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What is your favorite DI for live use?

pickles

pickles

Gold Supporting Member
Mar 23, 2000
10,454
2,837
Ventura, CA
#1
After a gig last night with a frustrating DI scene, I'm looking to add a killer active external DI to my gig kit. I'm thinking of going with something tube since I'd like to deliver a signal to the board that sounds great right out of the gate. I've been listening to the basstasters clips, but I'm looking for real-world feedback out there about these.

My favorites from basstasters (in order):

Demeter vtdb-2b
Groove Tubes "brick"
Summit TD-100

Other commonly cited units that I am digging less on basstasters:

Avalon U5
Aguilar DB-900
A-Designs REDDI

Time proven non-tube performers:

Countryman
Radial JDV
Sadowsky Outboard (which I already have and does sound darn good)

Probably out of my price range but nice sounding:

Millennia TD-1
DW Fearn VT-3
Eclair Evil Twin
 
#4
I'm really liking my new (to me) Ampeg SVTDI. Remarkable headroom and a very noise-free signal with fairly clear tube overtones....sounds great live and recorded actually.

Of course, I also really like the Simons ADB-1 (sounds remarkably like the U5) and the Presonus TubePRE and ART Tube Channel. They are all different flavors, but the TubePre fared surprisingly well on Basstasters against very high-priced competition. I used it live for over a year with zero complaints and lots of compliments.

Jay
 
#5
The JDI is passive, and I'm looking for an active box.

Missing the summit was an oversight ... I'm adding that to the top contenders list after listening to basstasters! Though it doesn't sound quite as fat as the other two.
 
#6
vicenzajay said:
I'm really liking my new (to me) Ampeg SVTDI. Remarkable headroom and a very noise-free signal with fairly clear tube overtones....sounds great live and recorded actually.

Of course, I also really like the Simons ADB-1 (sounds remarkably like the U5) and the Presonus TubePRE and ART Tube Channel. They are all different flavors, but the TubePre fared surprisingly well on Basstasters against very high-priced competition. I used it live for over a year with zero complaints and lots of compliments.

Jay
Click to expand...

Is the Ampeg a colored/EQed DI or just a clean tube DI?
 
#7
It really doesn't sound very colored at all....If anything the standard tube coloration is present, but very lightly and pleasantly. There's the natural tube compression that comes from a high (or normal) plate voltage design.

Again - that's what my ears hear...Jay
 
#8
pickles said:
After a gig last night with a frustrating DI scene, I'm looking to add a killer active external DI to my gig kit. I'm thinking of going with something tube since I'd like to deliver a signal to the board that sounds great right out of the gate. I've been listening to the basstasters clips, but I'm looking for real-world feedback out there about these.

My favorites from basstasters:

Demeter vtdb-2b
Groove Tubes "brick"
Summit TD-100

Other commonly cited units that I am digging less on basstasters:

Avalon U5
Aguilar DB-900
A-Designs REDDI

Time proven non-tube performers:

Countryman
Radial JDV

Probably out of my price range but nice sounding:

Millennia TD-1
DW Fearn VT-3
Eclair Evil Twin
Click to expand...


Don't you already own (and are happy with) the Sadowsky Preamp/DI?
 
#10
Poon said:
Don't you already own (and are happy with) the Sadowsky Preamp/DI?
Click to expand...

Yes, and I should have taken it last night :( ... I forgot about that since I think of it more as an EQ and mute pedal than a DI.

But thats a good call I could just keep using my Radial BigShot IO for my tuning and bass switching and use the Sadowsky as a dedicated DI (which is at least the equal of a countryman type box).
 
#11
I've tried more than a few but now just always make sure my Radial JDI is in my bag---sound men always comment on my sound, and since I'm sending them a passive bass through the JDI with nothing else going on, that says soemthing to me. Everybody always says my bass sounds really "warm". I think that Jensen transformer is doing something yummy to the sound for sure. My old Countryman sounds very much less . . ."warm" (maybe we should start an overused term thread, starting with "warm" . ..)
But if you need active, I'd go with the JDV---Radial's stuff is so solid and reliable--and versatile too.
Never tried the Summit, but I have some of their outboard gear in my studio and it's all killer. But are you gonna rack it up?

Anyhow, though I swear by my JDI, I wish I had an extra $700 to try one of these out:

http://sigmasoundstudios.com/
 
#17
avalon u5. best bang for your buck, best sounding DI.

i'd go radial if you want to get utterly clean sound, but i find that at times the radial is just too clean. i use a radial when recording as a mix in as my unaffected bass DI track. the avalon is king though. simple and classic sounding. pretty much makes any bass sound a little bit better.
 

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