NOISY PREAMPS BEGONE! Fethead and Fethead Phantoms save the day. 

It's now 2020 and I'm still here for the hair.

Perfect demonstration of the Fethead. Similar to my experience!

FINALLY someone who actually shows concrete evidence o the impact the device makes. Everyone always just talks not shows. Thank you, you are brilliant.

im here for the hair. Mike

Just discovered your channel today, and I've already enjoyed a good number of your videos - but this was shocking. I've been an audio engineer for a while, and I'd never heard of these Triton FetHeads. I just showed this video to a few of my colleagues and they'd never heard of them, and their instant response was a mixture of skepticism and wonder. We just put an order in for a few, and I gotta tell you, this is HUGE for me. I run a studio that relies on portable recording hardware, and the easier I can make it for my talent to operate, the better. This is brilliant. Thank you for taking the time to share this, man. This legitimately will make my work better.

To anyone with a variety of mics dynamic/condenser, you might not need to buy both. According to Shure: "Any dynamic microphone with a low impedance balanced output, like the SM58, is not affected by phantom power. Phantom Power will not damage a professional dynamic microphone." So, good news! The Fethead Phantom should cover all of your needs, but be sure to check with your individual manufacturer first, just in case. Of course, if you use a ribbon mic, you will still need the original Fethead.

I really love that the FetHead and FetHead Phantom look EXACTLY ALIKE. That's a great feature. Good way to damage a very expensive ribbon mic.

Based on this video, I picked up the Fethead Phantom -- added it to my setup last night and voila! hello gain and goodbye preamp noise--- my noise floor is awesome now, it was fine before, but now... I'm good to go! makes my Steinberg U44 work like a big boy preamp!! great combo with my Michael Joly modded Rode N1A --- Thanks Mike, great video as always!!

it is rare that i see a youtuber plugging in a Fethead intoa Mic and its pure magic and entertainment. Your Voice is awesome as well as your persona. Kepp it up!

"You're not here for my hair" That's where you're wrong, Mike.

Great video, great advice. FYI, often you can replace the interface cable (i.e. the 3.5mm / 1/8” one) with an impedance matched cable (e.g. Sescom, etc) and eliminate much of the “preamp noise”. I have seen this work wonders with the Tascam 70D, a Saramonics Smart mixer, etc. The 70D went from unusable (in my opinion) to up there with a Zoom F8 in terms of S/N levels. I am not just talking about a 3dB or similar reduction in noise, but more like a 12-18 dB S/N improvement. The right cable makes all the difference with those little output transformers and op-amps.

Cool, I didn't know about these, but I am defiantly going to get the Fethead Phantom version. I like to do wildlife sound recording and I am often in quieter locations and even using a mic like a Sennheiser ME66 which is quite sensitive and only 10db self noise, pointing it at the subject, I can still get some noise with my Tascam 701-D (which I find has good preamps) when I turn up the gain because of the distance between myself and the subject and the quieter surroundings, so being able to have clean natural sounds will be a big plus for me and it will be useful for my voice over recordings also.

Hi, Mike. I really like your videos. They are very instructive and interesting. I actually learned a lot about audio and voice over on your channel. And You're such a fun guy. Thank you.

Just bought a fethead phantom. Great presentation of just how effective these little devices are.

It's really good to hear a clear example of a noisy preamp. I'm not even sure that "cheap" is a proper synonym for "noisy" these days since there are actually a lot of remarkably quiet preamps in very affordable hardware lately. But the other side of the coin is when your preamp simply doesn't have enough total gain, like the Zoom H-series. Even if the preamp is quiet enough when it's maxed out, if it doesn't have enough gain to provide sufficient volume then an inline-preamp like the FetHead or Cloudlifter can be a solution for that. So mics with very low output like the SM7B or large ribbon mics can really need one of these devices to work well, simply because the main preamp doesn't have enough total gain. Even the DBX 286S only has 59dB of gain. For some mics that just isn't quite enough. So the usefulness of these devices are not solely for reducing preamp hiss on bad preamps. On the other hand if you have a MixPre-6 with super-quiet Kashmir preamps and 76dB of gain, it's quite unlikely a Cloudlifter/FetHead would be beneficial with any type of mic.

