DI boxes

[uncle psychosis]

Tried to do a search but there are so many mentions of "DI" on here that its hard.

I have a voucher for Thomann that needs spent and I have half a mind to get a DI box---either for practicing at home via my mixer (so I can use headphones etc) or as a backup for gigs.

Any recommendations at the cheaper end of the market? Both the Samson S-Direct and the Art Xdirect look pretty decent.

http://www.thomann.de/gb/samson_sdirect_aktive_dibox.htm

http://www.thomann.de/gb/art_xdirect.htm

[Lozz196]

Well I like a pre-amp/DI pedal that gives me some eq for gigs where I`m either using a provided rig, or for emergencies if my own rig goes down. With this in mind I always try to have the DI and my amp being made by the same brand, so I should get the same sound.

[Ed_S]

I have the passive version of the ART (Z-Direct?) somewhere kicking about; I was playing sound-tech as a last-minute favour to a mate a few years back and needed another DI, but I knew it'd ultimately be out of my own pocket so got the cheapest thing at the first shop I could get to. It's sturdy enough, has all the features you'd expect (maybe even some you might not given the price) and it's a lot less noisy than some I've used. It doesn't get much of a look-in these days because I've picked up various Radial units over the years, but if I had to use it I wouldn't be worried.

No experience of the Samson (though I've got a couple of their mic's and they've been fine) but at the lower-priced end of the market I've used Behringer's DI20 and DI100 units, and neither sound as good to me as the ART. That said, they all sound a bit flat compared to the Radial Pro-DI and Pro-48, which aren't massively expensive themselves and would be my recommendation to anyone wanting a decent DI.

[Happy Jack]

I bought the Samson years ago as a cheap emergency back-up. Works absolutely fine, does exactly what it says on the box.

Like Ed_S (above) I now have various high-quality units (Radial, Fishman, etc.) so I never use the Samson myself, but it has come in handy for helping out other band members and at live recordings on quite a few occasions.

Sound? I've had no compliments about it, but then I've had no complaints either.

[gary mac]

This is the one that I use and recommend.
[url="http://www.stringsdirect.co.uk/effects-recording-c6/di-box-c131/mxr-mxr-m80-bass-d-i-effects-pedal-p9049/s9295?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=mxr-m80-bass-d-i-effects-pedal-jd-m80&utm_campaign=product%2Blisting%2Bads&gclid=CjwKEAjwmZWvBRCCqrDK_8atgBUSJACnib3l4fXpOPENNVfcPjouHEu4LFSayixMCtu5o6A6jsR-gxoCG4bw_wcB"]http://www.stringsdi...sR-gxoCG4bw_wcB[/url]

Not a cheapie I suppose but they do come up on here and Ebay sometimes.

[uncle psychosis]

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1441093867' post='2855908']
Well I like a pre-amp/DI pedal that gives me some eq for gigs where I`m either using a provided rig, or for emergencies if my own rig goes down. With this in mind I always try to have the DI and my amp being made by the same brand, so I should get the same sound.
[/quote]

My bass has a 3 band active EQ on it so I'm not that bothered about getting one with EQ.

Cheers for the advice folks, reckon it's either the samson or the art.

[Delberthot]

I have the Z-Direct one and it's how I DI into the desk for all gigs.

Means that I have a consistent sound from venue to venue, I can adjust anything on my amp to suit the room for monitoring without affecting the sound out front and there are plenty of EQ options on the desk. Also removes another level of EQing from the mix.

[BigRedX]

Remember that for home recording a passive DI box can be used in reverse for re-amping.