Countryman Type 85 Direct Box

The classic Type 85 connects any high-impedance instrument pickup, even piezo pickups, to a balanced microphone (XLR type) input. It provides a strong, clean signal to the mix board without adding noise or distortion. It won’t change the tone or volume you hear from your own amp like passive direct boxes. It won’t break just when you need it. It won’t develop a dead battery on stage because it runs on Phantom power.

The Type 85 uses only hand-selected high-quality discrete components woven into a single-ended class A circuit, much like a classic tube microphone preamp. The Type 85 has an incredibly smooth, sweet sound. Unlike many active DI boxes, the Type 85 can always isolate ground, even when running on Phantom power, to help eliminate hum and buzz from ground problems.

The Type 85 simply works. Provide 48 V Phantom power and the Type 85 will automatically use it. If you don’t have Phantom power, the Type 85 will run for about 400 hours from a single internal 9 V battery. The Type 85 doesn’t have roll off switches or effects. Adjusting the frequency content of a sound source is an artistic decision best done at the mixing location where you can hear the results and easily make changes.

Connectors and switches are recessed into a single-piece extruded case with extra-thick walls. You can literally drive a truck over a Type 85 without hurting it. Internal electronics are molded in a solid epoxy block and fully protected against electrical damage. The input can withstand 220V AC all day long and static spikes up to 20,000V.

Countryman Type 85 Features

• Connects any high-impedance instrument pickup, even piezo pickups, to a balanced microphone (XLR type) input
• provides a strong, clean signal to the mix board without adding noise or distortion
• Runs on Phantom power
• Eliminates hum and buzz from ground problems

• Type 85 Direct Box1

• Frequency Response20 Hz to 20 kHz (+/- 1 dB)
• Noise (Shorted Input)0.63 uVrms (-122 dBVrms)
• Distortion (1 VPP in)
  • THD (1 kHz): < 0.018%
  • IMD (10 kHz/60 Hz, 4:1): < 0.08%
• Power Options
  • 48V Phantom (0.4 mA)
  • 9V Battery (400 hours on a typical alkaline)
• Input Protection220 Vrms and 20,000 V static discharges
• Voltage Gain
  • Pickup mode: -10 dB
  • Speaker mode: -46 dB
• RF Filtering
  • Input: 250 kHz low-pass filter
  • Output: 30 kHz low-pass filter
• Maximum Input Level (1% THD)
  • Pickup mode: 5 Vpp
  • Speaker mode: 300 Vpp
  • (Equal to 2,800 Watts into 4 Ohms)
• Input ResistancePickup mode: 10 MOhm (10 times the input impedance of a typical guitar amplifier)
• Input Capacitance160 pF (equal to 2 m of low-capacitance guitar cable)
• Dimensions5x3x1.75" (127x77x45mm)
• Weight18.5 oz (0.52 kg)