Radial starts shipping JDI Stereo

Radial Engineering has revealed that its JDI Stereo direct box, first announced at NAMM in January, has now started shipping.

Features include input and thru-put 1/4" connectors, plus a -15dB input pad on each channel. This is supplemented with a ground lift switch that lifts pin-1 on the two XLR outputs to further reduce hum and buzz caused by ground loops.

Built to handle the abuse of live touring, the JDI Stereo employs a 14-gauge steel I-beam inner frame and a book-end outer shell, designed to eliminate stress on the PCB and reduce opportunity for solder joints to go ‘cold’, while the outer shell creates a protective zone around the switches and connectors. The steel enclosure works with the transformer’s mu-metal cans and internal Faraday shield to protect the inner workings from magnetic fields such as those generated by stage amplifiers to ensure signal transfer is quiet and free from hum.

"Stemming back nearly 20 years, the Radial JDI has become the undisputed leader in high-end passive direct box technology and there is no question that the JDI Stereo is sure to follow suit,” remarked Radial president Peter Janis. “We have spent countless hours on top, behind and below concert stages, discussing the needs of today’s most demanding technicians.

"One of the reoccurring themes is the use of two direct boxes to handle a stereo source. And although Radial has been producing stereo direct boxes such as the Duplex for years, the move towards compact setups to lower the cost of air travel has become an important attribute whose time has come. The JDI Stereo is simply the solution to a new problem that is based on economics."

The first off-the-line JDI Stereo was delivered to the Commodore Ballroom music venue in Vancouver, and the Commodore’s FOH engineer Paul Way commended its efficiency: "The new Stereo JDI allows the Commodore to offer yet another high quality Radial DI option to our visiting engineers and artists. A stereo solution in a single classic package, very useful on a crowded stage or pedal board."

http://www.radialeng.com