Tritonaudio FetHead - Studio Preamplifier

Product Information

If you want to listen to my recording without Fethead and with it, you can view my video review on Youtube. Whether you’re projecting sound through a speaker or into a recording device, you need a signal which is strong enough to output at the correct level. The sE Electronics DM1 provides a similar functionality to many other microphone gain boosters, such as the Cloud Microphones Cloudlifter and the Triton Audio FetHead — it acts as a local in-line gain-booster for weak microphone signals, such as from passive ribbon mics and some moving-coil dynamics. There are switches to change both the load and level settings and also a gain knob to turn the gain up and down when the level switch is set to variable. All of them had good reviews and what I also noticed was that some of them were directly connecting to the microphone, which means that I wouldn’t need extra XLR cable like with Cloudlifter, which is an external box.

As mentioned earlier, dynamic microphones like the Shure SM57 tend to require more of a boost than condenser mics. It’s safe to say that it can transform any preamp into a ribbon preamp with high-gain functionality. The last thing you want is to have to move too far away from the mic to avoid clipping as your audio quality will suffer as a result.With all 3 mic activators / inline preamps, I found that the interference was less noticeable with the inline preamp close to the mic while the interference become more apparent when the mic activator was near the audio interface after the 15-foot cable run. If you wanted to spend a bit more and get something new, I’d recommend the Golden Age Project Pre-73 MKIII Microphone Preamp.

FetHead can retain the signals at a microphone level, which makes it suitable for the input of the mic. It was much smaller than expected, which was fantastic as I was worried it wouldn’t fit at the end of my SM7B, sitting on the arm. The Triton FetHead was cheaper than some rivals and effective for my purposes although no comparisons were made with other makes.Cloudlifter has become ubiquitous with in-line preamplifiers, but that does not mean it will suit everyone’s needs. The preamp has an efficient functionality, so you can achieve the sound levels without any crackling or hissing noises. However, most of that extra distortion was due to a higher second harmonic level, which is a very benign result. The DM1 introduced a very small amount of additional phase shift at the frequency extremes, but only a few degrees, which is insignificant. In this post, we’ll look at the pros and cons of four devices to help you find one that suits your needs and budget.

The McBoost is particularly suited to people with advanced setups or anyone who wants a multi-faceted alternative to a Cloudlifter. Despite its small size and ability to attach directly to your microphone, FetHead’s ability to increase the loudness of any sound input, whether for music or videos, should not be underestimated.

Although the Fethead uses phantom power to power up its circuitry, this does not pass to the microphone so your ribbons will be kept safe at all times. If you’re using an interface which is fairly standard in podcasting circles, a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 for example, it has preamps for each of the mic inputs built-in. It also features a dedicated buffer amp to give you a consistent +28 dB gain boost regardless of the connected load. The reason I think this is the case is when the mic activator is added after the long cable run, it is not only boosting the microphones signal by ~+25dB, but it’s also boosting any interference and noise picked up in the cable by ~+25dB.

The Radial McBoost is a solid alternative to the Cloudlifter CL-1 if you want the additional features it comes with. Mic activators have become really popular in recent years because of their convenience and relatively low cost (in comparison to outboard mic preamps which we’ll cover next). Instead, to test the DM1's performance in more of a real-world situation, he hooked it up to one channel of a GML 8304 mic preamplifier with a test signal level of -59dBu — fairly typical of a low-output microphone working with a quiet sound source. However, Triton Audio also offers FetHead Filter that has an extra HPF feature and FetHead Phantom for condenser microphones. That’s not just my opinion; many people who were starting their streaming channels or podcasts grabbed a Blue Mic (Yeti or Snowball) or a similar USB microphone.We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development.