Midas Klark Teknik DN200 DI Box

Midas Klark Teknik DN200 DI Box
Building on the success of DN100, the DN200 offers the same high headroom, dynamic response and sonic clarity, with the added convenience of two stereo channels in the same sized enclosure. DN200 is ideal for interfacing computers, keyboards, samplers and other electronic musical instruments to mixing consoles, and faithfully reproduces the character of electric and acoustic instruments, allowing far more of the detail of musical performances to be captured. DN200 is intended for professional applications where +48 V phantom power is a standard feature on all mixing consoles, and its innovative design results in a significantly higher clipping point than many other active DI Boxes, providing +10 dBu output into a 2 k Ohm load. This increased headroom means that much higher level input signals can be accommodated without the need for an attenuating pad. Combined with a very low noise input circuit topology, DN200 offers a very wide dynamic range and only requires a single -20 dB pad, which is optimised for use with electronic musical instruments.

DN200 is built to handle the rigours of life on the road, a thick aluminium extrusion protects the electronics, and in turn is covered by a tough silicone rubber sleeve. DN200 offers two flexible signal routing options, in Sum mode both inputs are summed at -6 dB to maintain the overall signal level and are routed to the left output. In Split mode, the left input is routed to both outputs at unity gain. Both option switches include LEDs for clear indication of signal routing. Exhaustive listening tests using a wide variety of active and passive bass guitars, electro-acoustic guitars and electronic musical instruments were carried out to select the components for DN200 to achieve the best musical sound. Not only was the choice of the audio transformer particularly important in achieving this goal, but the impedances of the surrounding components were also highly critical in getting the best possible performance out of the audio transformers. The line-driving characteristics of the transformer outputs were carefully optimised to provide the best frequency and phase responses for short and long cables and widely differing line and termination impedances.

Care was taken in the design of the DN200 to avoid audio transformer core saturation and a fixed high pass filter has been included in the signal path to roll off frequencies below those that are musically important. The lowest note on a 5- or 6-string bass guitar is B0 with a frequency of 30.87 Hz, and the lowest note on an 88-key piano keyboard is A0 with a frequency of 27.50 Hz. DN200 still maintains a frequency response of ±0.5 dB at these lowest musical notes.

As well as the transformers in the signal paths, DN200 also has separate transformers to isolate the independent power rails to the two input circuits from the phantom power supply sourced from the output XLR connectors. When used in conjunction with the Earth Lift switch, this full galvanic isolation of input and output interfaces ensures that any risk of earth loops is avoided when taking direct feeds from stage backline equipment.

A custom instrumentation-grade input circuit was designed for the DN200 using advanced analogue design techniques to create the very high input impedance required by passive guitar and bass pickups, whilst keeping the actual component values low to minimise noise. This innovative approach to circuit design produces a very low noise floor, which combined with the high clipping point creates an unrivalled dynamic range in a +48 V phantom powered DI Box.