What is phantom power?

Condenser and active moving coil microphones are two of the mic types that need 48v phantom power. Most good quality soundcards, interfaces and mixing consoles have the ability to send phantom power to a mic.

Phantom power is DC current sent to the mic via its XLR cable, which simultaneously sends its audio signal the other way. Because the XLR cable is balanced (three core) any unwanted noise is cancelled out and the audio signal stays free from interference.

All of Aston’s microphones to date require phantom power, with the exception of Stealth which can operate with or without. Origin, Spirit and Starlight are all condenser mics, Element and Stealth are moving coil mics with active electronics.