What is Phantom Power?
“Phantom Power”, “48V”, “P48” are terms that can be easily found on almost every audio interface and audio mixer. Phantom power was originally used in the telephone systems (Yes, the rotary dial one that was widely used during the ‘70s and ’80s) and was later adopted by some major audio and broadcast brands. It eventually became an IEC standard.
In the audio world, “Phantom Power 48V” is almost synonymous with “Condenser Microphone” which requires this voltage (with pin 2 and pin 3 of the XLR connector carrying 48V, while pin 1 is 0V.) to establish the capacitor plate and power the microphone electronics.
*The term “Phantom Power” refers to its “Invisibility” as no external power device is used to power a condenser microphone”.
*Phantom power is not only widely being used with condenser microphone but also works with powered lighting and active antennas.
*Check out this WIKI Link if you want to learn more.
How to USE it correctly?
In general, if you’re using a condenser microphone that requires 48V from an external device such as audio interface or audio mixer, you can turn on the “Phantom Power 48V” to make it work. However, please always keep in mind that if you’re using a vintage-style microphone (e.g., a ribbon microphone), do not turn on phantom power, as doing so might harm the microphone.
*Some legacy condenser microphones can be powered via battery or an additional power device.
*To avoid electrical shorts that damage the circuitry of your microphone, always turn off “Phantom Power” when you plug or unplug an XLR cable into your audio gear such as audio interface or sound mixer.
Warm Reminder
Don’t be scared when we say “Phantom Power” might harm your gear. In general situations like using guitar/bass instrument cable while “Phantom Power” is on, won’t really break your guitar/bass as instruments with unbalanced cable aren’t affected.
However, we still want to list a few situations that could damage your gear when using “Phantom Power” incorrectly:
1. BEWARE! Patchbay USER!
Patchbays use TRS(balanced) cables on both ends and have a feature that momentarily shorts other ground pins during patching. Therefore, always turn off/disable “Phantom Power” when using a patchbay.
2. Caring for Seniors! (Legacy Gear)
As you might already know, “Phantom Power” can be harmful to vintage legacy ribbon mics due to their physical wiring specs (unbalanced). Nowadays, some ribbon mics won’t be affected by “Phantom Power”, but we suggest you always check the spec before powering up any legacy vintage microphones. “Better to be safe than sorry!”
3. Cable Matters
Since the 48V phantom power is carried by pin 2 and 3 of the XLR connector, it’s crucial to understand the specs of your XLR cables (and microphones) before using phantom power, and ALWAYS purchase XLR cables from a reputable manufacturer or brand.