toby Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 hi guys, looking at buying a di box for the tool box and/or gig bag for my laptop - I really like the radial pro av2 but they also do a usb version, just wondering if anyone has any recommendations of other brands or see any advantage for the usb version, I don't want 2 x mono ones (for the gigs when a backpack is enough, just a bit bulky to carry then) so needs to be stereo. Many thanks in advance t Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Lee Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 http://www.interspaceind.com/audio-products/pc-bal-box-detail is pretty common in the av/ corporate world Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sam.spoons Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 Or the Orchid Electronics Dual Transformer Isolator £35 (inc postage) with TS to TRS x 2 or, for a small up charge TS to XLRM x 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mac.calder Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 I am a huge fan of USB DI's for computers. I find that USB ports are often in better locations than 3.5mm sockets on laptops. So many laptops now have the 3.5 near the front of the laptop for headphones that it just makes a huge mess and the connectors end up being stressed by wrists leaning on them etc. USB is traditionally near the middle to back of the computer and in many instances ON the back which is nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sam.spoons Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 With a USB you need an audio interface not a simple DI box, most have line level outputs (on anything from RCA/Phonos to XLRMs) but rarely mic level balanced outputs which would require a DI box (or two) to get the signal down the snake. The quality is usually better than the headphone output though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyMitchell Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 +1 for the Radial USB DI Box http://www.radialeng.com/usbpro.phpexcellent piece of kit, great sound quality and a very useful feature set. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart91 Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 With a USB you need an audio interface not a simple DI box, most have line level outputs (on anything from RCA/Phonos to XLRMs) but rarely mic level balanced outputs which would require a DI box (or two) to get the signal down the snake. The quality is usually better than the headphone output though. I appreciate that phonos are no good, but surely balanced line level, on TRS or XLRM, will be perfectly suitable for running down a multicore? The only potential snag I can see is that you may need to either pad the input or use an XLR-TRS adaptor and come in the line input rather than the XLR on the desk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jivemaster Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 A side view but from real DJing experience, http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/usb-external-sound-box-a56ak is a USB to audio converter that outputs on a stereo 3.5mm jack but was fine at cutting all the noises associated with laptops played into sound systems, and at their current sub £10 price they are not hard on the pocket either. The alternate output is optical digital. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackerr Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 With a USB you need an audio interface not a simple DI box, most have line level outputs (on anything from RCA/Phonos to XLRMs) but rarely mic level balanced outputs which would require a DI box (or two) to get the signal down the snake. The quality is usually better than the headphone output though. Many excellent USB audio interfaces cost less than a stereo DI, and even the cheaper ones sound better. Why do you need a DI to get the signal down the snake? For around $50US the Peavey USB-P is transformer isolated balanced line level out on XLR connectors and sounds better than any DI will on the headphone out connector of a laptop. Mac Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 The Interspace Industries PC Bal Box mentioned earlier is a great option if you want something light weight and compact. It's probably the smallest option out there.Linky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Electrolytic Posted October 10, 2014 Share Posted October 10, 2014 Interspace Industries PC Bal Box and for a DAC when the laptop sound card is the issue. Peavey USB-P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrboo Posted October 10, 2014 Share Posted October 10, 2014 I find a car audio ground loop isolator does the job for a laptop if your just trying to stop ground noise. also I use behringer uca202 so I have phono input and output. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amosacia Posted October 10, 2014 Share Posted October 10, 2014 A lot depends on your use case and where you are able to compromise. I use the radial pro av1 and love it for it's sheer flexibility. I often use it as a normal passive DI box as it has input and thru on TRS (which the av2 swaps for two inputs) but know I can chuck pretty much any source that has a headphone socket on it to send down the multi (the quality of the source is a different matter!). I pretty much always mix in mono so quite like the fact that it merges stereo RCA into mono XLR, saves me a channel. On the other hand, if I knew I was always going to be dealing with sources with a USB port I probably would have looked at a USB interface for the improved quality... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toby Posted October 10, 2014 Author Share Posted October 10, 2014 wow thanks guys, yeh the interspace industries box is a great little gizmo, but in my tool box/bag id be worried of ripping the cable out by accident (I know there strong but I am stronger ha ha) so think im going to go usb radial. think the cheapest ive found is £120ish anyone know of any cheaper suppliers? many thanks t Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revbobuk Posted October 10, 2014 Share Posted October 10, 2014 The ART AV Direct has worked really well for me. Very versatile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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