Suggestions for passive DI box

[Gunsfreddy2003]

Evening all,

 

Looking for suggestions and recommendations for a good passive DI box for use with bass - I've looked at the Radial JDI but it seems quite pricey for a simple DI box.

 

Happy to hear any other suggestions and alternatives please.

 

TIA.

[ghostwheel]

some of these maybe? https://www.palmer-germany.com/en/Products/DI-Boxes/

[LukeFRC]

Orchid DI - simple cheap and works well

[spyder]

I'm a big fan of Palmer Passive Di boxes. They are very well built and sound great. I use the Wipper.

 

https://www.gear4music.com/PA-DJ-and-Lighting/Palmer-Wipper-Passive-DI-Box/4Z7Q

 

 

[Gunsfreddy2003]

1 hour ago, spyder said:

I'm a big fan of Palmer Passive Di boxes. They are very well built and sound great. I use the Wipper.

 

https://www.gear4music.com/PA-DJ-and-Lighting/Palmer-Wipper-Passive-DI-Box/4Z7Q

 

 

Thanks for that - I had opted for one of these at lunchtime:

 

https://www.gear4music.com/PA-DJ-and-Lighting/Palmer-Pan-01-Passive-DI-Box/2PT7?_gl=1*hj71pq*_up*MQ..*_ga*MTE2NjExNjMyMS4xNzU4NjM2OTM0*_ga_0WF1R5QW3K*czE3NTg2MzY5MzQkbzEkZzEkdDE3NTg2MzY5ODckajckbDAkaDE3MjY3Mzg1NjE.

[jazzyvee]

This one is a lot cheaper than the JDI

 https://www.andertons.co.uk/radial-stagebug-sb-2-compact-passive-di/

[Supernaut]

On 23/09/2025 at 07:36, LukeFRC said:

Orchid DI - simple cheap and works well

Definitely. Either that or a Radial ProDI or JDI secondhand. 
 

I have the Pro and picked it up on clearance for £49. This was a few years ago, mind. 

[LukeFRC]

2 minutes ago, Supernaut said:

Definitely. Either that or a Radial ProDI or JDI secondhand. 
 

I have the Pro and picked it up on clearance for £49. This was a few years ago, mind. 

Though - not reading the title of the thread - orchid is not passive 

[Supernaut]

Just now, LukeFRC said:

Though - not reading the title of the thread - orchid is not passive 

It can be phantom powered. 

[BigRedX]

1 hour ago, Supernaut said:

It can be phantom powered. 

 

Still not passive and phantom isn't always available on some PAs or can't be activated on a per channel basis, which might make some setups difficult to cable.

 

Passive DI boxes are great because you don't have to worry about issues like this or batteries going flat. hey can sit in your equipment bag until they are required and you know they will be fine. I have 6 channels of passive DI I take to gigs for my band. That's one for everything we need and a spare. I wouldn't contemplate an active DI device unless I was in charge of the non-battery power for it.

[LukeFRC]

On the other hand Active Di and phantom power has been a solution for the last half century 🤣 

[BigRedX]

1 hour ago, LukeFRC said:

On the other hand Active Di and phantom power has been a solution for the last half century 🤣 

 

Active DI Boxes powered by phantom power are fine if it's for your own PA. For use with an unknown PA where phantom power may not be available or may only be activated in groups of channels where it may not be appropriate for some of the other equipment connected, it is safer to use a passive DI box.

 

All the problems I have encountered with signals from DI'd equipment not reaching the mixing desk have been down to active DI boxes. Replacing them with one of the passive DI boxes that I always carry has sorted out the problem every time.

[Matt P]

If you shop around a bit you should be able to find the radial ProDi or a stagebug SB2 secondhand, that's what I did, managed to get a pro and 2 stagebugs used for the well under price of a new JDi (i think about £50 each?)

 

the build of another pedalboard means i'm on the lookout for another SB2 as well

 

Matt

[Andy_L]

Hope you don't mind me piggybacking your thread Gunsfreddy.

 

If I have a passive p bass, but run through a Cali 76 18v comp pedal, should I look for a passive rather than active DI box? Thanks 

[BigRedX]

13 hours ago, Andy_L said:

If I have a passive p bass, but run through a Cali 76 18v comp pedal, should I look for a passive rather than active DI box? Thanks 

 

It shouldn't make any difference. The whole point of a DI box is that it takes instrument and/or line-level signals and converts them to balanced line for the mixing desk. Whether the DI box is active or passive should make no difference to the impedance it presents to the input signal.

 

IME a good passive DI is slightly more reliable since it doesn't require a power source or phantom power which may not be available, and doesn't cause problems when connected to equipment with non-standard earthing.

[Andy_L]

Thanks

[Jack]

On 01/10/2025 at 18:21, Andy_L said:

Hope you don't mind me piggybacking your thread Gunsfreddy.

 

If I have a passive p bass, but run through a Cali 76 18v comp pedal, should I look for a passive rather than active DI box? Thanks 

If you ever run your passive bass straight into a passive DI, or indeed through some true bypass pedals that are not engaged, then there is a chance that the passive di box will load the pickups on the passive bass down to a point where this can be heard. If you can hear it, then there is a chance that you do not like the tonal change. The physics is a given but whether it's audible depends on the pickups and the di, and whether it's a bad change depends on the player. In those situations an active DI alleviates the issue. If you have some pedals that are NOT true bypass, or pedals that are turned on, or anything else with a buffer like a wireless unit or an active bass then a passive DI will not experience those loading issues. Actually it will, but just so much differently that you can't hear it. 

 

In short you would be fine with either. I don't think your pedal is true bypass, and it won't matter either way if it is turned on. I did a comparison of an £8 and £150 passive DI box on here a few years back if that helps you. The superficial differences in sound were not meaningful to my ears, but worth noting that the LBP certainly feels better made etc. I still have several nice DIs including the Radial Stagebug 2 that would be my recommendation for someone to buy, but I always reach for the LBP if I want passive or my 20 year old Countryman for active. The only times I really use a separate DI now is when we're working with an external sound company and I want to protect my Quad Cortex from an unknown PA system, that's nearly always the LBP's job.

Edited 2 hours ago by Jack