Behringer P16 Alternatives for Personal IEM Mixing

The reason to leave the P16 is almost never sound. It is that your console isn’t a Behringer, that you want more than sixteen channels, or that you need the mixers powered without a wall adapter at every stand.

The short answer

• Behringer or Midas console, 16 stems is enough: stay on the P16-M. Nothing else is close on price, and Ultranet is already on the back of your console or SD16.
• Any console, with a Dante card or analog outs, and you want more channels or powered mixers: Aviom. The A360 takes up to 64 channels from a D800 distributor, and the distributor powers eight mixers.
• Allen & Heath console: the ME-1 or ME-500 plug straight into dLive, GLD, Qu and SQ over Cat5 with no hub.
• PreSonus StudioLive Series III: the EarMix 16M over AVB, no hub.

What the P16 system gives you

A P16-M is a 16-channel stereo mixer with three-band EQ per channel, an adjustable output limiter, a headphone jack and quarter-inch line outputs for a wired pack or a transmitter. It takes its audio over Ultranet, daisy-chains through In and Thru, and runs from its own adapter or from power sent up the cable by a P16-I input module or a P16-D distributor. One P16-D feeds eight mixers, and up to six P16-Ds reach 48. The audio can come from a console’s Ultranet port or from a P16-I, which has 16 balanced TRS inputs and two ADAT inputs, so a non-Behringer console can feed it from analog outputs. See Ultranet vs AES50 for which ports supply power.

Aviom A320 and A360

A320

The A320 is Aviom’s 16-channel mixer, fed by A-Net over Cat5e from an input module or a D800 distributor. The D800 has eight powered front ports (24V DC at half an amp each), so the mixers need no adapters, and an A-Net Out to chain a second distributor.

A360

The A360 is the step up: the catalog lists it at 36 channels, and the D800’s Pro16e mode carries up to 64 channels to A320 and A360 mixers. The D800-Dante version takes up to 64 Dante channels straight off the network, which is the cleanest route from a console with a Dante card. Both D800s are 2U with an internal supply, and the Dante model is rated at 300W.

What you pay for: per-channel tone and grouping on the mixer, powered runs, and a path to Dante that the P16 does not have. The A360 costs more than four P16-Ms.

Allen & Heath ME-1 and ME-500

On an Allen & Heath desk the ME series is the native choice. The ME-500 receives up to 16 mono or stereo sources over Cat5 from dLive, GLD or Qu, or from an Aviom A-Net 16 feed, and has 3.5 mm and quarter-inch headphone jacks plus a mono line out for a floor wedge. Other networks (Dante, MADI, Waves SoundGrid) need the ME-U hub with an option card. Power is an included DC supply, or from the ME-U. Neither is in the IEM Rig catalog yet.

PreSonus EarMix 16M, Hear Technologies Hear Back PRO

The EarMix 16M is a 16-channel mixer over AVB that plugs directly into a StudioLive Series III console or AVB interface, with headphone and line outputs and a 3.5 mm aux input; each daisy-chained unit needs its own supply, or a PreSonus SW5E switch runs four. Hear Back PRO uses a hub with eight RJ45 ports and takes its input as analog, ADAT, AES/EBU, Dante or SoundGrid depending on the hub card, and the mixer carries an XLR mic input for intercom. Neither is in the catalog yet.

Side by side

• Channels per mixer: P16-M 16. A320 16. A360 36 (catalog). ME-500 16. EarMix 16M 16. Hear Back PRO 16.
• Feed: P16 Ultranet. Aviom A-Net. A&H Cat5 from the console or ME-U. PreSonus AVB. Hear Back hub.
• Needs a hub or input module: P16 only when the console lacks Ultranet. Aviom always. A&H only off-brand. PreSonus no. Hear Back always.
• Power up the cable: P16 from P16-I or P16-D only. Aviom D800 yes. A&H ME-U yes. PreSonus no.
• Dante in: Aviom D800-Dante, A&H ME-U with Dante card, Hear Back with Dante hub. P16 and PreSonus no.

Preamps

• Preamp count: zero on every personal mixer here. They mix stems the console already made.
• Inputs they do add: the Hear Back PRO mixer has one XLR mic input for talkback. The P16-I input module adds 16 line inputs, not mic preamps.
• Rig impact: count console outputs. A P16 or Aviom system takes 16 stems from the console as a block, which on an X32 Rack is the Ultranet port and costs no XLR outputs at all. Feeding a P16-I or an Aviom input module from analog outputs costs 16 of them.

The personal monitor mixers comparison goes deeper on mixing workflow.

Sources

• Behringer Powerplay P16 system specification: P16-M, P16-I, P16-D
• Aviom D800-Dante data sheet: 64 Dante channels, eight powered ports, 2U, 300W
• Adorama: Aviom D800 v.2: powered ports, A-Net Out, compatible mixers
• B&H: Five personal monitor mixing systems: ME-500, EarMix 16M, Hear Back PRO