Members miden Posted March 27, 2010 Members Share Posted March 27, 2010 Just want to ask if anyone here has heard/tried the new Behringer B212D digital speakers? I have been searching the web for any reviews, but as they are so new there is not much around. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members miden Posted March 27, 2010 Author Members Share Posted March 27, 2010 Anyone at all? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Al Poulin Posted March 28, 2010 Members Share Posted March 28, 2010 Probably the exact same sound and power as the B212A except a different amplifier topology and magically increased peak watts. Similar to the EP2500 - 4000 transition. Same amp, different model number and suddenly more watts... That said, they're not bad powered speakers for many smaller applications and make a nice compact monitor for a very low price... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members miden Posted March 28, 2010 Author Members Share Posted March 28, 2010 Thanks Al. I might try and find some 212A reviews. I was told by the dealer that these haev also been improved from a build perspective, and so far there have been very few returns Australia wide. I am hesitant becasue I know the older Behringer powered boxes had heaps of reliability issues (from a repair tech). CheersDennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted March 28, 2010 Members Share Posted March 28, 2010 I am hesitant becasue I know the older Behringer powered boxes had heaps of reliability issues (from a repair tech).CheersDennis Perhaps you should head your own warning? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members miden Posted March 28, 2010 Author Members Share Posted March 28, 2010 Yes perhaps I should heed my own warning, but is it possible that perhaps Behringer have released a good one amongst the many? They are just so attractive at the price, and three of the dealers I have spoken with say similar stuff. Unfortunately, I do not personally know anyone here using the new ones. Since my last post I have found quite a few reviews of the 212a, all positive. BTW the Behringer speakers I was talking about were several models back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members heath_eld Posted March 28, 2010 Members Share Posted March 28, 2010 The Behringer that you're talking about, the "main offender" i guess is the B300. These things, i never heard them, but i heard a lot of reviews of issues with them. They were also quite heavy. Probably not a good speaker. They released the 212a (and of course the 215) a few years later, as well as the fancy ones that look more than a bit like mackie (315, 415 etc) and make claims like DSP processing etc... never heard those. I do have a pair of 212as though. So i've written down some of my thoughts. I use them for monitor duties, never used them as FOH. I got them for $389 a box in aus dollars just pre GFC. They had black labels on them, and had 250w official RMS power. (as i am sure you know, they base their advertising on a peak figure of 400w). I read a lot of positive reviews on them, like you, before taking the plunge. My point of reference is a JBL EON 15p, which are my main powered boxes. The EON is 15 inch, but specs at only 180w RMS. Obviously i compared them out of the box with the eons. The eons were louder and clearer, for sure. The Behringers (unlike some of their other products) dont feel particularly cheap. Certainly, appearance wise, they have drawn heavily from the DB opera series. (I dont want to debate that topic, it has been covered well in the behringer megathread) Ultimately, the Behringers were quite ok, and got put to work as monitors. It must be said that this was before i realised that there were much better products out there than the EONs. Since then, one blew its horn, after about 10 months. I took it in to the shop and they sent it of for repair. Every other time i have sent something for repair, it takes ages or comes back unrepaired. In this case, a week later i get a call that its back, and theres a new one. Which of course was great. But the new one has a yellow tag on it, and is definitely not identical, being substantially louder (same specs). The sound is quite bassy but perhaps lacks a bit in that nice crisp high end that better boxes have. You can back off the bottom end and get a fair balanced sound. Its not the most defined speaker out there but is ok. The clip lights seem to come on fairly early. I continue to use the Behringers as monitors. By todays standards they're not particularly light but are quite liftable. They're loud enough and with the exception of that problem, they continue to work. The 212ds are a different amp. Supposed to be lighter, which could be good. The same shop i have brought my 212as from now stocks the D series. They have a 210D set up playing music and my take on it is that the style of sound is similar to the 212A. As to whether i would recommend them, it depends on your position. I dont regret buying them. They're ok. But not a pro tool by any means. It sounds like you're in australia. Some other boxes you might try are the Wharfedale Titan which gets some good press on this site, and even the DB tech speakers which can generally be had fairly cheap now. Proel get some good wraps on here for their subs, never heard their FOH speakers, but they might be ok. Where are you in aus? