Connecting mic to earbuds

Sachelis

Sachelis

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Aug 16, 2019
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#1
I am trying to (inexpensively) connect a mic to earbuds in our practice room so I can better hear myself sing.

I tried:

Mic (Shure SM58) > XLR Cable > Behringer Powerplay P1 > Earbuds (KZ ZSN Pro)

And it didn't work (no audio at the earbuds). I was a little surprised, because the Powerplay is an XLS to headphone amplifier.

It does work if I connect the Powerplay to the sync'd output of my powered speaker (a Kustom PZ5), so I'm suspecting the output from the mic is too low for the Powerplay to amplify. FYI, I do plan to use an XLR Y-Splitter before my powered speaker which I realize will lower the signal, but it doesn't work even if I connect my mic directly to the Powerplay.

What are my (relatively inexpensive) options to boost the signal between the mic and Powerplay?

Thanks!
 
#2
Sachelis said:
I am trying to (inexpensively) connect a mic to earbuds in our practice room so I can better hear myself sing.

I tried:

Mic (Shure SM58) > XLR Cable > Behringer Powerplay P1 > Earbuds (KZ ZSN Pro)

And it didn't work (no audio at the earbuds). I was a little surprised, because the Powerplay is an XLS to headphone amplifier.

It does work if I connect the Powerplay to the sync'd output of my powered speaker (a Kustom PZ5), so I'm suspecting the output from the mic is too low for the Powerplay to amplify. FYI, I do plan to use an XLR Y-Splitter before my powered speaker which I realize will lower the signal, but it doesn't work even if I connect my mic directly to the Powerplay.

What are my (relatively inexpensive) options to boost the signal between the mic and Powerplay?

Thanks!
Click to expand...
Run it thru a mixer?
Mic won’t normally have enough output to power anything.. they are a low-z output.
Perhaps more details on your [overall] practice room setup?
 
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#3
s0c9 said:
Run it thru a mixer?
Mic won’t normally have enough output to power anything.. they are a low-z output.
Perhaps more details on your [overall] practice room setup?
Click to expand...

Here are more details on my practice room and situation. I am a complete newbie in the band-audio space!

I currently sing into a Shure SM58 mic that is connected to a Kustom PA50 powered speaker. Another musician's mic also runs to that speaker.

I want to hear more of my voice without increasing the volume that my fellow musicians hear.

My novice plan was to split my mic's signal before the speaker using an XLR Y-splitter, run it to a Powerplay P1 or P2, which would go to open-ear earbuds (the open ears would allow me to still hear the band).

I was trying to keep the setup simple I am not looking for a complex personal-mixer or to mix the entire band.

I now realize the mic's signal is too weak for the Powerplay 1 (I mistakenly thought the P1's power supply would boost the signal).

I looked at inexpensive microphone preamps on Amazon (e.g., the Codo MB-1, Fathead, and the expensive Cloudlifter) but it isn't clear if those will work with the Shure SM58 or if I'd need phantom power. And if I add phantom power to my mic how it'll affect the output to the shared speaker.

I looked at ~$100 mixers but it seems like they all require USB power and I don't have a computer in our practice room. And mixers add a lot of features and inputs that I don't need (well, if there was a mixer with four XLR mic inputs and four headphone outputs my bandmates might also like to boost their voices).

Thanks for educating a newb!
 
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#4
I think the Rolls PM 50 is what you want. It has a mic input and output, so you wouldn’t need a splitter. It also has an input for a separate monitor mix, and you can adjust the volume levels of the mic and monitor mix separately. The only potential downside is that it’s not battery powered – it requires a power supply.

BTW, the Shure 58 doesn't require phantom power.

PM50s Personal Amp | Rolls Corporation - Real Sound

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

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#5
This is what I use. Mic and bass in the mixer. A Y 1/4-1/4 male with a 1/4 female a standard instrument cable from mixer L&R output to your powered speaker. I use AKG open back headphones. total investment around $200
Xenyx QX602MP3 Mixer with USB MP3 Playback - Sweetwater
IMG_0622.jpeg
IMG_0623.jpeg
 
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#7
Sachelis said:
I am trying to (inexpensively) connect a mic to earbuds in our practice room so I can better hear myself sing.

I tried:

Mic (Shure SM58) > XLR Cable > Behringer Powerplay P1 > Earbuds (KZ ZSN Pro)

And it didn't work (no audio at the earbuds). I was a little surprised, because the Powerplay is an XLS to headphone amplifier.

