Saturday, November 9, 2024
BassBass Guitar

Bass DI SHOOTOUT – Which Is The Best Bass DI Box?


In this bass DI shootout video, I compare the A-Designs REDDI, Jule Monique Dovecage, the DI of an Aguilar AG500, the Palmer Bass Pocket Amp and the Sansamp to find the best bass DI Box.
Check out my review of the sansamp https://youtu.be/NZtsOWKIgao

My linktree: https://bit.ly/basslinks

For more information on these DI’s please check out the links below.

Palmer Pocket Amp https://amzn.to/2IkvZJN

Sans Amp https://amzn.to/2XcPJT9

Aguilar DI Pedal https://amzn.to/2ImQbuL

Aguilar Tone Hammer https://amzn.to/2ZcZ8vW

REDDI https://www.thomann.de/gb/a_designs_audio_reddi.htm?partner_id=40586

Jule Monique Dovecage

*All Amazon and Thomann links are affiliate links meaning if you purchase through them I’ll receive a small commission on the sale. This won’t affect your purchase in any way and your support is greatly appreciated!

#Bass #SHOOTOUT #Bass #Box

Originally posted by UCXhP5YgHEm7UYleg94RU1VA at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5lgwrocKiU

17 thoughts on “Bass DI SHOOTOUT – Which Is The Best Bass DI Box?

  • In terms of Tech 21, I like their VT bass DI more than that one.

    The 20 watt and 50 watt all tube Portaflex amp heads from Ampeg are worth considering, moreover (especially if one wants tube generated distortion and warmth).

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  • I chose Humboldt Simplifier Bass Station, it's available signal path choices have more options than most other DI's, take a look into what you can do with 3 outs and dual effect loops etc…

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  • I agree with just about everything you covered and own a sans amp. I can see why based on the sound you are going for you didnt review a darkglass. You do seem to be on the extreme end of mellow and given the singularity in style the reddi seems great but in the end has none of the options the others seems to have. Not surprised you dont see more around at that insane price. 1k lol

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  • That Dovebox is amazing. The message is clear: You get what you pay for. I own a REDDI, but I am thinking that the Dovebox would be great to have in the studio as a statioinary piece of gear.

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  • I'm a DI fanatic, and I've got an assortment of them. I agree with your take on the SansAmp. I have the current version (pushbuttons) and the prior version (slide switches). The earlier version's top end does sound rather glassy and artificial, almost as if there are some internal phasing anomalies at work. And its "flat", no-blend no-drive tone seems to be missing some crucial low mids. These were partially addressed in the current version, but in my opinion some remnants still exist. I bring my "pushbutton" SansAmp to every gig as a backup, in case my standard DI rig (my own tube preamp into a Telefunken passive DI) ever goes crap.

    The only significant complaint I have about the SanAmp boxes is the footswitches. They occasionally go dodgy. With the pushbutton SansAmp it's typically not a problem because that one's designed to power up enabled, i.e. not bypassed. With the slide-switch SansAmp, however, it most definitely is a problem because it's designed to power up in bypass mode. The footswitch requires that its little internal spring be perfectly aligned, and not be off-kilter even the slightest bit, for the switch to function every time. Easy fix with a screwdriver and an unbent paper clip, five minutes max, but a nuisance nonetheless.

    One more comment on the SansAmp DIs: their controls are offset in many cases, so that a "noon" setting may actually be a slight boost or cut. Rotate the controls full CW and then full CCW, watch where the pointers line up in each case, and you'll see what I mean. I see the same oddity on both my Aguilar Tone Hammers, by the way — the DI and the TH500.

    Anyway, nice work, and thank you for using a simple, slow, non-slap bass line so the tone of each unit could be easily discerned. You're in a very small minority among most reviewers in that regard, and for that I congratulate you. This was an outstanding review.

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  • Very interesting. When I was trying offboard preamps I tested a number of options, and between them were the Aguilar Tone Hammer (preamp pedal) and SansAmp. To my taste, SansAmp sucked, and I ended up getting the Tone Hammer, which pays more respect to the bass tone, is warmer and more natural. Listening to your video now, SansAmp still sucks for me. I think all the other preamps sounded great, though – and it was interesting to notice that the Aguilar preamp section doesn't sound too distant from the Reddi, I was expecting the Reddi to have a noticeably more pronounced warmth in it, but it doesn't.

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  • The Aguilar DB900 pre is a great DI. Add a Avalon U5 and mix. Dishes are done. Lots of ways to get great sounds.

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  • Have you tried out the Noble Preamp DI? The demos I've listened to sound great, but it's very pricey. Just wondering your thoughts.

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  • Just curious, you're running all these direct in? I know this question might sound really dumb but they all sound really good so I'm wondering if you're running through an amp or plugins after or anything at all?

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  • I started playing bass early this year and picked up a second hand Laney G300 that has a DI. But shortly after I picked up the Palmer Pocket Amp to practice with headphones. At €150 it's affordable and does it's job as practice amp very wel. I would recommend it for that alone. With it being so compact it's ideal to take to a gig as backup to your amp. Always have a plane B!

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  • Would using a di box defeat the whole point of the Apollo unison ampeg plug in ? Would like to hear your input thanks !

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  • I have got a Palmer and I am really happy with it but for sound I would go with the Red. Not really a like to like comparison for function.

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