Can YOU hear the difference? Blind Bass Direct Box Shootout

This video is NOT sponsored.
In this video, I share a blind comparison test with seven different direct boxes for electric bass. Together we compare the Radial JDI, the JHS Colourbox, the Noble, the Reddi, the Zod, the Ampeg SCR-DI, and the Pyle. We discuss the value and results that bass direct boxes have on bass tone.
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[@davidwlucas]

I wish all blind tests were done this well.

[@ZachariahConnor]

I think what I took away from this was that you can get a great sound from the Radial, and add saturation later or in parallel

[@Bionictotquewrench]

It’s also worth adding that Radial has a larger selection of DI boxes than any other manufacturer I know. At least a couple of dozen. Some of these reviewers said “But the Radial DI is passive, so that might not work for you.” Well, then Radial has several active DI boxes! They also have preamp DI boxes with EQ. So they’re really worth looking at for anyone who wants to spend $250 rather than $1200, and wants a DI box now, and not in 12 months time.

[@hazybrain7]

Fun video. For me no 1 - the Radial was the clear standout, I was kinda shocked that everyone picked the other boxes over it. But I guess I just dig that pure full tone, and tracking for me is the most important, where I can saturate and distort and eq in the mix as needed. My order is in for the Radial - cheers for the shootout !

[@tvtime1505]

1 was the real deal. 3d sounding.

[@shugemery]

#1 for my ears. Straight up bass. Real. Love that P bass sound.

[@learnmusic488]

Oh, how the Radial JDI surprised me! Going out to pick one up now because of this video

[@smason14]

This was phenomenal. Thank you for making this video!

[@philipconradmusic]

Thanks for watching ⚡️

[@SuperDuce74]

What a fun video. Thank you. It was really interesting to hear the difference between isolated and mixed versions.

[@sharnoldpapa7339]

Fantastic video. Great job! This is the kind of conversations I like to hear about gear.

[@johnosmon6483]

Really helpful comparison video. I am a Noble owner and user, and am so used the sound I have been getting format, it's kind of nice to have a reminder with a comparison like this, to see what I have been taking for granted. I also own and have used in the past a few radial DI boxes, especially in live situations. Those things are great as well.

[@Rick-pi9zn]

man, Its just soo cool you do these videos in that quality and thought through!

[@philipconradmusic]

Thanks Rick! Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment ⚡️

[@henrychinaski2890]

One of your best videos, loved this format. Thank you for the great, useful content.

[@danibee535]

Genuinely my picks were 1, 5, and 7; listening back in detail I can tell the difference between 1 and 5 but it’s not a lot. Considering value for money (and flexibility!), that Radial JDI is the most impressive to me.

[@shapa-47]

I also liked the 1 and 5 diboxes, I had Nobleamps, an excellent preamp, by the way, Nobleamps has a Jensen transformer, as well as Radial JDI!

[@simongrant1015]

For me, 7 and 1 were very similar, and 5 was just slightly below. I prefer clean tones, though. Solo I think I preferred 5 a little, but not as much in the mix.

[@iananderson1935]

I thought 2 and 5 were the best in the mix, but listening solo, I preferred 1 and 7; I think any of those are great tools but agree that the Radial is a way better value, particularly in a tracking situation

[@rome8180]

Nice. I picked the exact same ones. And I was able to guess that #5 was the Noble. I've heard it in a lot of videos. I'm impressed with myself because I normally do poorly in blind tests. #6 was far and away my least favorite. It didn't have any low end.

[@GuarocuyaBK]

Same here. Those were my top choices and, given the price, the Radial seems like the gigging choice.

[@rome8180]

I liked 1, 5, 7, with #5 being my favorite. I was happy to see that my guess for which one was the Pyle was correct. It clearly had the least low end. I also correctly guessed which one was the Noble. It was the most "balanced" to me -- warm, punchy, full, etc. I was surprised to see that the Reddi didn't make the cut for me though. There was nothing wrong with it. It just didn't stand out. Lastly, I'll say it was easy to guess the "color boxes." The sound just wasn't to my taste. I like a cleaner starting tone.

[@conorlarkin1111]

Loved the video! I’ve been thinking about a Noble. And now I’m thinking even harder about one…

[@little-alien]

I recently had the chance to record through a Neve console. The tone I was hearing was exactly what I was looking for. So I went straight out and bought a Colourbox. I now have something that is close to that tone in pedal form. I keep the gain real low so it doesn’t add fuzz but it does add a nice tape like squishiness. I couldn’t be happier. Thanks for taking the time to do this, I loved hearing the differences!

[@philipconradmusic]

Thanks for watching Simon! ⚡️

[@audibletapehiss3764]

I found the Colourbox to be quite pleasing in the mix. Now you've explained why that is. It was my co-favorite in this video, along with the Noble, which shined equally when soloed.

[@WhatJeanWants]

This was so fun, informative, and entertaining, Mr. PC! Well done!!

[@swoooner4304]

I liked 7 the most, but the radial was my second choice. I would definitely be interested in a colorbox video! Also I think you found something Rhett hates more than a tube screamer lol

[@4headgaming448]

Phil, this was an amazing video. Thank you for what you do! Edit: walked into the video with bias towards the JDI and the Noble, and surprisingly I picked both in the blind test!

