BEHRINGER: Bad rap, or just bad?

  • Thread starter Thread starter SoundQuarters
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SoundQuarters:

(2) The Behringer unit that you are referring to would probably not be the best choice as a stand-lone preamp unless you want to do something specific in the digital domain. It's primary use seems to be as an A/D and D/A converter. There probably are other applications for the unit. The manual is available at their website but soliciting opinions on this unit at this point in time is probably no going to be really fruitful---it's not available yet.

I plan to purchase one IF the ADAT interface allows me to hook up to my Fostex VF160CD with the benefit of adding 8 more simultaneous-record channels, as the Fostex VCA-8 would. Going from 8 to 16 simultaneous record channels would be worth the $$$ bump---and maybe the ADA8000 would serve double duty as a HiZ->LoZ coverter for the HiZ unbalanced pres on Ch 1-6 of my Fostex.

Having said all that---I have some specific tasks in mind for it. I think that I would look elsewhere for stand-alone preamps and I wouldn't get ADA8000 to add "tube" to the mic sound. Though, who knows? YOU may be on to something that I never considered.

There are other manufacturers out there that make this type of unit and already have it on the market, albeit at 4 or more times the price. Terratec comes to mind:

http://www.fostex.com/index2.asp?file=products/terratec/mic8


Good Luck,
Paj
8^)


P.S.: I own/owned a number of Behringer peices (2 rack units, 4 mixers, 2 accessories, 4 guitar amps). I am usually more than happy with the purchase. Disappointed once, but nothing serious enough to stop me from purchasing Behringer in the future. Feature and performance are more important to me than the cost. Road-reliability is certainly tantamount to paramount, and I have never had a single problem with any of their products that were protected by a rack or a case. The guitar amps do not have professionally road-worthy knobs on the front panels but I tolerate that, and gaurd against damage to them, in order to enjoy the benefits of unparalled back-panel connectivity and flexibility. I've been using their stuff for about 2 years. No DOAs, 1 return/exchange (my second ACX1000 acoustic amp), 1 snapped knob shank (GX112 guitar amp during a move). no failures (partial or catastrophic).

Paj
 
I know they make a good mic cause I got one. But I still want to get a Shure mic.
 
Paj,

I specifically want to be able to go right into the ADAT lightpipe inputs on my MOTU 2408 and also on my Yamaha AW4416 portable rig. The Behringer unit will do that.

That being said, I am currently drooling over the Focusrite Octopre. Talk about a nice piece of gear. 8 class A pre's with limiting and compression on every input. Of course, there's phantom power too. You can go with analog outs or your choice of digital formats (add-on cards). $900 - $1,000 plus $250 or so for the digital card. I believe this is the unit I'll be directing my attention toward.
 
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SoundQuarters:

Yeah! Thanks for the heads-up on the Focusrite Octopre. I'm definitely going to check it out.

It looks like the ADA8000 will sell for less than $200 US.

~$1250 US for the Octopre? Hmmm . . .that's a Behringer DDX32 digital mixer with 6.1 . . .the Octopre has Class A pres . . . decisions, decisions . . .


Later,
Paj
8^)
 
They have a nice Cabernet Sauvignon. "It has a welcoming finesse that allows it to be enjoyed with a big group of people across a broad range of occasions..." who wouldn't like that?




















:D
 
I have never heard any Behringer unit with a clean gain stage. I have the Composer and a tube pre of theirs as well. It sounds better than my pre VLZ mackie 1202 and that's not saying much. Spend another hundred bucks on your preamps and you will not be sorry. The Behringer mixers I have encountered are nuts crappy. I would get a Phonic mixer long before I would come home with a Behringer, and don't fall for all the incorporated efx on the mixers. That's always a bad idea.

I get good results out of compressing with the composer and marginal results with the squishy tube warmth preamp but ... I should have made better purchases.
 
Fela said:
...The Behringer mixers I have encountered are nuts crappy. I would get a Phonic mixer long before I would come home with a Behringer...............
Click to expand...

True 'dat!
Even a low budget Nady mixer will provide more dependibilty
as far as unit breakdown then Beh's line.

.....I get good results out of compressing with the composer...
Click to expand...

No doubt!

One of the few moderatly successful products made by Beh.

Behringer got real lucky on thier line of compressors.
 
Couldn't wait...

I bought two.

After doing a little searching, I have been able to find posts on other boards about the ADA8000. All very complementary, so I took the plunge. They arrived today. $199 each with shipping! At that price I don't have a lot to loose.

Haven't had time to use them yet, but the visual and tactile inspections have found them to be well-constructed and the controls have a good feel. Nothing cheap about them so far.

I'll report back with more detail when I've had a chance to fire them up.
 
The Behringer model seems to be to make gear similar to other high cost firms, for lower $.

I have two pieces of Behringer gear, and both have performed flawlessly since day one. Both are well built and study, which is a factor for any mobile musician.

Like most firms, some things work better than others, and Behringer is no different here.

Ed
 
I have owned a Behringer UB1832 mixer for over a year now. I have never had problem with it and get great results from it. I have recently bought a V-amp pro and am not real happy with it. It's great for clean guitar, but as soon as I turn the gain up I get a ton a noise. However I have not found ANY way of recording a high gain guitar direct! I found Mackie to be over priced, and not really built any better (since Mackie has started having their components made in China and Japan without passing on ANY savings to the consumer!) The effects in the Behringer mixers are crap, but that is what I expected. The preamps are great, and quite.
 
well i will just say that after working in the musicians freinds return department for about a week, the ONLY beringer piece you could pay me to buy, is the head phone amp. thats about it, a couple of the mics arent bad, and the boards........ dont ship them. or else i will end up seeing it a couple days after you get it.

they arent bad for the price, really. they just dont hold up to being moved or shipped, at all.
 
My experience with using the gear live and moving it around many places is exactly the opposite. I have found it very sturdy and, in general, better built that most other gear I already had.

Ed
 
I guess my response is typical of some others. I just bought and received an ha-4700 headphone amp. For $99 (a key point), it sounds darned good. Sadly, though, one channel of the four had a low-level buzz, so I've returned it for a replacement. The good news in all of this is that Zzounds has handled this admirably: a free replacement, with all shipping in both directions paid by them. They even sent the replacement prior to my return so that I'd not need to do without for any time. Zzounds will get some future biz from me, but I'll keep this experience in mind when considering Behringer products. The moral: some Behringer stuff is probably good for the low cost, but expect to have potential problems getting a unit that works. I was warned, but still, I've asked for a replacement because I like the sound and features--for the price--of the headphone amp... if only I can get one that works well.

J.
 
Couldn't be more pleased.

I'll tell ya, couldn't be happier with my new ADA8000 A/D D/A preamps. They sound at least as good as the pre's in my AW4416. Of course, they are no match for my Presonus unit, but who's complaining. I got 16 decent sounding inputs with ADAT optical in's & out's for less than $400.00! Perfect for my portable rig.

Highly recommended!
 
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