Radial JDX Reactor Guitar Amp Direct Box

No longer available at zZounds
Don't just mic up your guitar cabinet -- add this DI box between your amp head and cab, and send it to the board. The JDX preserves your amp's character!

The Radial JDX Reactor guitar amp direct box is designed to give you more consistent, natural sound on stage when you're playing guitar or bass through an amp. Put the JDX in line between your amplifier head and your speaker cabinet, and the JDX will capture the sound from your head -- plus, it will react to the load from your speaker cabinet, producing the same dynamic, natural sound that you're used to hearing from in front of your amp. That's what Radial means by "reactive amp emulation," and it's your secret weapon to getting great guitar sound without the trouble of miking up an amp. This easy-to-use box gives you a few must-have features, like a ground lift switch and a reverse polarity switch ro help keep your sound clear and under control. A maximum input level of 300 watts allows this baby to work with a wide spectrum of amp heads. Sneak this powerful active DI box into your signal chain and see how balanced, powerful, and big your sound can get.

Radial's Peter Janis explains how the JDX works its magic in this video:


Why You Might Not Want to Mic Your Amp

When you're performing onstage at a show, miking up a speaker cab can cause problems -- feedback, bleed, inconsistent sound resulting from inconsistent placement, and, of course, possibility of knocking the mic over if you move around a lot. The JDX can replace that mic on the front of your amp. Of course, you can also use a mic in addition to your Radial JDX Reactor DI box, opening the door for interesting read more stereo imaging or double tracking possibilities. The mic can add extra color, while the JDX gives you the consistent sound you need.

Switches and Features

You have one 1/4" input jack, one 1/4" output to speaker jack, and one XLR out to send to the house mixer. On each side of this baby are a reverse polarity switch and a groundlift switch. The reverse polarity switch helps you phase-correct your output if you run your signal through monitors, and the ground lift switch will help eliminate any unwanted buzzes or hums. An easily visible indicator light lets you know when ground lift is engaged.

Awesome Inner Circuitry

Inside your JDX Reactor DI box is 100% discreet class A circuitry to capture and maintain all of the tone your amplifier head dishes out -- providing a well-balanced and consistent sound to send back out to your cabinet, the PA system, and your recording station. This baby is also transformer-isolated, which helps eliminate buzzes and hums caused by grounding issues. A series of speaker-emulating filters and Radial's highly acclaimed class A signal buffering deliver precise and accurate output.

Robust Steel Chassis and Book-end Design

This DI box is great for regular gigging musicians on the road -- that is, it's built to take a beating. A 14-gauge steel chassis keeps all of the inner components of your JDX Reactor DI box safe and secure, and a cool "book-end" design keeps your input/output jacks and switches protected from damage.

Different Applications

Tointegrate the JDX into your speaker cab setup, plug your amp head directly into your DI's from amp 1/4" input jack. The "to speaker" 1/4" output jack goes back to your cabinet, and the XLR output can go straight to the house's mixer. You can utilize this same setup with a microphone on your cabinet to get two separate channels for interesting stereo imaging applications and a more produced sound. Try a Radial Phazer to phase-align the JDX signal and the mic signal for some big and fat guitar tones.

Features:

- Single-channel active DI box
- 100% discreet Class A circuitry
- Maximum input level of 300 watts
- Eliminates need for a microphone
- Precise and accurate speaker cabinet emulation
- One 1/4" input -- from guitar amp head
- One 1/4" speaker output -- send to cabinet
- One XLR out -- send to house mixer/PA system
- Perfect for live performances and recording sessions
- Ground lift switch
- Reverse polarity switch
- Power indicator light
- 15 VDC power supply included
- Indented panels keep inputs and switches protected
- Rugged 14 gauge steel chassis and outer shell -- baked enamel finish
- 1.55 pounds
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Signal type: Class-A, 100% discrete

Speaker emulation: Proprietary band pass filtering with reactive load

Input level: Maximum 300 Watts

Output: 600 Ohm electronically balanced

Total Harmonic Distortion: 0.005 % @ 1kHz

Power supply: 15VDC 400mA, power supply included

Construction: 14 gauge steel chassis and outer shell, baked enamel finish

Size (TX and RX)(W x D x H): 3.3 x 5.0 x 1.875 in., (84 x 127 x 48mm)

Weight: 1.55 lb (720 g)

Warranty: Radial 3-year, transferable

NOTE - THE JDX IS NOT A LOAD BOX
A speaker or equivalent load must be connected to the JDX at all times during use.