[@SorenJohnsonGuitar]

missed a lot of your videos over the summer, going back to watch and like them all.

[@mysterj1]

I LOVE this content. As soon as I saw what you'd proposed, I grabbed a beverage and put on headphones so as to best absorb your work. For a clean tone, the Radial just made my jaw drop...I am hooked. But...for the absolute sweetness tone, I almost was sold on the REDDI...and then I heard the Noble. Oh. My. I love love love the blind comparison test with outside ears, Phillip. I would love to hear some (bass) overdrive pedals in a shootout comparison!

[@JacobOverman42]

1, 5 and 7. 7 was my favorite on the first listen. It seemed to have better warm low end. 1 was transparent and clear. 5 was a nice blend of warmth and clarity. Thanks that was fun.

[@treed873]

In the blind taste test (I didn't cheat)I liked the Noble, then the jdi, then the Ampeg. As a bass player, I could definitely pick out the $22 Pyle, and hated it. I personally use a Sansamp bass driver di which I love. Nice job!

[@jebomey]

Great video! Also great promo for noble haha. I liked the JDI a lot more than I thought I would. Re: Rhett’s comments on the noble’s power supply - this is the one “downside” of the noble. It is not isolated. All 6 outputs share 900Ma though so it’s a lot of current to work with.. more than enough for simple analog pedals. I have a noble & I usually use a separate isolated power supply but I sometimes use the noble’s power outlets instead. Having that flexibility is def convenient.

[@showland2727]

I really like the way you set up this blind test, very well done video, thank you for making it.

[@boomerbutler7569]

Best quote: "Your DI doesn't matter, but it does matter." As someone who plays small gigs and is also an audio engineer, I call tell the difference bettwen a Noble and an Ampeg on the video, but your friend is spot on in that the average person listening to a band wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a REDDI and the one off amazon. I'm not able to afford a Noble, but I use a sans amp for coloration (not clean) and I think the application is what matters most when buying a DI. For gigs the REDDI doesn't make sense because it's huge, but the best plug and play option for clean to me is the Noble. If you show up and only bring a Noble, your tone will be amazing and have enough headroom to fit great into the mix. Also, if you have any other pedals, the noble can supply power to them. I really appreciate the depth of the vidoe and as an audio engineer in Oklahoma, I loved the blind sound test. Can you do more sound tests with different pedals like compressors and overdrives?

[@shapa-47]

Yes, the difference in timbre is big between Nobleamps, Radial JDI and Ampeg and Pyle, 3,4 and 6 diboxes sound dirty, and Nobleamps and Radial JDI sound clean and pleasant, I say this as a bass player and sound engineer with experience, I had Nobleamps and dibox from Radial Pro 48, excellent devices!

[@michaelb.42112]

I read a quote on Talkbass that I will NEVER forget : "The average listener can't tell the difference between Victor Wooten and the worst bass player on the planet."

[@theGIGINIband]

I think the Pyle is usable for a tone like a more funky lofi kinda thing. I think the radial is the universal winner with size and price & tone but I would love to hear the ampeg clean

[@shapa-47]

Yes, Radial JDI is the best option!

[@stevehurleydesign]

My favorite video you've done by far! I picked out #1, #5, and #7.

[@nickd.6365]

Yeah same here too

[@cgraugaard]

Same

[@granthill2769]

Same

[@DanceMix3]

Same!

[@palinkasp91]

Exactly the same here 😀

[@gear_vintage]

Awesome review, and there is so much into how you attack the strings, or your method of playing, and just what type music you play, and what you're going to use it for. Great information. I just ordered the Pyle PDC21, because, I'm a musician that don't have much to spend on a DI I won't use that much, and they are $10 on Amazon right now (with that, I bought two of them). Thanks for this Philip!

[@philipconradmusic]

Thanks so much for watching! ⚡️

[@deplinenoise]

Great job on this. For recording I’d go clean clean clean. And then add saturation, amp sounds and effects on the side to end up with a nice blended mix. Live that Noble was really nice.

[@bones2532]

This was an interesting one! I actually was thinking about getting a decent DI-box with a 'good sounding' transformer in it to improve my tone. My favorite ones were No. 1 (Radial JDI) and No. 7 (ZOD). So I obviously prefer clarity and clean reproduction over 'colouring', when it comes to DI boxes. Most of my preamps/preamp pedals have a built in DI, but they all don't have a decent transformer, I think. I have an old Ampeg SVP-CL 19" preamp that really sounds amazing: nice tube saturation (not overdrive, it's not what most people have in mind when they think of that classic 'Ampeg'-tone), very clean, transparent tone with much definition and clarity paired with a little bit of tube compression. I think this paired with the Radial JDI could be a perfect match for me. On the other hand the Ampeg preamp itself has a 'usable' DI-out, that does the job. I have no idea, what transformer is built in, but I'm pretty sure, noone will hear the difference in a mix. The Noble is a very powerful tool that can make everything sound better, I think. It does everything from crystal clean to rich colored overdriven tones and provides superior tone- and build quality. But the price and wait list are real bummers for me. Plus the power supplies are not isolated and don't supply the 18V I like to use for my compressor. Bottom line for me: it's not the DI-box that makes your tone work in the mix. It does make a difference, but - as Rhett said it - it only makes a difference of about two percent.

