Tritonaudio FetHead - Studio Preamplifier

Product Information

Durham is a no-frills mic activator. You simply plug it in and claim your hassle-free +20 dB of clean gain. Compared to the CL-1, it falls 5 dB short, but the price is a lot lower too. In every other aspect, it is comparable to the CL-1. We explore this topic more in our dedicated article Is a Cloudlifter Necessary? Mic Activators Explained. Is a Cloudlifter a preamp? For live broadcasters, the compact design of this mic activator can make all the difference. By providing a clean boost without complicating it, FetHead allows you to keep things simple while still achieving the most accurate audio possible. Radial Engineering’s McBoost unit is the first in this roundup to have some additional features in comparison to the other models. 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. One of the biggest fears of using a plug-and-play solution for passive ribbon and dynamic mics is getting enough additional gain. 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. Specs

The load switching option adds to this flexibility and allows you to change the input impedance to see how your mic reacts to each one. Choose the one which works the best with your microphone. Il circuito è alimentato da 24-48V Phantom power; quindi, viene alimentato dal Phantom ma non lascia passare la corrente. The frequency response test will be carried out by playing pink noise into the Procaster and measuring the results using Room EQ Wizard (For a full tutorial see How to Test Microphone Frequency Response). For the sake of a fair experiment, the variable element will be the activator, and the controls will be the interface (Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 2 nd gen) and our microphone of choice (Rode Procaster which does really benefit from the boost of a device like these). McBoost is rugged, compact, and almost twice as heavy as others on this list. It features an all-steel case with powder coating that is clearly built to last a lifetime. It also features hand-matched transistors and dual FET class-A circuits for optimal performance.I used the FetHead with a couple of MXL ribbon mics with great results whether running on my old Presonus Firepod preamps, or my M-Audio DMP3, or my Focusrite pres, or my ART pres. Anything that I used the Triton Audio FetHead on got a turbo boost of gain. While you can argue the need for it in the studio, there is no doubt that the output impedance of 220 Ohms outperforms the Cloudlifter’s 3 k output by a significant margin. Verdict

Made in the US, it includes Neutrik connectors and has a powder coated steel chassis, both of which are reassuring features from a quality perspective. The gain boost although still clean and transparent is slighly lower than the other models in this roundup at +20db but that’s still likely to be enough in most cases. A Cloudlifter (or alternative mic activator) is necessary if you’re using a low sensitivity dynamic or ribbon microphone and the preamps of your mixer/audio interface don’t provide the gain needed to bring your microphone up to the required level. Now we know a bit more about the products and have analyzed how they work in a variety of tests, what have we learned? Well, the noise floor on the FetHead is higher than that of the Cloudlifter, however, that is to be expected as the FetHead provides a higher boost overall. The no-slip pad on the under panel and book-ends on the casing are clever additions to protect the unit and switches. Overall, the high-quality components and engineering finesse are impressive yet predictable, given Radial’s outstanding reputation. Performance Your Fethead will latch straight onto any XLR equipped microphone, or anywhere else in the signal path between microphone and preamp/mixer.The electronics are housed in a robust metal chassis with a balanced female XLR input and a balanced male XLR output, rugged enough for use at home, in the studio or on tour.

Although the Cloudlifter CL-1 is a great product, there are other options to consider. Whether you’re looking for a solution at a lower price point, require more gain than a Cloudlifter provides or you need some additional features, hopefully this roundup has given you some ideas and helped you to decide which one is best for your needs. The direct-to-mic design might bother content creators who find it visually unappealing for close up videos. That being said, it’s hardly an eyesore and smaller than you might expect.

Much like the CL-1, the FetHead circuitry relies on phantom power to work. The amplification provided is super low noise, and with a frequency range from 10Hz – 100kHz, the boost received is incredibly transparent. The low noise amplification means that when using a sensitive microphone, the usable dynamic range is extended ensuring any quiet vocals retain high audio quality. Incidentally, the Phantom version does pass on phantom power since it’s designed for use with condenser microphones.

L'installazione del FetHead è un gioco da ragazzi. Basta collegarlo tra il microfono e l'interfaccia audio e il gioco è fatto. Non richiede alcuna alimentazione esterna, quindi non devi preoccuparti di batterie o cavi extra. Il design compatto e resistente del FetHead lo rende anche estremamente portatile, ideale per chi registra in studio o è spesso in viaggio.