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The Behringer Powerplay P16 has been generating real buzz lately — and for good reason. It solves one of the most persistent problems in live sound: every performer wanting a different monitor mix, and the sound engineer not having enough hands, channels, or time to deliver six or seven completely different mixes simultaneously during a tight soundcheck.
The problem is that most of the information available about the Powerplay P16 online is either a single-product review of one component in isolation, or marketing copy that doesn’t actually explain how the system works as a whole. This guide is the complete picture — what the Powerplay P16 system actually is, how each component fits together, how to set it up, what it does well, where it falls short, and whether it’s the right solution for your band or venue.
What the Behringer Powerplay P16 Actually Is
The Powerplay P16 isn’t a single product — it’s a modular personal monitoring system made up of several components that work together. Understanding this is the first thing that trips people up, because most retail listings and reviews cover one piece of the system without explaining the full picture.
At its core, the Powerplay P16 system lets every performer on stage build and control their own monitor mix independently — choosing exactly how much of each input (vocals, drums, bass, guitars, click track, talkback) they want to hear, at exactly the volume they want it. No more shouting “more me in the monitor” to a sound engineer who’s already managing six other requests. Each performer gets a personal mixer, and they dial in their own mix in real time.
The system runs entirely over standard CAT5e network cable — the same cable used for ethernet internet connections — which means a single cable carries 16 channels of digital audio with near-zero latency (under 1 millisecond) to each personal mixer in the chain. This is a meaningfully different approach from traditional aux-send monitor systems, where the sound engineer builds every monitor mix from the main console and performers have no direct control.
The Three Core Components of the Powerplay P16 System
A complete Powerplay P16 system is built from three types of modules, each serving a distinct role. Understanding what each one does is the key to understanding the whole system — and to building the right setup for your specific situation.
P16-I: The Input Module
The P16-I is where the system starts. It takes signals from your mixing console — either 16 analog line-level inputs or a digital ADAT optical connection — and converts them into the Ultranet digital format that the rest of the Powerplay system uses. Think of it as the bridge between your existing mixer and the Powerplay distribution network.
The P16-I has six Ultranet output ports on its front panel, which means it can directly feed up to six personal mixers without needing any additional distribution hardware. For smaller setups — a worship team, a small band, a modest home studio — a single P16-I is often all the infrastructure you need.
P16-HQ: The Personal Mixer
The P16-HQ is the component each performer actually interacts with — and it’s the piece most people mean when they ask about “the Powerplay P16.” It’s a 16-channel personal mixer that connects to the Ultranet network via a single CAT5e cable, which also supplies power to the unit. No separate power adapter, no battery — the network cable handles both data and power.
The P16-HQ is Behringer’s upgraded version of the original P16-M, and the improvements are meaningful rather than cosmetic. It features an improved digital-to-analog converter with a 114dB dynamic range, an upgraded headphone amplifier specifically optimized for driving low-impedance in-ear monitors and headphones, and a redesigned control surface that’s more intuitive to operate under stage conditions.
Each of the 16 channels gets independent level control, pan/balance positioning, and a 3-band EQ with an adjustable mid-band frequency — meaning a performer can not only decide how loud the bass guitar is in their mix, but actually reshape its tone if it’s clashing with something else they need to hear clearly. A variable limiter protects against sudden volume spikes or runaway feedback, which matters significantly when performers are listening through in-ear monitors at close range to their ears. The system also supports total recall and preset storage, so a performer’s custom mix can be saved and instantly recalled at the next rehearsal or show rather than rebuilt from scratch.
P16-D: The Distribution Module
The P16-D exists for one purpose: expansion. If your system needs to support more than six personal mixers — a larger band, a full worship team, or a venue with many performers needing independent monitoring — the P16-D adds eight additional Ultranet output ports, and it does so while also distributing power to those additional units over the same CAT5e cabling.
Multiple P16-D units can be chained together, and Behringer’s system supports daisy-chaining up to 48 total P16-HQ personal mixers across a fully expanded setup. For most working bands this is dramatically more capacity than needed, but for larger productions, churches with full worship teams, or multi-act festival stages, the scalability is genuinely useful.
How the System Components Fit Together
Understanding the signal flow makes the whole system click into place. Here’s how a typical setup is structured:
Your mixer → P16-I (converts signal to Ultranet) → P16-HQ units (one per performer)
For larger systems needing more than six personal mixers:
Your mixer → P16-I → P16-D (expansion) → Additional P16-HQ units
If you’re running a Behringer X32 or XR18 digital mixer, the integration is even more direct — these mixers can output Ultranet natively via their digital expansion ports, which means you may not need a separate P16-I at all, depending on your specific mixer model and configuration. This is one of the system’s genuine strengths: it was designed from the start to integrate cleanly with Behringer’s existing digital mixing ecosystem, including the Behringer XR18 and the platforms covered in our XR16 vs XR18 vs X32 Rack comparison.