[@jacoby75]

Really well done. I enjoyed the shootout. Thank you.

[@philipconradmusic]

Thanks for watching! ⚡️

[@lockedowng]

I've been in the market for a di and this was great timing. Thank you!

[@mostyles328]

So much equipment snobbery in the music industry... I would buy a JDI, hands down and I usually use a Neve and API in the studio. No one would notice in the full mix. All the character, grit and EQ can be added in post. Loved this video!

[@stevemoss6926]

Awesome video! I picked the Zod and preferred it by a fairly large margin. The fat low mids are bold, but so nice. Would like to see how a RNDI stacks up against these. The Noble sounds great as well. #6 hurt me. Glad it was the cheapie.

[@rkharper]

This video comes at the right time, I ordered a Noble one month ago. And it really stood out!

[@jakaethesnake]

I enjoyed the video, so thank you so much for taking the time to compare, record, interview, edit-its a lot of work. I chose in order 5, 1, 7, 2. But I must say that if you put an Ag DB925 in front of the JDI that would have been the ultimate. I installed an OBP3 in a pedal enclosure and it through my Radial Stagebug passive is as good as it gets IMO. But to each their own, since our spirits are touched by tone in different ways, all being valid. Thanks, again!

[@philipconradmusic]

Thanks for watching Bruce! Glad to have you here.

[@CGlover113]

This was your best video to date! I don't play bass, I didn't know what a direct box was, or why it was important, I still don't care about direct boxes, but somehow, I was invested all the way until the end. I put on my headphones, took notes, got excited when others agreed with me, and surprised myself when i had some good thoughts. This was probably a lot of work, but good job.

[@simonbowkett124]

1 - 5 - 7 for me. When I saw Theo Katzman, Joe Dart’s pedalboard was a tuner and a Noble!

[@13vansman]

Same for me, 1, 5, 7. 5 was slightly better than 1, and 7 was third. I could go with any of the three. 5 was definitely not $1000 better than 1.

[@traviswilliams5466]

Another one out of the park Philip. Great work!

[@philipconradmusic]

Thanks so much Travis!

[@devilsdoorbell]

Wow. This was a great video. I was surprised by the ones I chose. I've always regarded the Radial as an easy industry standard, and well built, and good price -but to hear them all back to back like this, and to not have any preconceived bias about which is which was super helpful. It makes me realize that maybe not the Pyle - short of a lo-fi context as mentioned, but that price matters for what you're hearing.

[@mishterpreshident]

Pretty interesting comparison. I know you had limited DI access for this vid, but I would have loved to see the Countryman DI & also the Sans Amp Bass Driver DI in this context. I actively use the Sans Amp (v2) and am very happy with it. I just think it's interesting to hear how they sound next to each other. As mentioned in the vid, there is no bad, only how it sounds in the mix. Even #6 would sound good in certain musical contexts.

[@mysterj1]

Two really solid choices I’d have liked to hear, too. It would be interesting to hear the Countrymen compared to the Radial.

[@jrpipik]

Any decent engineer us going to have "four of those in the other room" that he likes to use for the recording he does, so bringing your own is probably unnecessary. For gigs, Rhett is right that in the context of the room the subtleties of which DI you use are not going to be audible. So if you're the kind of player who plays better if he THINKS he sounds better with more expensive equipment, go for it; otherwise, you can probably use the line out on your amp. Most of the time you just won't need one, so my advice is to get a modest DI just in case you're dealing with the kind of engineer or sound mixer who doesn't come prepared -- don't spend a small fortune.

[@Jerrythill]

I'm with you with 95% or maybe higher. But with silent stage and no amp, dude, us bass players need all the help we can get. With in budget of course. That JDI is the best bang but it's passive. The Noble is pretty great...

[@boimesa8190]

🙌

[@MrBrokentowels]

I don’t know man. That Noble sounds great. It’s very warm. I can hear the difference in the mix.

[@bassadelica]

Great video. Really one of the biggest missed opportunities of the last couple decades was that Ampeg didn’t step up with a B-15 preamp in a box 1st, the Noble is such a well realized piece. I designed a box very similar in about 2002 but, rackmounted because I saw the need, but slept on pursuing it.

[@malloryonbass]

I loved everything about this video. I’m a longtime Noble owner, and this vid made me feel vindicated about that purchase. However, there were a lot of great options here. And I don’t use the Noble live anymore because it would be too expensive to replace if something happened. I’ve used and loved other people’s Radial JDIs. I think they they are fantastic for live applications due to their build quality, price point, and rock-solid tone. Haven’t tried the others, but this approach to doing a gear shootout was quite refreshing. Thanks for putting this together!

