Behringer MS16 High-Performance, Active 16 Watt Personal Monitor System

I needed a pair of medium-sized powered speakers that could monitor the output of a Blackmagic Design Intensity Shuttle Analogue-to-Digital Video and Audio interface in a video capture and conversion system. The usual PC speakers are no good for this job, but spending many hundreds of pounds on studio monitor speakers was neither totally necessary nor financially viable. We needed a modestly-priced pair of powered speakers that gave us a good representation of mixed audio and that's what we were being offered. The Behringer MS16 had received good reviews on the professional audio websites and seemed a great alternative - and at the price offered, which included despatch costs, we were presented with an offer we couldn't refuse.The product arrived in very fast time (faster than the estimate given at the time of purchase) and were well packaged. Once installed, they were quickly put to work monitoring the sound balance coming from 20-year-old analogue videotapes via a Soundcraft mixer desk into an Apple Mac system. The speakers are actually larger than we expected them to me (no, we didn't check the measurements in the product description!) butit doesn't matter because they sit on the console very well and look as good as they sound. The quality is great for the price; top end is crisp, bottom is punchy and altogether they provide us with a faithful reproduction - especially when the level is wound up a bit!The right speaker contains the controls and the main inputs (at the rear) which then feeds the left speaker acting as slave. We'd have liked XLR balanced inputs on the back but, of course, this facility comes with a greater price tag. On that basis the RCA Phono pair and also Stereo 3.5mm Mini-jack inputs are perfectly adequate. It should be noted that the two separate inputs can be mixed, together with the front-panel 1/4" mic jack input (which we don't really need actually).All in all, a very good product at what was, for us, an exceptionally good delivery-inclusive price. Can't complain at all - so we won't!

I've had a pair of Behringer MS16 speakers connected to a Joggler running Squeezeplay OS in the kitchen for the last 2 years and they have performed well. Best sound for my particular location was with a touch down on the bass control, a touch up on the treble. Good punchy speakers with way too much volume if we wanted it.However, about a month ago the sound started deteriorating with a decrease in volume and an increase in hum and distortion on both channels. So, I opened up the main speaker (5 screws) and first surprise was that the power switch is on the secondary of the transformer, so the transformer is always energised. Not a real problem but it does mean that the speakers are always drawing power, even when 'off'. We have always switched these off at the mains so no issue, but if left on it would be running up the 'leccy bill by a small amount.Second surprise was the main amplifier board was connected to the auxilliary board containing the volume and filter controls by a multi-way cable which was unscreened - An obvious entry point for hum. Moving the cable changed the amount of pickup so this could be what some users are experiencing, depending on their particular build. The cable is soldered at one end and plugged at the other, and I found that moving the cable restored proper operation of my speakers so think that the connection here was at fault. It proved impossible to remove the amplifier board to solder the connections as this was mounted rock-solid to the back of the case so I slightly bent the exposed pins and re-plugged to provide a firmer connection, reassembled the unit and all is back to normal.All in all, I'm very pleased with the Behringers but think the design could be improved by fitting a 'proper' on-off switch, screening the signal cables and using a more secure connector to the control panel. There again, refinement costs money.

I've been producing music both at home and in professional studios for many years and can honestly say these speakers work surprisingly well in the small home studio environment. OK, so I have a pair of serious JBL monitors too, but for everyday work on Cubase and even for rough mixing on my PowerBook or PC, they do a very creditable job.The clarity and stereo reproduction is excellent, they're pretty loud and produce very crisp sounds. The tone controls aren't the most dynamic and yes, as most other reviewers mention, the bass doesn't boom, but once again, they're perfectly good enough for most home studio needs. And the truth is that when it comes to final mixing, I don't even use the JBLs but always reach for my Sennheiser headphones instead. Or go and reproduce the whole thing in a pro studio. So it's horses for courses.In my view, the Behringer MS16s are your best option unless you can afford to spend £300++ and go for some professional studio monitors. But do you really need them for home use, or is it just vanity like having a never-gigged Marshall stack in your bedroom? I'll share a salutary lesson I was given some years ago. I proudly took my latest CD into a record producer's studio which was filled with enough equipment to raise the Titanic with monitors the size of monoliths. But the producer took me out to his car where he played my CD through his stereo so he could hear it in the same way as others would. That's why you'll also find the best studios have a standard radio sitting somewhere on their desk so they can play the final mix through it - and you'll be surprised how many times a mix gets changed because things have been overproduced and over-EQ'd to the point of getting lost when it comes to playback 'back in the real world'!Remember, a great song will always stand out. And these speakers will certainly not stand in the way of you producing great sounding music and excellent demos. So yes, I would recommend them for desktop home studios.