PCH-1 Active Direct Interface

The Strymon PCH is a stereo active DI box/interface designed to be the ultimate component of your pedalboard. Its key feature: a built-in, console-quality headphone amp for local monitoring of exactly what you're sending to the front of house or recording. Transparent, powerful, and geared towards rigs without amps/modelers/studios, it's ideal for guitarists, bassists, keyboardists, and synthesizer users alike.

In terms of build quality and ergonomics, it's Strymon, which means high-end and durable construction. The 3mm extruded aluminum chassis, reinforced by 5mm ribs, allows for intensive use from the bedroom to the biggest stages in the world, with an awning design that protects the headphone volume knob while allowing easy access to the jacks, plus virtually indestructible connectors and switches.
Technically, the PCH operates on 9VDC but internally converts to 24V for very high headroom, allowing for an unclippable interface that can handle the sometimes massive output levels of pedalboards. It features essential stage and studio DI functions: stereo XLR with switchable Mic/Line level, Ground Lift, and Thru outputs with a Sum switch for switching from stereo routing to a clean and controlled mono signal. The entire unit is powered by an internal power supply section inspired by the Ojai (a benchmark in the market!) with galvanic isolation via a transformer. A natural choice given the Californian brand's focus on silence and signal cleanliness.

In terms of sound, the ambition is simple: add nothing, take nothing away. The frequency response is extremely flat, and the headroom allows the dynamics of a post-effects or post-modeling signal to be preserved intact, without any unwanted saturation.
The PCH's biggest advantage over the competition is its everyday usability. You can plug your pedalboard/amp modeler output into the PCH, send the XLR outputs to a mixing console or audio interface, and use the Thru outputs to connect to an FRFR, an amp, or another component in your signal chain—all in mono or stereo depending on the situation. And thanks to its built-in headphone amp, the PCH becomes an instant monitoring tool for rehearsals, soundchecks, backstage, or home studio use: what you hear in your headphones is exactly what you send to the console or your interface, with unparalleled quality.

In a DI market that has seen little evolution for years, the Strymon PCH stands out as a reliable tool for sending an ultra-high-quality signal. Whether you play live, record regularly, or have adopted a modeling-based setup, it will enhance and give you complete control over your sound. Transparent, robust, intelligently routed, and finally, uncompromisingly monitorable through headphones, it's exactly the kind of unit you buy only once… and then wonder how you ever managed without!