Great for active instruments like guitars and basses with active pickups and preamps, the MDB-1A Active DI features increased headroom and distortion-free operation. Featuring a 1/4-inch high-impedance input and thru with -20db pad plus a Merge switch that turns the Thru jack into a second input, perfect for summing a stereo source to a mono output. The balanced XLR output features switches for Polarity, Low Cut, and Ground Lift. For maximum convenience, the MDB-1A is powered by 48v phantom power.