Passive DI in reverse as reamp

[hobbycore]

Is there any downside to using a passive DI in reverse as a reamping device? If so... what?

[calaverasgrandes]

the ratios will be right with a DI reversed but the impedances will be a little off. Meaning it'll be 10,000 to 600 ohm not 100,000 to 600. But thats still good enough for government work.

[;ivlunsdystf]

I do it all the time - it's not as hi-fi as a real reamp but I get good results with it

[RodC]

the ratios will be right with a DI reversed but the impedances will be a little off. Meaning it'll be 10,000 to 600 ohm not 100,000 to 600. But thats still good enough for government work.

It depends on the construction, rarely is anything truly 600 ohms these days.

And some DI boxes are 1M or higher. I have a couple of them that sound pretty good.

You also have to look at some of the plans floating around the interweb. Many of them really dont have a 1M impedance for the amp side. This side will affect the sound, but not as much as if you were to put a guitar/bass into a lower impedance.

Matching the impedance is important, but how the level is matched is critical as well. Many of the plans floating around have a 1:1 tranny and have simple resistors to match the impedance/levels.

I'll quit rambling, avoid it all and go into the effects loop return, thats what I do. There is a long thread around here somewhere describing the different ways I do Reamping to avoid the impedance/level matching issues.

[I'm Painting Again]

just to add..

having that impedance not ideal can cause a wonky frequency response..some of the other downs to not using a commercial reamp device is you might not get a trim control..earth lift..polarity flip..etc..which is really just icing but you know..

[jv]

the ratios will be right with a DI reversed

Actually, this is not true- the ratios will be the opposite of what you want for re-amping. Passive di's step down the signal. For instance, a passive di with a jensen di transformer steps the signal down by a ratio of 12 (22 db). So a di in reverse will STEP UP the signal by the same amount. So a 1 v peak-to-peak signal will be stepped up to 12 v p-p. For reamping, you want to lower the signal, so you need some serious attenuation in there somewhere.

[Osumosan]

Just for the record, I asked John Hardy this very question a couple years ago. His reply was that reversing a DI (even the ones he sells) was like jumping back into an airplane.

That said, I don't think a flat out "no" answer would be in the spirit of the TOMB credo, eh?

[hobbycore]

So.... the answer is pretty much "no"?

[calaverasgrandes]

for the record I was just shhoting rainbows out my ass on those numbers. In the real world I know most DI's will havediffernt numbers, but the ratios are representative, the ones I gave were for the DI used in the normal manner, of course in reverse the low side would be receiving the line.

I usually just pop the switch to -10 output and the passive DI I use DOES lower output also. I think it depends on your DI's tranny. Some indeed do have some gain inthe transformer. But being that its passive and we live in a universe constrained by the laws of thermodynamics you cant get gain for free. If its giving you volt gain its robbing the current of it and vicey vercey. kinda like goin from a 3"wide pipe with the eater moving at 1 foot a sec to a 1" pipe the wate will speed up its flow and increase pressure. Same amount of water though.
The whole impedance thing matters a lot more on older amps and gadgets than new ones. My old pedals sound like garbage when try to I re-amp thru them. They cant handle the impedance mismatch. Newer stuff does better. My 80's Mesa is particularly finicky on impedance as its lower than a lot of amps.

[;ivlunsdystf]

So.... the answer is pretty much "no"? :?

More like "it depends", I'd say; that's the answer to every question though...