High End DI

[projectapollo]

Anyone here use an Avalon Ultra Five DI? Worthy of the hype and cost? Good match to MM basses?

 

[Basswave]

Anyone here use an Avalon Ultra Five DI? Worthy of the hype and cost? Good match to MM basses?

They sound really nice but I prefer the reddi for recording or for that matter I'm happy with the Radial JDV for both recording and live.

The Radial is one hell of DI and I think of it as the mother load of DIs.
Built like a tank as well.

Check it out. (Mostly for life, but I have used it otherwise)
Radial JDV mk3 active direct box super DI

For most recordings I'm using this
A Designs Audio - Reddi Tube Direct Box

 

[MingusBASS]

If you don't want to spend as much and don't feel you need all the bells and whistles of the JDV, get a Radial JDI.

 

[dmarotta]

I have used the Avalon many times as many studios in L.A. use them. I do not own one. I find the Avalon to be a very warm sounding D.I.and very similar to the sound of a Demeter.It is not a transparent D.I.which is the reason I don't own one.I prefer to have a D.I. that lets the natural sound of my basses pass through the signal path unaltered.
I use an old Tube works, a Sansamp and a custom D.I.based on a Neve preamp.

 

[Rick Auricchio]

In the studio, a high-end DI is worthwhile.

For live playing, you're going through the PA, which may be less than stellar (either due to equipment or the operator). In that case, a Countryman DI is more than enough. My TC RH450 has a wonderful onboard DI, which will be fine for me. (And I've yet to play a gig with PA support!)

 

[Hellboy]

I have two Avalon U5´s and several Radial JDI´s in the studio I run and I prefer the JDI on active basses myself. I often use the Avalon on passive basses and on Wurlitzers e.t.c.

Sincerely//Jan

 

[soupcon]

i concur on the jdv mkIII

 

[Colin]

Avalon is high quality gear for sure. I also think the Radial stuff is great as well. The question you need to ask your self is "Do I need something that will color my sound or reproduce it exactly?"

 

[Basswave]

If you don't want to spend as much and don't feel you need all the bells and whistles of the JDV, get a Radial JDI.

The JDI is fine as well...I use that at home a lot.

Just remember that JDI is passive DI so I for a passive bass or for a long cables that need to get to a board I would think twice.

I don't ever have to second guess with the JDV home recording or headphone based reherseral with drummer using V-drums, ect...the JDI works fine.

 

[cyoungnashville]

Anyone here use an Avalon Ultra Five DI? Worthy of the hype and cost? Good match to MM basses?

man, a $600 di is insane. i have done a bunch of recording thru the avalons and they are fine. i personally dont care for that sound, but it does a thing. for $600 you could buy an old tube head (bassman, showman, or my fav the old sunns), load that down with a hot plate, or some form of dummy load into the radial jdi, which is maybe the best sounding di i have ever heard. thats what i do for recording. you really get a lot of tone from all those tubes and all that iron on the front end. nothing beats a mic'ed up speaker, but that comes perty dam close. if you r talkin gig... just hit the radial. chances are the engineer will b looking for a way to turn u down anyways.

 

[Hellboy]

One advantage with the Avalon U5 is that it´s a mighty fine mic preamp too so it´s not only a line box. If there is a need for a good mic preamp as well, then I would go with the Avalon. It not, then I´d pick up a JDI. I prefer a passive line box myself on active basses but a Avalon U5 is a very, very nice piece of equipment. No doubt about it. Top of the line.

Sincerely//Jan

 

[Aussie Mark]

For live gigs and an active bass all you need in the DI department is a cheap and nasty passive unit, assuming you want the great sound of the EBMM electronics to shine through. There's really no point in using an active DI to color the active signal from your preamp.

 

[Basswave]

For live gigs and an active bass all you need in the DI department is a cheap and nasty passive unit, assuming you want the great sound of the EBMM electronics to shine through. There's really no point in using an active DI to color the active signal from your preamp.

I'm sure that an passive DI would be fine in most situations and that some active DIs might have an ever so slight color to them, however to add to this the Radial JDV does not color the signal IMHO.

 

[Jim C]

One thing to consider:
There are a million old songs that you LOVE the bass tone of, that were recorded with either a passive DI box; a Countryman, and/or a mic'd amp
Love the toys, but the real sound comes from the player
Have also had good luck coming out of the line out of an Ampeg V4B (with a dummy load)or an SVT-CLP pre-amp if you want to color, warm up, or tube compress the tone