REDDI - Really Worth It?

[Dima B]

I've read this thread and I suppose some guys here don't understand different purposes of different boxes.

First, the Radial JDI unit is the best DI-Box I've ever used. And I say about direct purpose of this kind of devices - converting an unbalanced signal to a balanced signal without any color and harm. I've made some tests when I used parallel conversion with different boxes to the one AD converter. Chains like a bass -> a bass preamp and then balanced output of this pre to AD and parallel line output via outboard DI to AD (or couple of channels of very good solid state preamps if signals too weak without it). And couple of my friends had very sad faces after I've tested they devices Even Jensen equipped Demeter VTBP201 DI output really sucks

Devices like REDDI are very different beasts. They saturate sound dramatically. They change it. Somebody likes this particular saturation of this particular device, somebody doesn't. So there is no fair answer. Then we use "straight" boxes, like the Radial one, we can measure differences between signals objectively. Then we use "saturation" kind of DI, like the subject of this thread, we can speak subjectively only. And we can compare them with another "saturators" only, tube DI or tube mic preamplifiers with an instrumental input.

 

[svtb15]

Im not sure what your listening to,,,, Any time that i have brought my REDDI and they have a Countryman. Brooke Siren JDI, Solo610 etc. the REDDI got the call 100% of the time. Im not cutting demos in some guys basement . Although sometimes I do if Im getting paid. .
But the most part Its the real deal.. from LA, NYC and Nashville.

Yep its a matter of personal preference. There is more than one way to skin a cat as the saying goes.
But a few Grammy winning and Grammy nominated producers /engineers prefer my REDDI over anything else that is at their disposal 100% of the time

 

[Dima B]

Im not sure what your listening to,,,, Any time that i have brought my REDDI and they have a Countryman. Brooke Siren JDI, Solo610 etc. the REDDI got the call 100% of the time. Im not cutting demos in some guys basement

It's perfect illustration of

I've read this thread and I suppose some guys here don't understand different purposes of different boxes.

 

[svtb15]

Kids these days

It's perfect illustration of

 

[joebar]

i haven't tried the REDDI but I have recently woken up to the merits of a quality DI.
I used to think my amp's line out was good enough, but always wondering in a live situation why things sounded crappy FOH-I mean I am using good gear etc.
I have a sadowsky out board preamp/DI and the Di alone is worth the money in this box. when I started using in @ church, everyone was shocked at how good I sounded.
conclusion?
a good DI is probably one of the most important tools in your arsenal. I am betting the REDDI is worth it

 

[Dima B]

I have a sadowsky out board preamp/DI and the Di alone is worth the money in this box.

I have serious doubts about quality of balanced output of this box. I suppose there is no real balance actually, just because of size and price of the unit. A good transformer costs money, weight and place for it. But I've never had one for a test.

 

[Dima B]

Kids these days

You can be good as a bass player but it doesn't mean you are good in other music related themes. It's normal, 90% of musicians what I've met think that soldering some passive circuit is a kind of black magic. But you are quite good in the rudeness obviously.

 

[peterpalmieri]

Personally never got along with the Sadowsky box, just seemed to create an unnature feeling even when the EQ was off.

That being said I am with Kirk, except when I'm not. I love the Reddi, I don't do pro sessions but it is still the best thing that subjectively saturates my tone when I don't use an amp to do so. To satisfy Dima I do also like my countryman when I do not want my tone objectively saturated.

 

[Dima B]

That being said I am with Kirk, except when I'm not. I love the Reddi, I don't do pro sessions but it is still the best thing that subjectively saturates my tone when I don't use an amp to do so. To satisfy Dima I do also like my countryman when I do not want my tone objectively saturated.

I'm so glad to see that I'm not idiot and somebody could understand what I'm trying to say.

BTW I've remembered about a little test what I uploaded to Soundcloud. Sadly, but there is no record of Demeter's balanced output, only instrumental/line input of the RME Fireface UC vs Radial JDI and difference.

