4-out monitor controller?

[awjoe]

I use a Mackie Big Knob monitor controller right now, but I want more outputs now than it offers. I've got two outputs now, but I want four. I only need routing capability, nothing much else. I'd love to be able to listen through earbuds, but it seems that's not doable with just a monitor controller. Anway, suggestions for a poor boy north of the blues? I can live with what I've got, but I'd love better.

[DGL.]

Looking on Thomann Behringer have a few options that might fit the bill, The Control 2 USB and Studio XL both have 3 monitor outputs plus a separate studio/phones output. £95 and £135 respectively.

https://www.thomann.de/gb/behringer_control2usb.htm

https://www.thomann.de/gb/behringer_studio_xl.htm

[Drew Stephenson]

Based on the quality of the reviews in SOS, and my particular requirements, I got a Drawmer CMC2. Bit more pricey than the links above but functionally very tidy.
I have had a couple of minor reliability issues with mine, I think they had a batch of slightly dodgy volume pots and some badly cast button covers. Easy at home fixes in both cases though.

[adrian_k]

I came across this TC Electronic controller when looking a while back. Didn’t buy anything in the end but this has the features I’d want and not expensive. 3 outs plus a headphone socket.

https://www.andertons.co.uk/tc-electron ... oup%20%231

[jaminem]

Audient Nero?
It's got 3 speaker outs, plus 4 headphone outs? and a sub channel?
If you're talking wireless ear buds, you can get bluetooth to mini jack adaptors to drive them?

[Matt Houghton]

I came across this TC Electronic controller when looking a while back. Didn’t buy anything in the end but this has the features I’d want and not expensive. 3 outs plus a headphone socket.

https://www.andertons.co.uk/tc-electron ... oup%20%231

If the OP is happy with the Mackie, that's not a bad call. We had one in for review a while back, and while the control functionality might be a bit limited in other respects, the routing side of things would, in partnership with the Big Knob, achieve what the OP wants, while keeping lots of cables out of the way and taking up little extra space on the desktop.

If you want four stereo outs in a single unit, there are various options, but the price is going to climb. I have a Heritage Audio RAM1000 here that I've been happy with, so their larger versions may be an option worth looking at. But I have to say that where desktop devices have lots of channels, you end up with so many cables trailing across the desktop and I don't like it — it's ugly and can mean dragging the unit out of position or putting strain on the cables. For larger channel counts, rackmount with a separate controller is definitely a better tactic.

[Ken P]

+1 for Drawmer.

[Bob Bickerton]

When you say 4 outputs are any of those for headphone feeds?

I’m happy with the Audient Nero, which gives you 4 headphone feeds, which meant I could ditch my studio headphone amp. Used the Drawmer CMC2, nice unit but, like Drew, had some issues.

Bob

[awjoe]

Three feeds for speakers, and one for headphones.

[awjoe]

Thanks, all - good ideas. The one that comes closest to what I want is the TC Electronics unit, but they're hard to get in Canada and high priced.

I shall mull.

[Drew Stephenson]

Sorry, I misread your initial post and thought you were after a 2-stereo/4-mono out - hence recommending the CMC2.
My bad.

[awjoe]

My imprecision.

[awjoe]

In the end, I went for two stereo outs and one mono out.

Palmer MONICON L G2 Active / Passive Studio Monitor

It says active/passive, but it's an experiment actually, because essentially it's passive. The runs to all the monitors are short, though, so maybe it'll work. I'll report.

[ef37a]

In the end, I went for two stereo outs and one mono out.

Palmer MONICON L G2 Active / Passive Studio Monitor

It says active/passive, but it's an experiment actually, because essentially it's passive. The runs to all the monitors are short, though, so maybe it'll work. I'll report.

Well! This is new AND stupid. I clicked to download the .pdf manual (note ".pdf") and it isn't! You need to scan a Q code to get the manual. Stuff 'em then.

I would love to know what they mean by "Active/passive"? They claim balanced outputs so are these active? That would, IMHO make most sense as it takes the load off the VC pot and enables long cables to monitors.

Dave.

[Wonks]

Well! This is new AND stupid. I clicked to download the .pdf manual (note ".pdf") and it isn't! You need to scan a Q code to get the manual. Stuff 'em then.

Worked absolutely fine for me on the Palmer website.

[Wonks]

But it doesn't tell you anything more than the website specs page does.

You can run it without power, where you lose the indicators and headphone outs, but otherwise they say it's the same audio path as when there is power.

So they may use transformers to do that.

[ef37a]

But it doesn't tell you anything more than the website specs page does.

You can run it without power, where you lose the indicators and headphone outs, but otherwise they say it's the same audio path as when there is power.

So they may use transformers to do that.

Poor show if they do then Wonks. That borks the first principle most people look for in a monitor controller, that is it should introduce the very minimum of noise, distortion or bandwidth restriction and transformers fall down on two of those.

I am considering a controller and like the reports on the Drawmer but, unlike our OP I need more inputs so looking at the Audient Nero.

Dave.