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted March 28, 2010 Members Share Posted March 28, 2010 So the real question is "are you a gambler"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members miden Posted March 28, 2010 Author Members Share Posted March 28, 2010 Thanks Heath Eld, I am in NSW. I have a pair of MSR 400's at the moment but they are too heavy at 23kgs each and the 212d is only 14, plus its a smaller box which means it is easier to fit in the car. And I DO hear what you are saying Aged Horse, and I know its a gamble...but it is really difficult when one is restricted by budget, injuries and vehicle capacity..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jwlussow Posted March 28, 2010 Members Share Posted March 28, 2010 Yes perhaps I should heed my own warning, but is it possible that perhaps Behringer have released a good one amongst the many?They are just so attractive at the price, and three of the dealers I have spoken with say similar stuff. ...and someone has to win the lottery, too. Are you willing to bet your performance on the possibility that maybe you got a good reliable unit? The price is good because that is how Behringer makes their money. There are plenty of noobs that would sacrifice their performance for a cheap price. Dealers are salesman. They would rather sell a cheap unreliable box then to not sell it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members heath_eld Posted March 28, 2010 Members Share Posted March 28, 2010 If you've already got the Yamaha box... i wouldnt... I've never used that speaker, but i'd be pretty confident that it will out perform the Behringer well. Save up, let the weight be an incentive to saving, and get PRX 512 or Eon 515s... in the mean time get one of those $20 trolleys from super cheap auto. Personally i reckon if you're talking about using the behringer as a main speaker... you'd really want to carry a spare. Some guys on here advocate carrying a spare of all powered speakers. So there goes your weight advantage. Try out the titans, (they can be had for about A$589)....but i reckon you should aim, if you're going to spend some cash, to get an upgrade, not a backwards step in exchange for weight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members miden Posted March 28, 2010 Author Members Share Posted March 28, 2010 Thanks HeathEld, Good advice, I ws looking to change to the new Db Technologies 410d which is 10", but I have a small powered sub. They are all out of stock in the country right now, which is why I ws looking for other digital amp tech speakers (weight). I found the Behringers and the rest you know. In the past I usually never even loooked at B gear, but I had a feeling these may have been different. The ones I REALLY wanted were the new QSC K10's but they are out of my price range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members miden Posted March 28, 2010 Author Members Share Posted March 28, 2010 I just contaced the dealer to tell them I no longer am interested in these. Agedhorse and Heath gave pretty good advice which I decided to take. I will just wait a bit longer and upgrade to the Db Tech ones, or maybe even the QSC ones, depending on how work goes. Thanks again for helping out guys , much appreciated. Dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted March 29, 2010 Members Share Posted March 29, 2010 Wait for the new QSC's or wait for a good deal on some good used equipment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bigjd Posted March 29, 2010 Members Share Posted March 29, 2010 Thanks Heath Eld,I am in NSW. I have a pair of MSR 400's at the moment but they are too heavy at 23kgs each and the 212d is only 14, plus its a smaller box which means it is easier to fit in the car.And I DO hear what you are saying Aged Horse, and I know its a gamble...but it is really difficult when one is restricted by budget, injuries and vehicle capacity..... I agree the Yammies are heavy BUT I have the "B's" also and the Yammies smoke 'em! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Al Poulin Posted March 29, 2010 Members Share Posted March 29, 2010 I agree the Yammies are heavy BUT I have the "B's" also and the Yammies smoke 'em! Well, at three times the price, they should definitely outperform them.... Behringer B212As shouldn't really be anybody's main FOH cab, although they can work fine for this IF there is subwoofer reinforcement. (reliability is another question although B powered speakers have a good track record so far - like the EP amps) At their size and price, they make a good spare powered speaker to bring along on gigs and they work OK for monitor duty too. They only clip easily IF you really boost the highs - reason being the 1.25'' VC HF driver (that actually sounds pretty good) has somewhat limited output capability. The 312A has a bigger 1.75'' VC HF driver so may be better in that department. Still, I wouldn't recommend them (and Behringer products in general) for anything other than non mission critical applications, monitor duty OR for blasting tunes outside on your deck. In those applications, they excel given their 250$ price. And if you destroy 'em - oh well - not a big loss. If you destroy 'em in the first