For the average church, direct boxes can be after thoughts. Too many times I've seen cheap direct boxes destroyed-especially in youth worship ministries-by being yanked or kicked, with the ¼-inch jack turned sideways and the plastic threads stripped into irreparable condition.
Besides assessing durability, I suspect few of us actually analyze the sound quality of different DI's (as direct boxes are often called) before making a purchase.
The Countryman Type 10 Direct Box doesn't fit the typical mold of the oft-ignored DI. The first thing you notice is the one-piece, extruded architectural aluminum case and the recessed connectors and switches. This unit is obviously built for durability. I suspect you'd destroy the connector on the cord before you'd do damage to the Type 10.
The layout is similar to other DI's, with a ¼-inch input and thru connectors, plus a 0 dB, -15 dB and -30 dB pad switch on one side. The XLR output, ground lift switch and power test switch are on the other side.
This is an active DI, meaning it requires a power source: either a battery or phantom power. With an XLR connected, you can hit the power test switch to determine whether you are receiving phantom power or sufficient battery power.
As mentioned earlier, cheap DI's often feature plastic bolts and threads on the connectors. No plastic in sight on the Type 10. No doubt you could use this DI as a wheel chock.
We tested the Countryman in both guitar and bass in both a live sound (worship service) environment and in the studio. Using the Type 10, both instruments exhibited a bit more high-end sparkle. One listener said the bass had a bit more bite. Another heard more overtones and harmonics. In switching back and forth between the Type 10 and the DI built into the bass amp, we noticed the bass sounded flatter through the Countryman. A flatter sound can be a better starting point for an engineer as they have the most flexibility to fine-tune the instrument into their desired mix.
Noise was imperceptible.
While there certainly are more expensive DI's on the market, the Countryman Type 10 is a mid- to high-end DI that's built to last while sounding great. If your church chooses to invest in a necessary product (we all need DI's) that will likely last for many years, instead of treating DI's as throw-away items, you should definitely take a look at the Type 10.
