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[Richard Rajchel]

Correct on the "disposable".

Things like off-axis response don't make one single difference in  my case, as these would be 1 mix for 1 person, usually keyboard player, or backup vocalist/guitar player, etc... SPL and reliablilty are concerns, probably more the SPL than the reliability as I would only be using these a few times a month...not touring.

I guess I'm not sure of the sounding lousy comment. If they have somewhat low distortion can't you just EQ a speaker to sound acceptable? Those $1000+ monitors that use speaker processing and are bi/tri amped sound like crap without the speaker processing(fancy technical words for eq/phase/delay?).

What makes up the sound quality of a particular speaker? Very few speakers come any near having a flat response without any processing, and if two similar speakers have similar low distortion characteristics and similar SPL outputs, won't they sound pretty much the same if they are flattened using smaart or some similar tools?

I've mixed on a lot of crap(some of it my own crap) and Midas Legend 3000s with McCauley Line arrays, and although I may not know as much of the technical stuff as most here do, I have been told I have a pretty good ear, by some pretty picky people. I'm obviously not the one to judge how good my ear is, but I relish criticism as it forces me to learn why something sounds the way it does. It's certainly much easier to make a Midas/McCauley rig sound better than a Yamaha Club series rig with an old Mackie 1604 board, but it's also pretty easy to make that $200,000+ system sound like crap, just louder/cleaner crap.

[Richard Rajchel]

Double Post..oops.

[David A. Parker]

I'm not a behringer basher, but I do have some good advice. Your monitors should all be the same, regardless of what they are. It looks more professional and it's easier to eq, because they should all need pretty much the same eq if your monitors are all the same and your vocal mics are all the same. Drum fill would be an exception to all monitors being the same, but definitely all the front row should be identical.

[The Guy]

Richard,

I think the important thing is that if the speakers are working for you and making YOU money, then they are serving their purpose.  Not everyone is in the market for high dollar gear.  I've owned some Behringer equipment over the years.  Some of it has not been so great, and some of it has been excellent for the money.  The biggest gripes with Behringer have been inconsistency and obviously reliability.  If you are going to go this route, having matched monitors is important as someone else suggested.  Regarding reliability, you might even consider purchasing a spare, as they are quite a bit cheaper than EON's.  That's one way to look at it.

-JB

FWIW, I've also seen plenty of EONs that have their issues, and we currently have a Yorkville EF500P with a dead HF amp for no apparent reason.  Nothing is totally bulletproof.

[Ryan Lantzy]

Jim Bowersox wrote on Tue, 04 December 2007 08:55

Nothing is totally bulletproof.

Except a Yorkville NX55p.  

I'd agree though.  I've had different Behringer equipment...  Some items have had issues.  Others have been great.  I probably would have bought the new powered Behringer speakers had they been available when I was looking.  The website just kept saying "Available: TBA"

[Bob Leonard]

Richard Rajchel wrote on Tue, 04 December 2007 02:32

The JBLs aren't mine, so this isn't an upgrade, it's a flat out purchase to cover the occasional band that "needs" 4 monitor mixes. My current setup is for bar gigs up to about 250-300 people max, and when I get past that point I won't be using powered monitors anyway. On second look as well the JBL EONs I've used are the G2s which are nearly 3 times what the Behringers cost at over $700 each. I would just by another amp and some unpowered monitors before I'd buy those myself.

PRO: They're cheap

CON: The sound is lousy and when they fail you may not be able to get them fixed.

If you like Crapinger amps then buy one along with some low cost JBL or Yamaha speakers. If you want to upgrade later you'll still have the amp and can sell the speakers. You could probably do that for the price of a single Eon or maybe a little more. Sounds like a no brainer to me.

[Scott Van Den Elzen]

Bob Leonard wrote on Tue, 04 December 2007 06:18

Richard Rajchel wrote on Tue, 04 December 2007 02:32 The JBLs aren't mine, so this isn't an upgrade, it's a flat out purchase to cover the occasional band that "needs" 4 monitor mixes. My current setup is for bar gigs up to about 250-300 people max, and when I get past that point I won't be using powered monitors anyway. On second look as well the JBL EONs I've used are the G2s which are nearly 3 times what the Behringers cost at over $700 each. I would just by another amp and some unpowered monitors before I'd buy those myself. PRO: They're cheap CON: The sound is lousy and when they fail you may not be able to get them fixed. If you like Crapinger amps then buy one along with some low cost JBL or Yamaha speakers. If you want to upgrade later you'll still have the amp and can sell the speakers. You could probably do that for the price of a single Eon or maybe a little more. Sounds like a no brainer to me.

+1

2 Yamaha C112V and an EP2500 would put you out under 1k, and those are pretty well respected boxes at your level.  (Sound good, look good, and just about unbreakable.)

[Dave Dermont]

Yes, I have heard those Behringers. A couple bands I work with occasionally have them. The bands like them, mostly because they are (slightly) better than no monitors at all.

It seems to me that their primary design goal is to be the lowest priced product in the category. Sure, they might "work" in your situation, but sometimes, buying the cheapest piece of crap available is not the best decision.

IMNSHO, the Mackie SRM450 is still the line of demarcation for a usable powered speaker. This means no SRM350, EON, Yamaha, Wharfedale, or Behringer if I can help it.

I'd suggest waiting it out until you can afford the minimum of $700.00 you need for a decent powered box instead of buying junk just to have more junk.

I believe that FBT, RCF, QSC, and Yorkville all have what you are looking for for around $1K. Buy something good, and be done with it.

[Scott Smith]

Richard, the problem here is that you are on a "professional" sound forum.  The range of professional goes from one end of the chart to the other here.

I can tell you that MOST people here have bought and used Behringer equipment somewhere in their history.  Many of the "weekend warriors" here use Behringer equipment successfully.  Some of the higher end guys have forgotten what it's like to have to buy equipment from your own pockets when you are on a very tight budget.

Behringer offers a lot of bang for the buck.  Some of the stuff is very good, and some of it isn't.  From personal experience, I have found that it is typically less reliable than the more expensive brands.  I can also tell you that my $1000 DBX DR260 developed some issues, yet my $250 Behringer DCX2496 sounds great and is working flawlessly.  I have other Behringer equipment that I am completely satisfied with.

I personally would not buy Behringer speakers, but then again, I would not buy EON's either.

You are hanging with the pro's here, and from experience, most will tell you to just buy quality the first time.  I didn't have that option many years ago, and bought what I could afford at the time.  It served my needs at the time...but I can now show you a pile of Behringer equipment I no longer use.  

[Rob Spence]

Richard Rajchel wrote on Tue, 04 December 2007 01:22

I'm not looking for miracles, but actual people who bought actual products and use them in actual live situations have almost universally liked them.

One thing I think you will find with most people (not always but pretty common) is that after shelling out $$ for some gear, they will be reluctant to say they made a mistake and instead look to praise themselves for making a good choice. You can't reliably depend on self reviews.