A tale of two Behringers

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jazzbozo

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So I needed a mixer, and being the iconoclast that I am decided that all the negative hype about Behringer mixers HAD to pertain to their past generation, the MX series. The new UB series looked like a clean departure from their former, evil ways, so I decided to save the bucks on a tried-and-true Mackie and get a UB1204FX-PRO from Musician's Fiend.

So I get the unit, and yes, it's a little flimsy, and yes the pots wiggle easily, but how about the sound, man, how about the sound? Noise, lots and lots of noise, increasing proportionally wih the main mix faders. What the hell was going on? This unit had the dandy FX built in, and when I turned down the stereo return connected to the FX, voila, silence. Hmmm. Seems, I had a bum FX unit in the mixer causing all that noise. How did everything else sound? Okay, but not as much clean headroom as I'd like, despite Behringer's claims.

Once bitten, I figured I'd try again, I mean, they couldn't screw up two mixers sent to me, right? I even bumped it up by $30 to the UB1622FX-PRO. So I receive my 1622 today, plug it in, power it up, and...no power. Hmmm. I try a different power cable, different outlets...no power. The unit is DOA. DO-frickin-A. At this point, I have no reservation in admitting that all the Behringer mixer bashers on this board were 100% correct. To receive 2 messed up mixers in a row is an embarrassment. I didn't heed the warnings, and here I am staring at the epitomy of the phrase, "You get what you pay for".

Luckily, the Fiend has no problem with returns, so this POS is going back today. Now wondering if anyone has experience with the Soundcraft E-Series? I know the M-Series is what everyone talks about, but the new E-Series looks terrific for the price. After this experience, however, I will wait to get some feedback before plunking down the dough on something new.
 
another two behringers ...

not to bash behringer, i think they make great products, but i had a similar experience. ordered two gi-100 direct-boxes. luckily i ordered two, 'cause one was DOA also ...
although i like the behringer gear and have a few pieces myself, it seems there's sumpin' wrong with the quality control...?
 
Yea any way you look at it, behringer is crap. Sqrew "good for the money", or whatever. It's crap. you pay for crap you get crap. You get 3 units in a row that are faulty, well you're asking for it if you buy behringer.
 
I have three pieces of Behringer gear, and all of them have been perfectly fine out of the box. There will always be horror stories, and there will always be those that have been satisfied.

Chris
 
Yea that last post was in a general negative mood. I'm sure they have some decent products when they work.
 
don't bother, mine was kind of polite.
i think they really should take care of these issues. it's getting a bad name.
then again, the make some nice stuff for extremely little euro's ...
 
C'mon DOAs are a sign of garbage. One now and then maybe a fluke, but when you hear of this regularly you seriously have to wonder about the company's manufacturing practices. Behringer may be a great choice for a band or a musician on a budget but is probably not suitable for the work most of us are doing here.
 
that poses an interesting question - what is the work most members are doing?

My guess was that most members are musicians on a budget, since this forum is for home recording (and hence are the target market for behringer).
 
you got that right alfalfa!

most of the time i'm tryin to make use of the equipment in the studio and in my band.
the problem with me is, that i love guitars, live-playing, recording etc. etc.
and there's only so much euro's some can spend ...
 
My point is why spend X amount on a piece of gear because it is cheap. When you can spend another 30-50% to get a quality piece of equipment. Nearly every time I have purchased something entirely based on low cost, I have regretted it and ended up replacing it later. It ends up costing you more in the long run. In most cases, you get what you pay for.
 
Could you recommend a mixer that has noticeably better sound quality than a behringer ub series mixer that costs 30-50% more for an equivalent product?
I've been looking for an alternative - mackie are more than double the price (>100% more) and I can hear very little improvement. I dont disagree with you on the principle of spending a little more for much better quality but I have yet to find an alternative.
 
SOUNDCRAFT M-SERIES- seams less expensive than Mackie-suposed to be nicer too- got the M8 on the way for $510 + shipping

-jeff
 
Unfortunately the soundcraft m series is even more expensive than mackie (ie nowhere near 30-50% the price of behringer).

At the moment the best option seems to be buying a behringer and saving up for dedicated pres like RNP or grace 101
 
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really??? a mackie comprable to the m-series ( i just picked it up btw :) ) was like $1000 bucks! unless im an idiot- ive got a behringer mx802- its about to become the headphone mixer- ive got other behringer stuff that all seams to work.. as well as it ever did anyway

-jeff
 
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