Rupert Neve Designs - RNDI

Rupert Neve Designs RNDI 1-channel Active Instrument Direct Box

Mono Active Direct Box with Custom Transformers, Class-A, Discrete FET Amplifier Circuit, Rugged Steel Chassis, Ground Lift, Speaker/Instrument Switch, and LED Current Consumption Meter 

Frustrated with a lack of performance from available DIs, Mr. Rupert Neve set out to design a new direct interface that conveys the undiminished tone and vitality of the source instrument while balancing and isolating the original signal. The resulting RNDI delivers on that promise with a powerful and vibrant direct sound capable of reproducing the full harmonic depth of basses, guitars, acoustic instruments, and professional line level sources. With portable, powerful, larger-than-life tone for your instrument signals and amplifier signals, the RNDI is truly the first standalone DI worthy of the Rupert Neve name.

The Development

After coming into existence during an experimentation with new transformer designs, the RNDI was fine-tuned over a series of listening tests against the the most popular high-end DIs available. It was in these tests where the RNDI always seemed to add another dimension to the sound and bring the instruments to life. The lows felt richer, deeper and fuller, and the highs had outstanding clarity without any added harshness. Most importantly, the design team noted: “As musicians, the RNDI consistently stood out as the DI we wanted to play through.”

The Elements of Direct Tone

The RNDI’s signature sound is the product both of new custom Rupert Neve-designed transformers and class-A biased, discrete FET amplifiers. The carefully orchestrated union of these two elements is key to the RNDI’s unique response.

The transformers provide superior passive isolation while adding musical harmonics and dimension to the sound. The low impedance, transformer balanced output excels at driving long cable runs, and performance is immensely consistent regardless of the connected equipment. This is very important for both live and studio environments where the unamplified signal may travel almost 100ft before hitting an amplifier. In other designs, these high capacitance lines cause major reductions in high frequencies, however the output stage of the RNDI unrivaled at handling long runs with minimal losses.

The class-A and discrete FET amplifier in the RNDI is powered by industry-standard 48V phantom power on the XLR connection, and creates a very high impedance input of 2M Ohms that ensures consistent performance with a wide variety of instruments. The significance of the RNDI’s class-A design is that there is no crossover distortion added to the signal, which can add upper order odd harmonics to the sound that are musically dissonant in nature. With the RNDI, the overwhelming majority of harmonic content is 2nd order (ocatve) with some 3rd order present (fifth above octave). These musically relevant harmonics – present in subtle amounts – actually add to the richness of the original signal. The discrete aspect of the RNDI design means there are no ICs or digital components that can have negative effects on the tone.

Rupert Neve Designs RNDI Direct Box Features at a Glance:

• Big and bold direct tone for basses, guitars, keyboards, and Piezo-equipped instruments
• Custom transformers deliver powerful low end and sweet highs without sacrificing clarity
• Flat frequency response within the audible 20Hz-20KHz range
• Extended response below 10Hz and above 100KHz
• Transformer and active circuits provide complete circuit isolation
• Extremely low output impedance and phase shift provide excellent, consistent results
• 1/4" In and Thru jacks; gold-plated XLR output
• Speaker/Instrument and ground lift switches; LED current consumption meter
• 48V Phantom powered
• Rugged steel chassis built to withstand life on the road

 STL Audio is the authorised NZ distributor for Rupert Neve Designs.