Whirlwind's top-of-the-line DI is an active direct box that operates with batteries or phantom power. Its super-clean front-end circuitry delivers extremely wide and flat frequency response and will reveal hidden harmonics from guitars and basses with high-output passive pickups.
Features include:
1/4" parallel wired in/out jacks
Ground Lift switch to help eliminate hum and buzz
Input switch selects between instrument/line or speaker level input signals
LED indicates "ON" status
Aesthetics
The best Direct Box that Whirlwind makes is also thier best looking. Available in black metal, the HotBox is fashionable year-round.
Techno Babble you can impress your friends with:
Direct boxes are often referred to as “DI” boxes. This stands for “Direct Injection” as their main purpose is to convert instrument signals into a format suitable for direct connection to a mixing console - without the use of a microphone.
The same conversion that occurs with a passive DI can also be accomplished with an active electronic circuit. An advantage of using an active circuit is that it can be fine-tuned to produce a wider frequency response than can be achieved with an entirely passive DI.
When converting impedance with a transformer, the impedance and signal reduction required for the output dictates that the primary of the transformer be in about the 20,000 Ohm range. Although this is a fairly high impedance, the high frequency component of the applied signal would be better preserved if the input impedance were even higher.
Its input impedance of the HotBox is 1 million Ohms, 50 times higher than a passive DI. This ultra high impedance preserves the upper harmonics from all signals, especially passive guitar pickups.
Also, the frequency response of the HotBox is extended from 20Hz to 200kHz, +/-3dB.
The HotBox also features a pad switch for connection to speaker level signals. It operates with (2) 9V batteries or phantom power.
Specs
Input Impedance: 1 Meg Ohms
Frequency Response: 20Hz-150kHz ±3dB
Residual Output Noise: -115dB
Maximum Input Level: +15dBm - battery, +20dBm - 48V phantom. Add 20dBm with pad engaged
Power Requirements: (2) 9V batteries or 48V phantom
Battery Life: approximately 300 hours
Current Draw: approximately 4.0mA DC
Warranty
3 Years.
