Behringer S16

This is a great companion to the X32 mixer.

I have been using this in a short depth rack now for a couple of months and it works really well taking just 2U spaces. It works when this is cascaded to it's sister the SD16 on the same AES50 link with long 50 meter Ethernet cables between both the units and the mixer I get solid sync and great performance from both units at the same time.

Interestingly, the ADAT outs on the S16 can be assigned to different AES50 lines from the outs on the front the S16 meaning that you can send different signals to the ADAT outs if you wish. Using this I have hooked up each of the ADATs to Behringer ADA8000s which converts the signal to analogue. I have the ADA8000 outs plugged into a Cymatic LR16 which I place in a short rack drawer with the back panel unscrewed to reveal the input jacks it also fits the USB hard disk. So now I can record 16 individual tracks onto the LR16 independently and at the same time whilst still using all the S16's functions and best of all it all fits nicely into a 6U SHORT rack for placing on stage. I just hit record at the start of the gig and it captures everything I need for remixing later.

Here is the format for the 6U short depth rack:

-2U Drawer with-
--Cymatic LR16-- Insert Jacks on LR16 (no ring connected on TRS)
----ADA8000-1-- ^^ Balanced XLR outs to stereo Jack (disconnect ring wire) ^^
----ADA8000-2-- ADAT ins
-------S16------- ^^ ADAT outs ^^
-------S16-------

Cymatic have just released the UTrack X32 card which is available at Thomann this looks very interesting and does the same job at on the mixer side but allows 32!!! channel recording to usb HDD. Might have to put that one on the Xmas list :)

The sound is as good as it gets, and the protocol is so easy to use that it's crazy. You turn it on, plug it into one of the AES50 ports on the X32, and it simply works. Every time. No instability or strangeness - just works.

I ordered two S16s, but one of them had a faulty power supply, so I had to send it back. That was a bit sad, as I had to dig out the analog multicore the following concert to cover the last inputs. One of our helpers even managed to dig through the multicore with a shovel, so it lost a few channels. Had it been a CAT-5 cable, we could have just replaced that one cable cheaply.

What that also tells, is that of course Behringer cuts some corners even on these a little bit more high-quality products. I have an older Behringer mixer, which also had a power supply that failed and had to be sent back. Plus some older Behringer speakers which also had a power supply that failed.

But when that problem was fixed, I can't complain about anything. These units are brilliant. I just wish they weren't quite that expensive, maybe one to two hundred euros cheaper. But I see that the Midas preamps is what ramps up the price in both the X32 and the S16s, so it's all good, I guess!

Anyway, they are part of a brilliant, cheap system, that gives me a looot of functionality. It's all been said before. Behringer - thank you!

Having bought two of these for use with my Behringer X32 mixer, I have permanently solved my biggest problems with signalling between stage and mixer, most often being the 200lbs, 50 foot long tangled maze of a multi cable that I have been struggling with up untill now. I have bought a couple of 2-unit Gator racks to put these stageboxes in, and so far it has proven a viable solution for my use (as long as no one steps on the Gator case). Combined with a couple of long ethernet cables, these two units have completely replaced the need for my old, heavy copper multi cable when on the move, e.g. using my X32 on live gigs. Since the S16s also use the same preamps as the X32, the sound produced is the same as if only using the analogue inputs on the mixer, which makes for several possible setups of preamps, both for studio recording and live sound engineering.

I didn't review this product when I bought it because it was a box with connectors on it, and I didn't really warrant a review. However, it's now been two years and I've seen a few people who didn't really appreciate what the thing can do - now it's done a lot of miles, I will comment.

First thing, is that I installed it in a rack and it has been in and out of a van, in the summer heat and the winter's cold and damp - no issues whatsoever.

It did (I thought) fail once - but this was simply an idiot dropped the end of the CAT5 cable in the mud at a festival, and when I plugged it in to the S16, the mud prevented proper contact. A quick spray and clean and normal service restored.

What I have found useful is the ability to listen to the inputs on headphones via the turn and select knob - very, very handy and prevents the need to shout to the person out front. I'm also using the P16 personal monitor outputs and these all work very reliably.

What would I do to improve it? Simply add a little more space for a bit of tape for channel labels - there's not a lot of space between the rows. I also would have put the CAT5 connectors on the front too - but I guess the back is fine really.

I can 100% recommend it.

I bought this digital snake as an extra for my X32 console and I've been using it for some time now. Overall it is a great product, haven't had any worries with it so far, except one time when there was a problem with the voltage on stage and the current was uneven. It was an old building with aged electric system and wiring and the X32 lost the connection with the S16 couple of times. When I realised the problem, I connected it to another power socket and it worked fine after. It's hard to bring out any cons, the only thing is the build quality, don't get me wrong i'm pleased with it, it's not like it could fall apart or break, its about the little details, the knobs feel rubbery and plasticy, it just doesn't have that "quality feel" to it. Overall I'm really satisfied with it, actually I'm thinking of buying another one for my setup as a spare.