Why do be!@#$%^& DI boxes always lose phantom capability?

[daxliniere]

Ok, first of all, I'd like to say that I do not own any be!@#$%^& DI boxes - I do, however, work at a few venues that do.

Something I've noticed is that many of them breakdown, losing their ability to accept phantom power. This renders them useless, unless you have 9V batteries handy.


I figure this is a common fault, so there's probably a common solution. Any ideas, anyone?

[jkhuri44]

solution - take ur own DI box and never use crapinger.

[daxliniere]

Cart my own gear around? What for? I wouldn't get paid any extra to do that and it's not THAT detrimental to the quality of mix I can pull.

[jkhuri44]

well, its either deal with crapping out be!@#$%^& gear...or take something small and passive around, like a radial box, or a sadowsky

[Kurt]

I have a few be!@#$%^& di's, none have ever had a problem, but I always run them on batteries anyway.

[Aearth]

You get what you pay for. The B gear is really disposable stuff like wrapping off a Big Mac........ use it once then chuck it out.


nIC

[TimS]

You get what you pay for. The B gear is really disposable stuff like wrapping off a Big Mac........ use it once then chuck it out.


nIC

interesting analogy nIC ;-)

[Guest]

I know your pain a lot of the venues I have worked at have them. Most of those venues I have convinced to buy something else. The only up side to them is the old cases are good to build your own DI's in.

[Barney Loveland]

Even more frustrating is a sound person who wants me to use a Bthing when i usually have at least 2 DI's with me on a gig, one in the bass amp and a standalone for when i don't want to use a Bthing. Conversation usually goes nah mate don't want any trouble, well will you try it and see what it sounds like? Hmm it's good and quiet. And so it continues!!!!!

[heathen]

You get what you pay for. The B gear is really disposable stuff like wrapping off a Big Mac........ use it once then chuck it out.


nIC

Yeah like the b#$%@^&%^ headphone amp I bought. if anyone wants it $80. If not I'll ummmmm hmmmm dunno yet.........maybe use it as a doorstop.

[Gian]

[quote="heathenYeah like the b#$%@^&%^ headphone amp I bought. if anyone wants it $80. If not I'll ummmmm hmmmm dunno yet.........maybe use it as a doorstop.[/quote]

I got one of them. The 4 channel one. Sound is very squishy.

[beatmad]

Yeah like the b#$%@^&%^ headphone amp I bought. if anyone wants it $80. If not I'll ummmmm hmmmm dunno yet.........maybe use it as a doorstop.

Unfortunately be!@#$%^& gear doesn't function well as a doorstop because of a lack of weight. I think there is a mod where you can add steel reinforcement so that it can perform this function once it craps out. Unfortunately this mod will cost more than the original item.

[TimS]

Yeah like the b#$%@^&%^ headphone amp I bought. if anyone wants it $80. If not I'll ummmmm hmmmm dunno yet.........maybe use it as a doorstop.

Unfortunately be!@#$%^& gear doesn't function well as a doorstop because of a lack of weight. I think there is a mod where you can add steel reinforcement so that it can perform this function once it craps out. Unfortunately this mod will cost more than the original item.

I actually know a far cheaper mod, that works very well for "doorstop mode".
Step 1: Take the unit and remove top cover - make sure unit is unplugged from AC (like it would be plugged in right!!).
Step 2: Perpare a smooth mix of wet cement and sand, perferrably in a not-too-runny paste, but thick enough to pour easily.
Step 3: Pour contents of mixed cement into B#^%^*&* bottom casing, making sure all, wiring, connectors and parts are well and truely covered - no need for any isolation of components here.
Step 4: Replace top cover and stand for a few hours.
Step 5: Once dry, place in desired location.

Simple.

;-)

[Aearth]

What a waste of perfectly good cement mix. The cement probably has a greater value than the B%^$#@&&$.


nIC

[TimS]

What a waste of perfectly good cement mix. The cement probably has a greater value than the B%^$#@&&$.


nIC

there's a point
but you could always use leftovers.. ;-)

[Chinagraf]

Nah just buy that be!@#$%^& brand cement.

[Jason]

I have to use the DI100's all the time. Never had a problem with the phantom crapping out. Does not mean I don't have some real DI's in the truck just incase.[/url]

[Thirteen]

Those DI's are on of the only reasonable things that Deadringer make. It would be worth getting a tech to find the fault with the phantom, one the fault is known a mod could be done to make them reliable before they are put into service.

[Martin]

i've rarely played a venue that DOESN'T use those things, i've had phantom crap out on one or two of them, i guess dodgy leads or just general abuse kills them

the amount of beer/wine/spirits i've seen spilt into them at my feet is just scary, but they keep on kickin!

[musikwerks]

I've had more BSS Di's die on me and have phantom power issues than any other DI, and I've been mixing live since I was 14....so that's 20 years now. be!@#$%^& are just as good as any other DI in the price range. I bet if you put any other badge on it all you haters would love it and I would put money on it that in a blind test you couldn't hear the difference in a noisy, boozy pub venue. Gear snobs. But, I don't know ANY live sound engineers that do a show without a couple of spare pieces of gear in the truck.

[Alastair Reynolds]

Whatever happened to using a Jensen, Sennheiser , Lundahl or even a Harbuch Transformer DI ? Good CMRR --No Phantom needed. I keep a few of these built into diecast boxes for visiting guitarists when they do interviews and they sound great. Very quiet and great noise rejection. If you wanted to make them "bullet-proof" for gigging you could use sealed back 1/4 inch jacks and Pot the whole thing in epoxy. Would probably almost heavy enough to be a good doorstop too ;-)