Klark Teknik CT1 Mic Booster - Detailed Review and Tests

Рет қаралды 6,238

Күн бұрын

The Klark Teknik CT1 is a mic booster offered at a very affordable price. This is a detailed review including audio tests using dialogue and performance analysis using sine wave tests.
This detailed review includes an unboxing, overview of specifications, dialogue audio tests using the Shure SM7B with the Focusrite Scarlett 8i6, ART Voice Channel, and DBX 286s interface and channel strips. Audio frequency comparison of both a sine wave sweep from 20-20000 Hz as well as specific boost tests at 400, 1000, and 8000 Hz demonstrate boost performance and expected coloration of sound using the CT1 mic booster. I have also included self noise, booster placement, and overall assessment and recommendations to help you determine if the Klark Teknik CT1 mic booster is suitable for your needs. After watching this review, you will have an idea how the CT1 will perform across a range of applications.
Thanks for watching!
Links:
Klark Teknik CT1: amzn.to/3JXma0N
Focusrite Scarlett 8i6 3rd gen: amzn.to/3IXAXai
ART Voice Channel: amzn.to/3tWeLsS
DBX 286s: amzn.to/372YPvO
Shure SM7B: amzn.to/3IXN5Iu
You may also like:
Focusrite Scarlett 8i6 Review: • Focusrite Scarlett 8i6...
Audio Technica ATH-m40x Review: • Audio-Technica ATH M40...
Shure MV7X vs Rode Podmic: • Shure MV7X vs Rode Pod...
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Do This First:
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Check out GIK Acoustics here: www.gikacoustics.com/ref/131/
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Book a One-on-One Zoom Appointment with me for assistance and recommendations to help you create or upgrade your home or project studio. I help musicians, producers, and content creators! Visit my website for more information: askdrtk.com/coaching/
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Timestamps:
00:00 Introducing the Klark Teknik CT1 and What's in this Review?
01:18 Unboxing the Klark Teknik CT1
02:05 CT1 Features and Specifications
03:03 CT1 Dialogue Audio Comparison using the SM7B and Scarlett 8i6
05:00 CT1 Boost and Coloration Tests Using Tone Generator
10:04 CT1 Dialogue Audio Comparison using the SM7B and ART Voice Channel
11:05 CT1 Dialogue Audio Comparison using the SM7B and DBX 286s
12:06 Final Thoughts and Recommendations after Testing the Klark Teknik CT1 Mic Booster
(Some links are affiliate links that may provide a small commission to askdrtk without cost to you or influence of my content or opinions. Thanks for clicking! askdrtk is a member of amazon associates and other affiliate programs.) Disclaimer: askdrtk.com/disclaimer/

Пікірлер: 84

@photogamenerd 2 жыл бұрын

I'm so glad I found this channel, so many people just throw the advertised specs, hear a gain, and say "oh yay +25db!"

@askdrtk 2 жыл бұрын

Much appreciated and I’m glad you found my review useful! I try to provide tests, demos, and information I would want to know. I still miss things, but I’m always looking for ways to improve my reviews and tutorials. If you take the time to watch my reviews, it is important to me that I provide value and my honest opinion based upon as much info as possible. Thanks again for checking out my look at the CT-1.

@boeing757pilot 6 ай бұрын

Thanks! Your analysis is always first-rate.

@onlymyopiniontech 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the test. My only suggestion would be a much shorter cable between the mic and booster. At this price I did order one through your link. 👍

@askdrtk 2 жыл бұрын

Glad to help, thanks for the suggestion, and I agree - it is always best to use the shortest cable that is practical (booster or not). Since the specs suggested under 30 feet between the mic and booster, I wanted to test that and 25 was the closest I have. The best application for this I can think of would be handheld for live performance. It is nice that the booster does fit right onto the SM7B connection as well. From what I can tell, you can't go too far wrong with this booster at the price (it actually surprised me). Thanks again and enjoy...

@LandelaStarProduction 2 жыл бұрын

Really helpful review. Thank you

@askdrtk 2 жыл бұрын

My pleasure and I'm glad to help out!