year, you'll get a new one. If you are looking for something better sounding, more dependable and wearing a badge that doesn't tell people ''this is the cheapest one of these available'', spending the extra $$$ on better stuff will pay off in the long run. Al - Party-Time! DJ Services Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members miden Posted March 29, 2010 Author Members Share Posted March 29, 2010 Thanks guys...all good advice...I am going to hold on a bit longer..The Db Technology is here about mid to late april, so I think that will be the one. Dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted March 29, 2010 Members Share Posted March 29, 2010 They only clip easily IF you really boost the highs - reason being the 1.25'' VC HF driver (that actually sounds pretty good) has somewhat limited output capability. The 312A has a bigger 1.75'' VC HF driver so may be better in that department.Al - Party-Time! DJ Services Ummmm, this has nothing to do with it actually. The HF section takes only a few watts and there's going to be plenty of headroom (unless you do something stupid), but the LF section is where all the power is consumed. If there's not enough power to do the job, there's not enough power period. They clip when they are asked to do more than they are capable of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Al Poulin Posted March 29, 2010 Members Share Posted March 29, 2010 Ummmm, this has nothing to do with it actually. The HF section takes only a few watts and there's going to be plenty of headroom (unless you do something stupid), but the LF section is where all the power is consumed. If there's not enough power to do the job, there's not enough power period. They clip when they are asked to do more than they are capable of. In most boxes yes, but what I have noticed with the B212A is that the only times I've actually seen the clip light, was where a sudden burst of high frequencies came out of a certain song when the speaker was playing really loud. Often a loud S will trigger it. This is the opposite of most of my other boxes - where loud bass notes will get the clip light to blink. The woofer is more of a mid bass, that produces absolutely no deep bass but needs to be reduced just a bit with the highs sightly boosted for optimum sound quality. With this slight adjustment, the speaker is quite usable and the top end sounds surprisingly good and sweet. I Apply very little EQ to any of my speakers, and the B212A is not an exception, but it does seem to clip on strong high frequency passages when it is played at high levels. If you reduce or flatten the HF knob, you will probably get more output before clipping IME. That has been my experience anyway. I figured that's why they put a 1.75'' in the 312A which is pretty much identical in every other way... To be honest, I haven't used them to their full output very often, maybe it was just a coincidence or the particular songs I was playing. Al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members heath_eld Posted March 29, 2010 Members Share Posted March 29, 2010 The only times I've seen the clip lights on the 212As, I've been using them either with bass coming through the monitors, or with V-drums. The incident with the Vdrums stood out to me because it was at a very low volume church gig (basically, for a church where the volume restrictions were such that we couldn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sickman Posted March 29, 2010 Members Share Posted March 29, 2010 I've thought about picking up a pair for monitor duties, but decided to add another PRX 512 ($700) and down the road some type of other budget type offering as my "just to have" speakers and to use as monitors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members TheDoctorMo Posted March 29, 2010 Members Share Posted March 29, 2010 In most boxes yes, but what I have noticed with the B212A is that the only times I've actually seen the clip light, was where a sudden burst of high frequencies came out of a certain song when the speaker was playing really loud. We have noticed the same reaction with our B215As. We usually keep the level at 12:00 and have plenty of volume. I was messing around with some songs built-in to a cheap keyboard. I noticed the speakers only clipped on the harsh, mid-rangy peaks. They seem to handle loud bass levels without any issues. mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Al Poulin Posted March 29, 2010 Members Share Posted March 29, 2010 We have noticed the same reaction with our B215As. We usually keep the level at 12:00 and have plenty of volume.I was messing around with some songs built-in to a cheap keyboard. I noticed the speakers only clipped on the harsh, mid-rangy peaks.They seem to handle loud bass levels without any issues.mike Agreed. They do handle bass pretty well. (with pre-recorded music anyway) The only time I have clipped them because of a strong bass signal was when I was putting a friend's electronic drum set through one. Stong hits of the kick drum would make the speaker clip light illuminate. I imagine a live bass would have a similar effect. Wider dynamic range (bigger uncontrolled peaks) than with pre-recorded music... Al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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