Hello to everybody,
Will an inline preamp like the Fethead Phantom ( it's the only available as other like Cloudlifter, Klark etc. only produce the version for dynamic mics; it draws about 1mA and passes the rest to the mic providing +18 db of gain ) could really produce a benefit with something like the Zoom H6 I own.
I understand that answers like " buy a Sound Device or a high end external preamp may have their sense, but budget matters and form factor also. As a musician I need to record on the fly when there is no time-convenience for proper setup ( i.e. just with H6 x-y capsule) or adding a couple of condensers on a stand if possible, all powered via a USB battery; for this reason a handheld is hard to beat, but you have to struggle with the -120 db EIN which adds noise with lowish sensitivity mics or recording at a distance.
Has any of you ever tested this product? I googled a lot finding that some find an improvement in S/N with cheap recorders, while others report no difference or- sometimes even worse results. The report go from "zero difference" to 7/8 db of better S/N, which is a clearly audible improvement. I've come to the conclusion that it probably depends a lot on both the type of recorder and mics involved in the chain.
I'd use these with condensers or also with a battery powered mic ( verified from the mic schematics that phantom would not touch the mic), all with sensitivities ranging from -48 to -42db; my expectation is that the boost will avoid raising the gain of the recorder, thus substituting the first 18 db with a "better preamp" ( Fethead is rated EIN -129), if it does make sense.
Any advice?
thanks
C
Will an inline preamp like the Fethead Phantom ( it's the only available as other like Cloudlifter, Klark etc. only produce the version for dynamic mics; it draws about 1mA and passes the rest to the mic providing +18 db of gain ) could really produce a benefit with something like the Zoom H6 I own.
I understand that answers like " buy a Sound Device or a high end external preamp may have their sense, but budget matters and form factor also. As a musician I need to record on the fly when there is no time-convenience for proper setup ( i.e. just with H6 x-y capsule) or adding a couple of condensers on a stand if possible, all powered via a USB battery; for this reason a handheld is hard to beat, but you have to struggle with the -120 db EIN which adds noise with lowish sensitivity mics or recording at a distance.
Has any of you ever tested this product? I googled a lot finding that some find an improvement in S/N with cheap recorders, while others report no difference or- sometimes even worse results. The report go from "zero difference" to 7/8 db of better S/N, which is a clearly audible improvement. I've come to the conclusion that it probably depends a lot on both the type of recorder and mics involved in the chain.
I'd use these with condensers or also with a battery powered mic ( verified from the mic schematics that phantom would not touch the mic), all with sensitivities ranging from -48 to -42db; my expectation is that the boost will avoid raising the gain of the recorder, thus substituting the first 18 db with a "better preamp" ( Fethead is rated EIN -129), if it does make sense.
Any advice?
thanks
C