Behringer DI20 5-stars Reviews

Versatile little box

This little box from Behringer is a very handy addition to the home studio, mobile record rig or stage setup.

I have 2 of these and use them for live gig recordings with my mobile rig where I often don't know what I'm going to encounter until I arrive. These little boxes are very versatile and allow me to connect a wide range of instruments to my recording interface via balanced connections for best low noise performance with long cable runs.

For example, I've used them as classic DI boxes, to insert between instrument and amplifier and to simultaneously take a balanced line level output out to the interface, I've used a single unit to feed an unbalanced stereo output from a keyboard into twin balanced XLR inputs. I've used them to interface with a drum machine via the headphone output (the drum machines' main outs were broken).

They are powered via phantom power from the XLR connection or via 9V battery. You can connect instrument amplifier speaker outputs to them and use the inbuilt attenuator to match the signal. Other features include a ground lift, and the ability to use as either a twin channel single in single out DI box, or a single channel box with single in, multiple out.

Compact and lightweight, they seem rugged enough in day to day use, no issues with noise or build quality, and of course, excellent value.

To sum up, don't be put off by cheap reputation these are very versatile little tools and very competitively priced.

Great!

This is my second one, have the other for years and never failed.

Get one

Why DI at all?

So many people look at this amongst my bag of gear and just say 'What's that?' - I say it's my 'get out of jail' box!

This is a very solid DI box and totally reliable - the switches are decent and the jacks good quality - in fact the XLRs are so good that sometimes it's really difficult to dislodge the cables once plugged in!

The box itself is a decent size and provides enough tweak ability to be used in a number of settings - the most useful for me has been as a guitar amp DI and solving some line level problems when running straight into a mixer.

Every gigging musician should have one of these in their box of tricks!

Little box of tricks

This great little box of tricks is able to straiten out all sorts of signals. We use these to inject signals from laptops, stylophones, guitars, monotrons, to mention just a few, this little box is a bargain to say the least.

DI BOX

I have used these for years and have never had a problem with one. Handles bass guitar or keys with ease. Quiet when used for recording and good for live work. Solidly built to withstand the idiots who tread on them! A balanced line out, as well as XLR would be a useful addition.

Really impressed with this little unit

I can now plug two instruments into one DI box! really cool. The sound is great and I'll be buying more of these when we need another DI box.

Behringer D120 DI

Great product which provides a hand solution to basic DI needs.

Sound quality is excellent, clean and faithful.

The twin DI capability is very handy too.

Behringer DI20 Stereo Direct box field report

The Behringer DI20 is an (extremely) inexpensive DI solution. I have much more expensive DIs (BSS AR 116, Jensen-based Mercenary Audio, and ALTEC-based passives) and, I must say, the DI20 compares favorably considering the price.

This DI was purchased as I needed a DI with a very high (several MegaOhms) input impedance. The BSS have this type of impedance but I did not have enough channels of these for the project. Interestingly, the DI20 tech spec sheet on the Behringer site offers no clue as to the input impedance, however, armed with the knowledge that the DI20 is an active, op-amp buffered input - i took the chance that the impedance would be high, as ineed it turned out to be. The DIs were being used as high impedance buffers for piezo contact microphones, and the provision of an XLR 600 ohm balanced output meant that convenient interface with a mixer was possible. They worked extremely well for this purpose and no low-frequency roll-off effects were apparent with the piezos, so the input impedance matches that of the BSS DIs.

To summarize, the DIs performed admirably well for the project at hand, and have remained in my production case for live shows and recording. The build quality is a little delicate - but this is to be expected given the low price. This DI has a clear open sound, a little clinical as there is no 'iron' as with the BSS. There are a number of flexible switching options and it's stereo - so you get 2 DIs in one. It can be powered remotely by phantom 48 Volt, or via an onboard 9 Volt battery, so it's extremely flexible.

Neat little problem solver

I bought one of these with my PA mixer as a way of easily hooking up guitars on stage. The sound is excellent, construction is high quality, and the phantom power makes life easy.