Karaoke Forums

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Gator

BEHRINGER IS FINE !!!!!

Have you tried online - musciansfriend dot com
Might be able to save a few bucks?

Are you set on a seperate amp and mixer ?

There are a few good options for powered mixers to use in small to medium venues
just thinking ?

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Gator

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Gator

I use mostly Behringer stuff, including the xynyx 1832fx mixer, and the EP2500 amps (three of them). The amps ROCK!!!! More power than I can use in a normal bar situation. The mixer is also terrific, has tons of features and is pretty dang easy to use. As far as price goes??? I think what you are thinking of paying is not too bad, but for the same thing as you are looking at, I paid about $520, brand new. But I have a place that beats any online price out there, period! Keep watching places like ebay though. My last EP2500 I bought on Ebay for $262, including shipping. And yep, it was brand new too, but it was from a private person that never used it.
So keep your eyes open, maybe if you show the people that there are other places to look? maybe they will come down on price. Just a thought.

Scott

I would ditch those Peavey PR speakers and get a better pair of speakers. You might be surprised at how much better your sound can be. Lots of choices out there. Not trying to insult you, just the truth.

There is a new Behringer amp that just came out, the EP4000 that is about the same price as the EP2500. I've seen it for $350 on ebay. Peavey is coming out with a new line of super lightweight amps very soon, you might want to wait a little while.

Check ebay for mixers, there are some good deals if you look around. One more thing to think about. A Yamaha EMX512 powered mixer is about $569 retail. I have one that I got on ebay for $350. It puts out 500 watts per channel at 4ohms and I can lift it with 2 fingers. I plug my Alesis multimix 8 into an input on the Yamaha and plug my music and mics into the Aleisis because the vocal effects are much better. I did this yesterday at a senior show I do at retirement homes.

If you don't mind carrying heavy amps then a mixer and a separate amp is a very good way to go, can't argue with that. Also check out the Samson PG3800 power amp. It's powerful and very reasonably priced at about $300 + or -. It puts out more than the Behringer EP2500.

FWIW I have both an 1832 mixer and 2500 amp. And both have developed issues.

Just from my personal experiences, I would not rate Behringer up very far in the reliability department. If you go with this brand, I strongly suggest that you buy new, not used, and make sure that you can return a defective unit to the store rather than shipping it off somewhere.

I personally think that the less complicated the product is (Behringer or otherwise) the greater chance you have of it not failing on you. In the case of Behringer mixers, I've had a couple of their simpler ones that have never failed. With that in mind, instead of the 1832, take a look at the 1222. Same general features, fewer channels, but with everything top mounted (naked back panel) you know that there's just one PC board inside. Although I've never opened one up, there's probably no ribbon connectors which eliminates a potential source of failure right there.

Mackie has a new line of budget mixers that are very similar, the ProFX line, but as near as I can tell they're sold out everywhere. If you find one check it out.

For speakers, Craigslist is a great resource since no one wants to ship speakers. In PDX I've seen fantastic deals on tons of stuff this winter. I don't know if it's the recession or what. JBL MPro4s (drool), Eon G2s, Mackies of all sizes, EVs... all at half price or more. If you don't know speakers put up what's available in your area and we'll tell you.

Upgrade your speakers if you can!

I have to agree with Bill. I have gotten some GREAT deals off of craig's list. It takes some time watching for the good deals and you have to be fast to get them, but I've saved hundreds of dollars.

Having a bit of experience with Behringer, and listening to others experience here and in three other forums, I would recommend a different mixer but staying with the EP2500 amp. The amp has lots of supporters. I own three of them (2 EP2500, 1 EP1500) with no issues. They are rated as a workhorse by many professional sound providers. For the price, they are worth it.

I prefer the Yamaha mixers for karaoke. They have compression, always nice to have, and decent effects. I think their sound is a bit cleaner than Behringer, and I like the way their gain is set up. The MG166CX has a sweepable mid, which I am becoming more and more enamored with. The MG124CX is a nice size for karaoke.

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[color=#ffff55]Mickey J.[/color]
Alas for those who never sing, but die with all their music in them.
-- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

Hmmm.... I just got this exact board Mick. Love it! I noticed that the Ps and Bs on vocals were sounding a little "hard", and I used the EQ to pull back on the lows a bit and it went away.

Give me a little more info on the "sweepable mid" if you don't mind, please. Thanks!

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Good music, good friends, howling good times!

It allows you to set the frequency you adjust with the midrange eq. This really allows you to bring out the sparkle and intelligibility on the vocals if you play with it. I tend to boost mids anyway, and this allows me to change the boosted frequency to fit the voice. If you play with it -- a little goes a long way -- I think there is a notable difference in the vocal "presence".

Lonnie and the LAB lounge taught me to cut the lows on most songs, and it does help remove rumble. You still want to boost it back to midrange on a few songs and for really good bass singers (or some singers trying songs too low for them).

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[color=#ffff55]Mickey J.[/color]
Alas for those who never sing, but die with all their music in them.
-- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

Ah... cool. I was doing that already, intuitively... good to know that was the right thing to do.... I just started using it Monday... it is awesome... I have so much control over the music and the vocals it makes me giddy!

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Good music, good friends, howling good times!

And yet another happy person has discovered why a swept mid is so useful. I have a swept high mid and low mid (4 band) on my Allen Heath and find that it is so responsive that it pretty much eliminates the need for an external 31 band EQ.

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Quickness of mind will deceive the eye

If you buy this mixer, be prepared to customize any kind of rack you want to put it in, it is not rack mountable. I've given up on that. That aside, I can't complain about the mixer although I have no experience with any other.