@awwaymusic 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you very much for the video, very good review

@askdrtk 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks, I'm glad to help out!

@tarczynskikamil 4 ай бұрын

Very Good Job!!!!!

@coloredsound4368 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for your video! Though I do believe the long cable run before the booster makes for slight weakening of the signal. I feel if we put the CT1 right on the mic, there's significantly less cable run with low signal, instead basically the strong signal travels all the way directly from the mic into any preamps, which should make for a cleaner, stronger and less noisy signal. All through the same gear. But great video nonetheless!

@askdrtk 2 жыл бұрын

Much appreciated! I agree 100 percent and I generally place boosters at or as close to the mic as possible for recording (one thing I don't like about my CL1s), but I thought since the CT1 specs say up to 30 foot cable between the mic and booster I wanted to test under this scenario. For comparison, I get about an additional 1.6 dB at 1kHz with the CT1 at the mic followed by a 25 foot xlr. I probably should have included some gain / noise floor charts "at the mic" and with a few cable combinations for those who like to use them on stage with 58s, etc. I'll think about that for the next mic booster review I do. Hope the bit of extra info helps out and thanks for sharing and checking our my review!

@3jackdaw168 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you so so much for this. I really want to get rid of my sm7b hiss from my preamp, even with the dbx 286s the white noise is definitely there, I do however you didn't use the gain/expander on the DBX test you did so we can hear if it also got rid of the preamp noise since you dialed down the dbx's gain knob.

@askdrtk 2 жыл бұрын

Glad to help out! Using the CT1 mic booster with the DBX 286s results in a noise floor below -72dB on my system. Setting gain for an average speaking level of -16dB results in 56db of difference so that hiss will be essentially inaudible and recordings will be suitable for voiceover work. Hope this helps out.

@3jackdaw168 2 жыл бұрын

@@askdrtk i immediately subbed when i saw your video! Thank you so much. Ive been seeking for weeks to get answers. Your channel deserves more subs! Super underrated.

@TimeoutPH 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for this! I would buy one for my Rode Procaster. I am using UM2 - Behringer as an audio interface

@askdrtk 2 жыл бұрын

All Good - In my experience the XENYX preamp in your UM2 is pretty clean as long as gain is less than about 80%. The CT1 will help get your Procaster into the "sweet spot" without needing to push the UM2 too hard. The Procaster is a great mic and adding the booster should not only make the sound cleaner, but also thicken in up on the UM2. Hope this helps out and thanks again for checking out my review!

@SUPER8ALTERN8 2 жыл бұрын

@@askdrtk I just ordered one for my Rode Podmic, using an RME fireface UC I wasn't happy with the level for spoken word for live voice chat in my case, the signal from the RME was very clean just not quite loud enough, Many thanks for your solid review, The low end warmth should be quite pleasing in my case as I feel the podmic lacks a little low end warmth from the box.

@askdrtk 2 жыл бұрын

Glad to help out. I agree, the CT1 is a good complement for the PodMic and should provide some additional warmth while maintaining the clarity the PodMic is well known for - i'm certain you will be pleased with the result. This will also give you a greater range of adjustment for gain on your RME (great clean interface) which is my preferred method vs simply adjusting in the box (proper gain at all stages beginning with the preamp = better sound imo). Thanks for checking out my review and sharing your use case!

@SUPER8ALTERN8 2 жыл бұрын

@@askdrtk Thanks so much, I forgot to mention your review of the Podmic was in my opinion the best on here and influenced my purchase, thankfully the algorithm recommended your CT1 review as well. Keep up the fantastic content my friend and hope to see you continue to grow in the coming year!

@askdrtk 2 жыл бұрын

Very much appreciated! I have alot of new gear (in all price points) in for review with more on the way + I am about to launch a full series on EQ, compression, mixing, and mastering with both plugins and outboard gear. It is going to be a busy year...

@jimmypatino 2 ай бұрын

Can I use Klark Teknik CT1 with a condenser mic like a preamp to get more gain and high sensibility…? Is that possible? Otherwise I will get problems with 48v of phantom p?