It does work if I connect the Powerplay to the sync'd output of my powered speaker (a Kustom PZ5), so I'm suspecting the output from the mic is too low for the Powerplay to amplify. FYI, I do plan to use an XLR Y-Splitter before my powered speaker which I realize will lower the signal, but it doesn't work even if I connect my mic directly to the Powerplay.

What are my (relatively inexpensive) options to boost the signal between the mic and Powerplay?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

The Powerplay P1 is not a microphone preamplifier, it is a headphone amplifier. It is designed to amplify a line-level signal to speaker level output. The output of the SM58 is far too low for the P1 to give you good results.

You need to plug the mic into a mic pre in order to raise its signal to line level.
 
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#9
theduke1 said:
This is what I use. Mic and bass in the mixer. A Y 1/4-1/4 male with a 1/4 female a standard instrument cable from mixer L&R output to your powered speaker. I use AKG open back headphones. total investment around $200
Xenyx QX602MP3 Mixer with USB MP3 Playback - Sweetwater
View attachment 5418465 View attachment 5418466
Click to expand...

It's not the best idea to use a Y cable to combine active outputs together, build out resistors and or coupling cap kind of let you sort of get away with it.
With all mono inputs and everything panned center just use the left output.
 
#11
Sachelis said:
Here are more details on my practice room and situation. I am a complete newbie in the band-audio space!

I currently sing into a Shure SM58 mic that is connected to a Kustom PA50 powered speaker. Another musician's mic also runs to that speaker.

I want to hear more of my voice without increasing the volume that my fellow musicians hear.

My novice plan was to split my mic's signal before the speaker using an XLR Y-splitter, run it to a Powerplay P1 or P2, which would go to open-ear earbuds (the open ears would allow me to still hear the band).

I was trying to keep the setup simple I am not looking for a complex personal-mixer or to mix the entire band.

I now realize the mic's signal is too weak for the Powerplay 1 (I mistakenly thought the P1's power supply would boost the signal).

I looked at inexpensive microphone preamps on Amazon (e.g., the Codo MB-1, Fathead, and the expensive Cloudlifter) but it isn't clear if those will work with the Shure SM58 or if I'd need phantom power. And if I add phantom power to my mic how it'll affect the output to the shared speaker.

I looked at ~$100 mixers but it seems like they all require USB power and I don't have a computer in our practice room. And mixers add a lot of features and inputs that I don't need (well, if there was a mixer with four XLR mic inputs and four headphone outputs my bandmates might also like to boost their voices).

Thanks for educating a newb!
Click to expand...

How about if you use a phone wall charger instead of a computer for usb power for the mixer?
 
#13
Agree with WayneP. I use a Shure Beta 58 into a Rolls PM50se, which has worked well during rehearsals and gigs. The Rolls PM50se provides an amplified headphones output with volume control separate from the signal sent to a PA system.
PM50se Personal Monitor Amp | Rolls Corporation - Real Sound
The only drawback is that it cannot supply phantom power to a microphone. This is not a problem with a Shure SM58 or most other dynamic microphones.
 
#15
I'm the OP. Thanks for the input! Here is a summary of my journey and solution in case others walk this path.

I tried a Behringer Powerplay P1 (it doesn't accept mic-level input), a Behringer Powerplay P2 (terrible static), a Coda Music Tech Personal in-Ear Monitor System (decent, but lower volume, it doesn't provide XLR pass through, and it doesn't include an AC/DC adapter), and a Rolls PM50se.

For my use, the Rolls was clearly the winner. The audio is crystal clear, the volume is much louder than the others, the build is superior, etc.

I did consider an audio interface or inexpensive mixer, but most of those get power via USB (and as mentioned, we don't have a computer in our practice space and you can't power them using a phone charger) and include features I don't need (e.g., EQ).

Thanks again for the guidance!
 
#16
TheSpinDoctor said:
Agree with WayneP. I use a Shure Beta 58 into a Rolls PM50se, which has worked well during rehearsals and gigs. The Rolls PM50se provides an amplified headphones output with volume control separate from the signal sent to a PA system.
PM50se Personal Monitor Amp | Rolls Corporation - Real Sound
The only drawback is that it cannot supply phantom power to a microphone. This is not a problem with a Shure SM58 or most other dynamic microphones.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, that won't work for me, since I prefer to use a Shure Beta 87A condenser mic.
 
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