Countryman Type 85 FET Direct Box main image

Countryman Type 85 FET Direct Box

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$152.15 to $395.00 Price Tier: Standard

5.0 (9)

1 Review

Find out who is using Countryman Type 85

1 community setup

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4 wishlisted

20 saved

Page last updated Jun 30, 2026

Pricing and availability

We compare 600+ stores and found this item at 3 stores. Prices updated June 30, 2026.

Store

Reviews

Price

5.0 (28)

$152.15

View Deal

$395.00

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5.0 (7)

$193.99 3 available Used

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Average Price: $247

Standard/Professional

$119

$300+

Price Tier

In the Direct Boxes category, Countryman Type 85 FET Direct Box is priced in the Standard/Professional range. This is quality gear at a fair price point, suitable for beginners, hobbyists, and pros alike.

Budget

Standard

High-end

Price History

Based on price data from 1 merchant for "Countryman Type 85 FET Direct Box". Prices shown reflect NEW condition. Tracking began Apr 2, 2026.

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Description

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The Countryman Type 85 Direct Box is a must-have for any serious musician or audio engineer looking to connect high impedance instruments to a balanced mic input without sacrificing sound quality. This direct box ensures that your signal is strong and clean, free from noise and distortion, making it perfect for both studio recording and live performances.

The Type 85 features hand-selected, high-quality discrete components woven into a single-ended, Class A circuit, akin to a classic tube mic preamp. This results in a smooth and sweet sound that’s hard to beat. Built to withstand the rigors of the road, the Type 85 is ultra-rugged—so much so that there are tales of it surviving being run over by a truck and still performing flawlessly at a gig.

One unique aspect of the Type 85 is its ability to always isolate ground, even when powered by Phantom power, effectively eliminating any unwanted hum and buzz. This makes it incredibly reliable in any setup, whether you’re in the studio or on stage.

Key Features:

Connects high impedance instruments to a balanced mic input
Hand-selected, high-quality discrete components
Single-ended, Class A circuit for smooth, sweet sound
Ultra-rugged and road-ready design
Ground isolation, even with Phantom power, to eliminate hum and buzz

Videos

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Augminished Studio

DI Shootout - RNDI, Radial, Countryman Type 85

Augminished Studio

Countryman Type 85 vs RME Babyface Pro vs Radial JDI Guitar DI Test (High Gain)

James Zhan

Reviews

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PROS

Crisp, clean sound; enhances preamps in Scarlett 18i20
Reamp and dual signal features are valuable at this price
Flexible input levels; sturdy and reliable build
Rich and warm tone, especially for Taylor 714CE
Superior midrange definition compared to many interfaces
Complements P bass and nasal bridge tones well
Unique sound in pickup mode, good for DI Telecaster and Moog leads

CONS

Hint of low end missing compared to high-end models
FET can get gritty; transformer not the most hi-fi
Tends to color amp feed when using speaker pad

Owner Insights

We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about Countryman Type 85 FET Direct Box.

Build quality

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Internally, the Countryman Type 85 can have issues, often shaking apart unlike the more durable Radial DIs.
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Setup and maintenance

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The Type 85 includes an internal 9V battery, which can cause issues if dead and not using phantom power.
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Phantom power issues can arise if the cable shield is not properly terminated at both ends, potentially causing a loss of signal in the DI box.
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Features and functionality

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The Type 85 is "Pin 3 hot," a design choice from its original production year that requires polarity inversion at the console.
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The Countryman Type 85 DI requires at least 24Vdc phantom power to function, compared to Shure 87's minimum of 11Vdc, which may affect signal transmission over long cables.
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Use cases and applications

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Owners report significantly improved guitar tones for recording, making it ideal for EP production.
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It's recommended to use passive DI boxes like Radial for electric instruments to maintain isolation from electronics, as active boxes like the Type 85 excel with acoustic instruments.
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Comparisons

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While comparable to the Shure SM57 in terms of reputation, some owners find the Type 85's sound quality exceeds expectations.
Source

User experience

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Users experiencing frequent battery replacements, especially with keyboards, suggest testing with good cables to determine if the DI box functions properly without a battery on phantom power.
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5.0 out of 5

Based on 1 Review and 9 Ratings

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jimmarchi1

41026

about 9 years ago

classic

I always keep a countryman around because tis a classic DI box. The fet can get a little gritty and the transformer is not the most hifi going, but it has a sound. When I record DI telecaster I like this box and I also sometimes like to use it with my 303s because it has a sound in pickup mode being hit really hard that's different than the non-transformed balanced hi Z input on my Eureka. Sounds good with a moog too, though more for leads than bass. For bass I tend to use the USB out on the sub phatty or use the eureka or my radial for the SE1. Anyway, everyone needs one. But remember that while it has a speaker pad that it tends to color an amp feed and I recommend a good passive DI in that role.

Roles:

Guitarist Bassist Keyboardist

Genres:

Electronic Orchestra Alternative rock