Behringer is at it again...

[NoFO]

Yeah, that La Plata. I don't live there anymore, but may parents still do. I took my drumset out of their garage last week, and sure enough, a big ole' tree crushed it. They live on 10 acres just outside of town, about 7 acres had trees. Key word- "had". They may have an acre of trees left, but the house stood up to it and only has minor damage, and my parents are ok. So I'm counting my blessings.

Anyway, back to the topic at hand, if it only took EbTech 20 hours of R&D, why did Behringer have to rip off their design? Why not make their own? It would be fairly easy. What's that saying, something like "standing on the shoulders of giants"? They are a giant standing on the shoulder of a midget.

It just stinks, like me having to go back to work now...

on the Swizz vs. Swiss subject, yeah that's a little stinky...

 

[Lopp]

Anyway, back to the topic at hand, if it only took EbTech 20 hours of R&D, why did Behringer have to rip off their design? Why not make their own? It would be fairly easy.

As an amp tech once mentioned, "Why reinvent the wheel?"

A lot of engineering is done using existing schematics. Hell, Marshalls were originally hot-rodded Fenders and Soldanos are hot-rodded Marshalls. Regardless, Swizz allowed Behringer to freely copy their product by not obtaining appropriate IP protection.

If it's free, why bother paying for it?

That's the beauty of living in a capitalist soceity. If one company is overcharging for a product, another company will sell it for cheaper.

 

[Telly]

When I first started reading posts on this Forum
I always thought that most of the people here
were very experienced, and if 90% were saying that
a product was no good, then that was probably true.
Because of this I decided never to buy a Behringer
Mixer.
But my little studio was in need of a 8 bus mixer
and a Mackie 8 bus cost 3500 EUR secondhand
a Behringer MX8000 only cost 750 EUR.
So I decided to take a chance.
And no I know that about 60% of you talk a load
of bull shit, the mixer is fucking awesome.
before I was using a Mackie SR 24.4 also a great
mixer but the Behringers PreAmp are just as good
and the EQ's are much better.

To get back to what this post is about.
I also feel very bad about the way Behringer go
about things, it's a shame, they make a lot of
good products and don't need to ripoff other people's.
But I do think a lot of this "Behringer stuff is crap shit",
is coming from people who just don't like the way they
work, but haven't got a clue about the quality of their
products.

As to the comment that Griffinator made ?
he is obviously one of the 60% people that talk a load
of crap.
If he wasn't he would probably know that SPL, MINDPRINT,
and RME are quality products that come from Germany,
not to mention MERCEDES, BMW, and AUDI.

So beware people, there are a lot of 60% people on this Forum,
not just Griffinator.



I wish Swizzarmy the best of luck and hope that Behringer don't
get away with this.
Perhaps that way they will go back to making good produces that
are their own, and every one will be happy.

PS. If we are going to start boycotts copy cats there wont be much left
to buy.

 

[crawdad]

This may seem to be a diversion, but I want to take the microscope off this thread for a minute. Behringer's role in what is happing globally is insignificant in the larger scheme of things. We are on the verge of a global energy shortage. We have 50 years of oil left. Nuclear power has been proven impractical. Political power dictates the way the world turns and the victim is the planet itself. If you really want a cause to get behind, this is the one. Globally, ethics is out the window in favor of profit. Maybe Behringer is a microcosm of that, but I'm no lawyer so I won't rally against them.

If you really want to get pissed, take a look at how global money is driving the wagon. Read Hoffman's "Last Days of Ancient Sunlight". For you 20 somethings, have a look at how the rich are mortgaging your futures for a buck today. Once you get whats going on, you won't care what Behringer is doing. You'll be too concerned for your own future.

If you need a cause, do some research into what political powers are doing and how it affects the ecology of the planet. Check into what the effects of industrialization in third world countries are doing. There's no environmental controls, but they figure--hey, we need to make some money. You think China is running an environmentally safe shop? Maybe we should think twice about anything thats made there--mics or otherwise.

I'm not just being the harbinger of doom--in fact, I have a positive outlook on the future. I just think that the facts need to surface. Thing need to change. If you need a cause, this is it. Your future and the lives of your children hang in the balance. Its a bit more of a priority than a cable tester. Its the planet you and I are living on. If we chose to only buy products that were manufactured in environmentally friendly plants, that would send a message of far greater magnatude than this whole B thing. Thanks for listening. I'll get off my ecological soapbox now.

 

[NoFO]

You'll be too concerned for your own future.

I could not agree more. It is sometimes too much to think about. Check out mags like Mother Jones and UTNE Reader, it'll blow your mind when you realilize some of the stuff that's going down in this world. Makes Behringer's practices look like a public service. And it's being done by corporations and our government. These large corporations also own all the TV stations, newspapers, radio stations and major internet sites, so they control what you read and see, and hear on practically every major media outlet. Former legal barriers that did not allow one company to own too many tv stations, newpapers or radio stations have been brushed aside by major campaign contributions. I feel sad for our children, the technologies we need for a sustainable future are being repressed so that oil and nuclear companies can keep making lots of money.

Behringer still sucks my butt, they will never get a penny from me, and that's what this post is all about....

 

[Jack Hammer]

Maybe too little too late

I probably sh old have commented on this sooner but...with regards to the Ebtech/Behringer debate over the cable tester, I suspect that the Ebtech modle was probably not very profitable or they would pursue legal action. Were the product worth the money, there would be ways of pursuing legal action. The real question is what exactly ist here for Ebtech to protect. Do they own any patents and if so, on what. To what extent can someone either copyright, patent or otherwise protect the placement of lights and switches on a metal box. Is the total design of the cable tester patented, is it partially patented. These are all important questions. The relative cost of legal action versus the probability of success may in fact depend greatly on how dilligent Ebtech was in protecting its original design. Just on account I woulc like to call the Ebtech people and get a little more insight, it should prove interesting and may add a whole new dimension to this debate. Before snap judgments about never buying Behringer are made, there should be some determination as to what exactly was stolen.

 

[Blue Bear Sound]

I agree Jack -- snap decisions on never buying Behringer gear shouldn't be made based on this "alleged" infringement....

...the decision to never buy Behringer gear should be made SOLELY on the abyssmal sound quality of their products...........!

Bruce