[tacitus]

I’ve got a Nero and I think it’s great, but soon after I got it I upgraded my Audient iD 14 to an iD44, thus getting all the functionality I need built in. So it’s not in use ATM, but when I further integrate my hifi and recording systems it’ll be the heart of the system again, probably helping select between multiple hifi systems as much as anything.

[ef37a]

I’ve got a Nero and I think it’s great, but soon after I got it I upgraded my Audient iD 14 to an iD44, thus getting all the functionality I need built in. So it’s not in use ATM, but when I further integrate my hifi and recording systems it’ll be the heart of the system again, probably helping select between multiple hifi systems as much as anything.

I am in similar position MrT. I have bought an AV receiver which I hoped would serve at least two functions.
First I have up to 5 HDMI sources to collect and feed to a 50" FSTV (that only sports 3 ports) That it does perfectly well. I had hoped for a volume controlled pre amp output but not so. I was however amazed to find not even a fixed level tape out! I am presently therefore using the headphone output to feed my monitors, not ideal.
I am in consultation* with Denon to see if the sub outs, two of, can be hacked to deliver a controlled L/R signal. Failing that I shall split the HDMI feed to the telly and use a "sniffer" to derive audio. That audio will go to the controller then monitors.

*A very protracted and stilted consultation! I have so far only had contact with a customer service lady and I need someone technical. BTW. I did whip the top off and have a shufti. No effin way! I doubt I would have dived into that SM jungle even 20 years ago with a map!

Dave.

[tacitus]

My Yamaha RX-V685 has lots of sockets, including a volume-controlled stereo out (I think, I’ll check that) and 2 HDMI-outs with 5 or so HDMI ins. With Pure Direct engaged it’s a pretty good stereo amp and probably gets close to its claimed 80wpc into 8 ohms, 2 channels driven. But there seems to be at least one of everything; TOSlink, analogue ins, the HDMI sockets, phono input, and of course FM radio, waste for me as I use BBC Sounds fed in from my Freeview tuner. So in the sitting-room, I have a hub that works.

The newer Yamaha receivers seem to have gone a bit more minimal on sockets, so I’ll hang on to this one a bit longer; at its best the amp’s quite similar to my Yamaha A-S501 audio only stereo amp.

[ef37a]

My Yamaha RX-V685 has lots of sockets, including a volume-controlled stereo out (I think, I’ll check that) and 2 HDMI-outs with 5 or so HDMI ins. With Pure Direct engaged it’s a pretty good stereo amp and probably gets close to its claimed 80wpc into 8 ohms, 2 channels driven. But there seems to be at least one of everything; TOSlink, analogue ins, the HDMI sockets, phono input, and of course FM radio, waste for me as I use BBC Sounds fed in from my Freeview tuner. So in the sitting-room, I have a hub that works.

The newer Yamaha receivers seem to have gone a bit more minimal on sockets, so I’ll hang on to this one a bit longer; at its best the amp’s quite similar to my Yamaha A-S501 audio only stereo amp.

Everything has gone minimal on sockets! I have a Sony Blue Ray player which I was sure had RCA audio outs. Buddy don't! Just HDMI and S/PDIF and that latter is on RCA and the Denon (AVR-S 770H) only takes optical! Still, I know I have got a pair of converters but *&*^ knows where the PSUs are! Ah! The Denon has a "power only" USB port on the back so I just need to cobble a cable.

FM? Yeah, got that and I might try my old loft aerial on it but Npton was never well served with FM. Fortunately internet radio is built into the AV box so I can get R3 that way. Listening now in fact, 320kbps hls. Nice.

Dave.

[tacitus]

Yeah, 320kb Radio 3 is good. Have that in my listening room (separate from house). Easiest way I found when everything went to BBC Sounds was to set up another browser that runs R3, then Bluetooth my iMac to the hifi with iFi BT. Faultless sound and operation, though I’ll probably go wired again when the Nero comes back out.

I get perfectly adequate FM in my car, and the smaller dynamic range makes it viable while on the road. My Skoda’s radio not only gives RDS including program and limited track data, but the CD player - yes, still have one in the car - gives me CD text, which I still burn to my own recordings. A bit coal-fired these days, but we have an open fire, too!

Optical - co-ax and analogue to digital converters of the £10 Amazon variety nearly always run off a USB socket, which most installations have somewhere …

[awjoe]

Well! This is new AND stupid. I clicked to download the .pdf manual (note ".pdf") and it isn't! You need to scan a Q code to get the manual. Stuff 'em then.

Worked absolutely fine for me on the Palmer website.

And me. But I hardly needed the manual to hook it up and find out it works fine with my stereo monitors and Avantone mixcube.

But as someone mentioned, active/passive isn't clear. Power to the unit means I can hear the mono out channel, and do some other stuff. But as far as I can make out, power to the unit doesn't run to the stereo out channels on the unit - that's provided by the interface.

I have yet to hook up a second set of studio monitors to the controller, but that's the eventual hope.

The unit works at this point.

Palmer makes it.