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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-09-25 · 7 min read · Independent comparison
• Behringer POWERPLAY HA8000 — biggest strength: eight fully independent stereo amp sections in a single rack space, with two stereo main inputs plus eight direct inputs, so up to eight players can each get their own stereo mix.
• Behringer POWERPLAY HA8000 — biggest trade-off: it's a distribution amplifier first and a mixer second — no talkback mic input, no mono switch, no per-channel line outputs, so complex cue-mix duties live somewhere else.
• PreSonus HP60 — biggest strength: it behaves like a monitor console — dual stereo inputs with Mix and Mute, a talkback mic input with footswitch jack, and per-channel external line inputs for a "more me" blend.
• PreSonus HP60 — biggest trade-off: six channels instead of eight, and more knobs and switches to learn if all you actually need is loud, clean headphone distribution.
• Who each pick is for: the HA8000 for large ensembles and stage distribution where channel count and independence matter most; the HP60 for studios and small tracking rooms where talkback and personal mixing matter most.
The HA8000 is, in plain terms, a headphone distribution amplifier. It packs eight totally independent stereo high-power amplifier sections into a single rack space, and it's aimed at both stage and studio work. The design logic is straightforward: two stereo main inputs let you feed two separate mixes to all eight channels at once, and on top of that, each of the eight channels has its own direct input, which can give you up to eight individual stereo mixes if you want to feed each player something different.
For mixing headphones specifically, that architecture is the whole story. If you're running a band where the drummer wants a click-heavy balance, the bassist wants more low end in the cans, and the singers want a vocal-forward blend, the HA8000 gives you a path to that per-channel, without buying a second rack unit. Each channel also offers both a front and a rear 1/4" TRS phones connector, which is a genuinely practical detail — a player in front of the rack can plug into the front, and a permanently wired set of phones can stay patched around the back.
Who should buy it: anyone who needs to get the same or slightly varied stereo mixes to a lot of people at once — a rehearsal room with a full band, a church or theater pit, a stage setup where the monitor engineer just needs distribution, not a full cue system. Who should skip it: anyone who needs talkback to the band, a mono button per player, or a copy of each channel's mix sent back out to a recorder or another stage box. The HA8000 simply doesn't do those things — that's not its job.
The HP60 is a different animal. It's a six-channel headphone amplifier and mixer, and the word "mixer" is the giveaway. Each of the six channels has its own stereo ¼" external analog line input — the classic "more me" input — with a level control and a Mono switch, so a player can dial in their own instrument on top of the main mix. That single feature is why the HP60 shows up in so many tracking rooms: the guitarist can push their own amp up in their headphones without the engineer touching anything.
Then there's talkback. The HP60 has a dedicated talkback microphone input with its own level control, a Talk button, a balanced XLR input for an external dynamic talkback mic, and a footswitch jack. If you've ever tried to give a singer direction through a control-room mic that they can't hear, you understand why this matters. The footswitch jack means the engineer can keep both hands on the desk and still talk to the room.
The other half of the equation is the output side: six stereo ¼" line outputs, one per channel, each carrying a copy of that channel's mix. That means the HP60 isn't a dead end — you can route a player's personal blend onward to a wireless IEM transmitter, a second headphone box, or a recorder. Two stereo input channels (A and B) with a Mix control and a Mute switch give you a simple A/B blend at the top of the chain. It's all in a 1U 19" rack-mountable steel chassis, and it's a rugged one.
Who should buy it: project and commercial studios, podcast and voiceover rooms, and any tracking scenario where communication and personal control matter more than channel count. Who should skip it: anyone who genuinely needs eight independent players served from one box, or who wants a simple distribution amp with no learning curve.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for mixing headphones in a large ensemble → Behringer POWERPLAY HA8000. Eight independent stereo amp sections beat six when the whole band needs cans.
• Best for talkback and artist communication → PreSonus HP60. Talkback mic input, Talk button, XLR input for an external dynamic mic, and a footswitch jack.
• Best for feeding a mix onward → PreSonus HP60. Six stereo line outputs carry a copy of each channel's mix; the HA8000 is a distribution endpoint.
• Best for channel count → Behringer POWERPLAY HA8000. Eight channels, plus two stereo main inputs for two independent mixes.
• Best for flexible input routing → Behringer POWERPLAY HA8000. Two stereo main inputs plus eight direct inputs means up to eight individual stereo mixes.
• Best for front-of-rack convenience → Behringer POWERPLAY HA8000. One front and one rear 1/4" TRS phones connector per channel.
• Best for a road-rugged 1U chassis → both. The HA8000 is a 1U rack unit at roughly 19.02" x 1.75" x 8.54"; the HP60 is a 1U 19" rack-mountable steel chassis at roughly 19" x 1.75" x 5.5".
If I were buying one of these for a studio tracking room, I'd take the PreSonus HP60. Talkback plus per-channel "more me" mixing solves the two problems that actually slow a session down, and the per-channel line outputs make it expandable. In my opinion, the HA8000 is the better buy only when your real problem is scale — eight players, one rack space, two main mixes, done. Decide which of those two problems you actually have before you buy, and check the current price on Amazon before you commit.
how to connect studio headphones
On the HA8000, each of the eight channels has one front and one rear 1/4" TRS phones connector, so you plug straight into the rack unit. On the HP60, each of the six channels drives headphones and also offers a stereo ¼" line output carrying a copy of that channel's mix, so you can send the same blend to another device.
how to test studio headphones
Feed a known stereo source into the main inputs — the HA8000 has two stereo main inputs, the HP60 has stereo inputs A and B with a Mix control and Mute switch — then sweep the channel level control and listen for imbalance or noise. Because both units let you isolate one channel at a time with its own level control, you can check a single pair without unplugging everything else.
how to bluetooth studio headphones
Neither the HA8000 nor the HP60 has Bluetooth — both are wired, corded-electric units that pass analog audio through 1/4" TRS and line connections. If your headphones are Bluetooth, you'd need a separate Bluetooth receiver feeding the amp's analog inputs, which adds latency and isn't ideal for tracking.
can you mix with just headphones
Yes, and both of these are built for exactly that. The HA8000 gives up to eight independent stereo mixes via its direct inputs, while the HP60's per-channel external line inputs with level control and Mono switch are designed for "more me" headphone mixing. What neither unit does is correct for the acoustics of your room — so check your mix on speakers before you finalize.
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