Active DI's question -- bss vs studiospares

[nevster1975]

I was talking with a local sound supplier about DI's and he recommended the BSS AR133 as a good "industry standard" active DI with attenuation. I had been using a behringer active di (ultra di di20 http://www.thomann.de/gb/behringer_di20_di_box.htm), but have lots of hiss when using it in "link" mode to run the link signal to an on-stage amp (they're v. quite when using in 2-channel mode i.e. 1 unbalanced in, 1 balanced out per channel).

One of my other contacts recommended the studiospares version (http://www.studiospares.com/pd_448290_STUACTIVE%20DI%20BOX.htm) which is considerably cheaper.

Anyone have any experience with this DI?

[Shez]

I've got both of those DIs. The studiospares circuit is pretty much identical to the BSS one but the transformer it uses is a lot cheaper. The bottom end rolls off sooner than on the AR133; I don't use it on basses for that reason. I've not tried any other head to head tests with them but I don't think there's a huge difference otherwise.

When I need another one, it'll be a BSS. They're bullet proof, rider friendly and are known to last for many many years.

[Alec]

I had been using a behringer active di (ultra di di20 http://www.thomann.de/gb/behringer_di20_di_box.htm), but have lots of hiss when using it in "link" mode to run the link signal to an on-stage amp (they're v. quite when using in 2-channel mode i.e. 1 unbalanced in, 1 balanced out per channel).

 

It's the Behringer DI20 which is the real stinker. I've never used a DI box so hissy - a complete waste of money.

 

Think you'll find almost any other DI box a *huge* improvement. Even any of the other Behringer DIs are fine.

[Dave]

In the end, you get what you pay for. In pro-audio, there's a saying "buy once, cry once". Shell out for the decent option and you won't have to do it again.

 

Also, I don't like the fact that the Studiospares product is a blatent knock-off of the BSS design.

 

In the UK, EMO passive DIs are the other industry standard. I have these and the BSS and can recommend both. Personally, I wouldn't consider anything else.

 

But I know a few people who use MTR active DIs as a budget option.

[Peter Chivers]

But I know a few people who use MTR active DIs as a budget option.

I have a number of the MTR active DI's, and the newest of them has given over 6 years trouble free service - the oldest is nearer 20 .

Peter

[chrispuxley]

I highly recommend Orchid Electronics DI's. They are indestructable, have a very high input impedance (which is important with acoustic instruments and low output pickup systems), and sound fantastic. Also very competitive pricing.

 

http://www.orchid-electronics.co.uk

 

And no affiliation other than I use a lot of John's products and think they are great!

 

Regards,

 

Chris

[dbuckley]

Another happy user of MTR active DIs.

 

Note these DIs do not have transformers in them, so they have an interesting set of tradeoffs; they have extended frequency response compared to lesser transformer equipped DIs, so bass gtr is not a problem. It also means they never truly ground lift, and it means they never get inductive coupling from the mains or output transformers of the amp they are sitting on.

 

All that said, in practice, they work, and work well.

[Chappie]

Having stripped both down and stuck them on the scope I was surprised to learn that the Studiospares DI has a cleaner output to the BSS. The BSS, however, outputs far more level, which is what you really want from an active DI. Due to this, the BSS unit has a 3 stage attenuation (0, 20, 40dB) whereas the Studiospares unit only has 2 (0, 20dB).

 

But seeing as the Studiospares unit is four times cheaper than the BSS, I think the trade-off is acceptable.

[alex_kyuss]

have a look at LD systems di I have one and its very good and onle £25. Its very nearly as good as the BSS.

[Alec]

Picked up a couple of MTR DI-3s and a DI-2 a while back for a bargain £15 each - which made me very happy, especially when I started using them.

 

The other day, spotted a DI-3 that our band had ended up giving up on. The problem had been that, with the battery inserted, power was switched by inserting a jack cable, but the cable was often left in after rehearsal, draining the battery. I'd always understood (I didn't buy it originally, *years* ago) that it stupidly didn't run on phantom power. In the end we gave up on it as useless, given expected operator error, so consigned it to the back of the rejects crate.

 

I now realise that it does of course run off phantom, but it would appear that if a dead battery is installed, it doesn't function, despite phantom power being present. I think it may have been that we were running a simple mix without phantom power all those years ago. A quick removal of the long dead (thankfully not leaking) battery inside, and we have another good functional DI - makes me a happy person. And MTR even provide a little vinyl sleeve inside the case that slips over the PP3 clip to avoid shorts - nice!

 

My other small frustration with the MTR boxes? They have a low battery light, but no power on light. So, with our original battery powered use, it was impossible to tell if the battery was fine or completely dead, other than the DI not working. But it would also be helpful in a phantom powered situation to have confirmation that the box is live.

 

Mind you, I was surprised to see how little is inside the DI-3. Don't think it would have any trouble fitting all that inside one of those slim EMO cases - though you'd need a bigger case for the stereo DI-2, whereas they currently get away with the same case for both.

[paulsparrow]

The Canford Audio active box is very good, developed for bass players to match pick-ups with very high impedance, it's also got a buffer output option (which can be used as an active split) I prefer them to BSS

[waster]

Radial J48 is my go to Active DI with the Radial JDI being my passive go to choice. Very well built, useful merge function, great sounding. Google for the radial blue report on DI boxes to see how it compared to the BSS and a couple of others.