Strymon PCH X2 Active Stereo DI Isolator

Putting a typical direct box on a high quality analyzer can reveal all manner of hidden issues – units sold as premium often exhibit audio behavior that is anything but, especially in the low frequency region or in measured total harmonic distortion. If you disregard all of the technical mumbo jumbo it just boils down to this: the audio running through your direct box is often being treated poorly. The phantom-powered and transformer-isolated Strymon PCH X2 Active Stereo DI Isolator is different.

SONICALLY TRANSPARENT

Designed to be pristine-sounding before any other feature, these are units that you can trust implicitly to handle your audio, no matter what kind of signal it is. Other direct boxes can distort low frequencies to the point where a low B on a bass guitar barely resembles the input, but the PCH X2 and remains flat from far lower than that (10 Hz) to well above what dogs can hear (80 kHz) within a half of a dB, as well as remaining clean and quiet throughout that range.

USEFUL FEATURE SET

Along with pristine audio, PCH X2 was designed with a host of real-world features that makes it ideal as direct interface and line isolator. Housed in a bulletproof 3mm extruded aluminum chassis for protection, it doesn’t matter if you're using it on a loud stage or in a quiet world-class recording studio, X2 balances your audio perfectly – and is small enough to fit just about anywhere. The X2 features a ground lift switch per channel to combat hum, as well as a three position high pass filter that allows you to roll off low frequencies at two different points: 80 Hz for taming rumble, and 240 Hz for more dramatically carving out space in the mix for low frequencies on other instruments. The X2 includes a non-buffered Thru output in addition to the balanced XLR out, allowing you to feed the input signal to an additional device like an onstage monitor or instrument amplifier separately from the balanced output.

The X2 features a phase reversal switch for reversing the polarity of the left XLR output, as well as a Sum switch that sums the inputs together and passes them to the left outputs (the right XLR output mutes to let you know Sum is engaged), allowing you to interface with both mono and stereo scenarios on the go without having to rewire anything.

STRYMON PCH X2 ACTIVE DI ISOLATOR FEATURES:

• Phantom-powered and transformer-isolated active stereo DI isolator
• Ground Lift switch
• Three-position high pass filter
• Defeatable Sum feature merges the Left and Right inputs and sends them to the Left outputs
• Extremely flat frequency response
• Extremely low total harmonic distortion (THD)
• Thick 3mm extruded aluminum external shell with 5mm ribs for bulletproof protection
• Shell awning design protects switches while allowing easy access
• High-quality long life jacks and switches