View other reviews for this product:
moosers
Published on 12/19/09 at 17:28
The Summit TD-100 is top tier tube based direct input box. I haven't seen too many models like this that are tube based and are only an instrument and not mic pre amp. The unit is an analog one that simply has a 1/4 inch input and 1/4 inch direct output on the front of it. It isn't in a rack mountable form as it spans about half the size of a traditional single space rack mountable piece of outboard gear.
UTILIZATION
Using the Summit TD-100 is just about as easy as it gets for a DI box as it only has a small amount of parameters to work with. The unit has knobs for output gain and loading and has switches for polarity and grounding. These are the only settings that you have to play with here, which isn't a bad thing as it makes the unit incredibly easy to use and understand. I haven't had a need for the manual and since this is so easy to use I don't believe that one is necessary anyway.
SOUND QUALITY
The sound of the Summit TD-100 is as good as it gets for a direct input box. It is rare that you see a tube based DI box like this, but the sound of this is comparable to tube based mic pres that have options for using it as a direct input. It is perfect for recording anything direct including keyboards and bass guitar which are the two main things that I have used this for. I find that I can get an extremely full bodied direct input tone with this unit, but I usually choose to get an amp sound in addition. This being said, you can definitely get some great tones with the TD-100 even if you are solely using it on its own.
OVERALL OPINION
If you're looking for a tube based DI box, the Summit TD-100 is probably the best that I have used and is one that I would wholeheartedly recommend checking out. While I don't know how big of a market there is for tube DI boxes that cannot be used used as a mic pre, if you are looking for one the TD-100 needs to be at the top of your list. The price isn't exactly cheap for a DI box, so if you are looking for a tube based pre I would probably recommend spending a few extra bucks to get something that has microphone capabilities. However, if you are looking for a top tier DI box that runs on tubes, the Summit TD-100 is the item you have been looking for.
UTILIZATION
Using the Summit TD-100 is just about as easy as it gets for a DI box as it only has a small amount of parameters to work with. The unit has knobs for output gain and loading and has switches for polarity and grounding. These are the only settings that you have to play with here, which isn't a bad thing as it makes the unit incredibly easy to use and understand. I haven't had a need for the manual and since this is so easy to use I don't believe that one is necessary anyway.
SOUND QUALITY
The sound of the Summit TD-100 is as good as it gets for a direct input box. It is rare that you see a tube based DI box like this, but the sound of this is comparable to tube based mic pres that have options for using it as a direct input. It is perfect for recording anything direct including keyboards and bass guitar which are the two main things that I have used this for. I find that I can get an extremely full bodied direct input tone with this unit, but I usually choose to get an amp sound in addition. This being said, you can definitely get some great tones with the TD-100 even if you are solely using it on its own.
OVERALL OPINION
If you're looking for a tube based DI box, the Summit TD-100 is probably the best that I have used and is one that I would wholeheartedly recommend checking out. While I don't know how big of a market there is for tube DI boxes that cannot be used used as a mic pre, if you are looking for one the TD-100 needs to be at the top of your list. The price isn't exactly cheap for a DI box, so if you are looking for a tube based pre I would probably recommend spending a few extra bucks to get something that has microphone capabilities. However, if you are looking for a top tier DI box that runs on tubes, the Summit TD-100 is the item you have been looking for.