Stage Box

Midas DL251 Digital Stage Box

The Midas DL251 is the top-of-line AES50 stage box — 48 Midas preamps and 16 XLR outputs, all multiplexed onto three AES50 links. Used on major tours where a single stage box needs to service a full band (drums + guitars + keys + vocals + playback) without cascading a second box. Pairs with M32/M32R and Wing consoles; requires an AES50 port with 48-channel capacity on the console side.

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Photos

Manufacturer product photography — the drawn faceplate stays true to panel layout; these show the hardware itself.

Midas DL251 Digital Stage Box — Photo: MidasClick to zoom

Documented outputs: 1616 destination connections
Documented inputs: 49Based on documented inputs
Rack space: 6UBuilder checks available rail space
Power draw: 55W75W documented maximum
Catalog estimate: ~$2,899Use retailer rows for current price and stock

01 · What it does—and what that changes in your rig.

Product overview

Start with the payoff, then work through how it functions, where it fits, and the details that change a real build.

The payoff

Stage Box decisions, organized around the whole rig.

The DL251 is the top of the Midas AES50 stage box family — a single 6U unit that swallows an entire band's analog world and hands it back over two EtherCON cables. Forty-eight XLR inputs and sixteen XLR outputs live in one chassis, multiplexed across a primary and redundant AES50 link to the console. If you're running a Midas M32, M32R, or Wing and you need everything — drums, guitars, keys, vocals, playback returns, and monitor sends — in one box without chaining a second stage box, this is the unit the system was designed around.

Documented outputs: 1616 destination connections
Documented inputs: 49Based on documented inputs
Rack space: 6UBuilder checks available rail space

Midas product panel6U · 55W

Function

How it works in the path

At 13.5 kg and 6U, the DL251 is not a fly date piece of gear. It's a touring rack anchor. The 249 mm depth is manageable in a standard road rack, but plan your rack build around it — 48 input connectors and 16 output connectors on the rear panel means a serious cabling footprint at the back. Power draw sits at 55 W nominal with a 75 W ceiling, so it won't stress a standard power conditioner, but note that both AES50 ports need to be connected to the same console (or console network) to take advantage of the redundant link — it's not a split for two separate consoles. The 48-channel AES50 requirement also means your console side must have a 48-channel AES50 port, not a 32-channel one.

Best fit

Where it earns its place in the rack

This box earns its place on productions where the input count is genuinely pushing 40 or beyond and cascading a DL32 or similar smaller box would add cable runs or complexity you don't need. If your show is 24 inputs and 8 outputs, a DL32 or DL16 gets you there at a fraction of the weight and cost. If you're carrying a Wing or M32 and regularly maxing out a smaller stage box, the DL251 stops you from improvising a second box mid-tour. Engineers on smaller club rigs or IEM-only monitor setups should look elsewhere — this unit is sized for the full-production problem.

In the rack

Details worth deciding before load-in.

Route your redundant AES50 B cable independently from AES50 A — separate cable paths, ideally separate looms — so a single crush point or trip hazard can't take out both links at once.
With 48 inputs landing at once, label your rear panel at patch, not just at the box. Color-coded strain-relief boots by section (drums, guitars, keys, vocals) will save you minutes during a fast changeover when someone's tracing a cable in low light.
Budget at least 2U of ventilation clearance in your rack plan — 6U of active electronics at up to 75 W in a sealed road case will run warm, and Midas preamps aren't shy about temperature affecting noise floor over a long show day.
Confirm your console's AES50 port is configured for 48-channel operation before load-in, not during soundcheck — an M32R running AES50 at 32-channel capacity will simply not see the top 16 inputs from this box.

02 · Know the whole path before you buy.

Signal path

Learn the route as a block diagram: source, product function, transport, and destination. Select any block to see what enters, what changes, and what leaves.

Interactive block diagramAuto-looping · hover, focus, or tap to hold a stage

Port-type signalProduct functionSystem boundary

Follow one signal from source to destination

Each block answers the same three questions: what arrives, what changes here, and what leaves.

01 · Source · selected

01 · Source

49 documented inputs

XLR female + IEC C14

Arrives as: 49 documented inputs
Connector: XLR female + IEC C14
Signal: analog audio

03 · What this product asks of the rest of the system.

Compatibility

Treat connector names as the start of the check—not the answer. These are the boundaries that determine a complete working path.

