Behringer B5 Problem

E

evanlong

New member
I have a Behringer B5 condensor mic with a major problem: there is an occasional (every five to ten seconds) tapping or popping sort of noise in its audio which seems to be coming from inside the mic body. (I. e., it's electrical or due to some internal defect.) Sometimes it's quiet but sometimes it's quite loud.

I've tried the mic with two different cables and in two different inputs and it still makes this noise. Other mics do not have this problem with the same cables and inputs. I also tried both the directional and omni capsules and I'm still getting the noise. I also get the noise even without a capsule attached. All three rolloff settings produce this noise. Jiggling or adjusting the cable connection does not seem to affect it.

Can anyone offer any advice related to fixing the problem as well as what might be causing it?
 
Did you buy it new?
Behringer are stand ups when it comes to honouring warranties.
I have one, by the way.
Nice mic.
 
Warranty

I bought it secondhand but the previous owner had purchased it new just a few weeks prior. I am contacting him now to see if he still has the receipt.

I had heard a signifcant amount of bad things about Behringer gear's quality but hoped it wasn't true. The customer service rep at Behringer was friendly but I've still got to track down the receipt somehow.
 
I bought it secondhand but the previous owner had purchased it new just a few weeks prior.
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That's the problem, right there.
I've already offered my opinion on Behringer.
The person who sold you that mic though?
Not a "Stand up" by any stretch of the imagination.

The customer service rep at Behringer was friendly but I've still got to track down the receipt somehow.
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You don't think the Behringer rep is being kind even though he knows you didn't buy it new?
Too many people are ready to bash the company based entirely on rumours, despite the evidence to the contrary.
 
Clarification

Actually, I bought the mic as part of a matched pair and the other one's working fine. The man I bought it from said he bought them for a project that ended up not happening and never used them. Sure, he could be lying but if he just wanted to dump a broken mic, I think he probably would have kept the functional one. Then again, he could have just returned it himself if that was his concern.

I think the Behringer rep was just friendly, period -- nothing to do with how I bought the thing. I'm just saying his friendliness may not do me any good if I can't dig up that receipt.
 
Full Circle

While I am planning on returning the item if possible, any input on what is wrong with it and how it might be fixed, just in case, would still be appreciated.
 
You're probably right about the seller.
Bad Jim Lad.:o.
I sent a bass player a pair of C2s as a thank you gift one time.
One of them had a faulty switch, as it turned out and Behringer went out of their way to help.
I E-mailed him a copy of the receipt and he got a replacement pair within a few days. Awesome service.
You will find lots of similar stories, by the way.
 
evanlong said:
While I am planning on returning the item if possible, any input on what is wrong with it and how it might be fixed, just in case, would still be appreciated.
Click to expand...

Sounds like a grounding issue. Some times you have to unscrew the body of the mic (I believe you can unscrew it down where it has the company name) then screw it back together real tight or make sure that the capsule is on very tight...that may be all you have to do!
I had a similar problem with an Earthworks microphone and that was all it was to remedy the problem.

I'm not going to bash Behringer here but, I personally had a bad run in with the company over one of their products..KA KA POO POO ......but in all fairness I still have a few items from that company that have been working just fine.



:cool:
 
Could be as simple as;

A dodgy connection that is upsetting the phantom power.
Condensation, try leaving the mic on overnight.
A dodgy capacitor on the circuit board.

I am sure that Behringer will just replace this, say you lost the receipt if it can't found by the seller.

Cheers
Alan.
 
It doesn't seem to unscrew at the connector end. I also made sure the capsule is on very tight but it's still making the pops. I will try leaving it on all night and report back in the morning.
 
Post up a picture of the board and people will be able to show/tell you what to look for and fix this problem.



:cool:
 
Here's a picture from the above link:

normal_11_DSC_7028.jpg
 
The fact that its a recurring pop leads me to believe its a capacitor or a capacitive effect like a near short. Sounds like something charging and the immediately discharging in or near the signal path. The third electrolytic capacitor from the left looks like the top has bulged, but that could just be the light. Those caps are probably too high a voltage rating to be blown by phantom power.

Is the audio affected along with the popping? Does the bass drop out?
 
Meh! I just realized that's a photo from the take apart website.

Hard to tell without see your actual mic. If it were me, I'd start with the coupling cap at the capsule end and replace them working my way to the back. I'd use better quality parts and probably end up with a decent mic.
 
I contacted the seller and he's trying to get a new receipt from the store to send to me so hopefully this won't just turn into a $60 electronics lesson.

As far as the audio though, it's just like a thump of varying volume. I first noticed it while setting a noise gate. I'm not sure about bass dropping out or anything else. The timing is irregular but typically, they are no more than ten to fifteen seconds apart.

I haven't opened it yet because I don't want to risk voiding the warranty in case I get a chance to return it. Is it just those three you'd recommend replacing?
 
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