Topic: What is a PFA?

[Jhurlbs81]

Feel free to move if this should be in pre amps section, not sure what a PFA is and looking to understand what they are.  Thanks for the help!

Jesse

[Gutbucket]

A phantom power adapter.  Naiant (Jon) calls it this a PFA, and his PFAs can be specified to do more than simply power and adapt low-voltage microphones to a P48 XLR input.   They are a buffer amplifier, which can optimally be specified to provide gain.  They can also provide polarization voltage to power some capsules without the use of the standard microphone amplifier body, in combination with the appropriate active cables and connectors.

I use the basic unity-gain, low-voltage types to power a couple pairs of miniature mics and they work great.

AT phantom adapters (they call them PPAs) serve the same roll as what I am using these PFAs for.

[stevetoney]

The PFA is a WONDERFUL product.

So to expand on Gutbuckets response from above, here are a couple of practical examples...

You've got a pair of low voltage mics like AT-853's with either a 1/8 inch connector or mini-XLRs.  Maybe you don't have a preamp that works with the AT-853s, but you've got a preamp laying around that has XLRs and 48V phantom.  A PFA would enable you to interface between these two instead of buying a new pair of mics to work with the preamp, or a new preamp to work with the mics.  (Note that the PFAs aren't all created equal.  I think this PFA would run in the range of $60, whereas the one specified below for Schoeps is double that...check Jon's site for details.)

The PFA is a potential HUGE money saver for Schoeps guys that eliminates the need to having either the CMC5 or CMC6 bodies, or the VST62i.  The popular configurations for using Schoeps are to go (backwards from mic capsule) from your MK-X capsules into CMC5/CMC6  preamp bodies either directly or via a pair of KC5 cables, or directly into a KCY cable.  The KCY could be an authentic Schoeps model, which runs around $800 new or the Nbob version, that runs around $450 - $500.  The KCY is typically only a foot or two long, so from the KCY most people have a 10 to 15 foot extension.  This is a straight cable with a female binder connector on one end and male on the other.  At the opposite end of the extenstion, there are several options for powering capsules via the KCY/extension combo.  The first option is to go into a binder/KCY compatible preamp.  The binder/KCY compatible preamps I know of are Naiant Tinybox, Naiant Littlebox, Lemosax, Schoeps VMS02ib and Schoeps VMS-5U...all of these preamp options are no longer available except the VMS5U, but it costs $2400!  Ouch!  The second option is to go into a VST62i.  The VST62i runs I think $1700 or so new.  Ouch!  The third option is to run it into a PFA, which is around $120 or $130.  YESSS!  The PFA splits from the binder into two XLR connectors and you are now able to use any 48V phantom powered preamp you want to power your Schoeps capsules...no CMC bodies, no KC5 cables, no VST62 body required...same great sound!

[2manyrocks]

Why are the kcy and kc5 cables so expensive?  Some elaborate circuit?  Schoeps have a monopoly on the connector? 

[stevetoney]

Why are the kcy and kc5 cables so expensive?  Some elaborate circuit?  Schoeps have a monopoly on the connector?

Both. 

The connector ends have electronics in them.  Although it's not really a monopoly, any company that makes a special connector for the products they make, in essence, has a monopoly especially if the connector has proprietary technology.  That's the free market for ya.

[DSatz]

It's a pantom fower adapter, as the others have said.

--best regards

[yug du nord]

^ 

[stevetoney]

Practical freakin' adapter

[Jhurlbs81]

It's too bad the Tinybox was discontinued, it was a nice little box for Schoeps users.  Who is making the PFA's these days?  Has anyone done any comps/samples? I'm trying to think of the smallest P48 pre to run with a PFA set up.. I'm trying to put together a super low pro Schoeps rig. Being able to spend 500-600 for nbob cables and a PFA and then just needed to add caps sounds pretty awesome. I could use my V2 until I found a smaller Pre...


hmmm, thanks for the info guys.  I'd be curious to hear DSatz thoughts on this route compared to more traditional options.

[tgakidis]

It's too bad the Tinybox was discontinued, it was a nice little box for Schoeps users.  Who is making the PFA's these days?  Has anyone done any comps/samples? I'm trying to think of the smallest P48 pre to run with a PFA set up.. I'm trying to put together a super low pro Schoeps rig. Being able to spend 500-600 for nbob cables and a PFA and then just needed to add caps sounds pretty awesome. I could use my V2 until I found a smaller Pre...


hmmm, thanks for the info guys.  I'd be curious to hear DSatz thoughts on this route compared to more traditional options.

Get the nbob cables from nick and pfa from jon.
http://naiant.com/studio-electronics-products/inline-devices/pfa-phantom-power-adaptor-2/

[F.O.Bean]

It's too bad the Tinybox was discontinued, it was a nice little box for Schoeps users.  Who is making the PFA's these days?  Has anyone done any comps/samples? I'm trying to think of the smallest P48 pre to run with a PFA set up.. I'm trying to put together a super low pro Schoeps rig. Being able to spend 500-600 for nbob cables and a PFA and then just needed to add caps sounds pretty awesome. I could use my V2 until I found a smaller Pre...


hmmm, thanks for the info guys.  I'd be curious to hear DSatz thoughts on this route compared to more traditional options.

Aerco MP2 is really small and sounds great with Schoeps. Also, a new nbox could power the capsules AND save money on the PFA since you wouldn't need it with the nbox. I'm sure eventually an nbox will come out with just a simple KCY[binder] input as well

I'll be running some tests with my mk4/41>NBob KCY>Naiant PFA>70D as well. Cant really beat the size of the 70D, as it has good preamps AND has a recorder Id be seriously thinking about an mkxx>NBob>PFA>70D rig if size is that big of a concern