Live Wire Solutions ADI Active DI Box

The Live Wire Solutions Active DI Box is a mini direct input box that can be used in a variety of situations. I’ve only used it in a recording studio setting, but it’s definitely more than suitable for live sound as well. Since it’s an active DI, it runs on a nine volt battery for which it has a battery compartment. You do have the option of turning the battery on or off. As far as connections go, it’s got ¼” jacks for input and thru, and an XLR output for sending it to your console, audio interface, etc. It’s not rack mountable as it’s a box.



UTILIZATION

It’s not hard at all to use the Live Wire Solutions Active DI Box. It does give you a nice array of features that you’ll only find on the most in depth DI boxes, which of course is a good thing. Included on the box are two -20 db attenuations, which when both are engaged will give you a total of –40 db, although I’m not sure why you would ever need that much of a pad. The box also has a ground lift button and a phase invert button in addition to the aforementioned battery on/off button. The box is surely easy enough to use where you don’t need a manual.


SOUND QUALITY

The sound of the Live Wire Solutions Active DI Box is definitely pretty true. It doesn’t seem to color your sound, but it’s definitely a bit hot since it’s an active DI, which I guess is why they give you extra attenuation if needed. I’ve only used the box for recording hardware synthesizers, but it’s more versatile than this if you want it to be. I have some friends in a band who also have one of these for their live sound set up…


OVERALL OPINION

For such a tiny and compact DI box, the Live Wire Solutions Active DI Box surely has the full set of features that you’d want with a DI box. Most DI boxes are passive, so it’s nice to have a change of pace with one that’s active. The price is quite cheap for a DI box of this caliber, so if you’re looking for an active DI box for any purpose, this is definitely one you should be aware of.