Thoughts on Behringer....

[elwoodblues1969]

One of my earliest pieces of gear(studio monitor-wise),which earmarked my transition from the consumer world to the entry level pro world,was the Behringer MS-20 near-field desktop monitors.
While they were nothing fancy,they did provide some very useful features,with a level of quality at a price that no consumer grade pair of desktops could provide.
Despite this good initial experience with Behringer,I developed quite a different opinion of Behringer,once I became considerably more serious about the studio enviroment & began to make more professional choices in gear.
It was at this point that I began to read into the murky & quite nasty realm of internet reviews & such-an overwhelming amount of it, and when I heard my first Behringer keyboard amp....well,my low opinion of Behringer was galvanized buy the frighteningly horrible sound of the amp.
As time went on though and after having read through vast oceans of reviews,I began noticing that here & there,there was the oddly positive Behringer review-& not by a 18 year old novice-but rather,a widely respectable & renown magazine known as Sound On Sound.

It was a Behringer Xenyx mixer & after having read the review,it was a bit of an eye opener & had swayed my jaded opinion of Behringer from the shadows and into a positive light.
Behringer has been around for an awfully long time....20 years & they were one of the first companies to move their production plants from Europe,to China.
Considering how long they've been around & how enormous Behringer has become,they've had a sufficient amount of time & capitol gain to not only improve their gear,but to keep the cost at a budget level.
That being said,I took a serious look at their line of Truth studio monitors-particularly the line that was released in late 2008(if memory serves) & read a couple of pleasantly surprising reviews on the 3030A & 3031A models.
                                             http://www.americanmusical.com/ItemReview--i-BEH-B3030A

Since I needed a set of pre-production monitors(for my on-board Korg M3 arrangements) and I needed them on a budget,I could'nt find a better choice for the $300 range.I don't normally place too much stock in consumer reviews,but since I had read a review by a very articulate fellow that was an Adam A7 owner and since he had compared the 3030A's to the A7's,I was sold and very delighted at the prospect of owning a pair of Behringers.
I had placed an order for the Behringer 3030A's earlier today and a user review should be forthcoming soon...
I however,have not done a complete 180 on my opinion of Behringer,as I still feel a prospective buyer should exercise caution-but on the other hand,Uli Behringer did bring up a very interesting point in one of his YouTube videos....there is in fact,quite a bit of biased people out there,spewing the preconception that such inexpensive gear is crap.
This for the most part-rings true,but Behringer is a monster of a company...producing 2.5 million products a year...so with with such large numbers,it does equate to savings..bringing down costs.
I'm not saying that I would ever build an entire studio from the ground up,using Behringer products exclusively,but Behringer has a chip in the big game-just as Korg does,as both of these companies make everything from guitar tuners to drum machines to synths.
One of the aspects of this company that has always bothered me,is their method of advertising...hiding their real specs under a blanket of hype & colorful adjectives like "ultra bass response"....super premium this & that..etc.,.
Upon reading through many of Behringer's online brochures,I've discovered that their specs are even across the board,in terms of frequency response on their Truth line of monitors...particularly in the low end range.
All of the Truth monitors list a low end response of 50Hz...which forces one to beg the question of how a 5" monitor manages to produce the same amount of low end as an 8" monitor.
The spec sheets were so frustrating to me,that I actually contacted their U.S. branch & spoke with technical support,but received no definitive answer on the subject.
Bottom line is for me though,that if the 3030A's produce enough usable low end,then I will be happy,since I already have all of the bases covered,in terms of critical listening & mastering.

Below,is part 1 of a vast series of Behringer videos,which showcase the inner workings of Behringer's manufacturing plants,which is very informative,fascinating & something that I have found to be very entertaining.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqUGLUJF7y4


-Thom

[MarioD]

Thom, I’ve been using a Behringer Eurorack MX 602A mixer for about four years now.  It adds no coloration to my sounds and it works perfectly.  Based on that about a year ago I purchased a Behringer MiniAmp four channel headphone distribution amp and it also works perfectly.

I know there are a lot of negative opinions about Behringer on the Internet but I would not hesitate to purchase from them again.

Just my two USD cents.

[offthewall]

 
I also use a Behringer Eurorack UB1002 mixer along with a pair of Behringer XM1800S dynamic microphones and have to say they do exactly what I want them to.
I find the mixer is perfect for mic use and also as a direct input for guitar and bass.
The mic's themselves are great all-round workhorse type of things, but suit my purpose for 'close-micing'.  I often wish I could afford a decent Condenser mic .... but get concerned that if I improve the quality of the 'pick up' device that I would have to go down that dreaded route of deadening backgrounds and creating some sort of sound booth.    I'm really not in to that sort of thing. 

 
James

[Fred S]

I use the 8" Truth monitors. They are very good. Nice adjustments to fit your room and very flat response. Only issue is the shielding, so I get occaisional interference. Doesn't happen often and doesn't bother me much. Overall, quite pleased. On the other hand, I also once purchased one of their Sumo keyboard amps and immediately returned it. Terrible! Much happier with my KC550.

You'll probably be ok with the monitors. If I had money to burn, I'd buy some Mackies. Btw, I did purchase a Mackie 1202 mixer and its working out quite well.

[Oren]

When purchasing a new bit of audio gear, one consideration for me is: Where, and under what conditions, is the item made?

If a manufacturer chooses to out-source a product to a country where environmental regulations are lax or non-existent, and where labour laws allow sweat-shop conditions, "political re-education" labour,  and child labour, ...in order to produce the product at a lower price... I say "don't buy it".

Paying a few more dollars for an item made by well-paid, well-treated workers in an environmentally responsible way just makes sense to me. That's why I don't buy Behringer.

[elwoodblues1969]

Thanks for all of the input,guys.

