Let's put it this way - if it wasn't for companies like Behringer, many people would probably not be able to afford any gear at all, because with the lack of low-end competition, brands with established names inevitably end up gauging their customers with tremendous markups.
I have used Behringer equipment, and I have used other equipment that Behringer supposedly copied. I really see little difference between them at a given price level, and correctly so - the equipment is all manufactured by a small set of manufacturers in China who all use the same schematics.
While I am NOT saying that Behringer is the best you can get, you will find that at that price range (typically very low), all equipment is the same qualitatively, irrespective of manufacturer.
And thanks to the low price range, many people who would otherwise just dream about recording/performing are actually able to get their butts out of dreamland and *do* something.
So don't knock Behringer too hard. If it wasn't for them, a big chunk of people in these forums just wouldn't be trying stuff out.
For the record, and despite what you may have read here and elsewhere - I own Behringer equipment and except for a blown tube in a pre-amp, I have never had any trouble with it over the years. And I drive my equipment *hard*.
Now watch my rep points dropping here