Re: [LAU] 3.5mm microphone into audio interface?

Alf Haakon Pietruszka Lund <alf(a)mellomrommet.no> writes: Yes and no: electret condenser. They don't need phantom power for polarising the capacitor capsule as it comes prepolarised. But they do need some power (typically 3V–6V) as plugin-power to power the built-in FET preamplifier without which the weak capsule signal would not make it through the microphone cable. The infamous Neewer BM800 can convert phantom power to plugin power and thus can be run on either depending on the cable type (while providing S/N ratios that are not impressive for either application). But a lot more typically, devices only work with one kind of power. The kind of soundcard/computer providing 3.5mm TRS (or TS) microphone inputs tend to carry plugin power (sometimes switchable by software), XLR inputs tend to have an option for phantom power (almost always +48V these days), sometimes switchable in groups.