What's the output difference for you? My HiFi is a lot lower than my element

Hi I’ve been looking at these for a couple years now. I’m always looking to improve my acoustic tone. Ive got an HD28 with a KnK trinity pro pickup. I run that through a venue di and a session di. I also use a Body Rez pedal with a bit of reverb and delay. Sounds pretty tasty Would using a VPDI eliminate the need for these other di boxes? Specifically the venue and session? Thanks

Anthem all the way.

I absolutely love my RPH-05, however, I found that after a short time that the frets appear to be chromed plated steel, and that the chroming has chipped off or worn away on just about all the frets. The guitar is still great to play, but the fretboard doesn't look as nice as when I bought it, and I can't afford to replace the frets. Hopefully Recording King has addressed this cosmetic issue. Still, it's my favorite couch guitar.

Haven’t been able to get my iPhone to switch over.

Great video bud

The element is tin-ee but the Hi Fi is richer.

Did you use the jig or do it by feel maybe using bridge pins?

The Hifi is a definite improvement, but still sounds terrible compared to a properly mic'ed guitar. ALL piezo systems should be burned, and sent back to the pit from which they came.

Wow, listening with headphones…HiFi much more natural sounding!!

Fine job there. You have a very good singin' voice! 😉 Bought a Recording King for my daughter years ago. She has a 000-28 now; the Recording King was a great one to start with.

Very helpful, thank you.

Man I wonder how the tone print would sound if you use something like the iRig with microphones to go directly into the phone?

So is there a better pickup for acoustic in your opinion?

Hey man, thanks for the video. I got 2 questions. First: would it be better to have a guitar without preamp? I mean to connect the guitar straight from the piezo to the aura. Second: having this type of pedal, should I run the rig into a PA? Cause I figure the sound would be changed if I connect it to an amp, let´s say a Roland Ac33. Cheers!

Hifi wins

This is the proper way to review a product, not talk your audience to death. Thanks!

This sounds awesome

Interesting video. My feedback is this, they both sound good but the HIFI to me sounds like element with compression on it, which, if you have no choice but to plug straight into a small pan can be good and bad. I've been faced with having to plug into a small lackluster pad with my vtc and be high end of it saved me from sounding muddy. I don't think that would have been the case with the HIFI. I guess tray also pints out the importance of a preamp di for more serious performers as well. I'll stick with vtc for now but in the near future I'm getting a KLŌS 12 string with the Anthem+ installed. Anxious to see how it sounds 😊

in both cases nothing that a simple eq can't fix. both are good

Blending the two would allow you to get the best of each. But then, you would have a variation of the Anthem.

Hi the Fishman Aura have boost? or something like that to do solos...?

Ok, so I installed the hi fi into an LO0 , sounds pretty good, definitely better than the under saddle baggs in my Lg2 and J45. It’s closer to the real sound of the guitar. Was a pretty easy install. Finger style stuff sounds great, my son has learned a heap of Bruce Cockburn songs and plays them live around here through an Aer compact 60 , so I’ll see how it goes . He has been using a GS mini ekoa plus with the expression system which gets a lot of compliments on sounding good. Hopefully the Gibby with the hifi will give it a nudge.

Nice guitar but don’t be going Lisa Loeb on me 🤣🤣🤣

I thought the hi fi would sound better, hopefully it does because I'm about to install one in my sons L00. I have an LG2 with the element like this one , it can sound pretty good when i add a bit of TC Helicon body rez. I also have had a few anthems but they can be boomy .There's an Australian guitar maker down here called "Col Clarke", I don't like the guitars much but the pickups are the best I've heard, I think they might use a bridge plate and mic , unfortunately I don't think they sell them separate. If you get to hear one, you'll know what I mean. I'm kind of hoping the hi fi sounds like the Taylor Expression system which sounds great in the Ekoa plus we have . I'll report back when I've put it in.

I really appreciate this kind of comparison. Shopping now for a pickup system for a new, unaltered guitar, so knowing what I want to try out is important. It would be even more helpful for me if you added a third comparison: a recording-grade microphone, so that sound of the guitar itself is understood when listening.

The element was much more crisp the hi fi was muddy

The feedback control of HIFI in large venues is the best I’ve heard. Sometimes you have to focus on what works depending on where are you gonna play most

Great job!!! thanks

The ToneDexter II has separate EQs for both the IR image and the unprocessed sound. This is hugely important! Great review by the way!

