DI Shootout : Profire 2626 VS Countryman type 85

Where is the Countryman ?

  • 1 and 3

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 1 and 4

    Votes: 2 28.6%
  • 2 and 3

    Votes: 1 14.3%
  • 2 and 4

    Votes: 4 57.1%

  • Total voters
    7

LeSedna

Mat or Mateo
Jan 20, 2008
5,391
2
38
Montpellier, France
Recently purchased a Countryman type 85 Dibox and I have my instruments with relatively clean strings, so I threw a quick riff in both of them. I don't wanna waste time right now so I did only record a quick shitty riff so keep in mind playing is different in both takes.

Bass is cheap LTD 50 (stock), Guitar is ESP SV Standard (EMG)

Here is a shootout, can you guess the correct answer ? 1 and 2 are either the bass 2626 or countryman DI, and the files 3 and 4 are the guitar in either 2626 or countryman. I tried to match the volume.

file 1
file 2
file 3
file 4

I don't wanna give the answers in X days so here they are, please don't tell the answer in the thread or it would kill the purpose of knowing if a good active DI is worth it or not for your ears when you have a similar interface. Here you go for the answers :

answers

And here are the non hidden files if you wanna keep that in your harddrive:

bass 2626
bass countryman
guitar 2626
guitar countryman

I'm trying to blindtest myself because I'm still in a possible psychological bias effect, but I think I hear clear improvement nonetheless but not where I would have thought it would be, because I know the recordings themselves. But I think I clearly hear the difference now. I had my WTF moment in the beginning when I didn't understand why the phantom power had no effect on the countryman, and that the only difference I could have is switching from PICKUP to SPEAKER (which lowers the volume cause of impedance mismatch) until I discovered it's shipped with an internal 9V battery already included which means it works regardless of the phantom power :lol:
 
The difference is obvious, esp with the bass being more "there" and even with the contryman but I knew that already since I have both the 2626 and the T85.
 
Yeah I'm quite surprised the difference is that obvious in the end ! If I could have had a shootout like this one before, i would have bought one earlier even for my little demos. I don't imagine the difference between my old toneport UX2 and a T85.
 
Just a slightly off-topic, but while we're there, how do sound those DIs (left and right guitar if ever you wanna pan them in your daw) : http://dl.dropbox.com/u/881054/TEMP/DI1.wav http://dl.dropbox.com/u/881054/TEMP/DI2.wav ? I've recently re-soldered some parts in my ESP EMG's circuits so I wanna be sure it sounds right now, and would like an external confirmation they do sound okay before I start recording with this guitar.
 
Thanks for this shootout! Just checked the answers and got them right. Pretty huge difference. Is there any shootouts between Fireface 800 and any good active DI's? Maybe a bit offtopic, but I would really like to know differencies between inbuild DI inputs with various interfaces or do they all suck, or is it just the 2626?
 
I'm not really used to judge Di tracks, the Countryman sounds more "dry" and precise, it's that what we need to have a more "clear" sound? Sadly I couldn't find any comparative between differents DI box (only THIS one is GOOD and this other is BAD (countryman vs 30$ di box...))
 
I would not resurrect threads of years past. but you can re-up the audio files? i wanna know if would good to buy a pro DI as countryman type 85. thanks
 
I would not resurrect threads of years past. but you can re-up the audio files? i wanna know if would good to buy a pro DI as countryman type 85. thanks

I saw the thread and thought it was new. Been debating on the Countryman and currently rock the 2626. Would also love to hear the comparison if it's still out there.
 
and another question. how is the difference between counstryman type 85 (or pro DI box) and integrate DI circuit in audio interface? (i use focusrite saffire pro 24 for example). thanks