ART dPDB 2-channel Passive Direct Box

Built like a tank! Works very well.

Both the outside and inside of this unit look great! Heavy steel case, quality components, only a few hand soldered connections, transformer is securely glued to the circuit board. Nice diagram on top making it very clear how things are connected. Everything including the switches are CLEARLY labeled (in my opinion some aren't or you can't tell which position of the switch(s) engage a particular function). I like how the attenuation switch is reasonably well protected from getting bumped/changed during handling between gigs (some have push button switches that look like they could be easily changed by accident) Tested it and the attenuation switch operates smoothly with no noise or fussiness. Frequency response was measured to be 3 dB down at 5 Hz, almost no loss at 20 Hz; at the high end, less than 1 dB loss at 20 kHz.

Currently using to connect a Yamaha Tyros 5 keyboard, to a Midas M32 console, over an approx. 90’ real old in-built snake. Very happy with the performance so far. Sound quality is very transparent, and doesn’t seem to change the ambient noise floor.These things are very well-built and designed. I purchased a similar product from Pile Pro A couple years ago, and while the sound quality was good, and the features were identical to this, I was not impressed with the design of the switches and ground lift buttons. It did not seem like it would survive in a rough stage environment—seemed like one good kick would take off a switch. No such problem with these ART units!Because I sometimes use sets of these to create artificial line level returns along microphone channels on a snake, I needed them to be reversible, which these are. That is one serious advantage of a passive direct box over an active one.

I have a bunch of these that I’ve used for many years. Never an issue of any kind.

This is the first ART component I purchased. I was pleased with the unit for the price. It is solidly constructed and works well. I got it to save space and money and am using it for my church's electronic drum set. Getting the job done nicely.

Good

This unit is built like a tank, clearly designed for professional use. I use it to convert an unbalanced stereo video projector output to balanced through 20 feet of XLR cable to powered PAs. Audio is noise free. Highly recommended product.

Bought 2 of these to use with a live V-drums setup with 4 channels total. They seem extremely built, thick steel and quite heavy for the size. The 1/4" jacks have surface mount nuts which seem to hold up way better than the screw mount internal jacks. Sound is clean and accurate. Can't beat the price compared to Radial, Whirlwind, etc. And come on... can anyone REALLY hear a Jensen transformer in a live application?