JBL Professional MPATCH2 Multi-Channel Passive Stereo Auxiliary Controller and Switch Box

I came here to write a 3 star review because I thought the headphone out signals were reversed, but then I realized that I'm actually just A TOTAL MORON and I had two points in my studio wired wrong. I think JBL deserves 5 stars for my blunder.Actually SM-Pro (the original manufacturer/label) probably deserves the credit. The first one I owned under that label lasted me for probably 6 years of near daily use until one of the switches started to wear out. For $150 I was happy to buy a second unit, even if I'm not typically a fan of companies who put a lot of money into marketing like JBL. Sound quality of both my units have been outstanding. Great design. For the money I think they hold up well. I never noticed any signal inconsistencies across the dial. The exterior components feel high quality. Never bothered with what's inside, but this unit is heavy. It's just dead simple and works. And you can rack it? Fantastic.I know they have similar expansion models, but I wish the designer would ditch the fancy stuff and just add a third or fourth output in this same form factor. Mix engineers don't need all the monitors on at once, so the switch could perhaps be changed to a double-pole toggle switch to save cost. Or maybe that wouldn't save cost at all. I dunno. That would make my day and I'd totally buy one to use on more monitors. I think a lot of people would. Our only other options are garbage active monitor selectors or $1500+ boutique units. Dumb.Anyway, these are great.

Really useful pre-amp. I bought this to add an RCA in and headphone out to my SMSL dac. Only 4 stars because the knobs do come off a little too easily (but they’re also really easy to put back on too). The buttons are really stiff, which is why I rack mounted it. And the blu LED is obnoxiously bright. But when it comes to pure performance, it works so well that it doesn’t matter. An absolute must for anyone with powered monitors.

UPDATE: I have since bought a Roland Octacapture 8 track Digital Analog interface. It has definitely set me free, as far as audio goes. This M-Patch 2 volume knob remains the absolute best. I love it. Especially with the Stereo-Mono switching, and A/B switching. How can you go wrong in this price range? ThanksPros = Tank like build Solid, precise knobs. Headphone Amp Mounting brackets included Works as advertised Improved sound quality, due to the ability to set software volume levels to max (increase bit rate) No more thump when powering up DAC after monitorsCons= Wish it had RCA Output Wish it had TRS Input Slight hiss from Monitors at zero volume, most likely due to my out of date Fast Track Pro DAC (cannot blame the M-Patch completely) Thank you. Would highly recommend.

So, it's great because it's definitely better than lowering your bit rate to lower the volume. It's not so great because of the noise floor and the volume pot makes the signal stronger on one side at very low volumes. I returned my first one and the second one was better - but still had the same issue.Great product conceptually, but I wish they would use higher quality parts or a step attenuator. Just improve the design! (also add a sub output!)I plan to put real parts inside of this.-Steve

I expect a great deal from JBL's Professional line and this little guy delivers. It does everything I need it to and then some. The main volume knob feels solid and doesn't make any noise. My only problem is that switching the Output Selection buttons produces a very audible pop. Not sure if this is detrimental to my gear, but nothing has had a problem. It may be a function of the components they used, or they simply need to add something to suppress that pop. Either way, it's still a very solid unit for the price.