Rupert Neve Designs RNDI Active Transformer Direct Interface
With portable, powerful, larger-than-life tone for your instrument and amplifier signals, the RNDI is truly the first standalone DI worthy of the Rupert Neve name.
The Development
After coming into existence during an experimentation with new transformer designs, the RNDI was fine-tuned over a series of listening tests against the the most popular high-end DIs available. It was in these tests where the RNDI always seemed to add another dimension to the sound and bring the instruments to life. The lows felt richer, deeper and fuller, and the highs had outstanding clarity without any added harshness.
Active + Passive: The Best of Both Worlds
The RNDI’s signature sound is the product both of new custom Rupert Neve-designed transformers and class-A biased, discrete FET amplifiers. The carefully orchestrated union of these two elements is key to the RNDI’s unique response.
THE TRANSFORMERS
The custom transformers provide superior passive isolation while adding musical harmonics and dimension to the sound. The low impedance, transformer-balanced output excels at driving long cable runs, and performance is immensely consistent regardless of the connected equipment. This is very important for both live and studio environments where the unamplified signal may travel almost 100ft before hitting an amplifier. In other designs, these high-capacitance lines cause major reductions in high frequencies – not so with the RNDI.
THE CLASS-A, DISCRETE FET AMPLIFIERS
The class-A & discrete FET amplifier in the RNDI is powered by 48V phantom, and creates a very high impedance input of 2M Ohms that ensures consistent performance with a wide variety of instruments. The class-A design ensures that zero crossover distortion is added to the signal, which can add upper-order odd harmonics that are musically dissonant in nature. With the RNDI, the overwhelming majority of harmonic content is 2nd order (octave) with some 3rd order present (fifth above octave). These musically relevant harmonics, present in subtle amounts, actually add to the richness of the original signal. And the discrete aspect of the RNDI design means there are no ICs or digital components that can have negative effects on the tone.
Massive Headroom + Speaker Mode
In instrument mode, the RNDI’s high input headroom of +21.5dBU is capable of handling not only instruments, but professional, line level sources like interfaces and drum machines – without a pad. This allows the RNDI to serve as a way to “re-preamp” any previously recorded track using your interface and a desired pre-amp. To do this, simply connect a channel output of the interface to the input of the RNDI and connect the RNDI’s output to the preamp and engage 48V. By “re-preamping” you can apply the tone of another preamp to the source and more accurately automate or control the drive level on the preamp.
In speaker mode, the RNDI can handle the screaming output of a 1000-watt solid-state power amplifier (92 Vrms or 266Vp-p) to capture the full tone of the instrument, preamplifier, EQ, inserts, and the amplifier’s output stages before it hits the speakers. This technique allows the engineer to avoid any bleed in a live environment and any unwanted tone added by the speaker cabinet or microphone.
¼” INPUT
- Hi-Z unbalanced input:
- 2.2M Ohms (Instrument)
- 200 kOhms (Speaker)
¼” THRU
Parallel ¼” port used to send signal to an amp or speaker.
SPEAKER / INSTRUMENT INPUT LEVEL
- Selects Speaker or Instrument level.
- Max input: +21dBu Instrument, +41.5dBu Speaker
48V POWER LED
Indicates that +48V phantom power is present from the connected mic preamp (required to power the RNDI).
GROUND LIFT
Isolates the XLR Pin 1 from the instrument input ground.
OUTPUT
Transformer-balanced XLR output. Impedance less than 40 Ohms. Phantom power to the RNDI is supplied through this connection.
WEIGHT
1.5lbs
DIMENSIONS
6.25” long x 4”wide x 1.5” high
Chicago Music Exchange
Payment Terms - Orders Internet orders may be paid for using the following methods: VISA, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, and PayPal. For phone or mail orders you may pay money orders and cashier's checks by mail. Just call us at 773-525-7773 to place your order. All non-credit-card orders are subject to a 10-business-day hold. We do not accept international credit card or PayPal payments from international accounts. For international security reasons, please call the store to arrange a Bank Wire: +01-773-525-7773.
Shipping Charges - Taxes and Title Separate charges for shipping and handling will be shown on your order form. As a security precaution, initial orders and orders shipping to alternate addresses may be held for extended verification. We reserve the right to make partial shipments, which will not relieve you of your obligation to pay for the remaining deliveries. All items purchased from Chicago Music Exchange are made pursuant to a shipment contract. This means that the risk of loss and title for such items passes to you upon our delivery to the carrier. The published rates are for US domestic shipping only. Contact us directly if you wish to place an international order. For more information on our shipping policies, including rates, delivery times, and delays, please visit our website at chicagomusicexchange or call us at: 773-525-7773. If applicable, a separate charge for taxes will be shown on the invoice. We are required to collect sales tax on all orders shipped to Illinois.
3-Day / 15-day Return Policy If you are not completely satisfied with any product, return it for a full refund of the product purchase price, full credit, or exchange of your choice. We give you 3 days from the shipping date on Vintage instruments, and 15 days on New instruments. Credit card returns are issued a credit for purchase price. Refunds are made for product value only, excluding shipping and handling charges. New, Unopened items: You may return most NEW, untouched, unopened items within 15 days of delivery for a full refund. if the return is a result of our error (you received an incorrect or defective item, etc.) we'll also pay the return shipping costs. AmEx credit cards: Note that if your order was paid using an AmEx card we may pass on a 3.5% fee of the purchase price to process your refund. Vintage, Used items: We have to evaluate vintage and used guitars, amps, and other items on a case by case basis. We spend a lot of time with you and the item before your purchase to try to avoid any surprises after your purchase. AmEx credit cards: Note that if your order was paid using an AmEx card we may pass on a 3.5% fee of the purchase price to process your refund. You should expect to receive your refund within four weeks of giving your package to the return shipper, however, we strive to issue your refund sooner. This time period includes the transit time for us to receive your return from the shipper (5 to 10 business days), the time it takes us to process your return once we receive it (3 to 5 business days), and the time it takes your bank to process our refund request (5 to 10 business days). Send your return to: Chicago Music Exchange 3316 N Lincoln Ave Chicago, IL 60657 The following items are returnable only if defective OR unopened or unused: strings, harmonicas, microphones, cleaners, polishes, and polishing cloths. Software/soundware, cassettes, CDs, DVDs, and videos may be returned for credit only if they are in their original, sealed packaging. If defective, these items will only be exchanged for the same product. For complete details on our guarantees, shipping, and return policies, please contact our Customer Service Department at 773-525-7773; fax us at 773-525-2775; visit our website at www.chicagomusicexchange.com, or write us at Chicago Music Exchange, 3316 N. Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60657.