Behringer SD16 Stage Box

The SD16 is the native stage box for the X32 and M32 family — it sits on or near the stage, collects up to 16 mic-level sources, sends them back to the console over a single EtherCon cable via AES50, and returns 8 line-level outputs to feed wedges, IEM transmitters, or amp racks. It occupies 3U in a rack and draws a modest 55 watts nominal. If you're already committed to the X32 or M32 ecosystem, this is the expected answer to getting inputs off the stage and down the snake without running 16 individual analog lines.

The two AES50 ports are the most important thing on the back panel. Port A is your primary link to the console; Port B is labeled redundant, which means you can daisy-chain a second SD16 and double your stage-side capacity to 32 inputs and 16 outputs without touching the console configuration — the M32 and X32 see both boxes natively. At 6 kg and 320 mm deep, it fits a shallow road rack without drama. The 8 XLR line outputs are real-world enough for most monitor rigs: four IEM transmitters plus a couple of wedge sends covers a typical small-to-mid production.

Pick the SD16 if your console is an X32, M32, or M32R and your budget is the primary constraint — at $509, nothing purpose-built in this category competes on price within the ecosystem. Where it gives ground is outside that ecosystem: AES50 is not Dante, not MADI, not Milan, so if your console speaks anything else, this box sits out entirely. Engineers on touring rigs that may hot-swap consoles mid-run, or who need dante network integration, should look at a more protocol-flexible stage box and treat the cost delta as an insurance premium.