Radial Engineering has announced the launch of two stereo direct boxes: the JDI Stereo and the J48 Stereo.
According to company president Peter Janis: “Stemming back nearly 20 years, the Radial JDI has become the undisputed leader in high-end passive direct box technology while the Radial J48 has gained an equal footing as the market leader in active DIs for professional use.
“On the passive side, our mission with the JDI was to educate the market on the benefits of transformer isolation and to prove that a quality Jensen transformer makes a huge difference when it comes to delivering a phase accurate, distortion-free signal, particularly in the bottom end. The other ‘forgotten’ benefit of a transformer is the way that this device elegantly handles excessive transients without flinching, producing a natural compression that is often touted as ‘vintage sounding.’ Then when you consider the benefits of isolation, the tech is no longer spending hours before every show, hunting down hum and buzz problems caused by ground loops.
“We applied the same vision on the J48 active side,” he continues. “Only this time, we developed a technology that worked within the confines of 48-volt phantom power to deliver a wide frequency response, more headroom with less distortion, while introducing a new way of lifting the pin-1 ground without cutting off phantom power. By employing an internal switching supply, we managed to convert phantom power for more rail voltage, resulting in less distortion and more gain without the use of an input pad. The innovative power system also allowed us to relocate the ground lift inside the power supply enabling the stage technician to lift the ground without having to revert to costly and environmentally hazardous batteries.
“We have spent countless hours on top, behind and below concert stages, discussing the needs of today’s most demanding technicians. One of the reoccurring themes is the use of two direct boxes to handle a stereo source. And although Radial has been producing stereo direct boxes such as the Duplex for years, the move towards compact setups to lower the cost of air travel has become an important attribute whose time has come. The JDI and J48 Stereo direct boxes offer the same performance as their single channel counterparts in the same compact, ultra-rugged book-end enclosure.”
The Radial JDI Stereo and J48 Stereo carry an estimated MAP of $299.99 USD each and will be available in February 2015.