I dont hear any hiss, on any of your videos whenever you quiet down and say listen for it. You have some of the best audio I have ever heard on youtube. You sound like a professional radio show.

We are here for the hair... wait... this isn't hair junkie?

I recently purchased one of each of these, and holy crap! Very impressed. I have a U87 clone that suffered from a little self noise, but the Fethead Phantom cleaned it up nicely!

Hi Mike, thank you for the great demo. According to the product page on Triton Audio's website, there is a bit of difference between the two devices: the normal FetHead has 27dB of gain while the FetHead phantom only 18dB.

omg...this was exactly the solution I needed for my studio setup. Thanks, Mike!

I’ve got the Phantom Fethead. It’s an excellent product. Highly recommend. PS - nice salad Mike 👍🏼

HOLY CRAP THAT SOUNDS AMAZING AND THE HAIR IS AMAZING TOO! Great video, really never even knew about the phatom version. This has be wonderful.

I got my very first mic and interface a few days ago. The Rode PodMic and Scarlett Solo 2nd Gen. I have to set the gain on full for decent levels. After watching this video, I pulled the trigger on a Fethead. Hoping that solves my noise/hissing issues!

Allen for the save. The Klark Teknik in-line preamp supposedly for sale around $30. Can't find one. Hearing they will be available in April. Wait for Klark Teknik CT-1 or get a dynamite preamp for $120. delivered.

Oh cool! I have a couple of mics that need ~90% of the gain knob on my 2i2. I have to be really careful to avoid the hiss that comes with cranking the gain. I thought it would be great to add a fethead, but the mics are both condensers, and need phantom power. I thought I was SOL, but this would totally scratch that itch!

Best explanation of these devices and great production quality. I wish you much success, sir.

Oho. Nice and quiet... That's an interesting use for one of those Fethead Phantoms. I couldn't figure it out through the fine print, but now that you've mentioned how terrible portable pre-amps could be, it makes a lot more sense.

What if there were a manufacturer who actually implemented that Fethead in a microphone's design (can be turned off by a switch of course..). That's a nice on-the-go package if you ask me!

Fethead great when I took on a low output passive ribbon mic. Overcame pre-amp hiss and ingress of whistle from solar PV. Gives enough spare gain to insert a small passive boost EQ (if you choose to, for this kind of mic) ahead of your preamp or DAW. With the EQ, I get a floor minus 67dB, with my quiet voice at ten inches, set to peak minus 12 raw. Readily gateable - and advisable if you have clients who crank up high end and compression for their market! But for such guys, I revert to a super quiet NT1A condenser with enough output not to need boost.

I had no idea they made inline preamps like this. Gotta pick up one of these.

beautiful! great travel setup! I currently use an sm58, a cloudlifter, and a tascam dr-44wl (for travel) but it's still bulky and it doesn't get rid of all the noise. it works ok, but not the best setup. I am glad i saw this. great video!

I've learned a TON of useful stuff from you. Thank you again and again and again :) Also, I just love your sign-off! Fanboy: out!

I just ordered mine... HOLY CRAP!!! No noise at all. Really great review!

Thank you! Withing 1 minute and a half you explained what I wanted to know. I wasted over half an hour to find the basic difference and why couldn't I just get the regular FetHead to work on both dynamics and condenser mics. Thanks booth junkie!

I'm here for the hair Mike, and I like it.

This demonstration shows that the Fethead has a much better noise figure than the Saramonic. See the discussion here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noise_figure and in particular the part that says, "The first amplifier in a chain usually has the most significant effect on the total noise figure because the noise figures of the following stages are reduced by stage gains."

May I suggest that when it gets 5:12 I suggest you move your head from side to side to follow Yes Fethead and No Fethead text, not for any sound reasons but because it's fun.