[@maartenarnou]

I liked 5 and 7 best. Though it's always hard to hear differences when the bass is played muted, and in a mix... Last year, I compard cheap to expensive jazz basses, and with their TONE knob rolled off, it was equally hard to hear differences between price ranges. But... if you'd do this comparison with tone full open, played 'open' instead of muted, and solo'd, you'd hear the differences much more. Oh, and what a great ear do these listeners have!

[@LouisL1963]

5 & 7 for me as well.

[@mikewolfe9458]

I’m curious if you’ve ever demoed either of the origin effects bass rig units. I’d love to hear your thoughts on them or see them in a future demo. Thanks for the great content!

[@sirpas]

Really excellent video! I liked your approach to A/B/C... the effect of each of these. In the big picture of this particular tech, I think you could go a long way down this rabbit hole with bass and how to get that signal to whatever is taking it. I have a Radial JDI, but I also love the DSM Bass Simplifier, Lehle Bassswitch, and especially my Neve RNDI. All of these are amazing, and certainly don't break the bank. Plus, they aren't outfitted with tubes which is particularly valuable to me as I play live more than record so I gain the reliability part as a very needed part of the rig. The Noble (and like tube DI's) is a tough sell for me when I hear the character of the RNDI or a Lehle Bassswitch. Those two have to be some of the finest gear I have invested in. Studio engineers love when I come in with RNDI too. Thanks for creating some great content here. This was really interesting to reflect on.

[@charliewesley94]

I chose 2 and 5, and 5 was my favorite. I used to own the Ampeg SCR-DI, and I could tell immediately that #3 was that one. I own the Noble DI, and was surprised that I picked that one as my favorite. #7 was also solid.

[@miltontorres04]

Amazing video! I owned a Noble for a while and loved it. One day at a rehearsal the tubes went out and it wasn’t usable. I knew then that I didn’t want to go the tube route ever again for live use. I now use a JDI and it is fantastic. It sounds great and really is a bombproof, reliable piece of gear. When it’s time to upgrade I will most likely be going for a color box.

[@HLinc.]

Oh man. It’s super easy to replace those tubes on the Noble. What a bummer.

[@miltontorres04]

@@HLinc. You are right! I did end up ordering a new set from Jack at Noble and installing them. However I just didn’t want to have that hassle going forward and the possibility of them going out again.

[@crocholiday]

I'm almost at the end of my 33 week wait for my noble. I wouldn't have thought about what to do if the tubes go out. I'll make sure I keep a backup DI on hand. I did order an extra set of tubes. I may order a few more since they typically come from the country we just revived our cold war with...

[@HLinc.]

@@miltontorres04 gotcha. It is a little unnerving wondering when the day will come. Haha I’ve had mine for over 7 years now and it’s still kicking ass and sounding amazing.

[@HLinc.]

@@crocholiday you’d be good having one spare set on hand. You can order a set through Jack as well. So no need to stock up on a bunch. He always has them on hand and is good about shipping them right out to you asap. Like I wrote above, I’ve been rockin” my Noble for over 7 years now and the tubes are still perfect. I myself, just keep a spare set on hand just incase.

[@marketheredge6008]

If you can find one, try the Shiftline Olympic MKIIIs. It is a tube preamp DI with cab sims built in. It sounds amazing, is about the size of a Sans amp and takes effects really well. It even has an effects loop, mp3 in and headphone out as well as the through and XLR outputs. Super versatile. They were around $440 when I bought mine.

[@traviswilliams5466]

Agreed. I snagged one and it hasn't left my pedal board since.

[@cellrdwellr]

same, I got one a few months ago, I love it. My tone is dialed in-so much so one of the guys playing guitar in my band commented on it. I like the Noble but at the price point it's a tough commitment.

[@MikeSingSing]

Really cool test. Ampeg all day for me. I've recently gone digital with the NUX Marvin Lee Davis Preamp that also has a cab sim, noise reduction and some other stuff. Great and cheapish tool for a DI sound. Was pretty impressed with it.

[@BlugubriousMusic]

Wasn't listening to like, listened to see what I would hope to have... I only guessed 4 and 6 right... and I am glad because I use that Pyle for guitar and bass and I was literally thinking, it sounds super untouched 'like mine'.... I like to do have a clean signal and tweak to taste in mixing. Love the straightforward approach to this. Thank you (and your pals) for taking the time to do it.

[@jdjk7]

My favorites were 5 and 7, but I couldn't really come to that conclusion until hearing them soloed.

[@adriengahery9471]

I could tell when the noble was the DI used, because it was the best to my ears & I couldn't stop hearing good things about it. It owns nice features along its DI capability. I understand it may have a drag on you since you now are a pedal boy ;) I would tend to consider the DI as the last part of my pedalboard, and play ampless should I use one. Hence I am considering buying the Two Notes CabM because it's featuring an amp simulation capability.

