Direct Boxes Reamp Boxes

j48 direct box
 jdi stereo direct box
 JDI direct box
 xamp reamp box
 jcr reamp box
countryman type 10 direct box
 countryman type 85 direct box
 art xdirect direct box
 art dpdb dual direct box
 countryman type 10 stereo direct box

Last Update 10-26-2025

I acquired a variety of direct boxes and reamp boxes over the years.  Direct (DI) boxes convert an unbalanced signal into a direct injection (DI) signal that is balanced, suitable for recording devices or FOH mixers.  The two types of direct boxes are passive and active, the primary differences are their input impedances and the conversion element. 

Passive boxes use a transformer for the conversion element so it requires no power, but their input impedance are limited to ~50K.  These are suitable for line level devices with low output impedance but not passive pickups such as those on guitars.  Active boxes use active circuitry (IE opamp or discrete transistors) for the conversion element so they require power (external supply, battery, or phantom) and their input impedance can be much higher.  These are better for passive pickups on guitars and are equally suitable for line level devices.  The noise and tone varies depending on the quality of the transformer or the active elements; some are transparent, others (especially the cheap ones) drastically alter the tone.  Transformers also offer the protection of isolation as the balanced signal does not require ground connection to the mixer or recorder, which eliminates ground loops and protects from electric shock.

Below is a list of the direct boxes I currently have:

Radial J48: active version.  Low noise high fidelity DI.  Can handle extreme transients without distortion, ideal for string instruments (guitars, mandolin, piezo pickups, etc).  Internal switching supply can deliver high current demands with extreme transients, provides more headroom and lower distortion.  15dB pad for high output instruments.  Phantom power only, includes an LED to indicate presence.  Merge feature changes the input/thru jacks to dual inputs and sums the inputs to mono at the output.  Ground lift and phase reverse for optimal stage use.  Low Cut 80hz high pass filter reduces resonant feedback.  Input impedance ~1Mohm works for most passive instruments but not Rhodes (see Countryman Type 10).

Radial JDI: passive version.  This original world acclaimed Radial DI uses a custom wound Jensen transformer that exhibits near flat frequency response (great for bass guitar and synths), low noise and harmonic distortion, and virtually zero phase deviation (tough bar for audio transformers).  The cheaper Radial passive DIs do not use Jensen transformers.  Radial eventually acquired the Jensen company because Jensen had trouble supplying transformers to meet the demand.  I also have the JD-6 which is six JDI boxes in a single 1U rackmount enclosure, which I use as a DI for the outputs of my MIDI drum machine.  Merge feature changes the input/thru jacks to dual inputs and sums the inputs to mono at the output.  Ground lift and phase reverse for optimal stage use.  Speaker option allows the JDI to be used as a speaker DI for amplifier speaker outputs, the THRU jack intended for connecting to the speaker cabinet.  In speaker mode, the JDI inserts a 30dB pad and speaker emulation filter to the DI output.

Radial JDI Stereo: passive version.  Stereo version of JDI, without the merge and speaker functions.  I use this for gigs with single keyboard and no mixer.

Countryman Type 10: active version.  My most transparent DI box, stellar audio quality especially on keyboards.  Input stage is a FET amplifier configured for class A.  Studio only, no gigs.  Three way pad switch.  This box has the highest input impedance (10Mohm) of any in my collection, which I needed for my Rhodes piano.  The pickups on the Rhodes piano are VERY sensitive to input impedance and are easily loaded down.  Their tone can be drastically altered and become noisy with the wrong input impedance on the DI.  This is the only box that eliminated the noise and produced a stellar tone.  The high input impedance can also benefit piezo pickups.  No it is not cheap but you get what you pay for.  Battery or phantom power.

Countryman Type 85: active version.  This is a class A DI designed for passive guitar pickups or speaker outputs of guitar amps (it is NOT a speaker emulator).  Uses high quality selected discrete components for best sound quality.  Battery or phantom power.  Also good for old synthesizers with really hot outputs.

Countryman Type 10 Stereo: active version.  Stereo version of the Type 10.  I use this for anything with stereo outputs, especially keyboards.

ART XDirect: From the gotta-start-somewhere-dept.  Active version.  Not terrible, but a little noisy and it alters the tone.  Battery power.

ART dPDB: From the gotta-start-somewhere-dept.  Passive version.  Worst of the DI boxes in my collection.  These are great boxes if you want tone suck.  Three way switches for pads, ground lift.

Another form of DI are speaker emulators (not power "soaks").  These do not convert an unbalanced signal into a direct injection (DI) signal that is balanced; they convert the high power speaker output of an amplifier to a line level audio signal.  These are usually targeted to guitar amplifiers.  If you are applying them with a tube amplifier, you MUST terminate the speaker output with a load - a speaker or a load that simulates a speaker cabinet.  If your tube amplifier operates without a load on the speaker output, you will damage the $$$ output transformer.  These devices apply fixed filtering to emulate the tone of a speaker cabinet.  Speaker emulators are usually divided into two categories:

  1. Resistive. The load is a pure resistive network that divides the power down into the line level signal.  The impedance stays constant over frequency.
  2. Reactive.  The load is a reactive R/L/C network that simulates the reactance and back EMF of speaker(s) as well as dividing the power down into the line level signal.  The operation of the output tubes and output transformer in a tube amplifier reacts to the speaker coil impedance that varies non-linearly with frequency and the back EMF that the coil produces, which is a more accurate emulation of a speaker cabinet.

Groove Tubes Speaker Emulator: see my webpage.

Hughes & Kettner Red Box DI: see my webpage.

Reamp boxes convert a recorded signal into one that can be "replayed" into an amplifier.  You use a DI box to record the direct signal of your guitar while it is played through an amplifier, then play back the recorded signal through a reamp box which plugs back into your amplifier, allowing you to experiment with tone/gain/stompbox settings, with different amplifiers, with mic placement; then when you're happy you mic the amplifier and record the final result.  Very cool trick.  Again, reamp boxes come in the passive and active varieties with the same differentiators.

The reamp boxes I own:

Radial X-Amp: active version.  Requires supplied external power supply (not battery or phantom).  Variable output level, clipping LED, two outputs (direct for proper grounded amp, transformer isolated with optional phase reverse for multiple amps), no filter controls.

Radial JCR: passive version.  This one is THE classic, it is a replica of the original reamp box developed and patented by John Cuniberti in the 1990s (US#6,005,950).  Originally only found in studios, Radial was to great lengths to ensure that the sound and performance of the replica are faithful to the original.  A special transformer shifts the output impedance to match passive pickups on guitars and unbalance the signal from the recorder.  It includes tone filters, mute switch, ground lift, phase reverse, and a volume control.  The transformer also provides isolation (see above).

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