@NewYears1978 2 жыл бұрын

What a great device at this price over the $89 + ones.

@askdrtk 2 жыл бұрын

Performance / build quality given the price do provide excellent value. The CT1 is a very good option for many. Thanks for checking out my review of the CT1!

@NewYears1978 2 жыл бұрын

@@askdrtk Mine actually died after one day lol. Started having tons of static and noise in my mic. Sweetwater refunded it, common issue I guess.

@askdrtk 2 жыл бұрын

Sorry to hear - that is really unfortunate, but Sweetwater is top notch for service. I haven't heard of issues with these boosters and I have two myself that have been getting regular daily use for months with a few different preamps - no issues so far. The only one i have every had go bad was a Triton FetHead...

@NewYears1978 2 жыл бұрын

@@askdrtk Yeah that was weird. It worked great for a day then suddenly was all whacked out. Sweetwater was amazing though. I will try another later, or just go the more expensive route and grab a cloudlifter.

@HardGrader Жыл бұрын

Is there any reason why this wouldn't help a weak condenser mic that has the option of being battery-powered, such as the Rode NTG-2?

@askdrtk Жыл бұрын

You could use a booster such as this with a battery powered condenser mic. You could also use a phantom power supply such as the Xvive P1 between the booster and mic if a battery powered mic was not an option. There is also the Fethead Phantom mic booster from Triton that passes phantom power for condensers as an all-in-one option. Hope this helps out!

@Kirintello 2 жыл бұрын

Help mee.. Why my ct1 not working. Im using podmic with th audient evo4 audio interface.

@askdrtk 2 жыл бұрын

The first thing to check is to ensure you have your evo 4's 48V phantom power turned on as the ct1 requires it to operate whereas the PodMic does not on its own. Hope this helps out!

@Kirintello 2 жыл бұрын

@@askdrtk oh thanks.. it works.

@polkaciik 2 жыл бұрын

I even wonder how would this behave with different phantom power voltage, as there are devices which doesn't provide +48V but +15V, like cheaper mixer consoles such as Behringer xenyx 502.

@askdrtk 2 жыл бұрын

That's a great question. Generally speaking with condenser mics, as phantom power voltage drops, transient performance decreases. It is often difficult to tell unless you are trying to record a very dynamic source (depending on the mic). There are three standards for phantom power 12V, 24V, and 48V, with 48 being the most common on modern equipment (24V never really seemed to gain any traction). The xenyx 502 is another story. I haven't used one, but I have had a few people tell me is does and does not provide phantom power - seems like the newer ones do (not switchable) as condenser mics seem to work with them whereas condenser's won't work with some of the older 502's. In terms of a booster designed for 48V (like the ct1) I would believe the preamp design/components would determine what sort of impact on performance below spec voltage would have. Based on your question, I just ordered a selectable phantom power supply (12V/48V) as I think this would be a great test to include for both mics and boosters in future reviews! When it arrives, I'll test the ct1 and send you another reply. Thanks again for the great question!

@polkaciik 2 жыл бұрын

@@askdrtk I'm really looking forward to it as I have that xenyx 502 with +15V. Would also want to know the difference between CM1 and CT1, but I only think that the difference is only in packaging as the price is fairly the same.

@askdrtk 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks again for the question. I will be reviewing more mic boosters soon and I may be able to get a hold of a CM1 for comparison.

@askdrtk 2 жыл бұрын

I have now tested the CT1 with 12V phantom power from my new selectable power supply and it functioned without issue. Both clarity and dynamic range appear unaffected, so you should be good to go with the 15V supply from your 502. I have also started including a phantom power test in my microphone reviews beginning with the Rode M3 (published today) - it also worked with 12V without issue. Thanks again for the great question and I hope this helps out!

@CheapMessiah 2 жыл бұрын

How do you get such clean recordings without any kind of noise floor? You have amazing audio quality!