[@jackshittle]

This is how every shoot-out/comparison video between different pedals should be. Great job. Not on topic but one night at a show in Denver at the Skybox (I think that was the name - it was kind of behind left field at Coors Field) I played a show and after we were finished one of the sound guys asked me what bass amp I used. He said it was the best sounding bass he had ever heard. It was a Eden WT300 with a line out of the built in DI in the rear (I had a MM Sterling going straight into the amp). Later he told that that in his opinion the DI's that are built into amplifiers usually suck but he was impressed with the Eden. I never owned a stand alone DI back then but these days have a SansAmp Bass VT pedal w/ the 8x10 speaker simulation going straight into a SWR-SM400S & 2x12 cab (using a Modulus Vintage Jazz w/ active EMG's). Cheers!

[@philipconradmusic]

Awesome! Thanks for sharing ⚡️

[@andrewpolzin8489]

Awesome video. Real comparison with people just being themselves no hype. Very refreshing . The radial surprised me.

[@IvanBassist]

I liked 1,5 & 7 the most. The other ones added some saturation/breakup, which might or might not be what one is looking for in a DI depending on your setup. Woudn't trade my Noble for anything, though :D

[@blasperez7764]

Same

[@boimesa8190]

Wondering; why would passive be a problem on the radial?

[@tkukulich]

My picks were 1 & 5. I've owned a JDI for a long time, so maybe my ear was somewhat accustomed to that tone. I gave the edge to the Noble over the JDI, but by a surprisingly thin margin.

[@philipconradmusic]

JDI surprised me as well. Thanks for watching ⚡️

[@Mark-ry3ij]

Nice Demo, the first time I really heard the difference between DI's. Surprisingly, prior to the revelation, I chose 5 and 7 because of the roundness of the tone. I am not surprised that they are the expensive ones.

[@Hogman666]

So glad I did this. I now know I love Valve DI Boxes the most I listened on all my monitors and went for the valve boxes. its just a shame they cost so much ha ha I will be building a few JFet boxes on my 27D Channel. I am super busy so it may be a while. Love the Channel as well!

[@dwaynedelario]

Man tough call, but 2, 5 and 7 have the most natural DI tone to me. Noble user here.

[@charliewesley94]

Noble user here and I picked those three as well. haha

[@seankent1807]

Great video Philip! I have owned 5 of those 7 myself. The REDDI was amazing, but I ultimately sold it & never looked back once I received my Noble. It is hands down the BEST gear purchase (outside of a bass guitar) that I have ever spent my money on. It always puts me right where I need to be in a mix, sound engineers always love it (and me for having it), and it does so many “extra” things that are so helpful. Jack Roan is a genius & I’m so thankful he used his knowledge to make & bless the world with the Noble Preamp/DI 👏👏👏

[@72Precision]

Definitely gravitated to the cleaner tones of 1, 2, 5, and 7. Factoring in price and size/weight on a pedalboard eliminates 2, 5, and 7 leaving the JDI as the one I'll likely put on my board. Great vid!

[@HansJaussmann]

This was fantastic, thanks! I gig with the Radial and love it but my ears picked the Noble. Isolated it just had everything tone wise and it was clean. I use an API tranzformer Lx and a Tech 21 VT Bass for Compression, saturation, etc and go direct into the board.

[@chriscuthbertson]

I guess this all depends on what you want from the DI, do you want the DI form part of your 'tone' or do you already have your 'tone' and just need a 'transparent' way of getting it to a balanced signal. Purely from an engineering point of view it would be interesting to compare the signal going into the box to what comes out and see how much they change. If this is a DI test then the cleanest would win, if this is a 'preamp' test then that is something different.

[@traviswilliams5466]

Agreed. If you just need a solid transparent tone the JDI is great but if you need flexible tones one of the pre amp plus DI is the ticket.

[@philipconradmusic]

Yep, exactly. This is what I was hoping people would get out of the video. It’s hard to say which is best when it all depends on how we are using these tools. Thanks for sharing! ⚡️

[@traviswilliams5466]

Philip there is so much knowledge dropped in this video. I watched it twice. The 1st time I was focused on the tones the 2nd time I really picked up on some gold nuggets of knowledge.

[@seanwoodburn2616]

Great comparison. I REALLY wish you had also included the Radial J48 for that P Bass. I have the JDI and the J48 and found that Radials recommendation of the J48 for passive basses and JDI for active has been spot on. I used to own a regional sound company and backline and have a lot of DIs and those two have been universally loved by everyone and as you noted, provide great bang for the buck. I do have some higher end gear such as Alembic F1 preamps and some custom units built by the late, great, Eric Hayes, but question their necessity for live venues. My perspective is that of a live sound engineer who has very little time in studios. Same thing as a bassist. Cheers!

[@keesdejong4890]

Great video! I personally use a quad cortex as DI. It allows me to create a dry bass track (with a reddi or noble capture) and an amp track (+cab sim) and send them to FOH. Either 2x XLR or mixed together. If I want cabs on stage I use a power amp so I have my QC sound on stage aswell. The biggest win is the parametric EQ. So on smaller stages you can control your cab’s low-end.

[@saltysaltytears]

I was really hoping this would talk me down from wanting a boutique tube preamp/DI with a 32 week wait list... nope. THANK YOU for executing this comparison so thoughtfully. I didn't realize I needed a fresh comparison based exclusively around a Fender w/flats, but I really did.

