TritonAudio Kompressor
Phantom-powered FET OPTO Compressor
- For ribbon and dynamic microphones
- One-button operation
- 25 dB gain (without compression)
- Balanced XLR input/output
- Circuit is operated with 48 V phantom power
- Weight: 85 g
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Available since February 2025
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Item number 611281
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Sales Unit 1 piece(s)
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Compressor Yes
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Gate No
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Peak Limiter No
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2-Channel Unit No
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Attack/Release Adjustable No
Bonsai compressor
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The Dutch manufacturer Triton Audio has built its reputation on compact, practical tools for studio and stage. Its best-known product to date is the FetHead, an inline microphone preamplifier housed in an XLR barrel. The Kompressor expands the range with an equally compact, easy-to-use compressor that fits between a microphone and a preamp, mixer, or recorder, providing transparent compression and up to 25dB of clean gain in the same familiar format. Handmade in the Netherlands to high manufacturing standards, it also remains competitively priced. While inline microphone boosters have become increasingly common, there are still very few alternatives to an inline compressor in this format.
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Small footprint, real compression
Barely larger than an XLR connector and weighing just 85g, the Triton Audio Kompressor slots between a microphone and its cable – or between the cable and any downstream preamp, mixer, or recording device – via two balanced XLR connectors. Powered entirely by phantom power drawn from the downstream device, it supplies up to 25dB of clean FET gain without passing phantom voltage on to the microphone, making it perfectly safe for passive ribbon microphones. Compression is generated by a JFET/opto circuit whose gain reduction naturally increases with the microphone's output level, while a single translucent side-mounted control adjusts the amount of compression and doubles as a simple LED signal indicator. A protective storage pouch is also included for transport and storage.
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Mini tool for almost everyone
Single-knob operation leaves very little to misconfigure: The circuit responds automatically to the microphone's output level, while the control simply determines how much compression is applied. This makes the Kompressor from Triton Audio as practical for a first-time podcaster as for an experienced engineer integrating it into an established recording chain. Its compact format makes carrying several units in a kit bag entirely practical – a useful advantage for location recordists, broadcast engineers, and live sound operators who regularly work with multiple low-output microphones. At its price point, deploying several units throughout the same recording setup is a realistic option rather than a luxury.
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About Triton Audio
The Dutch manufacturer TritonAudio is committed to producing pro audio equipment with great innovative potential and quality. Alongside a great selection of microphones, products range from in-line microphone amplifiers and phantom power stations to in-line attenuators and decoupling feet for near-field monitors – in other words, a whole array of helpful tools for any sound engineer. Incidentally, all units are assembled by hand in the Netherlands, and are often within a customer-friendly price range - the FetHead mini-amp being a prime example.
Between mic and preamp
The Triton Audio Kompressor makes it much easier to match different microphone types with downstream preamps and recording devices, whether in the studio, on location, or in live applications. The additional gain reduces the demands placed on the downstream microphone preamp, while analogue compression applied before AD conversion can produce noticeably cleaner recordings, particularly with more modest audio interfaces. How much compression is applied depends largely on the microphone's output level: Low-output dynamic mics such as the Shure SM7B, along with passive ribbon microphones, engage the circuit relatively gently, whereas higher-output microphones such as the Shure SM58 or Beta58 – and louder sound sources in general – will drive it harder. For these applications, Triton's optional AirHead variable attenuator provides a simple way to extend the Kompressor's versatility even further.