@askdrtk 2 жыл бұрын

Much appreciated. As you said, good audio starts with clean recordings and a few steps make a big difference. While it may not always be exciting to talk about, sound treatment and positioning of equipment (pc location, power conditioners, and cable routing) are the beginning of great recordings. After that, proper gain staging to minimize noise across the signal chain also makes a big difference in getting the most out of the gear you have. You never want to drive any one stage (preamp, interface, hardware effects, or plugins) too far in order to get the cleanest sound. Of course sometimes we want to "drive" the gear for coloration/saturation, but that is an artistic choice. I will have a few videos coming up on these topics. I am in the process of reconfiguring part of my KZfaq space (to be more like a hybrid of the control room and recording booth in my studio) to make it easier to do these types of tutorials...coming soon... Thanks again and I hope this helps out!

@CheapMessiah 2 жыл бұрын

@@askdrtk I've heard that one method when you have the noise floor being audible in the recording is to take a snippet of the recording where only said noise is audible, invert it's phase, and add it to the whole duration of the recording, which will subtract the noise from the end result, is this feasible or something that you might consider useful when it becomes impossible to have a completely silent background in the recording?

@askdrtk 2 жыл бұрын

Yes that can be effective for background noise with consistent frequencies and amplitudes. Building vibration, HVAC noise, and sometimes even RF/EM interference are good candidates for this type of noise reduction. The key is for the background noise to be very constant, otherwise you can be introducing additional noise into the recording. The other consideration is how much crossover the frequency spectrum and phase of the noise has on the instrument or voice being recorded both with and without harmonics. This method is often best used to reduce rather than attempting to fully null the noise in my opinion. The approach I recommend is gradually increasing the level of the inverted noise recording while listening to the mix until the noise floor becomes acceptable while there are not too many artifacts in the intended recording material. Modern noise reduction plugins such as Waves Clarity Vx or Izotope RX 9 Voice De-noise take this one step further by attempting to isolate not only noise frequencies but also a temporal patterns and phase differentials between noise and audio intended to be captured. While not the whole story, this is how the "magic" of AI powered noise reduction often happens with a key advantage being real time adaptation to both noise and program material.

@christianjunetubera665 5 ай бұрын

Hi, may I ask if you have tried the CT1 directly at the back of Elgato Wave XLR?

@askdrtk 5 ай бұрын

Sorry, I don't have a Wave XLR to test. I see the recessed XLR jack would likely be an issue given the thickness of the CT1 cylinder. The male end of the CT1 generally does not fit directly into XLR jacks in my experience. If you need to connect directly, the sE DM1 has a thin profile and will likely not be an issue (I have tested it plugged in directly to many interfaces and preamps), otherwise you may need to use a short 1' XLR patch cable in between the Wave and booster. I hope this helps out!

@christianjunetubera665 5 ай бұрын

@@askdrtkHi, I appreciate your time in replying. I bought a CT1 and confirmed that it is not compatible with direct installation with Elgato Wave XLR. I also bought 2 meters high quality XLR cable going from the mic to the CT1 and another 2 meters going to the wave xlr. So far all is well. Thank you!

@christianjunetubera665 6 ай бұрын

Hi there, I just want to ask which is better setup. 1)Mic-->CT1-->XLR Cable-->Audio Interface or 2)Mic-->XLR Cable-->CT1-->Audio Interface? TIA...

@askdrtk 6 ай бұрын

In general, the closer the CT1 is to the microphone the better as it will boost noise picked up from the cable coming from the microphone in addition to the microphone signal itself. With the CT1 at the microphone, the mic signal travelling through the cable to the audio interface will be far greater vs any noise picked up along the way. That said, if you have short cable runs that are not running beside power wires, the difference will likely be negligible. Cheers!

@christianjunetubera665 6 ай бұрын

@@askdrtkThank you so much! That's great explanation..

@JohnDoe-fu4qd 2 жыл бұрын

It is subtle, w the CT1 your voice sounds more full.

@askdrtk 2 жыл бұрын

That's what I hear. A bit thicker with more warmth, subtle, but there. Thanks for sharing what you heard!

@JohnDoe-fu4qd 2 жыл бұрын

@@askdrtk I got a CM1 coming my way. Got it for $35.

