[avand18]

People still bitch and moan and debate for hours, but I supply nothing but 48v phantom power to mics that can handle it, because I find that the sound is less likely to get muddy during "busier" parts of a song. In other words, the mics become more sensitive and can "sort out" detail at higher SPLs.

For this I use a Tascam DR-100 which is about the combined cost of a 48V supply/preamp + standard SD recorder, and is about the size of a Sony DATman. I think the DR-100 has the same on-board mics as some smaller models. The only limiting factor is the current draw of your mics, as your battery life will significantly decrease, but most smaller size ones like Audio Technica will get you an easy 3-4 hours out of the lithium+AA's. The real challenge is finding much good to tape around here!

This said, that FET mod from Oade for this sounds GREAT but $225 bucks??? EHH....