Originally Posted by BIG JIM MERRILEES
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FYI All tubes and condensers require phantom power. I doubt one would give a signal without it. Some tube mics have their own transformers and special cables.

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Jim,
While most, if not all tube mics, as they are normally referred to, are also condenser mics the inclusion of the tube (valve) requires real power, not phantom power, thus the out board power supply. I have not seen, nor have I heard of a tube mic that runs with phantom power.

A phantom powered condenser microphone will use the standard 3 pin XLR cords for their power while a tube mice will require a totally different cable setup up, coming off a stand alone power supply, usually a seven pin cable.
Remember the tube is the amplifier on a tube mic and so requires real voltage to get the amperage necessary to power up the tube, unlike the phantom powered condenser mic with a solid state amplifier that requires much less amperage and can work with phantom power.