Tech 21 SansAmp Bass Driver DI V2

So I finally got around to trying this somewhat legendary effect/DI. I have very mixed feelings about it.

Pros:

-Very good build quality.

-Good quality sound for going amp-less straight to the mixing desk if you're looking for this specific kind of bass sound.

-Very easy to use, excellent manual.

-Excellent connectivity: thru/unbalanced/balanced.

-Option for using phantom power instead of 9v.

Cons:

-The clean signal coming out of the balanced xlr is not quite as good as on a dedicated DI box like a Radial J48. The clean side of the BDDI is somewhat less open and powerful sounding by comparison. To be fair it's a VERY subtle difference but still noticable.

-The effect sound is not very versatile. If you need this kind of sound it's great but you won't get ANYTHING other than a sort of mic'ed Ampeg SVT+810 vibe out of it. It has that hollow/boomy quality that I'm not a huge fan of with SVT rigs. Sometimes they're great but I normally prefer a less "baked in" sound. Or at least the possibility to tweak the sound more. Everything you get out of the BDDI are variations over the same theme.

-The sound from this box has been used so much that it actually feels a bit dated. If this is the sound you're really looking for then sure it's great. If not I would get something else instead.

-The jack sockets are a bit too tight for my taste. This is probably a good thing if you've got it permanently installed on your board but if you need to insert jacks using one hand in a tight spot it gets really tricky. Not a huge problem but it got surprisingly annoying really fast!

-It's very expensive for what you get. You can buy a small AMP for this kind of money! And there are plenty of other preamp pedals that sound great and are a lot more versatile.

My verdict:

If this is 100% the sound you want, sure it's great. If not I think it's much too expensive for what you get. It's a fun little addition to my bass&studio gear collection but I honestly don't think I will be using it as much as I thought. I actually like the drive characteristics a lot but I wish there was a way to disconnect the speaker simulation. It's got that hollow Ampeg 810 vibe that I'm not a big fan of. I would probably use it a lot more if I could have used it as a regular stomp box/preamp for the overdrive/eq but without the speaker sim.