Setting Up a Basic Powerplay P16 System
Step 1: Determine Your Channel Count Needs
Before buying anything, map out what each performer actually needs access to in their personal mix. A simple band setup might only need 8-10 channels (vocals, guitars, bass, drums, click track) even though the system supports 16. Knowing your real channel count helps you plan your mixer routing correctly from the start.
Step 2: Connect Your Mixer to the P16-I
Route either 16 analog outputs from your mixer’s aux sends or channel direct outs into the P16-I’s analog inputs, or connect via ADAT optical if your mixer supports digital output in that format. If you’re running a mixer with native Ultranet support, this step may be unnecessary — connect directly to the Ultranet port instead.
Step 3: Run CAT5e Cable to Each Personal Mixer
Connect a CAT5e cable from the P16-I’s Ultranet output to each P16-HQ unit. Up to six units connect directly. The cable carries both the 16 channels of digital audio and the power for the unit — no separate power supply needed at each performer’s position.
Step 4: Mount the Personal Mixers
The P16-HQ can be mounted directly onto a microphone stand using Behringer’s optional mounting bracket, placed on a small table or stand near each performer, or rack-mounted for fixed installations. For live performance, mic stand mounting is the most practical option since it keeps the unit within easy reach without taking up additional floor space.
Step 5: Build Individual Mixes
Once powered and connected, each performer can select channels using the 16 backlit channel buttons, adjust level and pan for each source, and apply EQ as needed. The “drummer-proof” output level control — a design feature specifically built to withstand aggressive adjustment — lets each performer set their overall headphone or IEM output volume independently.
If you’re pairing the system with in-ear monitors, our guide on how to set up in-ear monitors for small bands covers the IEM side of the equation, and our guide to the best in-ear monitors for musicians covers which IEMs pair well with a personal mixer’s headphone output.
Powerplay P16 vs Traditional Aux-Send Monitoring
The most important comparison to understand is how the Powerplay P16 differs from the traditional approach most small bands use — building monitor mixes from aux sends on the main mixing console.
| Factor | Traditional Aux-Send Monitoring | Powerplay P16 System |
|---|---|---|
| Who controls the mix | Sound engineer | Each performer individually |
| Number of independent mixes | Limited by available aux buses | Up to 48 with full expansion |
| Soundcheck speed | Slower (sequential requests) | Faster (simultaneous self-mixing) |
| Engineer workload | High (monitor requests during show) | Low (performers self-manage) |
| Setup complexity | Lower | Higher (additional hardware) |
| Cost | Lower (uses existing mixer) | Higher (dedicated hardware per performer) |
The tradeoff is straightforward: traditional aux-send monitoring is simpler and cheaper but puts all the monitor-mixing workload on one person, while the Powerplay system distributes that workload to each performer at the cost of additional hardware and setup complexity. Our guide on why monitor mixing gets hard in live sound covers the specific pain points that systems like the Powerplay P16 are designed to solve.
Powerplay P16 vs Aviom: How They Compare
Aviom is the other major name in personal monitoring systems, and it’s worth understanding how the two compare since they solve the same fundamental problem with different approaches.
Aviom systems are generally considered to have a more polished, refined user interface and have been the longer-established standard in professional touring and worship production. Aviom personal mixers also tend to command a meaningfully higher price point per unit.
The Powerplay P16 system delivers comparable core functionality — independent personal mixing, low-latency digital distribution over standard network cable, EQ and level control per channel — at a significantly more accessible price point. For working bands and small-to-mid-size venues where budget is a real factor, the Powerplay system represents legitimate value without a dramatic sacrifice in core functionality. For large-scale touring productions with bigger budgets, Aviom’s more polished ecosystem and established reputation may still be the preferred choice. For most readers of this guide — gigging bands, churches, and small venues — the Powerplay P16 is the more practical and cost-effective solution.
Who the Powerplay P16 Is Right For
Bands With Multiple Performers Who Want Different Mixes
If your band has four or five members who all want meaningfully different things in their monitors — the drummer wants more click and kick, the vocalist wants more of themselves and less guitar, the guitarist wants to hear bass more clearly — the Powerplay P16 eliminates the soundcheck bottleneck that comes from one engineer trying to satisfy everyone sequentially.
Worship Teams and Churches
Worship teams often have larger numbers of performers — vocalists, multiple instrumentalists, sometimes a full band plus choir — all needing independent control over their monitor experience, frequently with volunteer or part-time sound engineers who don’t have the bandwidth to build and manage six or eight different monitor mixes manually. The Powerplay system is a natural fit here, and pairs well with the digital mixing platforms covered in our guide to the best Behringer mixer for church.