[@philipconradmusic]

Thanks so much for watching! ⚡️

[@jimleininger8963]

This was good for me as a hobby-level bass player/engineer. Peer reviewing my ears... I picked 7 and 5 tied, 1 in 3rd place. Also, I use an MXR bass pre as my DI. Its fine for me. I'd never get enough improvement to justify an upgrade to 7 or 5

[@philipconradmusic]

Well said! ⚡️

[@tenkolochev4138]

Reddi is a head and shoulders above the others! Pure, well balanced with the right amount of overtones. No drawbacks. The rest are too jumpy, even the most expensive

[@mymodel6]

Someone is suffering from a serious case of confirmation bias i think....

[@alexo5861]

Another great video Phillip. All the DIs except the Pyle are usable, it was interesting to hear the differences. Maybe in a few months you could do this again but just with passive DI’s under $500, get a Countryman in there with some of the other easier to get options at GC, or Sweetwater.

[@RufusKSala]

I’d love to see a Radio JDI vs ProDI comparison

[@grmusica5400]

Exactly. Comparing a passive DI like a JDI to what are actually preamps that happen to have a DI out on them is kinda pointless. All it tells you is if you prefer an uncolored DI sound to a colored (with EQ, tube warmth, whatever) sound.

[@kylesims8688]

Love this. Now I wish we could see a part 2 with the Bassrig, Aguilar, Badwater, Sans amp, and a few more.

[@johnpindzia7922]

I thought it was interesting how Ian liked the Radial because it “just sounds like a bass,” without any coloration or character added, and Rhett disliked it for the exact same reason! Just goes to show how all of this is subjective. I’m gonna have to look into getting one of those Ampeg DI’s.

[@torinoheadford8688]

Adding the saturation to some ultimately unfairly sabotaged how they were perceived. (Listen to the reviewers comments) If your going to comparing things try getting identical sounds from each unit. If a unit has multi band EQ and can sing without distorting to be fair let it! It was a perhaps unintentional biased review?

[@ZeroTooL88]

That noble really does sound nice. And I recognized the ampeg scrambler circuit instantly lol. Very distinct.

[@stevenlittlefield7166]

Wow, this was a great video. A perfect shootout with a nice short riff, in and out of mix, true blind test. My picks were 1, 7, and 5. Truly shocked me.

[@philipconradmusic]

Thanks for watching!

[@guylaforce4266]

Great vid!! I would have liked too have the Neve in the blind test as well.

[@AdamAarts]

This is such an awesome implementation of this concept. I’ve wanted to shoot out many DIs like this side by side and never have had funds or availability to have more than 3 at a time. I REALKY wish there was the RNDI in here as that’s what I’ve been recommended by engineers and have tested against the Noble specifically, and liked it more. Great video brother!

[@philipconradmusic]

Thanks for watching! I’d love to do an RNDI comparison at some point…

[@portineoo]

I really digged 2 and 3! I was actually amazed in the solo section realizing that 3 had drive on, cause it sounded really clean in the mix. 5 would probably be the pick for an "any scenario" kind of thing though

[@gcvrsa]

As a bassist and audio engineer, I will say that #1, the Radial JDI and #2, the REDDI were my favorites, with the Radial winning by a small margin just because it was more accurate. The REDDI introduced a slight soft coloration. Next on my list would be #7, the ZOD, which I've never heard of before, and then #5, the Nobel. I wouldn't use any of the others, at all, ever. Now, for *my* reveal, the two DI boxes I use are first and foremost the Countryman Type 85, which I would pick over and above all the ones in this video, because like the Radial JDI, it's super accurate, reasonably priced (MSRP $238.65, street price $152.15 at Sweetwater as I write this), and bombproof, but it's an active DI rather than passive. The Countryman Type 85 has been a live sound and recording studio standard for decades. There is not a gig in the world where you will be turned away for showing up with a Countryman Type 85. It is, in my opinion, hands down the best DI box on the market, in terms of a traditional DI box. Obviously, something like the REDDI is a different beast, and while it sounds great as far as it goes, it's not my beast. The REDDI doesn't sound like a DI box, it sounds like what it actually is, essentially the front end of an Ampeg B-15 Portaflex, so if that's the sound you are looking for, that's the box to get. I don't ever go anywhere without a Countryman Type 85, whether the job its live or recording, whether I'm engineering or playing. It is an absolute must and a life saver. Although Radial also makes the highly regarded J48 active direct box, IMO the Countryman Type 85 is better due to its much higher input impedance (10M ohms). The Type 85 can even be used on an amplifier output, as it will safely handle up to 300 V input. Frankly, I don't even know how anyone can have a conversation about DI boxes while leaving out Countryman. The second type of DI box I use is really more of a preamp or amp simulator that happen to also offer DI output, and for that I have the DSM & Humboldt Electronics Simplifier Bass Station. I have others on my list of "would like to buy/try", including the Fishman Platinum Pro EQ/DI and the Tech21NYC SansAmp series (BDDIv2, VTDI, PDDIv2, Q\Strip, any or all of the above).