Thanks for making this. I'm going to get one for my low-output Shure SM7B. The answer to my first question: it adds 18 dB of gain.

Absolutely love my fetheads - have used them for years.

Thank you for this Mike. I find I get quite a bit of hiss on my Scarlett 2i2 and CAD e100s. Sad story: I bought an Audient id22 to see how it compared (and hopefully fix the issue) but found the change to be negligible. Maybe I'm just doing something wrong. I dunno... I'll give the fethead a shot. EDIT: In case anyone asks, I did send my e100s in for repair thinking it might be that, and nope. They say it's fine. I tested on a Blue Spark and still have that same hiss.

I was hearing some crackle from the Fethead side, but that might have been you squeezing the headphones against your hair/beard. Sensitive! So, any EQ changes? What is the total cost of the travel recorder and the Fethead phantom? So, if you could find one travel recorder with a better pre for under the combined cost... You are so great for going through all this experimenting for us! So, your travel setup at this point is your recorder ($130?), a Triton Fethead Phantom ($100) and a 416 ($1000). ($1,230). How about this... A long USB cable, a Kaotica Eyeball and a Sennheiser MK4? The A/D converter is the same as in the Apogee MiC with a fantastic LDC by Sennheiser!

I too am here for the hair

Seems to me the parts without the FEThead are a few db louder than with the Fethead. Seems the adjustment to total gain wasn't correctly done. Giving a lower his with lower total gain on the parts with the Fethead engaged. Fetheads are for adding gain when you don't have enough. They can't really lower noise.

Question, im confused now, witch one in need for my shure sm7b?

You remind me so much of that guy from the old good neighbor stuff videos "This is how we trip"

Her for the hair, definitely, the hair....and the wisdom. Then the hair again.

This is exactly what I have been looking for. Thank you!

That Shure mic sounded better than I was expecting!

Since I became aware of those pre-pre-amps in this very video, I have watched a lot of RU-vid videos. What I discovered was: Even (very) expensive pre-amps can be quite noisy when cranked. And because I am about to get myself a setup with a rather power-hungry dynamic microphone (RØDE Procaster behind the Focusrite Clarett 2Pre USB, maybe with the DBX 286 S in between) I’m making sure to add the TritonAudio FetHead either way. (The Cloud Microphones CloudLifter LC-1 is too expensive in comparison) The difference in the noise floor is definitely audible, even on RU-vid, no matter, what many people say and I don’t want to have additional noise, if I can prevent it that easily! The Room I have to use has enough noise to deal with, which by the way is why I’m thinking about adding the DBX 286 S to the setup. I hope, nevertheless, that the RØDE Procaster can “ignore” a lot of the noise by itself, because a noise gate doesn’t ignore noise when it’s open...

Omg mike!!! I was wondering what this was this afternoon and why I was hearing that hiss in the background!!! Thank you so much!!!

Wow! You sold me! I'm getting a Fethead lol

My 2i2 blew the Capacitors in my AKG, after getting the mic repaired I bought some external phantom power for safety (Just a little Neewer for about £20) and there is so little noise! Could be a cheaper alternative to try if people are running similar setups :)

Thanks for this video! I got a fethead and just used it. I'm getting a much better signal to noise ratio.

Great video as always Mike, keep it up, your videos are the best.

I'm not sure, that thing *passes* phantom power. More likely it's a independent preamp, which is powered with 48V from your audio device (works with 28-48V regarding to specs) and supplies mic with its own phantom power. Same with the original Fethead, just it provides another voltage, obviously (the same 28-48V in required).

