J48 Active Direct Box Overview
"The Radial J48™ is the world’s finest active direct box. It has been optimized to handle extreme transients while maintaining the integrity of the audio signal to allow the natural tone of the instrument to shine through, both on stage and in the recording studio. Most battery-powered guitars and basses will produce as much as 7 Volts when played at maximum volume, which can easily overload typical active direct boxes which are only able to handle about 3 Volts. Exceeding the maximum voltage for a DI creates all types of distortion: bass sounds thin and lacks punch, guitars sound scratchy and tend to have sporadic peaks, and they lose their natural body resonance. The J48 features a unique switching power supply that steps up the internal rail voltage to an amazing 9 Volts, resulting in improved signal handling and greater headroom. This extra headroom significantly reduces harmonic, phase, and inter-modulation distortion, and has resulted in the J48 finding a home with countless pro touring acts and recording studios around the world." - Radial Engineering