Best fit · Stage Box

Use it when 6U and 249 mm of depth fit the case.

Plan the companion path

Complete the path with upstream and downstream gear that matches connector, direction, signal type, protocol, and wiring standard.

Protocol boundary

This product declares AES50; matching plugs alone do not make other protocols compatible.

04 · Every connector, grouped by job.

I/O ports

Switch the product view and the documented port inventory updates with it—hardware and data stay side by side.

Every connector, grouped by job.

Switch panels to keep the hardware view and the documented port list in sync.

Panel view

Front panel

Rear panel

All documented ports for Midas DL251 Digital Stage Box
Port	Panel	Connector	Direction	Signal	Channels
Stage In 1	rear	XLR female	input	analog audio	—
Stage In 2	rear	XLR female	input	analog audio	—
Stage In 3	rear	XLR female	input	analog audio	—
Stage In 4	rear	XLR female	input	analog audio	—
Stage In 5	rear	XLR female	input	analog audio	—
Stage In 6	rear	XLR female	input	analog audio	—
Stage In 7	rear	XLR female	input	analog audio	—
Stage In 8	rear	XLR female	input	analog audio	—
Stage In 9	rear	XLR female	input	analog audio	—
Stage In 10	rear	XLR female	input	analog audio	—
Stage In 11	rear	XLR female	input	analog audio	—
Stage In 12	rear	XLR female	input	analog audio	—
Stage In 13	rear	XLR female	input	analog audio	—
Stage In 14	rear	XLR female	input	analog audio	—
Stage In 15	rear	XLR female	input	analog audio	—
Stage In 16	rear	XLR female	input	analog audio	—
Stage In 17	rear	XLR female	input	analog audio	—
Stage In 18	rear	XLR female	input	analog audio	—
Stage In 19	rear	XLR female	input	analog audio	—
Stage In 20	rear	XLR female	input	analog audio	—
Stage In 21	rear	XLR female	input	analog audio	—
Stage In 22	rear	XLR female	input	analog audio	—
Stage In 23	rear	XLR female	input	analog audio	—
Stage In 24	rear	XLR female	input	analog audio	—
Stage In 25	rear	XLR female	input	analog audio	—
Stage In 26	rear	XLR female	input	analog audio	—
Stage In 27	rear	XLR female	input	analog audio	—
Stage In 28	rear	XLR female	input	analog audio	—
Stage In 29	rear	XLR female	input	analog audio	—
Stage In 30	rear	XLR female	input	analog audio	—
Stage In 31	rear	XLR female	input	analog audio	—
Stage In 32	rear	XLR female	input	analog audio	—
Stage In 33	rear	XLR female	input	analog audio	—
Stage In 34	rear	XLR female	input	analog audio	—
Stage In 35	rear	XLR female	input	analog audio	—
Stage In 36	rear	XLR female	input	analog audio	—
Stage In 37	rear	XLR female	input	analog audio	—
Stage In 38	rear	XLR female	input	analog audio	—
Stage In 39	rear	XLR female	input	analog audio	—
Stage In 40	rear	XLR female	input	analog audio	—
Stage In 41	rear	XLR female	input	analog audio	—
Stage In 42	rear	XLR female	input	analog audio	—
Stage In 43	rear	XLR female	input	analog audio	—
Stage In 44	rear	XLR female	input	analog audio	—
Stage In 45	rear	XLR female	input	analog audio	—
Stage In 46	rear	XLR female	input	analog audio	—
Stage In 47	rear	XLR female	input	analog audio	—
Stage In 48	rear	XLR female	input	analog audio	—
Stage Out 1	rear	XLR male	output	analog audio	—
Stage Out 2	rear	XLR male	output	analog audio	—
Stage Out 3	rear	XLR male	output	analog audio	—
Stage Out 4	rear	XLR male	output	analog audio	—
Stage Out 5	rear	XLR male	output	analog audio	—
Stage Out 6	rear	XLR male	output	analog audio	—
Stage Out 7	rear	XLR male	output	analog audio	—
Stage Out 8	rear	XLR male	output	analog audio	—
Stage Out 9	rear	XLR male	output	analog audio	—
Stage Out 10	rear	XLR male	output	analog audio	—
Stage Out 11	rear	XLR male	output	analog audio	—
Stage Out 12	rear	XLR male	output	analog audio	—
Stage Out 13	rear	XLR male	output	analog audio	—
Stage Out 14	rear	XLR male	output	analog audio	—
Stage Out 15	rear	XLR male	output	analog audio	—
Stage Out 16	rear	XLR male	output	analog audio	—
AES50 A	rear	etherCON	bidirectional	digital audio	48
AES50 B (redundant)	rear	etherCON	bidirectional	digital audio	48
Power (IEC)	rear	IEC C14	input	power	—

Showing 67 of 67 documented physical ports. Scroll to review the remaining rows.

