NAB 2014: Que Audio 210 Hybrid Mic, “No” to Phantom Power

Much like shooters will bring multiple lenses on production day, anyone with a Que Audio 210 Hybrid Sniper Shotgun Microphone Kit, can bring multiple power supplies for the same mic. The kit is well packaged, as we discovered with the Q Sniper Pro we reviewed in 2013. There's a full complement of parts to the 210 Hybrid Sniper Shotgun mic, in this case we'll start with either phantom power or battery power options. There's a 210 Hybrid Super-Cardioid Screw-On Barrel for the base mic element which connects to a compact or XLR power supply. The Compact Power Supply includes an on/off switch and a gain switch to add 10dB or 20dB. The XLR Power Supply can draw phantom power or use two included LR44 batteries, this one retains an on/off switch and frequency selector for 0, 50Hz, or 200Hz. Since you're not changing mic capsules the characteristics of your audio should be virtually the same even though you're using a completely different power source. There are shotgun mics that need phantom power, and there are those that carry batteries, but rare indeed is the mic that can use both. 

If our previous tests are any indication, the size of this kit is not proportional to the quality. Though the case brings the size to greater than many mics, the actual shotgun you'll be using is quite small (the mic alone is about 5oz.) considering the stand, cords, shock mount and dead cat fit in the same convenient kit. Also, with Que Audio's history the mic kit will be reasonably priced, our a wildly educated guess is about $550.

Now we can't make a rule that all shotgun mics need phantom power.

Jackson Wong
Jackson Wong
Jackson is a fan of Star Wars, sports, foley, and games of all kinds.

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