Oren;

It might be in your best interest to view through the many videos on Behringer's manufacturing plants on YouTube....there are several videos and after having watched a few,I was quite comfortable with the conditions under which these products were made.
This is one of the reasons I decided to go with a Behringer product.

Trust me on this,if the conditions were anything like you are worried about,they would not allow any filming whatsoever,over there.
Uli Behringer has a home in China & he personally controls & monitors the manufacturing plant's conditions & operations.

-Thom

[Oren]

Thom,
If Behringer was a well-known supporter of ethical business practices, they would have no need to post these videos.
Behringer may not directly support unfair employment conditions, but they pay taxes and license fees to the Chinese government for the privilege of building their factories and equipment with the low-income labour available there.
This is what they are supporting...

http://www.conformity.com/enews030906/Article1.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/21/sports/olympics/21protest.html
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article5870898.ece

One of the most effective ways an individual can make a difference in this world is to attend carefully to where their hard-earned dollars are going.
I prefer to support folks who do quality work for a decent wage, in countries who provide unemployment benefits, disability pensions, and subsidized health care. And the freedom to express our opinions.
Like on this website...   Never take it for granted, friend...

[elwoodblues1969]

Oren,

If Behringer is inadvertently funding such sinister government activities by paying taxes in China,then it is fair to say that companies like KRK,Mackie,M-Audio,Adam Audio,Novation,Wharfedale,Event,Ikey Audio,Alesis,Peavey-as well as many others are all guilty of the same thing?
Do you also investigate the origin of your clothes,your household cleaning products,all of your electrical devices in your home and all of your groceries and whatever food you consume when you dine out?
Would the world be a fundamentally better place if I became a vegetarian or better yet,a vegan?If so,than what do I feed my cats?How would I convert my animals to be vegetarians as well?
Most everything in this country is out sourced...so what is the solution?Pick up and move to Iceland?

I don't mean any disrespect & I admire your intentions,but where do we draw the line?How could any of us afford to limit ourselves to the enormous expense of organic foods,electric cars,propane powered homes,wind driven devices,solar powered devices and clothing that's certified as being hand made by some indinginous folks of some small republic somewhere?
How can you or I afford to ban ourselves from shopping at Wal-Mart & other discount retailers,in hopes of cleaning up the world & doing justice to all those who are persecuted,repressed,re-educated & victimized in some way or another?
Years ago,Clavia manufactured a Nord keyboard in Sweden,but was soon out of production because Clavia violated some local enviromental laws.
This product obviouslt wasn't made in China,but they did do something unethical,so does that mean it's immoral to buy a Nord instrument?
As you know,Kurzweil is no longer manufacturing products in Massachusetts and that they are now out sourced to Korea.
I'm sure that if I dig deep enough,I could find some dirt in this company as well.The day that I finally make a immaculately & purely ethically correct purchase,is the day when everything we consume & utilize is made in Canada and/or Iceland.
Until then,we are all stuck in a catch 22,because we all-in some way shape or form,contribute to some of the evils in the world.
All this being said-the only other alternative,is for all of us to sell everything we own and pack up and move into Alaska's northern territory and reside in log cabins and live off of the land,in order to liberate the planet.

-Thom

[Wyatt]

I also use a Behringer Eurorack UB1002 mixer along with a pair of Behringer XM1800S dynamic microphones and have to say they do exactly what I want them to.

I use a Behringer Eurorack MX 802A along with a Shure Sm-57 and a Shure PG-58, and I would say the same thing.

The mic's themselves are great all-round workhorse type of things, but suit my purpose for 'close-micing'.  I often wish I could afford a decent Condenser mic .... but get concerned that if I improve the quality of the 'pick up' device that I would have to go down that dreaded route of deadening backgrounds and creating some sort of sound booth.    I'm really not in to that sort of thing. 

I came to the same conclusion *after* a local music store let me demo two different condensor mics for a week. Even with the sound deadening I actually do have in place, it was very frustrating.

I decided that I could work at much less of a disadvantage with these short focus cardiod mics.

[Oren]

Do you also investigate the origin of your clothes,your household cleaning products,all of your electrical devices in your home and all of your groceries and whatever food you consume when you dine out?
Would the world be a fundamentally better place if I became a vegetarian...?

Thom,

In answer to your questions: yes, as much as possible and practical.

In many cases an ideal is difficult to implement. Each of us "draws the line" at the point where our individual abilities and inclinations allow us to take some kind of meaningful action.

It is a personal choice, but one that deserves some consideration.
 (...and that's why I don't buy Behringer... )

[Oren]

I decided that I could work at much less of a disadvantage with these short focus cardioid mics.

Gents,

I prefer dynamic cardioid pattern mics, too. Shure PE56D.

[rharv]

I do understand how sanctions work, and China is often deserving of sanctions due to the gubmint

However the flip side is that Uli has built a whole little Behringer city offering employment in an ISO inspected setting.  And there is a waiting list of people wanting employment there.  That perked my ears a bit.  Maybe he is offering something more than the citizens can get elsewhere.
I may be a bit biased in this opinion, because of my location.  In Michigan, everyone has suffered for the decisions made by the government and large corporations (auto industry) as well as consumers choices when purchasing these autos.  Now this is a pretty grim area for employment.  If people were to boycott products from this area, it is the people who suffer the most. The corporations move on.

The heads of GM, Chrysler, etc. are doing fine.  The mayor of Detroit and the governor of Michigan still have their mansions and salaries.
But the common person is suffering.  Boycotting would only increase the pain for the little guy...

I am wondering if the real problem is because we did not invest in the countries with problems and try to create change from the inside, instead of letting them buy out our resources..

In places like China (and Korea, etc.) the government gets their portion first, so sanctions actually hurt those we intend to help the most.
Catch 22