Header banner
Revain logoHome Page
Jesse Hughes photo
1 Level
747 Review
38 Karma

Review on πŸŽ™οΈ FetHead TRITON Audio In-Line Microphone Preamp: Boosting Performance for Better Sound Quality by Jesse Hughes

Revainrating 5 out of 5

Matches a dynamic microphone to an ICOM transceiver.

I am using this preamp to boost the output of a Sure Model 556 microphone so it will work with an ICOM IC-7610 ham radio transceiver. The Model 556 was developed in 1947; Mine is from the early 50's. I've owned it since the 60's. This is a supercardioid dynamic microphone for broadcast applications. ICOM transceivers are designed to work with high output power electret microphones used in PCs and smartphones. (They use 1-8V phantom power provided by the transceiver.) Later ICOM models have higher mic gain to allow for dynamic mics. However, I found that I had to turn the transceiver's mic gain and compression all the way down and talk close to 556 to get an acceptable level. Hence the fet head preamp. The amp suits me. It has too much gain, so I switched the mic to the "L" (40 ohms) position. The preamp makes a solid and durable impression. There seems to be no noticeable distortion and plenty of headroom. I can't say anything about the frequency response because communication transmitters like mine deliberately limit the frequency response. My only concern is that the fet head seems overpriced. The combination of microphone, preamp, phantom power and adapter cable is quite an expensive setup. I could have bought a new dynamic mic that would also work for a lot less money but I had a cool retro mic and wanted to use it.

Pros
  • Pleasant
Cons
  • Updates