 

[Dima B]

Oh, I've found another one test at my laptop. The Basswitch IQ. This box has a very good, really balanced, Lehle transformer equipped output. Actually it is the best balanced output what I've heard from pedal units. But...

Sorry for the clank in the end but I'm too lazy for rebouncing

 

[svtb15]

I often wonder why folks feel the need to push their flavor of the month DI in the REDDI thread. If they love their DI, Why not start your own mega thread.. And not piggy back and spam the REDDI...

 

[Dima B]

I don't love pieces of plastic and metal. I use them. For particular purposes. I'm not an equipment worshipper.

So lots of misunderstanding was here. Radial JDI and other similar devices are simply unbalanced-to-balanced converters. REDDI and other similar devices are saturators and I do not claim that it is a bad thing. I'm just saying that comparing of this kind of items doesn't make sense. But some guys are trying to do it relentlessly.

 

[svtb15]

I am curious, what is your playing time with the REDDI and what gear are you running into it... And what gear are you using to listen with,
From two sorta famous engineers that i work with almost monthly . they claim the JDI is very thin and lifeless. Quote. Lifeless is the term most often heard.
I am simply trying to follow up with your comparison and claim of saturation Not sure if you are using the proper term to describe what you think you are hearing..Because it sound like yo are describing some sort of OD pedal instead of Iron xformer pro audio gear.. .
But to each their own

 

[joebar]

I have serious doubts about quality of balanced output of this box. I suppose there is no real balance actually, just because of size and price of the unit. A good transformer costs money, weight and place for it. But I've never had one for a test.

I admit I haven't had a lot of experience with DI boxes but in four separate occasions recently, the sound quality out front was radically good. the sound guys were all commenting about it.
I would love to try a REDDI though- I am betting they are worth every penny.

 

[N. Kentucky Bass]

I've owned two REDDIs. Lovely tone. I've also paid more for a Sonic Farm tube DI and it, too provides lovely tone. You get into that range of gear and the results are stellar. And from the bass player's perspective, it's tone nirvana if you're gigging with IEMs feed by the tube DI's feed. Worth, however, is all a matter of subjective opinion. I would definitely NOT want to bring a REDDI to a bar gig if it risked getting knocked about by rowdy drunks prancing around the stage. Or if it might get doused with beer. That's sheer stupidity.

 

[Dima B]

And what gear are you using to listen with

Computer speakers by Genius of course I have Eve SC408 and Yamaha HS80m.

The JDI is just straight. It doesn't make any "sound magic" like the REDDI. Because sometimes raw signal is necessary. This unit made for it. For reamping purposes or when engineer/producer can't control recording process and then getting raw tracking for the mixing is a better way. For example I'll be very careful with any kind of saturation with recording an electric guitar for the high gain reamping. Results would be unpredictable. Especially with tube circuits which produce far more hum than solid state or passive. Inaudible after record with clean signal, after several stages of the extreme amplification of a high gain preamp + amp this hum would turn into terrible noise and ruin everything. The JDI and its army of clones are good for it. Or for transporting of some unbalanced signal for a long distance as raw as them get it.

The REDDI saturates your signal (yes, it's the right term).

Warm up sterile sounding digital keyboards or drum machines by strapping a REDDI across their output – or two, for stereo!

It's from the A-Design site. They don't hide anything, this device was designed to make your signal "better" than it is. The tube stage + huge transformer make it. The circuit is quite primitive actually but good transformers are expensive so I think price is quite fair, especially for nowadays when everybody is trying to sell his poopie as a diamond. BTW I think this is why we don't have an army of clones: the proprietary transformer and the fair price.

I don't like only one thing. There is no rack version. It's sad. I suppose they tried to place the power transformer as far as possible from the signal circuit (why it is so long) but they could make it equally effective just making it wide. I know that they're gonna make two channels rack version but I don't want to pay for the extra channel which I don't need.

