Harley Benton Custom Line Bass DI-Expander

because it came in defect (a first time for me in dealing with Thomann). However, they had the opportunity to shine, and they did. I ordered a replacement, had the retour-pdf that same evening, sent it off the day after and got a new one at my doorstep three days later. Very commendable!
To the product itself: The Cons.
It does produce quite a lot of noise, and the pots scratch, if only slightly. Both problems are likely to go away with the use of some de-ox, but I haven't tested that, so for the time the probs remain. I wouldn't hesitate to use the device on stage though, any single-coil pickup around will produce more noise. With home-recording, I'm not so sure.
The Pros.
It's built like tank. All controls make an audible difference. The footswitches are not dead quiet, but not loud enough to actually disturb. Once I've looked into the noise issue, this device will handle all my bass needs (for guitar I have a half square metre of pedals, might occasionally lend one or the other out to support the bass line.
So, with minor niggling, I think it's a good investment.

I pre-ordered this back in April/May and was among the first to receive one.
A nice well designed preamp for it's intended use of direct to FOH or to a power amp. It's a sturdy built unit,the same size as the Eden WTDI. Powered by 9v battery,power supply or phantom power means power fail will not be an issue. The very early models like mine had a problem with phantom power which has now been resolved,I chose to keep the original unit as there was no shortage of spare power cables on my pedal board.
Feature-wise, the Bass Expander packs plenty into it's small box.The inclusion of a 'Blend' knob was most welcome,some preamp EQs can colour your tone,the 'blend' allows you feed your original tone in or out the preamp signal. Sweepable mids and compression are also welcome. There's a nice smooth feel when rotating the knobs
The most common question I was asked when I bought the BE DI was about the 'gain'. Did it sound like an Ampeg when up full ? The answer is No, nor do I think it was designed to. If you want to sound like you're playing through an Ampeg buy the Ampeg DI :-)
The BE DI can fill many roles. It's output isn't too deadly if you planned on stacking preamps and it'll work with an active cab. FOH has been mentioned so that only leaves it's role as a practise tool. With 'aux in' for MP3s and 'headphone' plus the preamp section it's more than enough.
Personally I think all bass players should carry a preamp/DI box for a number of reasons,insurance against amp failure being the main one. I think the BE DI will see strong competition from Ampeg,Eden and Hartke but rightly so as it means to compete with them. This is no wannabe, it's definitely a contender.