Palmer PLI-04

The Palmer PLI-04 is a passive stereo media DI with 3.5 mm mini-jack, RCA and jack inputs and two balanced XLR outputs. It is the simplest way to get a phone, tablet, laptop headphone output or CD player into a stage mixer without noise or hum on a long cable. It needs no power: whatever you plug in, plays.

It is mostly rented with a small mixer such as the Soundcraft Notepad 12FX or EFX8 for parties and presentations where background music comes from a phone. The transformers isolate the ground, which is the usual cause of hum when a laptop charger is plugged into the wall. If you want a steadier signal from a computer without the limits of a headphone output, choose a USB box, the Radial USB-Pro or Palmer PLI 04 USB. The Radial ProAV2 is an equivalent passive alternative.