Countryman TYPE 85 Frequently Asked Questions

COUNTRYMAN ASSOCIATES INC
TYPE 85
ACTIVE DIRECT BOX
An industry standard with road-proven ruggedness, the Type 85 connects
any high-impedance instrument pickup, even piezo pickups, to a balanced
microphone (XLR type) input. It provides a strong, clean signal to the mix board
without adding noise or distortion. It won't change the tone or volume you hear
from your own amp like passive direct boxes. It won't break just when you need
it. It won't develop a dead battery on stage because it runs on Phantom power.
Indestructible
Connectors and switches are
recessed into a single-piece extruded
case with extra-thick walls. You can
literally drive a truck over a Type 85
without hurting it. Internal electronics
are molded in a solid epoxy block
and fully protected against electrical
damage. The input can withstand 220
V AC all day long and static spikes up
to 20,000 V.
Battery or Phantom Power
Most mixing consoles provide 48 V
Phantom power and the Type 85 will
automatically use it. If you don't have
Phantom power, the Type 85 will run
for about 400 hours from a single
internal 9 V battery.
Simply Exceptional Sound
The Type 85 uses only hand-selected
high-quality discrete components
woven into a single-ended class
A circuit, much like a classic tube
microphone preamp. The Type 85
has an incredibly smooth, sweet
sound. Unlike many active DI boxes,
the Type 85 can always isolate
ground, even when running on
Phantom power, to help eliminate
hum and buzz from ground problems.
The Type 85 doesn't have roll off
switches or effects. Adjusting the
frequency content of a sound source
is an artistic decision best done at the
mixing location where you can hear
the results and easily make changes.
Frequency Response:
20 Hz to 20 kHz +- 1 dB
Noise Floor (shorted input):
.63 µV RMS (-122 dBu)
Power Requirements:
9 V battery or .4 mA @ 48 V Phantom
Input Protection:
220 V RMS and 20,000 V static discharges
Voltage Gain:
-10 dB in Pickup mode
-46 dB in Speaker mode
RF Filtering:
250 kHz Low Pass on input
30 kHz Low Pass on output
Maximum Input Level:
5 V P-P in Pickup mode
300 V P-P in Speaker mode
Equal to 2,800 Watts into 4 Ohms
Distortion:
.018% THD @ 1 kHz and 1 V P-P in
.08% IMD 10 kHz/60 Hz 1 V P-P in
Input Resistance:
10 MΩ in Pickup mode (10 times the input
resistance of a typical guitar amplifier.)
Input Capacitance:
160 pF, equal to two meters of low-capacitance
guitar cable.
Dimensions:
1.75 in x 3 in x 5 in (45 mm x 77 mm x 127 mm)
Weight: 18.5 oz (.52 kg)