I admit I haven't had a lot of experience with DI boxes but in four separate occasions recently, the sound quality out front was radically good. the sound guys were all commenting about it.

Because line outputs of amps suck usually. A good balanced output costs 100$ at least (price of components). They don't want spend this money usually, only high end/boutique manufacturers don't try to make his devices as cheap as possible. But every vendor writes "studio quality balanced (line) output", even it isn't balanced, at its website. A XLR connector doesn't mean that an output (or input) is balanced at all So I don't wonder that the Sadowsky box sounds far better even if its circuit is not on the edge of perfectness.

 

[svtb15]

I dont have the 408s But I have the Sc305s.. They are not shabby at all

 

[svtb15]

Actually they do have a rack version.. It came out in a debut at the Alleva Coppolo Bass Bassacre in LA last spring 2014.. Its a Dual Mono Unit... . It made its formal showing at NAMM in LA this past January... He also has a High Gain Black LE REDDI.. I have not spoken with peter about that since last summer. I need to call him to see what ups.. But one unit that is Very cool is their NEW KGB units..

Everything has Color to tone. No matter what it is.. SSL has a sound. NEVE has a sound... I use them weekly... I cut to a neve but mix to the SSL... API has a sound as do the Quad Eights.. Your 408s have a sound to them.
This forum went through this purist mess 10 years ago...
Just because something has a flat line on a scope does not mean it is going to be perceived 100% true. There are many other factors involved . Its the SUM of the parts that makes it work or not.

Computer speakers by Genius of course I have Eve SC408 and Yamaha HS80m.

The JDI is just straight. It doesn't make any "sound magic" like the REDDI. Because sometimes raw signal is necessary. This unit made for it. For reamping purposes or when engineer/producer can't control recording process and then getting raw tracking for the mixing is a better way. For example I'll be very careful with any kind of saturation with recording an electric guitar for the high gain reamping. Results would be unpredictable. Especially with tube circuits which produce far more hum than solid state or passive. Inaudible after record with clean signal, after several stages of the extreme amplification of a high gain preamp + amp this hum would turn into terrible noise and ruin everything. The JDI and its army of clones are good for it. Or for transporting of some unbalanced signal for a long distance as raw as them get it.

The REDDI saturates your signal (yes, it's the right term).

It's from the A-Design site. They don't hide anything, this device was designed to make your signal "better" than it is. The tube stage + huge transformer make it. The circuit is quite primitive actually but good transformers are expensive so I think price is quite fair, especially for nowadays when everybody is trying to sell his poopie as a diamond. BTW I think this is why we don't have an army of clones: the proprietary transformer and the fair price.

I don't like only one thing. There is no rack version. It's sad. I suppose they tried to place the power transformer as far as possible from the signal circuit (why it is so long) but they could make it equally effective just making it wide. I know that they're gonna make two channels rack version but I don't want to pay for the extra channel which I don't need.


Because line outputs of amps suck usually. A good balanced output costs 100$ at least (price of components). They don't want spend this money usually, only high end/boutique manufacturers don't try to make his devices as cheap as possible. But every vendor writes "studio quality balanced (line) output", even it isn't balanced, at its website. A XLR connector doesn't mean that an output (or input) is balanced at all So I don't wonder that the Sadowsky box sounds far better even if its circuit is not on the edge of perfectness.

 

[svtb15]

This is the place people need to check out. My long time good friend mike owns the place.. It has a NEVE, SSL and API all in the same control room. Ive spent a little bit of time here.
Great room.. I just turned him onto the REDDI.
He really has some good sounds happening here ..
Lattitude Studio South - Home

 

[Dima B]

Yes, everything has its sound. End everything works where it should. But nobody in the right mind would try to compare some solid state studio monitors amplifier with a tube audiophile box. Different purposes.

Actually they do have a rack version.

I suppose you don't even read what I write.

I know that they're gonna make two channels rack version but I don't want to pay for the extra channel which I don't need.

This forum went through this purist mess 10 years ago...

And how is it related to me?