I have a simple recording setup where I have a dynamic microphone (SM57) connected to a USB audio interface on my PC (Focusrite Scarlett 2i2). It works just fine, but of course the pre-amps on that little interface are not as strong as those you would find on something like a stand-alone mixer. The result is that you have to turn up the gain on the pre-amp a lot to get a strong signal, and that also turns up the noise. Not ideal.
One solution is to get a different kind of microphone, like a condenser, that uses phantom power. When I use such a mic with the audio interface the signal is very hot. I have to turn the pre-amps way down.
This little Fethead is the other solution. You turn on the phantom power on the interface, which the dynamic mic doesn't require. The fethead then uses the phantom power to amplify the mic before the pre-amp. It's a pre-pre amp. This amplification happens before all the noise from the pre-amp comes into play, so noise stays low and your voice goes up. Now you can turn the pre-amps on the audio interface down low just like with a condenser mic.
It's just one solution to a problem of many. Instead of getting this you could get a non-dynamic mic. You could get better pre-amps. You could get a different audio interface or mixer. It really depends on your situation if this is going to be the right answer. But if it is the answer you are looking for, it absolutely works.
There are only two very minor negative things I can say about it. One kind of obvious thing is that it effectively makes your microphone longer. This almost never matters, but there are definitely situations where it could.
The other is that while it won't amplify noise in your pre-amp it could amplify noise from the environment. Thanks to the fethead, I discovered that some LED lights I have were emitting sound at a particular frequency. Without the fethead, my microphone was not picking up that noise enough for it to show up on a recording. But with the fethead, suddenly I could see a straight horizontal line in the scope clear as day. Make sure you only use this in an environment without that kind of interference that could mess up your recording.
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Customer Review: Clear and crisp sound is now mine 😁
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Product Description
Operation
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.
- Boost your microphone
- Adds 27dB of clean gain
- Lowers the noise floor of your recordings
- Often imitated, never duplicated
Triton Audio FetHead
Preamp for ribbon and dynamic microphones
Preamp for ribbon and dynamic microphones
FetHead is an ultra-low noise, high quality, in-line microphone preamplifier. It provides improved sound for ribbon and dynamic microphones. Small, compact, but, powerful, Fethead utilizes tried and true FET technology to deliver up to 27dB of clean boost. No more cranking your mic preamp and adding unwanted noise to get your microphone to an acceptable volume. Boost your microphone!
- For ribbon and dynamic microphones
- Low noise Class A FET amplifier
- 27 dB amplification (@ 3000 Ω Load)
- Balanced XLR input/output
- Frequency response 10hz-100khz (+/- 1dB)
- Z-in 22 kΩ, Circuit is powered with 24-48V phantom power
Which microphones benefit
We noticed an improvement on all tested microphones. A Shure SM57 for instance, sounds more responsive over a broader frequency range. When mated with a high-end dynamic microphone like a Sennheiser MD441, or Shure SM7 our FetHead really shines. Ribbon microphones benefit greatly too because of a much better impedance match. Fethead reduces the load on the microphone, giving it better transient response characteristics. FetHeads low noise signal amplification also extends the usable range of a ribbon microphone, making it more suitable to capture softer sound sources.
Protects the microphone
Some older ribbon microphones do not tolerate phantom power. Fethead uses phantom power to power its circuitry, but doesn’t pass phantom power to the microphone, so rest assured your ribbon mics are safe.
Reviews with images
Excelente!
El complemento ideal para Shure SM7B. Perfecto. Trabaja con el Phanton Activado.
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2021
Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2023
Reviewed in the United States on March 29, 2021
At the start of 2020, I had started off with a Shure SM57 & a Native Instruments Komplete Audio 1, and boy did I learn the hard way about how much power was needed to push that mic to the point where people can actually hear me without the mic sitting inside my mouth essentially. Over time I've learned to cope with this handicap. That is until recently, where I started to do more research into my predicament and what possible ways I can go about to remedy this situation.
I stumbled upon two choices, the Cloudlifter, and Fethead. Since i'm in a spot where space is limited on my work area, I resorted to the Fethead (I also liked the look of it as well).
And man, let me tell you the relief that I had when I first attached it onto my mic. My voice still sounded clear, with just a small amount of hiss, but that is almost inaudible. The Fethead seamlessly attaches to the mic via Female XLR on one side to Male XLR on the other, meaning I wouldn't have to deal with having to use another XLR cable if I had gone with the Cloudlifter. I can honestly say that this was such a massive improvement, without having to buy a whole new setup.
I recently switched over to the Motu M2, so I only did some tests between the M2 and the Komplete Audio. I found the M2 to work very well paired with the Fethead, and does sound just as clear without the Fethead (Though you'll still get some humming at higher gains). The Komplete Audio also sounded great, but definitely needed more gain compared.
Overall, the Fethead is an amazing purchase if you need the extra boost in gains without sacrificing too much in terms of audio quality.
Amazing results while maintaining a small foot print.
Reviewed in the United States on March 29, 2021
This past year, I've struggled with my microphone's gain since I'm practically yelling at the top of my lungs with my Shure SM57. I couldn't seem to get my voice loud enough, even with system wide post processing and my gain set to max on my audio interface. My hope was to use this mic for chat, some streaming, and music production. Thinking back now, I should've conducted more research with my gear and how low of a sensitivity the SM57 was. At the time, I was still a bit new to microphones, and what setup would pair well with each other.Reviewed in the United States on March 29, 2021
At the start of 2020, I had started off with a Shure SM57 & a Native Instruments Komplete Audio 1, and boy did I learn the hard way about how much power was needed to push that mic to the point where people can actually hear me without the mic sitting inside my mouth essentially. Over time I've learned to cope with this handicap. That is until recently, where I started to do more research into my predicament and what possible ways I can go about to remedy this situation.
I stumbled upon two choices, the Cloudlifter, and Fethead. Since i'm in a spot where space is limited on my work area, I resorted to the Fethead (I also liked the look of it as well).
And man, let me tell you the relief that I had when I first attached it onto my mic. My voice still sounded clear, with just a small amount of hiss, but that is almost inaudible. The Fethead seamlessly attaches to the mic via Female XLR on one side to Male XLR on the other, meaning I wouldn't have to deal with having to use another XLR cable if I had gone with the Cloudlifter. I can honestly say that this was such a massive improvement, without having to buy a whole new setup.
I recently switched over to the Motu M2, so I only did some tests between the M2 and the Komplete Audio. I found the M2 to work very well paired with the Fethead, and does sound just as clear without the Fethead (Though you'll still get some humming at higher gains). The Komplete Audio also sounded great, but definitely needed more gain compared.
Overall, the Fethead is an amazing purchase if you need the extra boost in gains without sacrificing too much in terms of audio quality.
Images in this review
Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2023
Top reviews from other countries
Jordan C.
Just as good as the cloud lifter, save your money buy this!
Reviewed in Canada on October 19, 2023Haddaway Lithely de Lima
Qualidade, e cuidado com o produto
Reviewed in Brazil on February 13, 2023Sergio E.
Excelente producto.
Reviewed in Mexico on December 27, 2022
Sergio E.
Reviewed in Mexico on December 27, 2022
Images in this review
Not working live
Not 2orking live sound
Reviewed in India on December 20, 2023
Not working live
Reviewed in India on December 20, 2023
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Abhinav
Clean gain at an excellent price
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 22, 2023