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moosers
Published on 03/21/10 at 00:03
The Ampeg SVT-DI is a vacuum tube based direct injection box, designed for use in the studio. Like all DI boxes, it can of course be used in a live setting if you so choose, but as far as the SVT-DI goes I'd recommend only using it in the studio since it does have a vacuum tube inside of it, making it more fragile than your standard DI box. The SVT-DI has 1/4" connections for input and thru, and an XLR balanced output. It also has buttons for a pad, a ground lift, as well as for choosing between tube and direct.
UTILIZATION
There isn't all that much that you need to know about the way the Ampeg SVT-DI runs, as most of it is self explanatory and you will be able to pick it up as you go along. Even if you haven't got prior experience with direct input boxes, I think that you'll be able to figure out everything without much of a problem. Getting a good sound from it is as simple as sending something that sounds good to it, as it will take care of the rest!
SOUNDS
As far as direct injection boxes go, the Ampeg SVT-DI probably has the fullest and warmest sound of any that I've used. While you can bypass the tubes and go direct, this isn't something that I do unless I'm looking for a specific type of tone. I've used the SVT-DI primarily for recording bass guitar, but it can be used for anything where you would want a thick DI sound. I think that you'd be hard pressed to find an application where this direct box didn't sound good...
OVERALL OPINION
While they no long manufacture the Ampeg SVT-DI, you can still find them pretty easily used if you're looking for one. There aren't too many other tube based DI boxes that I've used, and the SVT-DI would probably be the one that I'd recommend if you were looking for one. I don't know exactly what these would cost used, but since they weren't the cheapest DI boxes to begin with, I think you're still going to have to pay a bit more than average for this. All in all I would say that it is definitely worth it, as this is built like a brick and is a great sounding tube DI that will last a long time...
UTILIZATION
There isn't all that much that you need to know about the way the Ampeg SVT-DI runs, as most of it is self explanatory and you will be able to pick it up as you go along. Even if you haven't got prior experience with direct input boxes, I think that you'll be able to figure out everything without much of a problem. Getting a good sound from it is as simple as sending something that sounds good to it, as it will take care of the rest!
SOUNDS
As far as direct injection boxes go, the Ampeg SVT-DI probably has the fullest and warmest sound of any that I've used. While you can bypass the tubes and go direct, this isn't something that I do unless I'm looking for a specific type of tone. I've used the SVT-DI primarily for recording bass guitar, but it can be used for anything where you would want a thick DI sound. I think that you'd be hard pressed to find an application where this direct box didn't sound good...
OVERALL OPINION
While they no long manufacture the Ampeg SVT-DI, you can still find them pretty easily used if you're looking for one. There aren't too many other tube based DI boxes that I've used, and the SVT-DI would probably be the one that I'd recommend if you were looking for one. I don't know exactly what these would cost used, but since they weren't the cheapest DI boxes to begin with, I think you're still going to have to pay a bit more than average for this. All in all I would say that it is definitely worth it, as this is built like a brick and is a great sounding tube DI that will last a long time...