1.5 v mic, and phantom??

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silvercn
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2013/05/25 21:53:36 (permalink)

1.5 v mic, and phantom??

I dug out an old Superscope EC-9p Cardioid Condenser Pro Mic that I want to try to use on a project. It uses and internal 1.5 v (aa battery). Can it be hurt by phantom power from my interface? I have another mic going into the interface that does need phantom, and the damn phantom power switch works both inputs at the same time, and can't be turned off on one channel. thanks
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    Shadow of The Wind
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    Re:1.5 v mic, and phantom?? 2013/05/26 02:08:59 (permalink)
    Some sources say that it will use phantom power if available.

    Wilko
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    Jeff Evans
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    Re:1.5 v mic, and phantom?? 2013/05/26 02:47:31 (permalink)
    I have read already on another forum that apparently this mic takes phantom power so I suggest pulling the 1.5 battery out and feed it phantom and see what happens. If this works then go with the phantom power. It will be supplying a higher voltage and therfore the mic might have better headroom.

    If the mic does not work without the battery and phantom on then it does not work using phantom power at all. Try putting the battery in then and test it on an input without phantom first and it will work of course. Then try applying phantom with the battery in and see what happens. I have worked with some (electret) condenser mics that did run on 1.5 v but they did not like phantom power at all. In fact they went silent when the phantom was present.  
     
    It may stop working then and if that is the case you are going to have to try and get that mic signal into your set-up without phantom power some how. (Isolation transformer perhaps)  I have got an ART box that generates phantom power for two channels. It is handy because you can switch off your phantom power on your interface and use mics that don't like it for whatever reason. Then use the ART box to supply only those mics that need it.

    Best case is it will still work on the battery while phantom is present. That usually means an output transformer is present.
    post edited by Jeff Evans - 2013/05/26 03:13:58

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