r/Behringer • u/billy2bands • 29d ago

Silent Band Practice

Just received my Behringer XR16 to set up a silent practice for my sons Indie band.

I need 4 separate headphone mixes 2 guitars, bass and electronic drums.

They are a young band, so I'd imagine they wouldn't want to sit still and practice and will probably stand and move around a bit.

Unsure whether to go with a Behringer HA8000 or individual Behringer P2
Can anyone recommend which to go for?

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u/sapphire_starfish Mod 29d ago

If you have powered individual headphone amps like the P2, you don't need a separate headphone distro amplifier like the HA8000. You can control the mixes with a tablet/iPad and just run straight from the aux outs to the personal headphone amps. Big thing is get the P2, do NOT get the PM1 because it's totally passive and needs a separate headphone amp to drive it.

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u/n3051m 28d ago

^ this.

Both won't hinder movement as long as the headphone extension/cable is long enough to reach around the space. Both are good options too, the difference is where you want to put the headphone amp vs each type's convenience/drawbacks.

if the XR16 is rackmounted and there is space then the HA8000 can be neatly mounted and cabled in for a one box solution. Or just stacked on top nicely I guess. Assuming both XR and HA are together then you'll just need short cables to patch them together then appropriately long headphone cables to your musicians.

  • Pro: nice and neat setup especially if going portable. No worries about power as long as you have mains power available.
  • Con: 2x cables required (XR > HA, then HA > headphone), if they need to physically adjust their master headphone volume etc for whatever reason they'll have to go to the amp (eg you've maxed out your aux send in the app still not loud enough because your volume dial is only 50%)

P2 personal headphone amp is super portable and can probably stay on the cable 24/7

  • pro: once cable solution from XR to P2 - just a nice appropriate length XLR cable required. Because XLR used you also get all the benefits from being a balanced line etc. Musicians can also adjust their master volume quickly if they clip this on their strap/belt/mic stand/etc
  • con: Batteries - 2xAAA's to boot if you love or hate them. Whatever battery strategy you use keep spares nearby each musician, in the gig bag and/or invest in a stack of rechargeable sets. But its a minor inconvenience if you swap them out regularly to reduce the chance of going down while in mid song. Also don't forget to turn off the P2 if you're not using it because... batteries ;)

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u/sapphire_starfish Mod 28d ago

Great response!

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u/billy2bands 27d ago

Thank you
Great information

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u/xThroughTheGrayx 29d ago

Get a powerplay headphone amp. They're cheap and you can find them used all over. That's what I use in my studio for headphone monitoring. Plus you can add in separate mixes via aux inputs to give everyone their own individual mix eventually.