So tough, you can actually drive a truck over it! The Type 85 lets you take any high impedance instrument signal and converts it to a balanced microphone (XLR type) output to feed your console. It provides a strong, clean signal to the mix board without adding noise or distortion and it has a parallel output to feed your on-stage amp. An input level switch lets you send a speaker-level signal to the input equaling up to 2,800 watts into 4 ohms.

The Type 85 works off of phantom power provided by your console or an internal 9V battery, and won't change the tone or volume you hear from your own amp like passive direct boxes. It won't add hiss, distortion or buzz like some other active direct boxes.

It has an incredibly smooth, sweet sound due to the fact that it uses only hand selected high quality discrete components woven into a single ended class A circuit much like the classic tube microphone preamp.

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

Hum and buzz are often caused by a connection between the mixer and ground at the guitar system. The Type 85 can always isolate ground, even when running on Phantom power. Most direct boxes can't do that.