@askdrtk 2 жыл бұрын

Great to hear - value is had to beat!

@johnsonguite 2 жыл бұрын

I bought the sm7b and plan to use with scarlett 2i2 3rd gen. Im thinking between Coda Stealth and Klark Tecnik CT1 for the inline preamp. Leaving the price (as stealth is 3 times costlier), which one is better between the two?

@askdrtk 2 жыл бұрын

The stealth will provide a few more dB's of gain vs the CT1, but the CT1 is more than enough for the SM7B on the 2i2. I haven't tested the Stealth for preamp coloration as I did with the CT1, but I have one coming in for review in January. I know a couple of people who use the Stealth and are happy with it, but I try not to recommend anything until I have tested it myself... What I know for sure is that both offer more than enough boost for your mic/interface combo.

@johnsonguite 2 жыл бұрын

@@askdrtk thanks for the reply... Will wait till january when u will get the stealth and make a comparision between the two...

@askdrtk 2 жыл бұрын

Glad you have the opportunity to wait. I will be getting on the Stealth review as soon as it arrives...

@johnsonguite 2 жыл бұрын

@@askdrtk waiting eagerly to see your comparision and recommendation between the two...

@johnsonguite 2 жыл бұрын

@@askdrtk I heard that CT1 interferes with phone etc. so do you have any such issues with any electronic devices while using CT1? also have u received and tested the coda stealth?

@yudhaarau Жыл бұрын

Try this with sennheiser e835 Dont like the coloration from this unit. Maybe not for me

@askdrtk Жыл бұрын

The coloration is definitely not for everyone. The sE dynamite DM-1 is a very transparent option with a good amount of gain and I have found it to be compatible (no impedance or waveform harmonics issues) across a wide variety of preamps.

@Daddyezee 2 жыл бұрын

which one is better the CT1 or the CM1

@askdrtk 2 жыл бұрын

I haven't run a full set of audio tests on the CM1, however I have see the CM1 and the build quality of the CT1 seems better (stronger and more durable if you are moving it around). Also, the CT1 can be connected directly into your microphone, whereas the CM1 requires an additional cable between it and the mic.

@Daddyezee 2 жыл бұрын

@@askdrtk I don’t like the idea of it being connected to the mic 🎤 on the ct1 but I did see in the manual that you can run it as the cm1 with 2 cables

@askdrtk 2 жыл бұрын

I agree, but some like to use it direct connected with the mic off camera...voiceover, etc. I've used CT1 with up to a 25 foot cable between it and the mic and then another 25 foot between the CT1 and preamp - no noise issues - all good. The CT1 is reliable, I've been using two of them in my shared recording space almost daily for months. I have other more expensive boosters, but the CT1 gets the job done.

@Daddyezee 2 жыл бұрын

@@askdrtk yeah im replacing my mic and using the Zoom ZDM1 which this mic has some buzzing ringing in it and the only was to get it to stop on the goXLR Mini is to drop my mic setup to around 35db and my treble from 4db-4db to 1db-0db at 7.5hz on the treble to get the ringing out but then it makes me sound really muddie this is not a problem with my mixer only via goXLR so the CT1 or CM1 will be best to get rid of the buzz dont really wanna spend money on a new mic the PD-70 or the MV7X

@askdrtk 2 жыл бұрын

For sure boosting the signal will give you a better ratio against the noise from the goXLR Mini. If you're getting the noise on all mics connected to the goXLR mini, I've found noise from usb powered gear can often be reduced by using a ferrite core on the usb cable or changing you computer's power bar to an isolator such as a Furman or a Tripp-Lite isobar. Did this will all my gear and things got a lot quieter. Either way, more signal means lower relative noise.

@everope 2 жыл бұрын

Dude please set the spectrum analyzer to logarithmic, not linear

@askdrtk 2 жыл бұрын

I hear you on log. I use both linear and log on my headphone reviews as log gives a better representation of what is heard - would be useful here as well... I have a couple more booster reviews coming up and I will add log into the analysis. Thanks for the suggestion and for checking out my review!