Need to increase the level of your low-output ribbon and dynamic microphones? Sweetwater has a nifty device you should know about. The Royer R-DB20 dBooster is a phantom-powered ribbon and dynamic mic signal booster and impedance buffer. It’s ideal for miking any low-volume sound source, recording direct to an audio interface, or using on long cable runs to retain sound quality. The dBooster increases the level of your passive ribbon and dynamic microphones with a minimum of distortion or coloration. Designed for professional studio and live sound applications, the dBooster provides two levels of clean gain boost — 12dB and 20dB, selectable via a front-panel switch.
The dBooster maintains headroom and gain regardless of load. The dBooster’s Class A input circuitry presents a high source impedance to the microphone, which minimizes damping (loading). This reduces coloration and distortion while simultaneously maximizing headroom. You can achieve an optimal balance between gain and headroom for a variety of uses by utilizing the 12dB/20dB gain switch. The dBooster’s low-impedance output is an increased mic-level signal that can drive a standard microphone preamplifier or a digital audio interface directly. It also minimizes signal loss on long cable runs.