Radial Engineering JDV MK3 Owner's Manual

Radial JDV Mk3 Direct Box

Radial Engineering
1638 Kebet Way, Port Coquitlam BC V3C 5W9
tel: [phone] · fax: [phone]

email: [e-mail] web: www.radialeng.com

engineering

Owner’s manual

www.radialeng.com

Radial Engineering - 1638 Kebet Way, Port Coquitlam BC V3C 5W9
tel: [phone] · fax: [phone] email: [e-mail]

Radial Engineering is a division of JP Cabletek Electronics Ltd.

www.radialeng.com

engineeringengineering

PLEASE READ BEFORE CONNECTING ELECTRONIC DEVICES TO YOUR JDV!

Caution must be used when connecting electronic equipment to the
JDV Mk3. The JDV Mk3 bridges all electronic equipment connected
to it so faulty wiring or incorrect grounding of any of the equipment
may cause a shock hazard to be present and/or damage to the JDV
or other connected equipment. Because grounding schemes differ
between manufacturers, it is important to check for correct polarity,
in particular with older amplifiers using 2-prong ungrounded A/C
cords. If the polarity is reversed on an ungrounded amplifier there
may be a potential of 120V present between the amp chassis and
ground. Radial Engineering takes no responsibility for this or how
the JDV is connected or used. It is the users full responsibility to
ensure that proper electrical polarity is maintained on all equipment
connected to the JDV and that proper building electrical codes have
been followed wherever the JDV is being used.

To reduce opportunity for shock hazard or damage to the JDV or
connected equipment, plug the ¼” connectors into the amplifiers
first and then to the JDV. This is especially important when using old
amplifiers that do not have 3-prong plugs as the possibility exists to
touch the chassis ground with the connector plug tip when the plug
is inserted into the jack.

Cautions for amplifiers with ungrounded 2-prong A/C cords:
Before connecting the JDV to an ungrounded amplifier, power the
amp up and listen to the residual hum. If the amp has a two-position
ground polarity reverse switch, set the switch in the position that
produces the least residual hum from the speakers. If there is no
polarity switch, reverse the A/C plug at the outlet to find the least
residual hum.

To ensure an ungrounded amplifier does not present a shock
hazard: Test for voltage potential by connecting a voltmeter

between the amplifier chassis and the JDV chassis. If voltage is
present, reverse the amplifier’s A/C supply polarity and test again.

Note that due to this potential problem, damage to the JDV or other
connected equipment caused by improper A/C polarity is not
covered under warranty.

>>>>>>>> CAUTION <<<<<<<<

Introduction

It is with great pleasure that we welcome you to our extended family of Radial
direct box owners. We are extremely proud of the Radial JDV Mk3 and are
confident that you will find this device to sound great, be fun to use and above
all, be a useful tool in advancing your music.

The new Radial JDV Mk3 features the same highly praised Class-A audio
circuit that was in the original JDV with several improvements in areas
such as lower noise, higher rail voltage and subsequent dynamic range. You
will also notice major changes with respect to input and output signal
management.

As there are many interesting features that are not found on any other direct
box, we highly recommend reading this manual before you start using your
new JDV. By doing so you will gain a full understanding of the philosophy
behind the product design and enjoy better all-round results.

Enjoy!

For more information, questions or comments, please contact Radial
Engineering at the address below or email: [e-mail]

Radial Engineering 1638 Kebet Way, Port Coquitlam BC Canada V3C 5W9 tel: [phone] · fax: [phone]
email: [e-mail] web: www.radialeng.com Radial Engineering is a divisio n of JP Cabletek Electron ics Ltd.

Table of Contents: Page(s)

Design Concept........................ ............................ ............1

The Magic Behind Great Sound............... ..........................2

What Is a Direct Box Anyway?............................... ............2

Instrument and Amp Matching................................ ............3

Control Panel............................ ..................................4 ~ 5

Connector Panel .................................................. ......5 ~ 6

Balanced Output Panel ........................... ..........................6

Powering Up .......................................... ..........................7

Setups.................................................... ..................9 ~ 12