YIKES! I just received my Fethead Phantom (FP) today. I excitedly opened the package and observed that the insignia had fallen off of the device. Unfortunate, but no big deal. So, I added it into the chain on my portable system, consisting of a Zoom H5 recorder, Mogami Gold cable, and Sennheiser MKH416 microphone. I attached the FP to the mic end of the cable and turned on my H5. I received no signal from my microphone, but heard something odd so I cranked up the pre-amp. Suddenly, I was listening to an interview with actors from The Book of Mormon on 94.9FM radio. After listening to a bit of the interview (why not?), I switched the FP to the pre-amp end of the cable. This removed the radio signal, but I still received nothing from the microphone. Continuing to experiment, I switched out mics to a Shure SM58, which I'd been told should function the same with either Classic or Phantom Fetheads. With this configuration, I did receive a boosted mic signal, but it also introduced strange coloring and a humming tone. So, I guess I'll be emailing Triton...and I was so excited. :(

Please answer quickly. I have Shure MV7 and it has some noise, so the sound is low. Will it help in this case TritonAudio FetHead Filter ?

The fethead i got was super noisy, i may have gotten a faulty unite, but i feel the cloudlifter is quieter.

Question, and hopefully this isn't obvious. But why buy an expensive pre-amp ever if you can just buy a less expensive one and the fethead and it achieves the same thing? Of course assuming that the fethead and inexpensive pre-amp is still cheaper than the expensive preamp you're looking to get. Essentially my question...is there a downside to lowering the preamp and using a fethead to achieve the same sound? Does it reduce the quality or timber or something like that?

R u kiddin? That thing is awesome!

Interesting. I had thought of this setup before and did a similar one with the saramonic 10. You need the right fethead for the mic though. I used my fet head with my tascam dr70, and rode ntg4+. Preamp is already good on the dr70 though.

This should be part of the mic, with a switch. Clean sound is what we want. Then add color if needed !

Mike if you can get your hands on one, could you do a comparison between your sennheiser and one of the rode ntg shotgun mics? Would be nice to have a point of reference between the standard and maybe something a little less expensive.

Nice review! While I don’t have any pre issues, (my Avalon M5 works great) I enjoy learning about recording gear.

Brother you ROCK!

You are amazing! Thank you, your videos really helped me

I just got a FetHead Phantom and I tried it with my Sennheiser MKH 416 and Tascam 701-D and I got no sound from it when the mic was plugged into the FetHead (I had 48v phantom power turned on the Tascam), but as soon as I disconnected the Fethead and just plugged the mic into the recorder, I was getting sound. I did find that it worked with my Rode NT1 and Tascam 701-D but its unnecessary due to the NT1s very low self noise anyway, so not sure what was happening since it was working on your MKH 416 and not mine.

Okay the phantom one is great, i'd need that with for the heil fin if I want it to light up.

Thank you so much for this review!!! I needed to see a proper test of this baddie

Klark Teknik CM-1 is working for me great at the fifty buck mark.

hey I have a zoom H5 and H6. just wondering if you think one of these is advantageous for these or is the preamp already good enough in these recorders so that there would not be much of a performance increase?

you can get ''batteries'' with a DC tail for 12v plugs on amazon. ;-)

Thanks. Great video.

Hi Mike, I use a Neat King Bee with a Zoom H5 for my setup. Which of the two Fetheads would be better to boost my signal with that combination? The Fethead or Fethead Phantom. Love the show. Congrats on the 100k.

Question: If I daisy chain two og these, could I basically get double the clean db output? So 44 vs 22 extra db? Would it work?

I would like to thank you for having the only mic/studio review channel on the internet that doesn't employ some version of "Here's how to record the worst music you have ever heard in your life."

Super random question, but did you sound like this when you were 21?

Hi ! Thanks a lot for this discovery ! Do you have any idea if this Fethead phantom would work with the Samson C02 mics ? I could not find the information on the whole god damn internet :D ! Have a nice day !

Fethead or SE DM1?

I was thinking "man he unplugged that microphone quietly". Yea...

Good stuff! Still love my H5. Also, more versatile given capsule options, etc. if you make use of them. Great options are great, though. :)

Thanks for this! I have a Michael Joly Hulk 990 condenser mic plugged into a Scarlett 2i2. I tend to get some noise even at fairly low gain. Imma try the Fethead Phantom and let y’all know how it goes

Excellent Thanks

Thanks for the video. Helped a lot.