05 · Compare the decision, not just the price.

Alternatives

The rows are organized around fit, power, I/O, and system role so a cheaper unit cannot hide a more expensive workflow.

Compare	Midas DL251 Digital Stage BoxThis gear	Midas DL16 Digital Stage Box	Midas DL32 Digital Stage Box
Fit	📐 6U	📐 2U	📐 3U
Power	⚡ 55W	⚡ 25W	⚡ 45W
Weight	⚖️ 29.8 lb	⚖️ 13.4 lb	⚖️ 24.0 lb
I/O	🔌 67	🔌 34	🔌 59
Estimate	💵 ~$2,899	💵 ~$1,039	💵 ~$1,699
Deep dive	Current selection	Full comparison →	Full comparison →

06 · Resolve the questions that can change the purchase or build plan.

Planning questions

Short, source-backed answers surface rack fit, power, cabling, and connection details before they become surprises.

How will the Midas DL251 Digital Stage Box affect rack fit and case depth?

It occupies 6U. Its documented depth is 249 mm.

How much power does the Midas DL251 Digital Stage Box draw?

Typical draw is 55W and documented maximum draw is 75W.

What connections does the Midas DL251 Digital Stage Box have?

67 documented physical ports, including Stage In 1, Stage In 2, Stage In 3, Stage In 4, Stage In 5, Stage In 6.

07 · See this unit inside a real rack plan.

Builder preview

Placement is only the start. Builder checks space · depth · weight, power headroom, dependencies, and compatible signal paths around this exact catalog item.Open in Builder

08 · Related gear, in the order you may need it.

Stage Box

MOTU Stage-B16 Stagebox

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Stage Box

Midas DL16 Digital Stage Box

2U · 34 ports · ~$1,039

Stage Box

Midas DL32 Digital Stage Box

3U · 59 ports · ~$1,699

Stage Box

Behringer S16 Digital Stage Box

2U · 34 ports · ~$579

Stage Box

Behringer S32 Digital Stage Box

3U · 51 ports · ~$689

Stage Box

Yamaha Rio1608-D2 Dante Stage Box

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Planning guides for stage box systems.

Fundamentals · 6 min

From Stage to Ear: How Audio Flows Through an IEM Rack

A walking tour of the signal path from microphone to in-ear monitor, with what every box in the rack actually does to the audio along the way.

Workflow · 10 min

Stage Plots and Input Lists That Sound Engineers Actually Want

A plain-English guide to writing the input list, stage plot, and patch sheet that house engineers want — without the jargon, with examples, and with a free way to generate one.

Workflow · 10 min

Setting Up Stereo IEM Mixes on an X32 / M32

Step-by-step: linking aux buses into stereo pairs, pre-fader vs post-fader, routing buses to Ultranet vs physical XLRs vs AES50, and adding a bus-level limiter.

Networking · 9 min

Dante vs MADI vs AES50: Which Audio Network Should You Use?

A practical comparison of the three audio-over-network protocols you’ll encounter in a rack rig, with guidance on when each one is the right pick.

Photos

Product overview

Stage Box decisions, organized around the whole rig.

How it works in the path

Where it earns its place in the rack

Signal path

49 documented inputs

Compatibility

Best fit · Stage Box

Plan the companion path

Protocol boundary

I/O ports

Every connector, grouped by job.

Alternatives

Planning questions

Builder preview

MOTU Stage-B16 Stagebox

Midas DL16 Digital Stage Box

Midas DL32 Digital Stage Box

Behringer S16 Digital Stage Box

Behringer S32 Digital Stage Box

Yamaha Rio1608-D2 Dante Stage Box

Related articles

From Stage to Ear: How Audio Flows Through an IEM Rack

Stage Plots and Input Lists That Sound Engineers Actually Want

Setting Up Stereo IEM Mixes on an X32 / M32

Dante vs MADI vs AES50: Which Audio Network Should You Use?