Royer dBooster In-Line Signal Booster
Talk to our Experts
Talk to our Experts
Have questions about this product? Our team is here to help!
- Call us: (647) 953-1559
- Email: contact@blackoutaudio.com
- Live Chat: Monday-Friday 12:30pm to 7:30pm
Shipping, Returns & Financing
Orders above $199 qualify for Free Standard Shipping.
A few orders are not eligible: items that need specialty shipping (certain cases, stands and other gear that requires special handling), and orders shipping to Newfoundland and Labrador, the Northwest Territories or Nunavut.
Carriers sometimes charge far more for oversized freight to certain locations. In that rare case, we pay most of the extra and ask you to cover a small part.
For international shipping, please request a quote through the contact form.
| Province | Standard Shipping | Express Shipping |
|---|---|---|
| ON | $19 | $39 |
| QC, MB | $29 | $69 |
| Other | $39 | $119 |
Payment & Financing Options
We accept credit and debit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Shop Pay, and PayPal.
Affirm and Sezzle financing are available for most products. For Affirm, select Shop Pay when checking out. Please note that order cancellations or refunds are not available for financed purchases.
Sezzle: eligible customers can split a purchase into 4 interest-free payments over 6 weeks. Approval and payment terms depend on the purchase amount and an eligibility check, may not be available in all provinces or territories, and are shown at checkout. Payment options are provided through Sezzle. For more information, please see sezzle.com/how-it-works.
Affirm: eligible customers can pay over time in monthly instalments. Your rate and available terms depend on an eligibility check based on creditworthiness, your purchase amount, and applicable provincial limits, and may not be available in all provinces or territories. Actual terms, the payment schedule, and any required down payment are shown at checkout. Payment options are provided through Affirm Canada Holdings Ltd. For more information, please see affirm.com/how-it-works.
Description
The Royer dBooster (model R-DB20) is an in-line signal booster for passive ribbon and dynamic microphones. It sits between the mic and your preamp or audio interface, runs on the 48 V phantom power already at that input, and adds 12 dB or 20 dB of clean gain from a front-panel switch. Royer first built it to give its R-10 ribbon extra gain on vocals and acoustic instruments, and it lifts any passive low-output mic the same way.
How It Works
The input stage uses paralleled PNP transistors running in pure Class A, and its high 3.6k ohm input impedance keeps the ribbon from being loaded down, which holds coloration and distortion low. A pair of op-amp line drivers feeds a 300 ohm output that drives long cable runs, mic splitters and vintage-style preamps without losing gain. The circuit draws regulated power from phantom and shields the ribbon from it, so the dBooster is safe with any ribbon mic.
Setting It Up
Connect the mic to the dBooster input with a standard XLR cable and the output to a phantom-powered preamp or interface, then turn phantom on and bring the gain up slowly. The 12 dB setting suits most sources, and 20 dB is for very quiet sources, very low-output mics or low-gain preamps. The output is a boosted mic-level signal meant for a mic input.
Features
- 12 dB or 20 dB of gain, set by a front-panel switch
- Class A input stage with paralleled PNP transistors for low noise
- High input impedance that keeps loading off the microphone
- Low output impedance for long cable runs, splitters and vintage-style preamps
- Regulated internal power from 48 V phantom with true electrical isolation
- Safe with all ribbon microphones and shields them from phantom power
- Assembled in the USA
Specifications
- Model: R-DB20
- Gain: 12 dB or 20 dB, switchable
- Frequency response: 20 Hz to 20 kHz, ±0.25 dB
- THD+N: 0.0015% at 20 dB gain (-25 dBu input), 0.001% at 12 dB gain (-6 dBu input)
- IM distortion: Below 0.002% at 20 dB (800 mV output), below 0.005% at 12 dB (2.6 V output)
- Self-noise: Below 11 dBA at 20 dB, below 15 dBA at 12 dB (referred to -48 dB re 1 V/Pa)
- Headroom: 127 dB at 20 dB, 120 dB at 12 dB
- Input impedance: 3.6k ohms
- Output impedance: 300 ohms (20 dB setting)
- Connectors: Balanced XLR input and output (pin 2 hot)
- Power: 48 V phantom, about 5 mA idle and 7.5 mA at full output
- Dimensions: 92 x 51 x 41.3 mm (3.62 x 2.0 x 1.62 in)
- Weight: 170 g (6 oz)
- Warranty: 1 year, parts and labor