugo, to a seriously wicked Lamborghini!
Click to expand...
Way Cool!

I would seriously appreciate a review of how well the TD-1 works with EBG after you've had a chance to get familiar with it, especially, used as a preamp.

Thanks!
 
#135
Hey Max, i got another question. I haven't had the chance to check out the U5. How would you say the U5 compared to the demeter 201 (the old model) when using both as a preamp? I've read at least one review on the web where a player favored the U5 over the demeter, but they really didn't give any tonal comparison. Just curious, I'm sure I'll find out for myself sooner or later.
Thanks,
Ivan
 
#139
I had to vote "Other" as well, since I've now ditched my GK 2000RB for an Avalon U5 that sends me to the FOH board and drives my stage rig (Stewart 1.6/2 Acme B2s).

As a point of reference, one of the guitarists I work with immediately noticed the difference when I started using the new rig, saying he could "feel the bass in (his) bowels!"

That's a good thing, right? :D
 
#140
I invested in the U5 because of all the churches I played, it just didn't make sense to play a 2500 dollar bass thru a 2500 dollar bass amp into the 29.95 direct box for the PA mains. I now run it in front of my Eden WT300 and just use the Eden EQ for a little room tweeking. I played one church that had a demeter tube di with an agular bass pre at the board but they liked the avalon better! I just added a Sadowsky Metro to my rig and I'm in heaven with the U5, my Buzz dosen't sound bad either! I run the Avalon as the last piece in my pedal board and that seems to protect it adequitly. Deffinently the best 499 I ever spent , it makes every bass sound better, but it makes the really good stuff sound unbeleivable!
 

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