Behringer ADI21 active DI/preamp...

Behringer ADI21 active DI/preamp…

I ordered a Behringer ADI21 from Guitar Center on 11/17/12 expecting a 2-3 week delivery as stated on their website. After 4 weeks I called to find out what happened to my order. The next day GC told me it had shipped. The following day I received an E-Mail telling me my order had been cancelled. I called again and GC said I could be put back on the list in my original order and expect shipment in March. I told them no thanks. This is the first time I’ve had poor service from GC after many successful past orders. I then ordered the ADI21 from Amazon, based on Uncle David’s recommendation. It arrived in a week.

Any musician who’s ever plugged into a P.A. system or amp, especially with a passive piezoelectric pickup, has observed less than ideal acoustic reproduction. Myself and many others use an L.R. Baggs Para Acoustic DI to remedy this situation. Although the PADI is well worth it’s $160 buck ticket, it’s out of the price range for some. For $38 bucks, less than a fourth of the price of the PADI, I ordered and received the ADI21.

The package was well constructed to protect the ADI21:



Initial visual and physical observations show the PADI to be more robust in construction in heft, feel and controls. The PADI is heavily constructed of metal and the ADI21 is heavy plastic. The potentiometers on the PADI are smoother and feel more precise. There is no notch filter on the ADI21, like the one on the PADI, but the ADI21 does have parametric EQ to set the midrange control. It’s pretty obvious from the color scheme that the ADI21 was built as a competitor to the PADI. The ADI21 has the addition of a built-in footswitch to go between direct and active signals:



Both the ADI21 and the PADI have ¼” inputs and outputs, along with a balanced XLR output. The PADI has the addition of an effects loop:



The battery holder of the PADI is more stout and feels like it will last longer than the battery holder on the ADI21:

Plugging my Ovation/Applause UAE20 into the ADI 21 through my Roland AC-33 proved the ADI 21 to be a nice active DI box. It was able to get a natural sound from my UAE20 with plenty of boost in reserve for the combo. The LEVEL on the ADI21 is like a master volume and the blend is like an input gain when rotated clockwise. Counter clockwise on the blend control gives the dry signal of the ukulele:



In summary, the ADI21 gets the job done well for it’s price. If you’re on a budget, you will be pleased with the sound and functionality of the ADI21. On the converse, if you can afford the PADI, it’s more versatile and built for road abuse. If I’m playing a gig where another musician needs an active DI, I’ll loan them the ADI21 and I’ll use the PADI. Both work well, but the PADI has a definitive edge. Ric

Yup, I've got one too!
Would love to have the L.R. Baggs some day, but I'm not quite feeling the need to spend $100+ on it yet given the Behringer which does the job for my amateurish needs!

I don't discount the ADI21 as amateurish, Kissing. On the contrary, I am pleasently surprized that it performs so well for it's modest price. It is definately professional electronics. I began this as a $40 buck experiment and did not expect the quality of the ADI21 to be this good. I don't recommend gear I have not tried and like. I do recommend the ADI21. At $160 bucks, the PADI is not 4 times (or even 2 times) better than the ADI21. Ric

Ric,

I'm really interested in getting one of these. I can afford the PADI, I just don't know if I want to put that much into it. Other than occasional around the house use, I would use this to play at church 4 or 5 times a year. My real concern is with the sound quality of the ADI21. Is it as good as the PADI, or at least real close?

Just ordered one via Amazon. Ordered a couple of cables, too, as I don't have any...LOL.

I'll report on how the Pono sounds once it arrives tomorrow (I do love Amazon Prime).

The sound quality of the ADI21 is pretty much equal to the PADI, spoupard. I did not expect it to be this good when I ordered it and am pleasantly suprized. The ADI is well built, too. You won't regret purchasing an ADI21. Ric

Enjoy, Karasu. The ADI21 is a bargain, but it's also good sound gear. Looking forward to your report. Ric

Wow, thanks for all the great info, I think I'll pull the trigger on the Behringer too.

Well after such a strong endorsement, I ordered one today. I found a scratch and dent new with full warranty for only $28. To good to pass up.

spoupard said:

Well after such a strong endorsement, I ordered one today. I found a scratch and dent new with full warranty for only $28. To good to pass up.

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Whoa, any more there?

I got it from American Music Supply, but it looks like they may have had only one. It was listed on this page below the "non-factory sealed" unit.

http://www.americanmusical.com/Item--i-BEH-ADI21-LIST

You are right, the other one is $35

Let us know how it goes with American Music Supply, spoupard. Hopefully they are quicker than Guitar Center. Ric

I ordered from American Musical Supply on Friday, and received it today (Monday). I ordered a scratch and dent item, but I can't tell that it has ever been opened. It looks brand new. I still need to play with it a lot, but so far I am very pleased. I'm already getting some very pleasing, natural sounds out of it. I'm sure it will get better once I have some time to really dial it in. As good as the L.R. Baggs is supposed to be, I'm glad I saved the money and got this. I couldn't justify paying 3 times as much as I paid for this when I won't really use it that often.

The other controls seem self-evident, but what do the Pad & Gnd Lift buttons do?

Do these devices help with Ground noise problems? I love my Epiphone Les Paul, but with certain pedal/amp combinations it has a dreadful earth hum that is particularly noticeable when you aren't playing a note. It goes instantly if you put a hand on the jack, but then how can you play the instrument if you haven't got three hands?

The pad reduces the input level so more powerful sources do not overdrive the device, Barbablanca. The ground lift helps eliminate or isolate a ground loop. With your Epiphone setup the hum could be coming from thu ukulele pickup, the cable or the amp. It sounds like a grounding or shielding issue. Ric

ricdoug said:

I don't discount the ADI21 as amateurish, Kissing.

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I was discounting myself as amateurish, but it's certainly pleasing to know I'm using professional gear

I have an LR Baggs gig pro which does a fine job also for a few bucks less . Got this one on e-bay used $40. $90 new on amazon. Patience and watch evel bay reg there are some great sales now and then. My roland RX bass cube was 190 incl shipping brand new in the box. $279 on amazon ---- patience lol.