Phantom Power - 48V's critical?

[bpoco]

I measured the voltage being applied to my Rode NT-1 from my Mackie mixer. It was reading 41V. I was expecting 48V. What's the acceptable tolerance for phantom power? The NT-1 seems to be performing acceptably, however, I am a newbie and don't have much real-life experience to judge whether or not it could sound better w/48V.

 

[littledog]

A lot more preamps are putting out less than 48 volts than many people realize. Fortunately, a lot of mics work perfectly well on quite a bit less. But there are a few that don't. Sounds like you are in the fortunate category.

 

[Richard Monroe]

You lose some headroom as the phantom voltage drops, which can be a problem on loud sources (drums). I use a little battery powered mixer for remote recording (Behringer MXB1002) which provides only 18v nominal to a pair of Oktava MC012's, and they work quite well. I guess all you can do is try it, but in general 41v won't be a problem. YMMV.-Richie

 

[Light]

There are mics which require exactly 48V, but not many. Schopes makes quite a few, though even they make similar models which can run on a wide range of voltages. They tend to be very expensive mics, with very precise electronics. Your Rode will, I am sure, be fine.

Light

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