Questions & Answers.............................. ................13 ~ 15

Specifications and Block Diagram ........................... ..........16

Warranty and Safety Information ............................back cover

Radial JDV Mk3 Direct Box

engineeringengineering

JDV Mk3 Owner’s Manual

PLEASE READ CAUTION
ON BACK COVER

www.radial .comeng

JDV Mk3 Owner’s Manual

engineeringengineering

RADIAL LIMITED THREE YEAR WARRANTY

Radial Engineering - a division of JP Cabletek Electronics Ltd. ("Radial")
warrants this product to be free from defects in material and workmanship to the
original owner and will remedy any such defects free of charge according to the
terms of this warranty. Radial will repair or replace (at its option) any defective
component(s) of this product (excluding finish and wear and tear on components
under normal use) for a period of three (3) years from the original date of
purchase. In the event that a particular product is no longer available, Radial
reserves the right to replace the product with a similar product of equal or greater
value. To make a request or claim under this limited warranty, the product must be
returned prepaid in the original shipping container (or equivalent) to Radial or to an
authorized Radial repair centre and you must assume the risk of loss or damage.
A copy of the original invoice showing date of purchase and the dealer name must
accompany any request for work to be performed under this limited warranty. This
limited warranty shall not apply if the product has been damaged due to abuse,
misuse, misapplication, accident or as a result of service or modification by any
other than an authorized Radial repair centre.

THERE ARE NO EXPRESSED WARRANTIES OTHER THAN THOSE ON THE
FACE HEREOF AND DESCRIBED ABOVE. NO WARRANTIES WHETHER
EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ANY IMPLIED
WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
PURPOSE SHALL EXTEND BEYOND THE RESPECTIVE WARRANTY
PERIOD DESCRIBED ABOVE OF THREE YEARS.

RADIAL SHALL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE OR LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL OR
INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR LOSS ARISING FROM
THE USE OF THIS PRODUCT. THIS WARRANTY GIVES YOU SPECIFIC
LEGAL RIGHTS, AND YOU MAY ALSO HAVE OTHER RIGHTS, WHICH MAY
VARY, FROM STATE/PROVINCE TO STATE/PROVINCE.

Radial Engineering 1638 Kebet Way, Port Coquitlam BC Canada V3C 5W9 tel: [phone] · fax: [phone]
email: [e-mail] web: www.radialeng.com Radial Engineering is a division of JP Cabletek Electronics Ltd.

16

engineeringengineering

JDV Mk3 Owner’s Manual

JDV Mk3 Block Diagram

JDV Mk3 Owner’s Manual

engineeringengineering

1

The Radial JDV Mk3 takes this concept to a completely new level by providing
the musician and engineer with greater flexibility than ever before and does so
without any signal degradation whatsoever. The concept is simple: We have
broken down the signal path into three zones:

(1) Instruments, (2) Musician’s setup, (3) Engineer’s setup.

Each ‘zone’ features expanded functionality: Dual inputs allow two instruments
to be selected without having to reconnect. By offering several instrument thru­puts, the musician can now work inside his own 'creative world' giving him
greater freedom to create new sounds and inspired results. These include a
standard thru-put for a traditional amplifier, two unity-gain auxiliary outputs to
drive a stereo rig, an effect device or simply more amps. A designated tuner
output allows constant frequency monitoring while being outside the primary
audio signal chain. For the engineer, a standard balanced XLR output provides
the dry instrument signal to track.

One may ask: “This seems so easy and natural, I wonder why no one has ever
done this before?” Truth is that although it may look easy on paper, the challenge
is retaining the signal integrity without degradation. The JDV does this with
virtually zero harmonic distortion, phase distortion or inter-modulation distortion.
To make matters even more interesting, matching the buffered outputs to the
thru-put presents yet another challenge. But what is life without challenges?

INSTRUMENT 1

MIXER

TUNER

AUX OUT 2

AUX OUT 1

AMPLIFIER

RADIAL

JDV

INSTRUMENT 2

Radial JDV Mk3 Zoned Concept

Input zone

Engineer’s zone

Musician’s zone

Design Concept

If you think about it, a direct box is
actually a central distribution hub from
which the instrument signal is managed. Most
DI's simply offer an instrument input, a thru-put to
the musician's amplifier and then an output for the mixing
console.

JDV Mk3 DirectBox

JDV Mk3Specificatons

Frequency Response: 10Hz ~ 30kHz (+/-1dB)

Residual Noise: -93dB @ 1V-RMS

Distortion (20Hz ~ 20kHz): < 0.015% @ 1V-RMS (1.2k load)

< 0.5% @ 5V-RMS (without load)

Phase Deviation: < 5º @ 100Hz

Intermodulation Distortion: 0.07% (DIN standard)

Input Impedance: 10kOhms ~ 3.9mOhms

Output Impedance: 600 Ohms

Input Pad (speaker): -30dB

Output Pad: -15dB

Power requirement: Custom 30Volt supply