behringer, the whipping boy

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rayn_man

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Hello,
I've been reading for a while about how much you all hate behringer products. I have been using the autocom for about a year and getting great sounds out of it on vocals, drums, and whatever else. It seems to be pretty acurate and never gave me any problems. In fact I am thinking about upgrading to a coposer 1952. Would anyone like to talk me out of it?
 
I think its the Behringer MIXERS we hate, but Im not sure...I better check with the guys first, since "we all" think alike....
 
Yeah, I only dislike the mixers, I havent tried any of their Fx or finalizer things. Their compressors are supposed to be decent, or at least they used to be.
 
I like em...

I have posted numerous times about how I like my Behringer gear. I have a MIC2200 preamp and a Mackie 1202 VLZ pro that I can compare directly. The Behringer is superior in accuracy of sound to the source (using Earthworks QTC1 mikes).

Of course, everything has to be modified with "in my opinion and experience"

Behringer stuff is manufactured in China at an ISO quality qualified plant. I suspect this has these effects:
1. Good consistent quality...when built.
2. Low production cost gives low mass-produced prices.
3. Long distance shipping may take a toll, so the final reliability may not be as good as when it was manufactured.
4. It gives some people an incentive to bad mouth them viciously.
5. Of course some people REALLY DO get defective units ! And that is always a real, inconvenient bummer.

I returned one unit ( a DSP9024) when it was brand new, for some problems. I got a replacement without problems, and it has worked fine since.

I continue to consider Behringer when I buy new gear, but as you get more experienced, you also get pickier too. Behringer seems good quality, but no where near the best. It is usually a great bargain though. (IMO...etc.)

Rick
 
I hate Behringer Mixers!!!!!!!!!!
But I do love those comps and DSP's!
I own the MultiCom,Composer Pro, and the AutoCom...along with the Behringer DSP1000 Virtualizer,The Behringer Edison,The Behringer UltraBass and last but not least The Behringer Intelligate (HiLo pass filtering,gating and expansion)
Throw in a Lexicon a RNC,Zoom, Art mp's, and other addictive gear purchases, I have finally run out of rack space (I'm on my 3rd rack)
But my first rack looks like a rolling advertisement for Bheringer!

Be-Warned!!!! Stay Away from their mixed-up mixers!!!!!
 
I have a 802 Mixer and a DSP-1000. I have no complaints about either. I bought the 802 as a second mixer just to use in my computer room (for transfering albums and tapes to CD) so I really don't use most of its features. But it is what I wanted - quiet, small, and very inexpensive.

The biggest problem I hear about them is they have no real service organization yet in the U.S., they are still building it. So if you do get a unit that craps out (past the point where the retailer will replace it) you may have a long wait to get it back.

Ditto with The Axis - there is better stuff out there but you will pay a lot more for it. If I was running a studio for my business I would probably not put all my eggs in a Behringer basket, but for a beginner on a tight budget I have no problem recomending them.
 
Rwhite, I got most of my Behringer gear at damn near 75% off of regular price! And I wouldn't call it so much beginner's gear ( Like I stated b-4, I do own other racks of gear such as the Lex,RNC,Art,Rane,PreSonus and other too many to mention....BELIEVE me! I AM A TRUE GEAR ADDICTED JUNKY) The Behringer Comps provide me with subtle comping,expanding,gating and limiting at a fraction of what 1 would spend on higher priced gear.
They do the job and are so simple to use!
Just my 1 1/2 cents worth!
Peace
Mr.Q
 
I didn't mean to say that it is beginner's gear but rather that it is beginner priced. I bought my 802 mixer for $130 on sale at Guitar Center. Four input channels with XLR mic inputs, two more stereo line ins, phantom power, effects bus, tape ins and outs - there just is NO competition at that ridiculously low price. Likewise the DSP-1000 was far cheaper than the compitition and works just fine.

I'm aware that a lot of people have had bad experiances with them, but mine has worked fine.

I have mentioned this elsewhere, but I guess its worth it again. When I was shopping for what is now my "main" mixer it came down to a choice between a Behringer 3208 and an Alesis Studio 32. The Behringer with 8 sub outs seemed like a perfect match for my 8 in/ 8 out Gadget Labs 824. The only one I could find had already been sold, I checked it out, then decided to wait for another to come in so I could give it a good test.

Well, another one never showed up. Behringer has this rather strange production policy where they build and ship product in quantities they decide rather than what their dealers (Guitar Center) actually want or try to order. The result is that the cheap mixers and rack effects are in plentiful supply but higher end products are almost impossible to get.

