Mic Booster & Compressor

Published July 2025

The Kompressor, left, is adjusted using a single less/more knob that doubles up as a signal level meter. Triton also offer the Airhead variable attenuator (right) which can be handy if you want to use the Kompressor with louder sources or more sensitive mics with a higher output level.

This diminutive device promises instant polish when recording dialogue.

Most famous for their FEThead inline mic booster, Netherlands‑based Triton Audio have carved out a nice niche for themselves with a range of miniature problem‑solving tools that plug straight onto a microphone or between two XLR cables. Their range now includes several booster preamp, phantom power supply, phantom blocker and high‑pass filter options, as well as some more creative tools designed to apply different analogue characters to your source.

For review here is one of their most recent releases, an intriguing combination of opto‑style compressor and 25dB FET boost stage in their familiar XLR barrel format. It’s designed to partner with low‑output moving‑coil and ribbon mics in situations where you might benefit from some convenient dynamics control at the recording stage, whether for dialogue or singing applications, and while it requires phantom power to operate, crucially it doesn’t pass this on to your mic, so vintage ribbon mics aren’t at risk. Of course, this also means it’s not really suitable for use with capacitor or active ribbons, though you could use an external phantom supply, if you really wanted to. Control‑wise, the Kompressor is very simple, with just the level of the mic signal and a single, small knob ranging from ‘less’ to ‘more’ determining the amount of gain reduction. The translucent knob doubles up as a crude visual meter, a small LED lighting behind it to indicate the incoming signal level (and thus the amount of compression).

Word Up

On first learning of this device, my thoughts turned immediately to the ubiquitous Shure SM7, now widely used in podcasting but a mic that has a reputation for needing a lot of gain when used for speech. I started by plugging my SM7 into the diminutive Kompressor, and the Kompressor into the Neve 73LB preamp that I’d usually choose for dialogue.

It was immediately apparent that 25dB is a sizeable boost, and while it works great with low‑output mics such as the SM7, I suspect that with louder sources and a higher‑output mic it could make the signal too hot for your preamp on louder sources. Triton have an answer to that, though: along with the Kompressor, Triton sent one of their Airhead variable attenuators. That’s a really handy tool to have in your kit bag in any case, but it would definitely be a worthwhile addition to the Kompressor if you plan on using it for instrument recording, not just speech.

Returning to my SM7 test, I was struck by just how transparent the compression sounded on my voice when recording some simple spoken word material. Indeed, I compared recordings made with and without the Kompressor, and was surprised to discover just how much gain reduction this device was actually applying. I listen to quite a lot of podcasts, and many of them sound compressed to within an inch of their lives, but even with the Kompressor’s gain reduction fully maxed out, the result still seemed to sound mostly artefact‑free. Generally, with an SM7 on my own voice, I found myself liking the dial at around 60 percent — it seemed to be a superb addition to my recording chain in this setting. In other words, when it comes to its primary purpose, the Kompressor clearly delivers the goods.

One Trick Pony?

I had various bands come into the studio during the review period, so I tried to make a point of sneaking this little tool into the sessions, just to see if the Kompressor’s potential applications might extend beyond voice work, and to generally develop a better sense of how the compression behaves. With the lack of user controls and visual cues, it’s always going to be a little limiting (excuse the pun!) for music work, but I did like what it was doing when used subtly on a mono drum room mic, and it also sounded good when using a mic closer to kit, with some more aggressive compression on a ‘character’ mic pointed between the kick and snare drum.

I could imagine using this tool on remote sessions for instruments like bass and acoustic guitars.

It was a little tricky to get a firm sense of the attack and release times but, based on how it sounded on drums, I’d say the Kompressor seemed to have quite a fast‑ish attack combined with a slower release. I could imagine using this tool on remote sessions for instruments like bass and acoustic guitars; depending on how good your monitoring is, you could just dial in a small amount of dynamic control to help you out in an unpredictable situation.

Summing Up

If you’re a podcaster or content creator who uses high‑quality, low‑output dynamic mics such as the Shure SM7, then this new release from Triton Audio could be an excellent addition to your recording setup. Like Triton’s excellent FEThead and competing devices like the Cloudlifter, it will raise the level of such mics to make it ‘play nicer’ with typical audio interface preamps. In that role, it sounds so clean and transparent, and the compressor can be used subtly on the way in, or more assertively to deliver a more ‘finished’ vocal sound that would be great if you’re live streaming.

In my experience of recording podcasts, it can be quite tricky to set the levels optimally, because you often need to keep things annoyingly low to cater for more strident sections and sudden laughs, yet there can be times when people naturally start to speak more quietly too. With the Kompressor in the signal chain, you can be that bit more confident about setting the levels.

I was pleased to discover that the Kompressor has more to offer than podcast voice compression, and there’s definitely potential to use it for general instrument recording, not least on location — a couple of these would take up very little space in your kit bag. In that role, I’d recommend taking the time to do a few test recordings, just to get a sense of the compression character, before throwing it into real‑world sessions, and at this point I should reiterate that for louder sources than speech, or with hotter mics, you will likely need some kind of additional attenuation to be able to get the most from the Kompressor.

The Kompressor and its partner the Airhead were my first encounters with Triton’s range, and I was genuinely impressed with the contribution these tiny but useful bits of kit could make in my studio.

Pros

Clean, transparent compression.
Quiet 25dB preamp booster.
Phantom‑power blocking to protect vintage mics.
Competitively priced.

Cons

Hotter sources or mics mean you may need to use an attenuator.

Summary

A clever, clean and convenient combination of compressor and inline preamp booster, the Kompressor is a brilliant partner for a Shure SM7 used on dialogue, but it has a range of other potential applications, and its diminutive form factor means it could prove a useful addition to any engineer’s kit bag.