[@christianreichelt824]

Let me compliment you for the outstanding recording quality. It is not usual that the differences are so well audible via youtube. I sat here in front of my very affordable media speakers and could fully comprehend what the "judges" were talking about. Plus the conversations with these well-versed musicians - opposed to some smurf with an opinion - are a pleasure to listen to. I know i'm late to the party, but it's never to late to praise, or is it?

[@philipconradmusic]

Thanks so much for the kind comment! Glad to have you here ⚡️

[@tomislavsekerija1957TN]

I got Tonehammer some time ago, then I sold it (needed money), and stayed with only Radial Stagebug SB2. With decent PA we as a band got (I researched and pushed for decision to invest a bit more then planned), I don't even use amp in bar gigs. For the bigger gigs I can allways use that HK 15" active box we have. For the sound, I get compliments and questions by my amigo guitar player "how can't my bass player have that sound, what do you use?". I just smile and show him - no amp, just a phantom powered DI to PA. We allways forget that we are gonna be IN THE MIX, and all it matters is how does it fit into the band mix in the room. No label can help you in that, just a sound engeneer and those subtle nuances will not be heard.

[@dumaflotchy13]

Man what a great video demo...! Thank you.

[@justtheotherdave]

Great video, very informative. For me, on my home 5.1 surround system, I can barely discern the difference. I would have lumped all the DI's into maybe 3 groups - ones that sound clean, ones that sound like a bit more drive/gain was added (starting to clip or distort slightly, and the Pyle stands out as slightly different. And honestly, my first time watching this, I thought all the boxes were hot / too much gain, except the Pyle. Yes, the Pyle was my favorite. My reference for hot vs. clean is an Acoustic Control Corporation model 370 amp from the 1970's, EQ flat, volume set to 2 (it's in the living room), driving an Acoustic 301 (1x18") and an Amped SVT410HLF (4x10" with horn) in parallel. There's a lot more "buzz" (produced by the DI boxes? or my 5.1 system?) than my bass rig - I can easily knock things off the shelves on the other side of the room if I turn up my rig and still not come close to the distortion I hear in the video. That being said, in the interest of science, I would like to see this test repeated with the same loop, but with more DI's in the $200-400 range, with the Radial and/or Noble thrown in as a baseline to compare against this video. Specifically, after doing a bunch of A/B listening, I'm looking at a Laney Digbeth DB-PRE, a Red Eye "Fire Eye" (acoustic pre), and a Bassrig Super Vintage. You should probably also throw in a Sansamp because "everyone" says they are the industry standard (granted, I have a lean towards live audio and don't give a hoot about editing my sound after the fact, but I still want to sound good on a recording). Would also be nice if we could hear a "clean" shootout vs. a "driven" shootout (attempting to make them all sound equally driven in the latter to compare the coloration of the sound).

[@justtheotherdave]

Also, here's my notes from listening via a pair of Shure SE215's ("industry standard" live sound in-ear monitors): 1 - clean channel, tone knob zero (zero = max bass, minimum treble, referencing my Fender Precision bass) 2 - clean, tone knob 2 3 - more drive added, tone knob 4 4 - "very drive", tone knob 5 (middle tone knob setting) 5 - clean, tone knob 4 6 - clean, tone "high", maybe 8 (most treble in video, less than what I hear from my amp with my bass tone set to 10) 7 - clean, tone knob 5 As compared to my 5.1 theatre system, all the DI's sound "clean"-er (less distortion) via the Shure SE215's, how ever compared to my amp with flat EQ, bass guitar knobs "dimed out" (max output from the pickups, no filtering of treble) all the DI's sound like they have the treble cut, which is probably why I prefer 6 (the Pyle). Maybe your bass has less treble than mine? Or your tone knob was turned down? This should also be an indication of how much gear matters when the audience is the casual listener (non musician, low end earbuds or car stereo) - not at all. They might hear a difference in EQ between 1 and 6 but the rest probably sound the same (or 4 is the same plus effects pedal).

[@dr_tomK]

Really interesting video Phil. Learned a lot.

[@philipconradmusic]

Thanks for watching Tom! ⚡️

[@daytonlivingston5773]

Also I'll put in a shoutout for my DI of choice - the sadly discontinued, but available second hand, Lehle Basswitch DI/EQ. It has a breadth of features that cover more ground than anything here. Not sure how it stacks up in terms on pure quality since its the only DI I've owned but the thing is a total swiss army knife. Parametric EQ, mix loop that can double as a clean boost beyond the normal gain setting on the DI, serial loop, tuner out, mute switch. It even has an input impedance switch to tune the signal to be more favorable for piezo pickups on an upright. Wish more people knew about it and gave it some respect.

[@antoinelablanquie3827]

1-5-7 are really useable ! 7 might be a little loose on the low end, so it could be too much in a tight mix but lovely

[@luigicastrovilli1866]

Love the video in order my top 3: #5 #4 #1. Now I seriously need the#5

[@11ciwi]

Awesome video. Helpful to get those different opinions... Though they're are other preamps/DI I would have liked to see. Next time.

