I’m not using a board any more. Sold my LA-1A that needed the DC7 so now I can sell the DC7. Just going bass to tuner to REDDI. My 1 Spot can handle that.
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The Great Bass Preamp/DI Comparison
- Thread starter chadhargis
- Start date
jacoby75
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- Mar 11, 2010
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Whoa. This is a goooood combination. Just got the Telefunken DI today. It's a smooth, punchy beast:
Can you expand a bit? What are your main basses, and why don't they play well with the Oracle?
5sg.
jacoby75
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Passive. I wish I had a way to record audio. Maybe some day.
Plus, the combination looks cool together. Which, let’s be honest, is what really matters most, lol.
Can you describe the sound in comparison to some of the other DIs you've tried? Enquiring minds want to know!
5sg.
Ha ha, yeah. I have the Lightning Boy TI Box which is also great but have been curious about the Telefunken stuff for a bit.
My main basses are a 6 string chambered bass and a 6 string semi hollow bass. I love the sound of these basses directly into the effects return of my Acoustic Image amp. It's a 900 watt Focus I. However, I do need some slight eq so this isn't ideal. I love the Demeter preamps because they have that 3D tube quality while staying clean. That fuzziness that surrounds the notes from an Ampeg circuit, like the Oracle does, sounds great to me with my P bass or PJ, but with my 6 string basses, which are my main basses, I want more of a clean sound, not a fuzzy sound. Even with the gain as low as I can get it, the Oracle has some fuzziness to it. That's just what it was designed to do. Also, the Oracle takes away some of the dynamic response of my playing, and that doesn't work for me. With a punchier, more traditional bass, this isn't really an issue.
For what the Oracle is and was designed to do, it's really incredible.
I have also been curious about the Telefunken stuff. I almost got that very same passive model, but I ended up with a Lightning Boy T.I. Box instead and it has really earned its permanent spot on the board. It's a huge improvement over the D.I. out on the Quilter BB800 and really adds some special mojo to my FOH sound.
jacoby75
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The best thing I could do is point you in the direction of what sold me on it.
First, was the Sweetwater DI shootout:
The Great Direct Box Comparison with Audio Samples
Second, there was a video on Youtube that seemed to go through a lot of audio of the shootout, that showed it in more depth:
Granted, I'm pretty sure the video is in French, so you kind of have to use your imagination. But it's a video of the Sweetwater shootout, essentially. I tried using translated closed captions, but that was way off, lol. But just from listening, you can get the gist. And it was way more helpful than just the Sweetwater website's audio samples, as you can hear the guy in the video gradually adding more instruments to it.
On the Sweetwater page, I thought the TF actually sounded kind of dull, like it killed some of the highs. And it was similar in the video, and I think the guy (in French) points that out, but I'm not sure. But then when you hear it in a band context, it sounds fat and phenomenal.
I got the Oracle about a week ago, and needed to come up with a DI. I almost bought a Countryman that was in the classifieds, but didn't really want to have to deal with an active DI. The Lightning Boy sounds phenomenal in recordings as well, from what I've heard. I was actually going to pull the trigger on the Lightning Boy based on Scuba's samples. I was waiting and hoping they might have a black friday special, but then a deal came up on the 'Verb for the TF, so I snagged it. I'm glad I did. I had wanted to try a TF for some time, because I have always heard great things about Telefunken's gear, but there's so little out there on the DI.
As for how it compares to other DI's I've had, I have not had many DI's to compare it to. But I have had several preamps with built in DI's, so it's hard to say. Since Covid, in particular, I have had a ridiculously fast-turning revolving door of gear coming in and out because I'm bored and have nowhere to play. But I have had some really great stuff in that time, and still have some of it. As for straight DI's, the only other one I had recently was a Khan, which is a totally different animal, and is a truly remarkable beast. I don't know that I could compare the Khan to the TF, because they're so different. And I didn't have the Oracle when I had the Khan. I sold the Khan when I bought a Broughton SSDI, which, again, is a different animal entirely from just the TF DI, which I'm now using with the Oracle, which itself I just got within the past week or two. So drawing any real meaningful comparisons will be challenging. You're better off listening to the above samples.
Tomorrow I'll try to compare it to what I can. But you can't really compare just the TF DI to the SSDI. I could maybe compare the SSDI to the Oracle/TF combo, to what extent that would be helpful. The only other DI I currently have is an IMP2, which I ganked off my guitar board when I got the Oracle because the Oracle didn't have a dedicated DI out. For a few days, I was playing the Oracle and the SSDI through the IMP2 (line out on the SSDI to keep it a fair comparison). Going back and forth between the two, they are entirely comparable, just different. The SSDI's Fender tonestack vs the Oracle's James tonestack. Different flavors of punch and awesomeness. To simplify things the past couple of days, I was using a 1/4" out from the Oracle with a 1/4" to XLR converter plug and plugging that straight into my Rolls PM50. Let me assure there is NO comparison between that the the TF. I'll compare the Oracle through the IMP2 and TF tomorrow, though I'm sure the comparison won't be fair. I already know based on memory of playing the Oracle through the IMP2 that the TF will be warmer and fatter, with more presence. The IMP cuts some lows, I think. The IMP is fine for an electric guitar board that I haven't even left the house with in like 5yrs. But I wouldn't use it for bass when there are better options readily available.
Who would have ever thought my band and church I play with and travel with would prefer my pedalboard setup of my Starlifter, Cali76, Shure Wireless and Thumpinator over a Ampeg Stack with a SVT Tube head and one of the Heritage 410 cabs lol. Drummer emphatically says its the best IEM and FOH tone he's ever heard.
Same. Not the Ampeg part but the best FOH and IEM sound so far with the REDDI.
jacoby75
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Compared the TF to the IMP2 briefly. As I suspected, there's not really much of a comparison. The IMP2 sounds dead and lifeless by comparison. It cuts both lows and highs compared to the TF. The TF sounds rich, full, and punchy. Way more presence in the lows and highs for a rounder, fuller tone, and a great midrange punch. And it's a bit louder than the IMP2. Granted this is using my passive bass through both a Broughton SVPre and the Oracle. Not just plugging straight into the DI(s).
Plugging my passive jazz V straight into both DI's, the difference is a bit more pronounced. The IMP sounds fine, but not great. It's very "crisp," and does lose some low end extension. The TF, on the other hand, sounds much fuller, with a fuller low end. It does roll off some highs, but not in an offensive way. It sounds warm, full, and punchy. If I were doing some low-budget recording, I wouldn't hesitate to show up with just the TF, since most things are done post these days anyway. It sounds great.
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jacoby75
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- Mar 11, 2010
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- Endorsing Artist: Mike Lull Custom Guitars, DR Strings
