Gearank

The Art ZDirect is incredibly affordable. Those who have used the unit were pleasantly surprised to find that their expectations were not only met, but exceeded.

Reviews are consistent in saying that this unit sounds good and works as intended, it even comes with nifty features like input attenuation and phase inversion.

Also, in a price range where plastic reigns supreme, the ZDirect feels solid with plenty of metal, so you're not too scared of carrying it around.

Features:

• Passive DI Box Design
• Input Attenuator Switch
• Phase Inverter switch
• Input 1/4", Outputs: 1 XLR and 1 TRS Thru
• Weight: 0.75 lbs

Pros

The most obvious advantage of getting this unit is its super affordable price tag, you can buy many ZDirect boxes for the price of a single JDI! And in situations where budget is limited and you need big sound improvements, this is heaven sent. It is much better to have more instruments properly connected to your PA than have only one instrument sounding good, while the rest have problems.

Cons

You always get what you pay for, and in the case of the Art ZDirect, reliability can be an issue. Some reviewers are worried that they might accidentally break the unit's protruding plastic switches, so they caution that proper handling care is needed.

Overall

This is easily a good choice if budget is limited.

This was on our recommended list until we performed a comprehensive re-examination of the category in November 2019 and found more highly rated options available which you can see in our guide to The Best DI Boxes.