Behringer Combo Sound Quality?

[Zoa]

For all those people saying that all the Behringer hate is unjustified, I need to clarify. i owned one Behringer bass amp. The BXL180 if I remember correctly. It sucked. Thoroughly. The wattage rating was generous by a lot, the EQ did little if anything, the controls gradually stopped working, and the tone sounded like an overstressed motor in a sludge factory. Every other Behringer I have played or heard played also sounded awful. Then, finally, it broke. I took it outside and shot it with a .77 Brown Bess. That, at least, was enjoyable.

I'd never recommend a Behringer or Bugera bass amp to anyone. Those little mixers they make are excellent for the price point, just buy one a little bigger than you need because one or two of the channels will probably stop working eventually. They also make some decent, if flimsy, clone effects stuff. But stay away from their amps.

[Ric5]

I have a behringer 60 watt combo that is good enough for my basement ... for gigging I use Ampeg.

[steelbed45]

One white knight so far telling the OP to disregard everyone else.
I feel the consensus so far is: 1. You'll be able to get a behringer amp at a low cost and 2. You're going to get exactly what you paid for.
Good luck.

[JimmyM]

The Behringer combos I've tried sounded like they were made of cardboard. I can see skimping on the head and getting a good sound, but you will never get a truly good sound with a bad sounding cab, and that's what the Behringer combos have. You wouldn't have to pay much more than that for a good combo that you'll be more satisfied with IMHO.

[jamestown94west]

Originally Posted by steelbed45

One white knight so far telling the OP to disregard everyone else.
I feel the consensus so far is: 1. You'll be able to get a behringer amp at a low cost and 2. You're going to get exactly what you paid for.
Good luck.

Ha! Yea...I tried my best to make it clear that the behringer is best left at my house, but that I could be used as a main rig if it had to be.

I will add that the sound quality isnt terrible, but I like my ampegs so much that I'm constantly wishing I had another ampeg just to keep at home.

[PipeRain]

[tl/dr] Behringer is OK if you go into it with expectations commensurate with the price point.

I have a BX1200 sitting in my living room right now. Is it a great amp? No. Is is a horrible amp? No. Is it a worthwile amp for what it is? Absolutely. Tone wise it is to a great extent a one-trick pony, and the "Ultrabass" isn't really useful other than than to monkey around a bit with. However, for a low to medium volume practice amp it is good. It converts low voltage input into sound and lets me learn the stuff I am trying to learn. Would I gig with it? Well, if I ever get to that point, I'll let you know then. I do know that it is going with me to church in a few weeks to try out to play there and it'll sound a TON better than the who-knows-how-old Behringer BX1800 they have there.

At least until I start playing....

Bear in mind that if you are looking for 250 legit watts, it'll cost you a fair bit more than a Behringer will. One legit caveat with Behringer is that they are rather "Optimistic" with their wattage. I would be absolutely floored if my "120 watt" amp puts out more than 60-80 watts for real. At the 300 watt level I'd be giving a Hartke or GK a serious look. A lot of folks speak highly of Acoustic and Ampeg; for me however they just don't do it. A Fender Rumble 350 2X10 might be worth looking into, I have messed with one on a lark and it sounded pretty good to me and they can be had for $350-$400 used if you look around.

Hope this ramble from a relative n00b helps, best of luck!

[Tom_RCJ]

Originally Posted by IPYF

The poster above who suggested that Behringer are the 'laughing-stock' of the music world is dead right about that being the predominant attitude. There are people like myself who would suggest that this is undeserved criticism for the most part.

Yeah, and like I said, they recently bought out Midas and began distributing or producing (can't remember) one of their consoles. Midas is a name I've heard spoken with reverence by most of the gear snobs I know.

Behringer does get the job done. The average level of quality of their products (that I have used, admittedly) might be lower than other brand names, but their prices are inarguably difficult to beat, and they are a brand name. If that's all you can afford, it's infinitely better than not playing at all, no disagreement there. Do what you have to do.

[Adam Bomb]

I had a Behringer combo. It sounded fine. Volume is another story. I played it totally dimed once a week for over a year and it never crapped out.

Brand aside, based on my experience I would recommend skipping the "starter amp" phase and start out at the next level (or two) up, even if you have to wait a bit. I spent more on learning the hard way than I spent on my actual gigging rig, and the one before that, combined, prolly.

If you have a gig coming up or something, see if you can borrow or rent something you can't afford to buy right now, and enjoy it for a night. My $0.02.

--Bomb

[alaskaleftybass]

Originally Posted by SalmonCubes

How is the sound quality of Behringer combo bass amps? I'm looking at purchasing a powerful (250w+) combo amp to play with, seeing as how I currently lack the cash, the knowlege, and the need for a serious amp + cabinet rig. I'm seeing a couple of Behringers, and in particular, the Behringer Ultrabass BXL3000, a 300w 1x15 combo. It's relatively inexpensive as well. Any thoughts or ideas, or even suggestions on something to fit my needs? If suggesting something new, keep in mind that built in effects and/or tone presets aren't appealing to me.

Hello and welcome. A word of warning. Using the "B" word in this forum brings out more rabid monsters than Night of the Living Dead lol..... I've been bit a couple times by some of the rabids... most everyone here has good intentions and have fine advice.

I would recommend passing on the 115 Behringer combo. Their tone isn't that good and it doesn't get very loud. Also very heavy. Might want to try the Peavey Max series, Kustom, or go to Guitar Center and try the Acoustic bass combos. I need to mention that Ampeg makes some loud inexpensive combos but their BA series have had quality control issues from being made in Vietnam. But they have great resell value due to their name.

Look also at a few used amps in your local music store. Might find a great value!

[mjac28]

Originally Posted by Arial Bender

I own that amp,I wouldn't refer it.

LOL Now that answer can't be topped.

[punkjazzben]

I have a BX1200 and its really not too bad. It gets the job done, and it hasn't crapped out on me in the ten years I've had it, and I've blasted it pretty loud a lot of that time. I stepped up to my current rig because I needed more volume and low-end at the time.

Right now I have an Eden WTDI running straight into the power amp section of it and it sounds fantastic. As in... really, really, freakin' good. It's set up as my practice amp, and for some reason its input sensitivity and its voicing is great for double bass (no preamp needed between the piezo p'up and input) so it might suffice for smaller gigs where it would be overkill to play a double bass through a 4x10.

[bryan gibson]

In the "bang for the buck" 115 combo department, you can't beat an old Peavey TNT/TKO/Tour model, or even a decent old Crate. For some reason, I always manage to get stuck with one of the above when backline is provided. Peavey is a bit more indestructible, but heavier and really needs a good preamp. Crate is a bit lighter duty, but has a little better initial tone. Around these parts, solid used versions of all the above go for around $150 ish.

[bluesbassbkf]

I hated them,, played a combo the other night and it sounded great,, guy at the studio changed the speakers,,, thinking of trying it myself!