BehringerP16-HQ POWERPLAY 16-Channel Personal Monitoring Mixer

They work well for the price. Have five of them since there are five band members. I have a hub which can power all of them with out the wall wart. Also have the mic stand mounts for each one. So the overall cost does go up with all extras. No complaints so far.

These are a game changer for our band. They allow everyone to set their own In-ear monitor mix and leave the sound guy to handle the front of house mix. I used one in a studio before buying the setup and it was great. There is some setup required on the front end with the Behringer X18 or other mixer but, overall, it's pretty user friendly and totally worth it. These plug directly into the X18 and map the 16 channels for the player so that they can choose which channels they want to head and then adjust the volume and EQ for each. Amazing.

This mixer has been great so far. Much easier than trying to do my monitor mix on a small phone screen. Much more tactile and quicker!

Right off, I'll admit I have never been a fan of Behringer gear. I tried several of their components years ago when they debuted (stereo EQ, crossover, compressor/limiter) and returned them all. Cheap price-wise, but sounded like it. Noisy to the point of being deal-breakers. All these years later, I haven't looked back.I have owned a Midas MR18 rackmount digital mixer for 3 years or so and have never explored the "Ultranet" RJ45 network connection that it offers. For history, Midas (world reknowned for their overall quality, studio-quality mic preamps, and their M32 mixer, arguably the most in-use live console world-wide) was acquired by Music Tribe, the CEO of which is Uli Behringer. I assume he got Midas and Behringer to collab on the development of their two rackmount digital mixers. For Midas, the MR18. For Behringer, the XR18. Identical designs and functionality, but a BIG difference in price (evident today, look on Amazon). Why? My only guess would be that Midas demanded to stick to their top-quality components (which they did) and Behringer opted for their usual cut-corner cheap components, reflected in the two prices. Can't say. I have never used a Behringer XR18, so I can't attest to the sound quality there.On to the P16-HQ (about time, eh?)... As the title says, it's an interesting piece of gear. It uses an "Ultranet" network output on both the MR and XR mixer models (12 and 18 channels) to send all 16 channels (lines 17 and 18 are linked balanced 1/4" inputs and not eligible for Ultranet output) through a CAT6 network cable with a distance run of up to 150+ feet. Big stage. The RJ45 on the other end of the network cable is the solitary audio input to the P16-HQ. The 16 buttons along the bottom of the P16 are the 16 channels of the MR18 and XR18. You can selectively assign (or ignore) channels into your own personal monitor mix, complete with EQ, pan, and volume **per channel**, plus a master volume overall. You also have the capability to group channels for one-touch muting or soloing and 16 "Save" positions for two-button recall of favorite mixes. Handy. With a little training for the musicians onstage, and each having their own P16, they take ownership of their monitor mixes. Can you imagine the load off a sole tech that is running sound and doing monitors via auxiliary sends from the FOH console? I can. No more fingers in ears and corresponding dirty looks from the singer (BTW, I AM the singer/soundtech) or single-finger hand signals from others onstage. You have the controls. Fix it yourself. Whew!Output of the P16 is a stereo 1/4" headphone jack, but it also provides Left/Mono + Right 1/4" balanced lines for monitor wedges (amplifiers up to you, of course). I've heard better headphone amplifiers, but we are looking for usable monitoring here, not sterling audiophile sound. Aside: I would highly recommend to all interested to get a pair of Shure 215 wired in-ear monitors (IEM's) and get used to using them. You can always buy more expensive IEM's later, but don't buy into the hype of a rapidly saturating market and buy cheaper than the 215's. I've compared many and the Shure's are worth every penny. The P16 headphone output drives them with plenty of volume and you could wire them directly or incorporate a wireless trans/receive rig between the P16 and IEM's. The two-pronged point of IEM's is to avoid monitor speakers onstage which add to and compound stage volume. Feedback issues. The second prong is that IEM's not only feed you your ideal monitor mix while contributing **nothing** to sound levels onstage, but they also isolate your peronal mix and shield your ears from excessive volume levels onstage... that guitar player who insists that his "tone" is solely reliant on his Marshall stack being on 11 at all times (strictly Spinal Tap... get over it), or the drummer that has to out-John-Bonham John Bonham every gig (although I admit that I personally love those guys). Yes, I know you like it loud and "real" onstage, so do I, but your ears will thank you years from now for having invested in IEM's today. Do future you a BIG favor.One final downside to the P16-HQ... First, kudos to the Ultranet protocol. The first I'd ever heard of such a thing was from Midas/Behringer and, as I noted above, I've owned an MR18 for years. They may have pioneered the protocol (or the use thereof) for all I know. Very, very clever with the use of network cabling and, hence, the 4 stars (hmm...3.25). The downside is that the Ultranet protocol is proprietary to the Midas and Behringer digital mixers. AVB (Audio Video Bridging) is a protocol in use today that does the same thing as Ultranet. Presonus, Soundcraft (to name a few) are all onboard with the AVB protocol and it is easily the front-runner for go-forward technology. Ultranet and AVB are NOT compatible and I know of no firmware patches for either the Midas/Behringer mixers or the P16 to make them work with AVB. Uli and Music Tribe would be wise to issue such a patch if, indeed, that is all that is necessary. AFAIK, it may not be possible. That said, it's difficult to suggest to bandmates to buy a P16. Bandmates come and go and I would be so forthright as to tell them that their investment will only work with Midas/Behringer mixers. To be fair, AVB gear from Presonus, for example is up to 3 times the cost of a P16, so there's that. Sounds like Behringer pricing, right? It may well be. Will I invest in 5 or 6 more P16's? Not likely. I'm already providing the rest of an impressive PA system. Get your own, me band fellows, or listen to this wedge and don't bother me. Thanks for reading. Cheers, all.

Works as expected. Don’t see a huge difference from the other model besides the buttons, but they’re a little easier to work with so for an additional $20 it’s fine.

Great

In Ear Monitors are a game changer to playing live music. They replace necessary sound wedges and give you individual control of the mix in your ears. The ability to control which inputs your want to control give you optimal functionality of these little devices. This is the 8th P16 I've purchased for our band and we love them! They are easy to use, quality built, not oversized, with different mounting options making them a versatile and affordable accessory!

These new units have much more flexibility and are cleaner. Good preamps and more control over your sound. Get these.