If 20 dB is enough gain for your needs, it has an excellent value-to-cost ratio and high-quality gain to offer. 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. sE quote a self-noise figure of 9μV, according to the Japanese JIS-A standard, but Hugh was unable to replicate that measurement with the AP system. It also features a dedicated buffer amp to give you a consistent +28 dB gain boost regardless of the connected load. In addition to providing useful gain when you need it, the buffered circuity also makes the sE DM1 a practical choice when feeding long cable runs.

The Cloudlifter has a solid fan base and has become one of the go-to gain boosting devices for pairing with a low sensitivity dynamic mic. kg) and designed to attach right to your microphone, the FetHead’s compact design makes it versatile. I use this with my Shure Sm7b, whoa that girl is gain hungry, but the Fethead handles it like a boss, be it connected to my audio interface or straight into the mic, it really doesn't matter it feeds that mic with the gain it needs.roughly 22dB above the Audio Precision test set's quiescent noise floor, but with 29dB of additional gain in the signal path).

It doesn't pass the phantom power on to the connected microphone, so there's no risk of damage to vintage ribbons or faulty mics.If you’re in the market for a mic activator that gives a clean gain boost, you’ll likely read plenty about the FetHead vs Cloudlifter debate. The all-metal casing is sturdy, and no buttons or dials means that the CL-1 is more than equipped for a life on the road.