TOO DARN USEFUL NOT TO GET AN AWARD
Cloud Microphones Cloudlifter CL-1

Go for the gain, don’t blow up your ribbon mic, and change the impedance—we like it

You get the impression that this is one of those products where someone had a “Why doesn’t someone make something that . . .?” moment, and upon realizing no one did, made it himself. The idea is simple: a phantom-powered preamp that’s ideal for giving extra oomph to ribbon mics, while blocking potentially dangerous phantom power from hitting the ribbon. Sure, it’s a simple idea . . . but it’s not a simplistic one. And it’s a very useful one at that.