Behringer Di100 box - a couple of dumbass questions

[lanark]

I'm about to buy one of these because everyone seemed to recommend it for the price. But I have a couple of niggles, with it being active. a) how long does the battery last if it's not getting phantom power? Will I be changing it every gig or once a year? what happens if it's running on battery power during a gig and the battery conks out? No sound? - bad sound? - Reduced sound?

And what's so much better with the Di100 rather than something a lot cheaper like this (and I'm well aware that the Di100 is great value as it is - as the title says, I'm asking dumbass questions here):

[url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Soundlab-Black-Passive-DI-Box/dp/B000KFVCAW"]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Soundlab-Black-Pas...x/dp/B000KFVCAW[/url]


(I'm not using this in a studio, it's to split my guitar signal so the mix desk at gigs can get the output clean before the monitor amp. We've had a couple of amateur sound engineers with no Di Boxes at all so I want one to chuck in my gig back and have ready)

[acidbass]

If you're using it to go into a mixing desk, then surely the desk will provide it with phantom
power?

[geoffbyrne]

That advert says it's a *passive* DI - are you sure it needs a battery/phantom power?

G.

[Shacky]

[quote name='geoffbyrne' post='823556' date='Apr 29 2010, 11:27 PM']That advert says it's a *passive* DI - are you sure it needs a battery/phantom power?

G.[/quote]


I've got one for the same reason that lanark's getting one.

It does need PP/a 9v Battery. I keep a battery in mine, but I don't think I've ever needed to use it off that, as mixers provide the good old 48V.

[lanark]

[quote name='geoffbyrne' post='823556' date='Apr 29 2010, 11:27 PM']That advert says it's a *passive* DI - are you sure it needs a battery/phantom power?

G.[/quote]

Sorry - the advert was put up as an alternative and I was wondering why the Di100 was so much better that THAT one.

[geoffbyrne]

[quote name='lanark' post='823961' date='Apr 30 2010, 12:44 PM']Sorry - the advert was put up as an alternative and I was wondering why the Di100 was so much better that THAT one.[/quote]


Aaaaah -sorry, obviously misread.

G.

[joegarcia]

I'd personally go for a nice passive DI like a Radial but these are a bit more pricey. On a budget I'd have the Studiospares one here:

[url="http://www.studiospares.com/DI-Boxes/Studiospares-Active-DI-Box/invt/448290"]http://www.studiospares.com/DI-Boxes/Studi...Box/invt/448290[/url]

But only if you really want an active one.

This is a good passive option I reckon and is what I'd probably go for in that price bracket:

[url="http://www.studiospares.com/DI-Boxes/ART-PDB-Passive-DI-Box/invt/325650"]http://www.studiospares.com/DI-Boxes/ART-P...Box/invt/325650[/url]

[deksawyer]

I have the Art active DI and although I've probably only used it a couple of times, it never gave me any cause for concern.

D.