For support or warranty questions, please contact the manufacturer:
Phone: 604-942-1001

Radial JDX Reactor Guitar Amp DI Box

The Radial JDX Reactor is a direct box designed to capture the explosive dynamics and warm tone of the electric guitar by connecting between the head and cabinet of a guitar amplifier to provide a direct feed to the PA or recording system.

In use, the JDX improves on the consistency of the guitar signal over a typical microphone, as irregularities of mic placement and varying acoustics no longer play the dominant role on stage. When combined with a microphone, fatter tones can be created by double tracking and stereo imaging the two signals for more 'produced' results.

The Radial JDX Reactor is an easy to use interface with a sophisticated internal signal path that includes 100% discreet components, Radial's highly acclaimed class-A signal buffering, transformer isolation and a series of speaker emulating filters. On board functions include input connection from the amplifier head and throughput connection to the speaker cabinet. A ground lift switch allows the engineer to disconnect the earth ground from the mixing console. A polarity reverse is also offered that can be used to phase correct the output when run through stage monitors or simply interface with older gear that may not follow the current AES standard. The Radial JDX is transformer isolated to help eliminate buzz and hum caused by ground loops.

Housed in a 14 gauge enclosure, the JDX features an internal I-beam construction to reduce susceptibility of outside stress that could torque the circuit board and reduce long term performance of the switches and jacks. Two protective zones are created with a unique book-end design that keeps switches and jacks out of harms way. Finally, a full bottom no-slip rubberized pad keeps the JDX from sliding around on busy stages and from falling off ye old Marshall stack when played at 11. The JDX may be rack mounted with a Radial J-Rak or permanently mounted on the rear panel of an amplifier or inside a rack using the Radial J-Clamp.

Features:

- Guitar amplifier direct box with reactive load
- Speaker cabinet emulation for natural tone
- Direct feed to console eliminates need for a mic
- Ideal for recording and live performance

Usage Examples:

Using the JDX with an amplifier:
The Radial JDX connects between the head and cabinet with a balanced feed going to the PA. This set up eliminates the use of a microphone on stage, reducing clutter while providing the mixing engineer with a consistent tone independent of room acoustics, mic placement or bleed from other sound sources.

Combining the JDX with a microphone:
The JDX is connected as described above but a microphone is added for a second channel. The two sounds are then mixed together or spread 'stereo' to create a fatter tone. This setup is often used in the studio to create 'produced' tones.

Using the JDX with a Mic and a Radial Phazer:
The magic of the JDX is fully revealed when combining the JDX's direct feed with a microphone while incorporating the Radial Phazer to phase-align the two signals. This combination lets you dial-in the 'sweet spot' to produce fat rich guitar tones quickly. This is of particular advantage to touring bands that must set up quickly between gigs as they travel from one venue to another.

Reviewers gave this product an overall rating of 5 out of 5 stars. (5 ratings)
Submitted March 20, 2012 by a customer from mac.com in Northern California, CA

"Awesome!"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
a berklee classmate of mine turned me on to this thing. he was in the blues guitar course at the time and was showing off some killer blues tone with his srv strat into a fender amp. i've been unhappy with amp sims and had tried various load boxes with direct outs (including some well favored ones) and they just didn't do it for me. enter the JDX and i'm a happy camper!!! i sent my buddy some clips back and now he wants to buy the guitar and amp i have... lol! the JDX gives me hands down the closest print of what i'm hearing when i play that i've come across, and it comes in a very convenient and reasonably priced package. very happy with this purchase!
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