I own a Samson Mixpad, which also runs on batteries, and is probably comparable to the Behringer. From experience, running it on batteries only gives about 12v of phantom power. This is enough to power the Oktava, but there is a VERY noticeable drop in gain from the mic. As a result, you have to crank the preamps more, which gives more noise.

That said, when plugged into the wall, the Samson gives full 48v, and everything is fine.

For location shoots I ended up purchasing a battery-powered phantom power box from ART (forget the model number) for about $15 on Ebay. It gives the full 48v. I ran the mic into the ART box, and then out of the ART box into the Samson (with phantom disengaged). This seemed like the only way to properly power this mic on batteries without having to spend more than $100.

Now I use a Beachtek DXA8, which has proven to be a great product. I wish now that I'd splurged and bought it to begin with, instead of dealing with the hassle of the Samson and the ART. But I was on a budget, and that setup worked, so.... Live and learn!

Ryan Graham