Warm Audio Direct Box Active DI box

Active Direct Box Built Around a CineMag Transformer

The WA-DI-A is Warm Audio's mono active direct box for sending guitars, basses, and keyboards into mic preamps, stage mixers, and audio interfaces without dulling the source tone. A custom USA-made CineMag output transformer pairs with 100% Class-A discrete analog circuitry, so the harmonic shape of any signal reaching the console stays intact. Weighing only 0.5 kg, the compact 190 x 70 x 190 mm aluminium housing slips onto crowded pedalboards and studio racks alike.

What Separates This Active Design

Switchable Active/Passive control on the rear panel is the standout feature. The unit auto-detects +48 V phantom power from the connected mixer or interface and engages active mode without operator input; flip the rear toggle and the same enclosure runs as a fully passive DI on two internal 9 V batteries, yielding over 1,600 hours of continuous runtime per battery set for remote and mobile rigs.

Inputs, Outputs, and Signal Routing

Front-panel layout supports simultaneous direct and miked-cabinet capture in a single pass, useful for FOH feeds, re-amp workflows, and live recording setups.

• Input: 1 x 1/4" instrument/amp jack on the front face accepts either a passive guitar output or a hot amplifier feed, with no re-patching required between sessions.
• Balanced Output: 1 x XLR (600 Ω) + 1 x 1/4" thru sends a balanced mic-level feed to the console while looping the dry signal onward to a stage amp.
• Hot active pickups or loud amp outputs cannot overload the input stage, because the variable pad sweeps continuously from -3 dB to -30 dB — keeping every signal level under control.

Phase Reverse, Ground Lift, and Amp Output Switching

Three front-panel toggles fix the most common live and tracking issues before they ever reach the engineer.

• Phase reverse corrects polarity when layering the DI feed against a mic'd cabinet for combined blends.
• Ground lift decouples earth references between pedalboard, amp, and console to silence stubborn ground-loop hum on stage.
• Amp Out selector — a front-panel toggle that routes a hot amplifier signal directly through the XLR output for clean FOH capture or studio re-amping.

Construction and Powering

Rugged metal enclosure, dual power options, and an LED phantom-power indicator make this direct box a "set and forget" piece of front-end gear that survives touring load-outs.

• Chassis: all-metal aluminium enclosure, 190 x 70 x 190 mm, 0.5 kg — compact enough for pedalboard side-mounts yet tough enough for flight cases.
• Mobility comes from dual power options: +48 V phantom power with auto-detection, plus 2 x 9 V batteries rated at 1,600+ hours — functions in any console, interface, or stage-box environment.
• Analog signal path: 100% Class-A discrete circuitry preserves transient response from passive pickups without adding op-amp colouration.