TWO NEW JDI STEREO DIRECT BOXES

Radial Engineering has launched two new stereo direct boxes – the JDI Stereo and the J48 Stereo.

It’s been almost twenty years since the passive direct box technology found within the Radial JDI was released. Since then both the JDI and its brother the J48 have become two of the most popular choices for audio professionals. The technology was sound for the time, but are somewhat dated for today’s needs.

To ensure both new boxes were top of their class, the company spent hours on top, behind and below concert stages, consulting with technicians about the needs and issues they face everyday. A common theme among engineers was the need for two direct boxes to handle a stereo source. The costs of air travel in today’s economy means that audio professionals must take into account the size of transportable gear; the need for a compact setup has become a top priority.

This motivated the company to ensure, that both new stereo direct boxes give customers the same performance, and size as their single channel counterparts.

“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 transformer makes a huge difference when it comes to delivering a phase accurate, distortion-free signal, particularly in the bottom end,” explained Radial Engineering company President, Peter Janis. “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.”

Janis says that the company adopted a similar vision when designing the J48 active side, with one slight difference.

“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,” explained Janis.

PRICE AND AVAILABILITY

The Radial JDI Stereo and J48 Stereo carry an estimated retail price of US$299.99  each and will be available sometime in February 2015. There’s no word as yet regarding what we can expect to pay in Australia for either of the boxes. We’ll update the article, once those prices are known.

For more info, check: www.radialeng.com

Australian Distributor: Amber Technology, Ph: 1800 251 367, Email: [email protected], Web: www.ambertech.com.au

Excerpts from Press Release