Recorder > Fethead Phantom > Fethead > mic all the gain

This setup with a condenser mic sounds better than your standard setup. Not sure why you dropped it.

Can these be used on a Focusrite interface and will it make a difference? Thank you, Mike!

is there a fethead for 3.5mm connections? maybe with aa couple of AA batteries inside?

What if.... u connect mic>frethead>frethead phantom> audio interface....wouldnt it be nice?

"Does that help....." I think so. To get a good sound on my Presonus iOne with a Deity S-mic2, I have to go all the way up to more than 3 o´clock on the audio interface. But in turn I get the hiss, the noise. But what you are saying is, that instead of buying an expensive external dedicated pre-amp, then a Fedhead Phantom would be all I need to solve this problem?

5:13 - 5:25 No fluttering effect. But I hear a crinkling noise (not as loud though).

I know this is an old video, but I have a few questions. So, I have a pre amp that provides phantom power to my microphone. My microphone doesn't require phantom power but the Cloudlifter i run it through does. Now it sounds fine for the most part but i really need to crank the gain on my pre amp to get a decent sound out of it. The issue with that is, the static noisefloor is ridiculous. My question being which do you think would be better? The fethead or the fethead phantom? And would I need the fethead phantom with the Cloudlifter to send the phantom power along to my mic?

can i use the condenced mic powered by battery then connect the fethead for dynamic mic using the phantom power from the micpreamp?

Hey Mike, I wanna plug a Dynamic Mic (Sennheiser e935) into my smartphone for recording, and streaming on facebook live, but plugging it straight in will cause it to hiss due to the preamp. What I'm wondering is.. Do you think I can use a fethead with this recorder, in order to get clean, hissless audio, and use a 3.5mm auxiliary connection to connect the recorder to the phone, so instead of using the headphone jack to monitor the audio, I use it to send over clean audio? If not.. what is a good way I can plug my e935 into my phone some other way with no hissing? (I don't have an audio interface at the moment) I've done a similar thing before, plugging my blue yeti into my laptop for power, but using a 3.5mm aux cable to run the headphone output straight into my DSLR mic input with no hissing. I'd just like a portable audio solution. Using my blue yeti with an OTG cable to my phone DOES work but it drains the battery way too fast to be reliable for hours of shooting.

Sir. I found your video a very informative and useful for people who are in voice over and voice recording. Ugm, if I am allow to request for an item, can you tell your tought about the Yamaha f4 mixer and amoon AM-228, which one has a better mic preamp. Those 2 are very cheap and its very helpful to us to give you your review in it. Thanks in advance.

Hi Mike: Really enjoy all of your reviews. I was wondering if you could recommend a USB mic that could be used for recording voice & guitar using the program Audacity? As a beginning guitarist, I am interested in monitoring my progress. I don't have a studio & would be recording in my family room. So, background noise may be a problem. Also, if you think that the way to go would be to buy an interface & use an XLR mic to record, I would be interested in what you have to say? Thanks in advance, Steve

Hey Mike. Noticed from other videos we both use the Audient iD22 and a 416 and just like mine, the gain on the iD22 needs to be turned up quite high to get good signal from the 416. Question is do, or have you used the fethead phantom in this instance to boost the clean gain of the iD22 and lower your noisefloor? Possibly looking to pick one up if so. I also know you have an Avalon 737 pre so you might be using that and bypassing the audient pres.

Is the Triton Fethead able to filter electronical noises from my smartphone or other stuff near my mic ? Greetings from Germany.

Good info! Thanks

Sorry don't understand the difference between the "Zoom + cable + Mic" vs "Saramonic + Fethead + Mic), doesn't seem like much difference in space. Perhaps I'm missing something, will admit I have no where near your experience in this area. Wouldn't the Zoom do more than the Saramonic? I mean after you add the prices for each setup, they become fairly close. Shrug, just asking as I've got to me missing something here.