Palmer DACCAPO

Until quite recently I had not used any reamping but the problem it solved for me was getting a line level ouput from a guitar amp into an input on a USB mixer to record it. The line out was positioned after the effects in the amp so I wanted to use the high-quality amp effects in recording. I could have put a mic in front of the amp but I didn't want the sound of the amp itself to be heard elsewhere. The problem was how to do it.

The answer was to put the line out from the amp through a dummy load first (because it's not safe to turn a valve amp on disconnected from the speaker - it needs to be connected to something that looks like a speaker resistance-wise) and then to get the audio signal into the mixer. Unfortunately it's not quite that simple, and that's where this DACCAPO box comes in.

If we simply connect the signal straight into mixer, we will also be getting all kinds of 'ground noise', noise generated by the amplifier because it's connected to the mains supply. This ground loop problem is perfectly resolved by the DACCAPO box because the audio signal goes through a transformer and is effectively decoupled. The noise can't get through the box but the signal can.

If that's all it did, this box would be worth the money but it also has some very useful additional features. 'Line level' comes in two shades in the audio world, depending on whether it's professional audio equipment or consumer equipment. Professional audio equipment is referred to a +4dB and the consumer stuff is -10dB. Connecting a +4 output to a -10 input won't sound good because the level's too high. Connecting -10 to +4 will be too weak and you might not even hear it. The DACCAPO comes to the rescue with a switch to choose the option you need. Often it's not clear on a mixer but clicking the button sorts out the problem by either boosting or reducing the signal. You also even have a volume control to fine-tune it.

If you doubt the existence of the 'ground loop problem' you can give yourself a little demonstration with a button on the box to choose between LIFT and GND. With GND you'll confirm why you bought this box!

This is an excellent little box which does exactly what it claims. For me it was an obvious buy. No regrets.

My jaw dropped on my first attempt to reamp. Used a plain old Boss TU-2 to split the guitar signal into may amp and straight into my interface, just for shits n' giggles to set things up. Mic'ed up the amp and recorded that, clean and through a Big Muff. I then sent the pre-recorded direct guitar down into the Muff and Amp and recorded. A/B'ing was virtually indistinguishable! I then proceeded to do a null test by inverting the phase against the original take, and obviously it doesn't completely cancel out, however, there was an average -12dB drop, low end and most low mids completely gone. More pronounced on the clean than on the fuzz… in any case, reamping has opened a completely new world for me! Particularly self-recording. I focus on performance, edit the direct recording, and then focus on the engineering side! NOT both a the same time anymore! What a blessing! I love this little yellow box to bits and highly recommend it!

I was blown away how it clear up my sound.
There is no other Reamp Box in this price range and quality. The Daccapo takes care of all impedance matching issues and also eliminates ground loop humming thanks to the use of a Transformer.
I'm using this in front of EVH 5150, studio usage it's for me.
A passive re-amp box should be pretty simple, and the DACCAPO is - it's basically a transformer and a few resistors with some switches and sockets. It?s passive so you don?t need power, and operation couldn?t be much simpler: route your recording to a line out, connect to the XLR input on the DACCAPO (I use a mic cable) and plug an ordinary guitar lead from the Isolated Output into your amp or pedal. You can select -10dBV or +4 dBu input line levels. Palmer does its job very well indeed,
This is one product that does exactly what it needs to do, very well, at a great price!!!

This affordable little Reamp box is an absolute life saver in the studio and punches well above its price in terms of usability and effectiveness.

Pros:
- Incredibly affordable, at 65euro it's a steal compared to more expensive Reamp boxes.
- Fantastic build quality, this little box is made of solid metal and built like a tank. I've accidentally dropped this box countless times and there isn't a single scratch or dent on it after extensive use at home and in the studio.
- Great sound quality, I've noticed no drop of audio quality at all when Reamping through this box.
- Perfect features, having a dedicated level knob as well as a ground lift and a -10dBV and +4dBu button are all incredibly useful features on a Reamp box and they are the exact features one would require on a Reamp box.

Cons:
- I can't think of any, this little box has made my life in the studio so much easier and I can't recommend it enough.

If you're looking for an affordable studio tool that you will use for years to come and will likely never break or need replacing, the Palmer DACCAPO Reamp Box is definitely for you, cheers and thanks!

With limited budget and space in my small home studio I bought this Daccapo reamping box to help expand my recording options and it has been very useful in two main ways.

Firstly, in the more common use for these boxes, I've used it successfully for re-recording guitar tracks using a DI signal. The output seems clean and the level control knob allows for matching and even further driving if desired. As the unit accepts balanced a input signal, it can also be placed suitably far from the recording interface.

Secondly, this can also be used in a live recording situation to minimise equipment needed. I have DI-ed a guitar to the interface for recording and outputted the signal through the Daccapo to the amp to provide a live sound. The DI and Daccapo may then also be used to re-record the track later. Though you may need to check interface latency for this.

Both of these applications allow for maximum use with a minimal amount of microphones. It's not just guitars you can use it for either. Reamping snares is also common as this is essentially an impedance matching device.

With its low price I'm very happy with this little box. The only downside is that now I've got one I wish it had two channels so I could do even more with it, though I suppose I should just buy another! It also looks cool and is pretty small with a very solid build. I'm very pleased with this device, especially for its price.

I thought I really needed it for reamping my guitar into pedals and amp, but then when I ordered it I tried it and found out, that I can definately do things without it and a lot of times reamping is more work, than just record again few times. Also, note that it's passive, it will not boost signal, the level knob only useful for dropping volume, Also, one of my friend, who does recording quite often, that you can do reamping without reamp box, and he showed me how he did it. So before, buying, do some reasearch and experiments and maybe talk to someone who knows stuff, to find out if you really need it. in the end despite, I'm not using it now, I didn't want to return it or sell, because I think it might be useful in future.

Other than that, quality is good, signal comes out quite clean, build is sturdy and you can open beer with it.

The heading says it all really. The famous names in reamping charge 2 or 3 times as much for their boxes, and they're really no better.

The level control has a decent range on it, there's a +4/-10 switch, and a ground lift. What more do you need? It's tiny, really well built, and bright yellow (which is surprisingly useful in a dark studio).

I've run white noise through it and null tested the before and after signals - there's a very slight loss of high end, but no more than you'd expect running audio through a transformer, and no more than other reamp boxes.

All-in-all, a great product. If you record electric guitar/bass, you should have one of these in your tool kit.