[@audi0d00d]

I chose the Noble #5 for both blind tests, the tone is clear and present while still giving some great warmth and heft in the bottom. The Reddi sounds great in the mix, but IMO only maybe 5% better character vs the Radial. For the price I'd just use the cheaper one and call it a day. I also really liked the Zod in both tests, and if I were trying to save some money I would say it's a great choice over the Noble as well. If I was buying one for my studio I'd go for: Noble - Zod - Reddi(or Radial) in that order. Fun listening test! ;D

[@stranbo]

Love your channel man! Ur voice is so calming too 😆

[@Matt_bechillin]

This video helped me , in that everybody in this comment section had a different favorite DI, everybody preferred whatever they liked. Which reminded me that I’ve never questioned the bass tone on my fave tracks , It doesn’t really matter 👌🏾 thanks for putting me back to earth

[@philipconradmusic]

Thanks for watching Matthew! ⚡️

[@mikewolfe9458]

5 and 7 are my faves pre reveal. Thanks for doing this!

[@mikewolfe9458]

And now post reveal my wallet and I are saddened by my choices

[@gimmeagig]

@@mikewolfe9458 You got good ears LOL

[@heberluviano1584]

Okay, so here's my background going into this. I'm a drummer and sound engineer who loves and wants to learn bass. I also listened to this through my MacBook speakers, I wanted to challenge myself. I was very easily able to point out that 6 was the Pyle DI the second I heard it. Now I picked 2 as my favorite during the blind test and I'm glad it was the REDDI. BUT I think I picked it as my favorite because it is what I am used to hearing. At my church, we have a REDDI that every bass player goes through. SO my ears are very used to hearing the tonality and character of it. After comparing and listening back through proper speakers I like the Noble more, which makes me think I did in fact choose the REDDI due to familiarity perhaps.

[@craigjohnson6867]

Would love to see a video like this but for preamp DI's when trying to emulate your amps sound for when you cant use your personal amp/amp head. Sansamp, Darkglass, Origin, Colourbox V2 (again), DSM Humboldt, Aguilar, MXR as examples.

[@chriswhetsell7510]

I play bass in my church's worship band, and I use the Ampeg SCR-DI. I like it because it's kind of a Swiss Army knife, but it also has the character of an Ampeg bass amp. The EQ is nice to have, and the Scrambler circuit adds a nice growl and saturation to your bass sound without compromising the bass's core frequencies. Kinda emulates the tube sound of an Ampeg amp. You can always turn off the Scrambler circuit if you'd rather not have the growl, too. I just like how versatile it is. Not to mention, the SCR-DI can fit on a smaller pedal board, too! Something else I noticed, was that the SCR-DI acts a bit differently within the context of my church's audio setup. The Scrambler circuit acts as more of a growl and punch than it does at home when I play by myself. The circuit can achieve more distortion and fuzz at home than it can when I play at church. It's interesting.

[@jcproductions7585]

I agree with the the Noble for all the reasons you cited. But, given that it is tube-based, I'd pack the Radial as a backup in case your rig gets abused during travel. I'm looking for mild saturation that sounds natural and warm. The Noble nails that!

[@jcproductions7585]

PS. Great video. I recently went with a Rupert Neve RNDI. It is very clean and full sounding. It gives me the most authentic translation of my P bass to my DAW. Compared to my Focusrite Clarett+ instrument inputs, (which are respectable) it sounds bigger. That said, it leaves me wanting saturation. The Noble delivers saturation character that stompboxes haven't (so far, I'm still looking).

[@johntremayne7918]

Thank you Philip and friends.This was a helpful test and discussion. I watched while re-tuning the programmable presets on my Tech 21 BDDI. The Tech device could have been an interesting addition, mostly for it's value as a direct-to-house stomp to switch between clean/warm/grit during live shows. Think Swiss Army DI in your pocket. Next to it on the desk is my brand new Pyle, still in an unopened box, under $12 from Amazon, free, next day and just getting trashed by the bunch of you. But I object, your honors! I would not expect the same sound from this tool, especially from a passive Fender P into a mixer. I use these boxes mostly for acoustic instruments with good onboard pre amps and and let the musician use their ears and eq's, putting tone in their hands. Much appreciate your videos. You owe Rhett a hug for introducing me to your channel. Peace.

[@philipconradmusic]

Thanks so much for watching John! And no worries if you like the Pyle; like you said it’s a tool that could work well for certain things. Glad to have you here! ⚡️

[@rowbags3017]

Rhett's first reaction stunned me - because there was a clear difference between the mix tones on my set-up. Maybe it's something to do audio through KZbin - accentuating some differences and damping others - or maybe it was that glass of orange nectar?... 🤭But, anyway, I went for the Noble as my favourite too - just a great blend of clarity and character. For a slightly driven sound, I liked the Colourbox the way you had it set. The Pyle sounded pretty raw and basic - but it's so cheap, engineers might actually want to have one for when the occasion demands that sound. Ironically, I can imagine the guys at JHS doing a great jam clip with the Pyle taken to the next level with other pedals!

[@studiogorilla]

Great blind test! In the mix, I was satisfied with any of them. Solo'd 5 was my fave.

[@philipconradmusic]

Awesome! Thanks for sharing ⚡️