Radial StageBug SB-2 1-channel Passive Instrument Direct Box Reviews

My go to DI for live keyboards. Protects my Nord from inadvertent phantom power finding its way to my outputs, sounds clean/true but chops off just enough of quick, sharp transients of bright piano sounds and what not to make them more pleasant at PA system volumes, and summing to mono through the SB2 leaves the signal significantly more intact than doing so via the Nord's inbuilt mono sum function. I carry two of them... if I need stereo I use both, if I need mono I just sum using one. A must have tool for any live keyboard player!

I've included this DI on a pedalboard chain for bass. It's completely isolated and very compact. Can fit anywhere. I even use it on live gigs. Although the power grid in our country is quite different than US or Canada, it still yields the best results and serves its purpose.

Sounds great, using it to pick up keys from the line out of his amp to go to my inears mixer, clean as a whistle, no distortion. Another benefit is the thru connector could be used as a second input, so I could merge 2 keyboards together in one DI if I had to for some reason.

Reliable, simple, well-built, sounds good. These are our go-to for basic DI applications, so we keep several around in our rental/production inventory. There are cheaper and pricier options, but these hit the spot. Love that they also sum on the two 1/4" jacks, so we use them with a 3.5mm to dual-TS cable for laptops/iPods.

I haven't had the chance to gig this one out yet, but Radial has a great rep. I've had too many gigs where an extra DI would have saved the day, and a tiny passive one like this is a no-brainer for your gigbag. You should just have one.

I really like this unit. It works great and it's passive so no power supply or phantom power is needed. You can plug into the unit and route to an amp via TRS cables and at the same time go out to the FOH with a TRS. Or you can simply use each output on its own as an option.

The design is very clever. The two quarter inch jacks will work as a set of stereo inputs that merge for the XLR out or one input feeds to the XLR and the other is an output to feed an amp. I'm using it to connect the earphone output on a guitar amp (which is stereo) directly to the mixer. The feed to the mixer is mono of course but any stereo parts from the amp aren't completely lost. It also works for my keyboard.

Using this on a Bass pedalboard where I am splitting my signal thru a clean and dirty pedal chain then back to an ABY pedal out to this DI... It is quiet! I do not notice any altering of my tone... perfect for me.

I use this to extend the line-out from a portable PA that does not have a balanced-out connection. Normally for small venues, I use just the one PA speaker. In larger rooms, I bring a second PA and chain from the first one. Running a long unbalanced line caused the signal to drop almost to the unusable level with the second system set for line-level input. I had to use mic level input and turn the gain way down, which makes it tricky to get set right.

With the SB-2 you can run across even a wide stage and not have much signal loss. The output is mic-level of course, but it is right in the normal range for mic input. I can set the second system at unity and have practically the same output levels at both speakers.

This unit looks ultra rugged. It is small. I wish it were even a bit smaller. If it were, I'd simply Velcro it to my main PA speaker.

This DI is incredible. It has tons of character and really makes the signal punchy and musical. Deeper lows, rich mids, silky highs. Definitely not as transparent as a lot of direct boxes, but that's exactly why I love it. If you record direct, put one of these in between and your ears will thank you. I use them on my td30 DI channels, my keys, guitar modeler, and bass. The only other DI I have enjoyed this much is the Neve RNDI. But when you need a lot of channels, that can add up real quick. I honestly love the RNDI, but this is a way more affordable option and brings in some of the same kind of character. Although I wouldn't say this is better, I wouldn't say it's worse. To me they are just slightly different flavors. So glad to have these. My mixes are better. There is more depth and space. This is simply one of the most affordable ways to improve your sound without breaking the bank. I also use these live on acoustic as well. Makes my guitar sound even better. Thanks Radial!

Got this little guy for my wife"s ukulele. We wanted a better sound for open mics and other quick setups and although it isn"t marketed for ukulele it works perfectly. Small and easy to throw in a gigbag. Always impressed by radial and sweetwater.

A great sounding DI. Simple, small with no sacrifices with sound quality.
Every musician & audio engineer should have at least one of these in there working tool box &/or microphone case.
While I have a variety of Radial products, this is my go to DI.

I use this for multiple applications. Firstly, on bass guitar I use this to send my pedal board's DI signal to my XR18 mixer and in ear monitors. Secondly, the thru output can be used to send to a separate recording interface or amp and cabinet. Thirdly, on keyboards, you can use the mono sum feature to sum a stereo keyboard signal into mono with absolutely no noise! I love my Stagebug SB-2. For a Radial DI BOX, this is the best value, period.

I bought this to connect my active Acoustic Bass (not upright) to the PA system at cowboy church. It works great. I use an Ampeg practice amp as my monitor and run a cord from my amp to the stagebug and from the stagebug to my bass. We don't turn the sound system on when we practice (weird right?) but it still allows me to use my amp with out changing anything.

DI Box would not work until Phantom Power is activated. It's my belief that Radial's QC is poor enough that they housed the active version of this DI in the passive enclosure and weren't aware of it.

Radial seems to have a reputation as one of the best in the biz. I used a different model several times in a theater I worked in. It did it's job unceremoniously. But this SB-2 is a dud. When I plugged it in the volume was less than half that of a way cheaper Horizon DI I have. No better when I summed a stereo feed into it. The Horizon got even louder and clearer when I did the same. For the money that this little box costs one would hope it would work a lot better. What a disappointment.