Anyhow I bought the Alesis, it has been a fine product and I love it. But at $760 it was really priced for the user just starting out on a tight budget. I wound up buying the 802 for more casual use and I have been happy with it for that.
 
er, what I meant (but mistyping in a haze) was that at $760 the Alesis WASN'T priced for a beginner just starting out. Sorry...
 
I'm a current "Behringer Mixer" user (MX 1602a) and I would say for my needs it has done a pretty decent job. Whether that would be because of my lack of knowing what anything good sounds like, I don't know. I've had this mixer a few years before I started recording and used it for live shows and haven't had to many complaints about it. But now that I'm starting to get serious about recording and wanting the best possible sound, I am ready to upgrade to a more efficiant mixer (something like the Studio 24 or 32, all completely depending on my bugdet). But just like mostly everyone else has said before in this forum it isn't bad at all for someone with a low budget just starting out, because before the recording bug really hits you, it's all about playing your instrument well and not having to get the "absolute best sound" on tape, (which after all, isn't that what all this is all about?)

-tkr
 
I bought some Behringer stuff. When one of the labels started to peel off, I pulled it off completely. To my surprise, underneath were the words RADIO SHACK!!!

Seriously, most of their stuff is not very good. They use cheap componenents, and their manufacturing leaves much to be desired. I've heard many complaints about cold soldering joints, and many complaints about equipment not working when brand new. I believe Mackie sued them for alledgedly stealing designs for their mixers. I have one of their patch bays, no problems yet, but all it does is pass signal. If you need a cheap compressor, buy the RNC from FMR. If you need a cheap preamp, wait for the RNMP from FMR (or whatever their calling it) I'm not trying to diss anybody who uses their stuff. If you use it and like it then more power to you. But from what I've read on R.A.P, their mixers are worse than Mackies, which don't rate all that well themselves. With a great compressor like the RNC as cheap as it is, there's just no point to buying a Behringer comp.
 
I can get a Behringer Comp for Way cheaper than the RNC. Plus, the Beh Comp gives me expansion, limiting and gating which the RNC does not! But I like the smooth, transparent colorless comping of the RNC, which is why I own both!
 
Originally posted by E-money
If you need a cheap preamp, wait for the RNMP from FMR (or whatever their calling it)

They are not even officially thinking about such a product yet. But sure, you should wait for it even if it takes ten years...
Nah, lets quit the irony: Buy what works NOW, don't wait for something that might work tomorrow. Thats a solid peice of advice that goes for most stuff today.

The Behringer preamps have gotten loads of good words. We all know that the Presonus QC sucks, and that the Tube MPs single led sucks, and it seems to be big differences between units. Could the Behringers be worse? Well, of course, but then we would probably already know about it, and I haven't heard any substantial negative experiences of them. I'd like to check them out, but I can't. Their patchbays are fine, and loads of people think their effect boxes are great bangs for the bucks. But sure, the RNC is so cheap that it seems useless to buy ANY other compressor unless its less than $25/channel.

But don't whip ALL Behringer stuff just because their mixers suck. Mixers are a pain to make, because there are so many things involved. The actual mixer section is hard to do, keeping the noise down with so many compnents is tough, and then you need good preamps and good filters on top of that. Of course Behringer mixers suck. They are practically free, how could they not suck? To be that cheap and not suck, you have to do something radically different than everybody else, like FMR Audio does with the RNC. You can't expect any company to do that with all their products (don't expect the future FMR products to be as great in value for money as the RNC) and you can't expect any budget company to do that at all. Innovation costs.
 
Hey rege, truer words have never been spoken!
 
I've been hearing that the RNMP (or whatever they call it) will be available this summer. Don't know if that's true or not, but if it is, it would probably be worth waiting for. I've heard a few good reviews of the MAudio mic pres as well. The Symetrix 302 is good bang for the buck as well.
 
On their own website they claim that the "Really nice EQ" is most likely to be their next product. They haven't updated that page for a couple of months though, so it could be wrong.
 
I have a behringer ultragain preamp.I used it a couple of times and noticed a buzz when using phantom power.
I sent it back to the shop. 7 weeks later after constant asking I find out that behringer say -well it's not really faulty but it's not perfect either. The guy in the shop ordered a replacement for me. it's been just over 2 months now still have not got it.

I don't think I'll buy behringer again:D

apparently the oz suppliers are notoriously slow at warranty jobs
 
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