Behringer Micromon Ma400 Monitor Headphone Amplifier

Impressed with this device. Sturdy build quality and this was exactly what I needed. The product I received is the updated version which is black with their current logo, the image provided on the website shows the old silver version with the old Behringer logo.

Affordable alternative

Our church decided to make the move from floor monitors to in-ears, but wanted to gradually do it over a few years. The end-goal is to have an aviom(or similar) system. These units have turned out to be exactly what we need at this point. Our FOH mixer has 4 aux sends. I use one, our drummer uses another, then we send the rest of the musicians 1 flat mix, and all our backup vocalists another flat mix. Each one of the musicians and vocalists (other than the drummer and I) have one of these units. The flat mix goes into the MON input, and their mic/instrument goes into the MIC input. This gives them the ability to have "more me" in their ears. The initial shock of going in-ears was an adjustment for some (I've been using the shure PSM system for a few years), but now ... MoreOur church decided to make the move from floor monitors to in-ears, but wanted to gradually do it over a few years. The end-goal is to have an aviom(or similar) system. These units have turned out to be exactly what we need at this point. Our FOH mixer has 4 aux sends. I use one, our drummer uses another, then we send the rest of the musicians 1 flat mix, and all our backup vocalists another flat mix. Each one of the musicians and vocalists (other than the drummer and I) have one of these units. The flat mix goes into the MON input, and their mic/instrument goes into the MIC input. This gives them the ability to have "more me" in their ears. The initial shock of going in-ears was an adjustment for some (I've been using the shure PSM system for a few years), but now everyone is very happy, and our sound guys are even happier. They never hear "Can I have more me in my monitor?" anymore. :)The only negative is that they can kind of be finicky. We have the exact same trs-to-xlr cable going to each of them, but some need to be set to "MONO" and some need to be set to "STEREO" to work. We had one stop working, but it was quickly replaced, for free. The bottom line is - this is not even close to a fraction of the price of an aviom system, and it does well beyond its [$] pricetag. We're very happy with them.**Note, contrary to behringer's website, these units do NOT work when your mixer has phantom power turned on. We use one condenser microphone for our drum overhead mic, and had to purchase a phantom power unit to power that mic, separate from the mixer. Minor inconvenience.

Cheap Solution to a Unique Problem!

A little more volume would be nice but for my application, which is obviously different than the units stated purpose, this thing is overall awesome. I'll bet there's a bunch of other things that it could be used for as well. Probably not a bad little tool for any sound person or band to have in their bag of tricks for when those unexpected problems arise. I think that the Behringer Shark is a similar little problem solver that I would like to have on hand as well.Works great for what I had in mind... and for this price there was no reason not to take a chance.What I needed was a way to split a post fader aux on a mixer during live church services. I send this signal to our "DVD Recording Room" but our particular mixer has no way for me to monitor post-fader aux ... MoreA little more volume would be nice but for my application, which is obviously different than the units stated purpose, this thing is overall awesome. I'll bet there's a bunch of other things that it could be used for as well. Probably not a bad little tool for any sound person or band to have in their bag of tricks for when those unexpected problems arise. I think that the Behringer Shark is a similar little problem solver that I would like to have on hand as well.Works great for what I had in mind... and for this price there was no reason not to take a chance.What I needed was a way to split a post fader aux on a mixer during live church services. I send this signal to our "DVD Recording Room" but our particular mixer has no way for me to monitor post-fader aux sends (3-6). For a low price I got this and a mono Y cable and voila. Now I can monitor exactly what is going to be recorded and not have to take the video man's word on it when he saya he needs more less of this or that. I can actually hear what is happening when I make any adjustments- what a concept! In a relatively small church room this ability is crucial. If I send to recording a flat mix (exactly what the FOH mix is) it's very unbalanced as far as a recording mix goes. This is because a lot of stage sound from amps and instruments bleed directly into the seats. Therefore I don't need to add as much of them into the mains as I do in order to match (as best as I can) the FOH mix.I have not used (and have no immediate need to) the xlr feature. What sold me on this and kept me from going for the HA400 is the "mono" option. Since the aux send is mono I really didn't want to be stuck with only one ears worth of sound when adjusting the recording mix through the heaphones.Volume is not super loud so I can't speak for how it would work for it's intended purpose on a live/loud sound stage. Bur for our needs it's perfect. Too bad a headtap doesn't have the independent mic monitoring featureTo sum up, the features are 100% exactly what I needed as was hoping for. Drop dead perfect.I'm under no delusion that a inexpensive Behringer item will last forever but first impressions are that it is solid. If I have to buy another one in a couple years I won't be too surprised... but we'll see. Since it sits in one place and will not be moved. gigged or tossed around I'm hoping it will be around for a while.All little boxes with a few wires and knobs should be priced like this. Kudos to Behringer for getting it right!

