Detail 01
Active circuit
Needs power but presents higher input impedance, so passive pickups keep their high end instead of going dull.
Product detailSKU #1273887987294
ArtARTcessories Xdirect Professional Active Direct Box
Independent shopping perspective
The Korena take
Active DI box for sending instrument-level signals to a mixer over long balanced cable runs. For stage and studio use.
Strong match
Who this is for
- Running bass or acoustic pickup to a mixer across a stage
- Taking a keyboard output to front of house
- Studio sessions splitting an instrument to amp and interface
Consider the trade-offs
When to look elsewhere
- Players who only plug straight into an amp on small gigs
- Anyone needing multiple channels in one box
- Speaker-level tapping from an amp output
What matters in use
The specifications, translated
Catalog numbers tell only part of the story. These are the details most likely to change how this product feels, sounds, or fits into a setup.
Detail 02
Direct box
Converts unbalanced high-impedance instrument signal to balanced low-impedance, so long cable runs stay quiet.
Detail 03
Balanced XLR output
Plugs straight into a mixer's mic input and rejects hum picked up along the cable.
Detail 04
Compact ARTcessories housing
Small enough to sit on a pedalboard edge or clip to a mic stand rather than taking rack space.
Final check
Know before you order
- 01Active boxes need power; confirm your mixer supplies phantom power on that channel
- 02XLR cable to the mixer is not included
- 03Check whether you need a through jack to also feed your stage amp
Product questions
Before you decide
Straight answers to the questions shoppers most often ask about this product.
01Do I need phantom power?
Active DI boxes require power to run their circuit. Confirm your mixer channel supplies phantom power, or plan for the alternative supply method the unit accepts.
02Active or passive DI for bass?
Active suits passive bass pickups because the higher input impedance preserves treble. Passive DIs work better with already-active outputs like keyboards.
03Can I plug my amp's speaker output into this?
No. This takes instrument-level signal. Speaker-level output requires a DI rated for that, and sending it here risks damage.
04Why not just run a long instrument cable?
Unbalanced instrument cable picks up hum and loses high end past roughly 20 feet. A DI converts to balanced so the run stays clean.
