As far as I have always known, the only mics that suffer ill efects from
phantom power are
ribbon mic. However, to identify if your mic is balanced or unbalanced, look at it's
connector. If it has a 3-pin
XLR output, it is balanced, if it has a 1/4"TS it is unbalanced.
Never used an outboard phantom supply, couldn't tell you more on them.
Area mics now, best bet would be
PZM's.
Shure makes a great one SM98 I believe (or ninety something anyway). If your using these in conjunction with lavs I would recommend not hanging them, but placing them around your set (behind a vase on a coffee table, as an unused light
switch, by doors that have lines said around them frequently
etc...)
I would recommend finding a few nice condensers if the
PZM's don't work for you. SM91, AKG1000
etc... Fly them maybe a
foot over the tallest actors head (
sightline permitting) but as long as you aren't using monitors and you're careful, you should be able to pump the gains up as high as you need.
Wireless recievers function best when closest to the mic it's picking up. If your SM has a
desk directly sidestage, see if you can comandeer some room on it, just keep in mind you don't want any large solid object between the reciever and the mic.