Compact IEM headphone amp

A compact IEM headphone amp, cheaper and smaller than the ROLLS equivalent you no doubt found when searching for a personal monitor solution. The unit is much smaller than the Rolls unit, smaller than I expected but has an XLR in and out as well as an input for a monitor feed, unfortunalty no through option but to add that would make it much larger and complex - the monitor feed is a stereo jack rather than an XLR so don't forget to buy a few converters XLR to 1/4 jack. The only complaint I'd have is the NON UK plug which is provided with an adapter but most band members will probably have a multi powersupply to power thier pedals so should be able to power this direct from that rather then requiring yet another power outlet at thier feet. There is no mount for a ... MoreA compact IEM headphone amp, cheaper and smaller than the ROLLS equivalent you no doubt found when searching for a personal monitor solution. The unit is much smaller than the Rolls unit, smaller than I expected but has an XLR in and out as well as an input for a monitor feed, unfortunalty no through option but to add that would make it much larger and complex - the monitor feed is a stereo jack rather than an XLR so don't forget to buy a few converters XLR to 1/4 jack. The only complaint I'd have is the NON UK plug which is provided with an adapter but most band members will probably have a multi powersupply to power thier pedals so should be able to power this direct from that rather then requiring yet another power outlet at thier feet. There is no mount for a mike stand or belt hook either so you will need to figure something out to suit each band member. It can just sit on the foor next to the pedals but if you can get it mounted at about waist hight then it's easy to adjust the volumes during the set without having to bend down - its even possbile to tweak it mid chord but not if it's on the floor!

Great Value, Simple Design

I bought this for my drummer to use in my band. He sings harmonies and in our relatively small practice space it's hard to put his vocals into the mix without getting feedback. This box allows me to send him a headphone monitor mix of the vocals, and he can adjust the volume of his own voice in that mix independently. He's been working on harmonies for just a few months and this box has been HUGE in his development. My only complaint is that it could be louder, but I will also say that he is one of the loudest drummers I have played with and he can definitely still hear himself clearly in headphones. I would definitely recommend this product for any band/drummer looking for an individual monitoring solution for either practice or gigs. We use it for both and it ... MoreI bought this for my drummer to use in my band. He sings harmonies and in our relatively small practice space it's hard to put his vocals into the mix without getting feedback. This box allows me to send him a headphone monitor mix of the vocals, and he can adjust the volume of his own voice in that mix independently. He's been working on harmonies for just a few months and this box has been HUGE in his development. My only complaint is that it could be louder, but I will also say that he is one of the loudest drummers I have played with and he can definitely still hear himself clearly in headphones. I would definitely recommend this product for any band/drummer looking for an individual monitoring solution for either practice or gigs. We use it for both and it works wonders. At this price, you can't beat it!

Great for studio recording!