Recording Studios
In a studio tracking context, the P16-I’s ADAT connectivity and the system’s near-zero latency make it a practical solution for giving musicians independent headphone mixes during recording sessions — letting a drummer hear more click and less vocal, while a vocalist hears more of themselves in their cans, without anyone needing to interrupt the engineer.
Who Might Not Need It
A solo performer, a duo, or a band that’s already happy with floor wedges and a simple aux-send setup may not see enough benefit to justify the additional cost and setup complexity. The Powerplay system earns its value specifically in situations with multiple performers who have genuinely different monitoring needs — for simpler setups, the investment may not pay off proportionally.
Honest Strengths and Limitations
Strengths
- Genuine performer independence — each musician controls their own mix in real time without engineer involvement
- Simple cabling — one CAT5e cable per personal mixer carries both audio and power
- Near-zero latency — under 1ms signal delay, which is imperceptible in practice
- Strong value relative to Aviom — comparable core functionality at a more accessible price
- Scalable — grows from a simple 6-unit system to a 48-unit system without changing the core architecture
- Clean integration with Behringer’s digital mixing ecosystem — particularly the X32 and XR18 platforms
Limitations
- EQ capability is functional but not exceptional — the 3-band EQ with mid-shift covers basic tone-shaping needs but isn’t going to satisfy someone looking for surgical precision
- Additional hardware cost per performer — every musician who wants independent control needs their own P16-HQ unit, which adds up for larger bands
- Setup complexity is real — this is meaningfully more involved to configure than a basic aux-send setup, and the learning curve for first-time users is non-trivial
- Mounting hardware sold separately — the mic stand mount isn’t included with the P16-HQ, which is an easy thing to overlook when budgeting
How the Powerplay P16 Fits Into Your Broader Live Sound Setup
The Powerplay system doesn’t replace your front-of-house signal chain — it sits alongside it, handling monitoring while your main mixer continues to handle the audience-facing mix. Gain staging still matters just as much with the Powerplay system in place. Our guide to gain staging for live sound covers getting your levels correct at the source, which directly affects the quality of what each performer hears through their personal mix.
The soundcheck process changes meaningfully with a Powerplay system in place — rather than the engineer building each monitor mix sequentially, performers can build their own mixes simultaneously, which speeds up the entire process significantly. Our complete guide on how to soundcheck a band covers the full pre-show workflow that a system like this integrates into.
For the in-ear monitors that typically pair with personal mixer systems like the Powerplay P16, our guide to the best in-ear monitors for musicians covers wired and wireless options across every budget.
Final Thoughts
The Behringer Powerplay P16 solves a real, persistent problem in live sound: giving every performer genuine control over their own monitor experience without overwhelming the sound engineer or requiring an enormous mixing console with dozens of aux buses. The system architecture — P16-I for input, P16-HQ for personal mixing, P16-D for expansion — is straightforward once you understand how the pieces connect, even though most retail listings don’t explain it clearly.
For bands, worship teams, and venues with multiple performers who genuinely need different things in their monitors, the investment in a Powerplay system pays off in faster soundchecks, fewer mid-show monitor requests, and performers who can actually hear what they need to deliver their best performance. For simpler setups, it may be more system than necessary — but for the situations it’s built for, it’s a genuinely well-designed solution at a price point that makes sense.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Behringer Powerplay P16 system?
The Behringer Powerplay P16 is a modular personal monitoring system that lets each performer on stage build and control their own independent monitor mix. It consists of three core components: the P16-I input module, the P16-HQ personal mixer, and the P16-D distribution module for expanding the system to support more performers.
How does the Behringer Powerplay P16 work?
The system converts your mixer’s audio signals into a digital Ultranet format via the P16-I input module, then distributes 16 channels of audio over standard CAT5e network cable to personal mixers (P16-HQ units) that each performer uses to build their own custom mix. The same cable carries both the audio signal and power, with latency under 1 millisecond.
How many P16-HQ personal mixers can I connect?
A single P16-I input module supports up to six P16-HQ personal mixers directly. Adding P16-D distribution modules expands this capacity, with a fully expanded system supporting up to 48 personal mixers total.
Do I need a P16-I if I already have a Behringer X32 or XR18?
Possibly not — both the X32 and XR18 can output Ultranet natively through their digital expansion ports, depending on the specific model and configuration. This means you may be able to connect P16-HQ units directly to your existing digital mixer without a separate P16-I input module. Check your specific mixer’s expansion card or onboard Ultranet capability before purchasing.
Is the Behringer Powerplay P16 better than Aviom?
Both systems deliver comparable core functionality for personal monitoring. Aviom has a longer track record in professional touring and a more polished interface, typically at a higher price point. The Powerplay P16 offers similar core capability — independent mixing, low latency, per-channel EQ — at a significantly more accessible price, making it the more practical choice for most working bands, churches, and small-to-mid-size venues.