HiFi muddy

I think I prefer the Element. The HiFi really picks up the voice of the soundboard and internal resonance of the body, which is great, but it comes at the cost of much of the clarity you get from the Element.

Each is lacking something different.

I really appreciate your reviews: thanks! I’m thinking of replacing my Taylor p/u with the HiFi-your insights helped me out!

Which pickup do you prefer between the Hi Fi and the Anthem (I saw you’ve done other anthem pickup demos so I’m hoping you have either a memory of each or maybe you have the hi fi installed in one guitar and the anthem in another?) and which pickup is more feedback resistant? Thanks for any info

To for sharing your insights. Super helpful

Hi Red Hat. Thanks for a great review. I also have the TA Amulet but I have found it to be too hot. Did you adjust the volume in the preamp at all? You dont talk about that in your video. Best regards from Percival in Norway 😊

Good morning. Can I use VPDI to record the acoustic guitar in the DAW. Or is it better to do the recording with classical 2 CARDIOID CONDENSER MICROPHONES?

Thanks a ton Red Hat - really useful audio assessment. Best wishes.

every transducer passive pickups have lack of presence eventhough how that is expensive

I can hear compression here. No EQ sounds better.

I recently had K&K pickup put in. And I just created a voiceprint on my Android S22 of an 2012 HD28V. Grabbed 5 samples. Phone pointed at the guitar 6ish inches from soundhole (neck side).1st was open tuning G-run, 2nd repeated picking pattern except picking right by the bridge. The 3rd sample was noted 5 frets up the neck and picked above the sound hole. Then I added a sample from capo in 2nd fret doing runs in D position (E) and repeated the process with the capo in 5th fret, runs in G position(C)... The voiceprint is outstanding!! Possibly identical to the natural guitar.. Its super close that most people may not notice that it isn't mic'd up!

Really no guitar sounds> LOL

The Element sounds pretty thin and bright, where the Hifi sounds full, maybe a little too much.

Thanks so much for this review and tutorial. I am really hoping to get a better sound out of the Voiceprint using an external mic. I am going to try and hook all this up and give it a shot but between me trying and potentially failing to understand one of these pieces, I am sending this to shortcut the wait in the event you happen to see this comment/question and have a moment to respond. Unlike your situation my interface does not have its own power supply so I am going to use the powered USB hub but I did not understand this portion of your instruction. I totally realize it is my own lack of knowledge of some basics but I am willing to admit that. Here is my understanding of connections from iPhone backwards. iPhone to camera adapter to Sabrent adapter to 1/8 plug to audio interface which is an M-Audio M-Track 2x2. Because it does not have its own power source I have that plugged into powered USB hub which is plugged in. I have the other end of that USB hub plugged into my computer which seems to maybe be an unnecessary step? Regardless, either with it plugged into my computer or not, I am not getting the external mic to register at all with the app. I have the phantom power on and it is registering with the interface but not the app. I have tried shutting down the app, starting it with the camera adapter plugged into the phone and then unplugging it and plugging it back in. I have tried having all plugged in before starting the app. Either way it is not registering any sound. I have adjusted the gain as well. Nothing. I completely understand it may be user error. I am hoping there is a simple solution that someone has. I do not mind being humbled. I just want to get this to work. The quality you produced is so much better than the iPhone mic alone. If I can't get this to work I will likely sell the VPDI. Please help if you can.

I'm sure this is going to be a difficult, subtle choice, likely the same quality levels only with different characters ... I'm ready to listen and ... erm, what??? It wasn't even close! I loved one and hated the other. Thank you for clarifying my choice so thoroughly.

Thsnk you sir! Youve helped me decide between the alvarez masterworks mg70ce and the eastman ac422ce

You should show your EQ Curve....

Wanna hear what you think of the new one

My main gigging guitar is a Larrivee OM with a LR Baggs Anthem. The Anthem on it's own sounds the best of any acoustic pickup I've ever used. The Aura sounds don't do anything for me. I set the Aura on 0% effect....100% guitar/Anthem. I've tried and tried, but none of the internal Aura sounds improve my tone. I follow the instructions where they say a mixture of guitar/Aura is best...don't use 100% aura tones. So many of the internal Aura tones have this weird midrange honk about them. But I continue to use the Aura for two reasons: 1) I have eq adjustment at my feet. I don't have to go over to the mixer and try to change it there. 2) The compressor is awesome. I tried a few cheap compressors, and they were awful, so I came back to the Aura. I do have a 12 string with an undersaddle (with the horrible quack) and I do mix in a little bit of tone from the Aura.