I bought four MA400's to use in our recording/rehearsal studio. I use a TASCAM 16-channel interface and run Cubase on my studio computer. For our current project, we are recording up to eight instruments simultaneously: drums, congas, horns, bass and guitars.Several band members, like the bassist and guitarist, needed to hear themselves above the normal group headphone mix. The MA400 allows them to turn themselves up in their own mix (More Me!), without affecting their feed to the main recorder, or the overall headphone mix. Very Nice!The MA400 does not do anything to the main incoming XLR-level signal, just pass it through. I did not detect any coloration of the signal during recording or while listening to the playback.Having both 1/8" and 1/4" headphone ... MoreI bought four MA400's to use in our recording/rehearsal studio. I use a TASCAM 16-channel interface and run Cubase on my studio computer. For our current project, we are recording up to eight instruments simultaneously: drums, congas, horns, bass and guitars.Several band members, like the bassist and guitarist, needed to hear themselves above the normal group headphone mix. The MA400 allows them to turn themselves up in their own mix (More Me!), without affecting their feed to the main recorder, or the overall headphone mix. Very Nice!The MA400 does not do anything to the main incoming XLR-level signal, just pass it through. I did not detect any coloration of the signal during recording or while listening to the playback.Having both 1/8" and 1/4" headphone outputs is very handy. It helps eliminate the need for adapter plugs.All connections are located on the side and don't obscure the controls or tip the unit over when connected. There is no 1/4" guitar/instrument input, but I worked around that with a direct box.My only wish-list item: It would be great if the MA400 also ran on phantom power. I have to run AC power cords to the location of each unit. Not a big deal, just more cable clutter.Overall, the MA400 headphone amp is an incredible buy and rock solid performer. Great accessory for the studio. Buy several!

No Complaints So Far - Ecstatic to Have Discovered It

***This is a great device with multiple applications.***Nutshell: (2) inputs - one XLR, one 1/4 stereo monitor input - individual volume controls. Primary (XLR) input has an XLR thru, only the primary input content is sent out. (2) headphone outs on front: 1/4" and 1/8" - both stereo with a mono switch (although we haven't tested mono switch function yet).What we use it for:Church worship musician's personal monitor - acoustic guitarist w/no amp running DI box straight to mixing board and couldn't hear herself. We now have her running guitar to DI - DI to MA400 / MA400 XLR thru to another DI - this DI to board...she plugs small earbuds into headphone out for her acoustic personal monitor. Works fantastic. We are probably upgrading to digital board soon and ... More***This is a great device with multiple applications.***Nutshell: (2) inputs - one XLR, one 1/4 stereo monitor input - individual volume controls. Primary (XLR) input has an XLR thru, only the primary input content is sent out. (2) headphone outs on front: 1/4" and 1/8" - both stereo with a mono switch (although we haven't tested mono switch function yet).What we use it for:Church worship musician's personal monitor - acoustic guitarist w/no amp running DI box straight to mixing board and couldn't hear herself. We now have her running guitar to DI - DI to MA400 / MA400 XLR thru to another DI - this DI to board...she plugs small earbuds into headphone out for her acoustic personal monitor. Works fantastic. We are probably upgrading to digital board soon and will be able to run her own custom mix of other instruments into the MA400 1/4 stereo monitor input as well.* I can't speak to the longevity or durability of the MA400 (only been running it about 1 month now) but so far working well and it's clean to the board (has a ground lift built in, haven't had to use it).Enjoy.

Not as loud as Rolls

I bought this as a cheap alternative to my Rolls PM351 Personal Monitor System. I play in a Classic Rock band and need a lot of volume to hear over the drummer. The Micromon MA400 Headphone Amplifier is not a good choice for this application. If Live Classic Rock is what you want then better look at the Rolls product. Otherwise for quiter applications I am sure this will work fine.I don't know why people bash this unit with respect to the stereo switch. When there is a stereo input source place the switch in stereo and you get stereo output. When you are using a mono source place the switch to mono and you get the mono piped to both ears. It works exactly as expected.

Perfect for vocalists

This Behringer unit is perfect for vocalists in live bands especially for harmonies. I did live gigs where I couldn't hear myself due to the position of the drummer to the keyboard (me) and I had no idea what I was singing unless I cupped my ear with my hand which looks daft. This little unit, for $49.00, has completely solved the problem. It's allowed a whole extra layer into the band with my harmonies full time and we needed it for this particular genre. All vocalists should have one in their gig bag.

Useful "more me" box.

A useful "more me" box. Sturdy. It's shortcomings are that it could use more gain on the mic preamp, and more power to the audio output so it would work better with less efficient headphones. An inexpensive mounting kit to attach to mic stands would also be nice. There are 2 tapped holes on the underside though, so one can be jury-rigged if a person is handy.