Is this a near death experience?

[LowKee]

for my amp that is.

First off, I do realize that I own a Behringer. I'm sure some of you will tell me how crappy they are. I am prepared for to bear this burden and I will also tell you that I have been looking to upgrade anyway.

So anyway,
I plugged into my Behringer BX1800 tonight and noticed right away that it was significantly quieter than it should be. I turned both gain and volume all the way up and it was still not giving me much at all. I tried it with both an active and a passive bass and no luck. Is my amp near enough to death to go ahead and pull the trigger on buying an Ampeg Micro-VR or will it be a cheap and easy fix for a poor college student? I will be happy for an excuse to upgrade my amp but I need a legitimate excuse to do it. Does anyone know what the problem with it is?

[MysticMichael]

Only way to know for sure is to bring it in to a qualified amp technician for a diagnosis. So why don't you try that?

MM

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by MysticMichael

Only way to know for sure is to bring it in to a qualified amp technician for a diagnosis. So why don't you try that?

MM

i would agree in most cases but not this one because the bench charge for looking at it will cost about what the amp is worth on the used market. i'm usually against spending money needlessly, but in this case, i think it's a good idea. micro vr rocks, so if you have your heart set of it, by all means get it, but if you're a poor college student, there are plenty of inexpensive used amps out there that will do you very well for less money.

[Alex1984]

I'd check cables, and possibly if there's any input padding switch.

P.S. Thought this was a thread about getting shocked by amps that aren't properly grounded. What a relief.

[iamflea]

From my experience... it's Behringer so yes...

My first amp was a BXL3000A, it lasted 10 practices then the speaker went. I chased down the cause and it was a 200w 4ohm speaker coupled to a 300w 4ohm head... in a sealed combo?!

Sent it back to the company I bought it from and got a free upgrade to a Marshall MB4210, which was flawless.

Just looked at the spec sheet for yours at it is a 180w 4 ohm head with a 120w 4 ohm speaker... why would they do this? Surely the speaker is receiving 60w more than it can handle?!

[funkydjembe]

Originally Posted by Alex1984

I'd check cables, and possibly if there's any input padding switch.

P.S. Thought this was a thread about getting shocked by amps that aren't properly grounded. What a relief.

yeah,,that's what I thought too

[LowKee]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

i would agree in most cases but not this one because the bench charge for looking at it will cost about what the amp is worth on the used market. i'm usually against spending money needlessly, but in this case, i think it's a good idea. micro vr rocks, so if you have your heart set of it, by all means get it, but if you're a poor college student, there are plenty of inexpensive used amps out there that will do you very well for less money.

I know I could go a little cheaper but like I said, I feel like it's time to upgrade from this one. It has lasted me three years which (from what I hear) is pretty good for a behringer. I don't feel like spending 100 bucks getting it fixed when I couldn't even sell it for much more than that. Most of my gigs are coffee shop gigs or smaller jazz gigs so I think the micro-vr would be perfect. I also like the idea of being able to eventually add a second 2x10 for larger gigs.

Originally Posted by Alex1984

I'd check cables, and possibly if there's any input padding switch.

P.S. Thought this was a thread about getting shocked by amps that aren't properly grounded. What a relief.

I checked the pad on the amp to make sure it was not on. I'll try it with another cable later today.

I try to think up interesting titles so people will read my threads.

[Wes Whitmore]

Check instrument cable and battery if it's an active bass...then go shopping.

[mcnach]

Originally Posted by iamflea

From my experience... it's Behringer so yes...

My first amp was a BXL3000A, it lasted 10 practices then the speaker went. I chased down the cause and it was a 200w 4ohm speaker coupled to a 300w 4ohm head... in a sealed combo?!

Sent it back to the company I bought it from and got a free upgrade to a Marshall MB4210, which was flawless.

Just looked at the spec sheet for yours at it is a 180w 4 ohm head with a 120w 4 ohm speaker... why would they do this? Surely the speaker is receiving 60w more than it can handle?!

I haven't looked at the specs of this one but...
often you get "300W head"
then you find that is into 4ohm, and it may well be fitted with a 200W 8ohm in the combo. You sure the internal speaker is 4ohm?

edit: checked published specs, you're absolutely right... if that's not a printing mistake it seems pretty dumb

[MAMMOTHvolume]

Originally Posted by mcnach

I haven't looked at the specs of this one but...
often you get "300W head"
then you find that is into 4ohm, and it may well be fitted with a 200W 8ohm in the combo. You sure the internal speaker is 4ohm?

edit: checked published specs, you're absolutely right... if that's not a printing mistake it seems pretty dumb

i doubt the behringer does 300W before clipping.

[Bass_Pounder]

Behringer is notorious for quoting their power output at PEAK - not RMS

Therefore, it is a 150 watt amp running into a 200 watt speaker

[Oren Hudson]

Discounting the bench fee, you may not be able to get it repaired anyway. A friend and former bandmate of mine is the manager of a small chain of music stores in North Carolina called The Music Center, Inc. I heard him tell a customer that they will not take in a Behringer amp for repairs because they are of such poor quality, they are not fixable. Just passing along what I heard him tell a customer one day. I'd put the money in something better.

[Munjibunga]

This is god's way of hinting that you need a new amp. There will come a time when he says, "SEEEEEEEEE?" You'll know when he lets the smoke out of your B-word amp.

[Plays_For_Dog]

Were you playing in a different room then usual? The size of the room does effect the ear's perception on volume of the amp. If you're used to playing in a small room (dorm for instance) and then you play the same amp in a larger room, it won't sound as loud and full. This is due to the amount of sound bouncing off the walls and into your ears.

If you're playing in the same room and notice a volume drop, your amp may be fried, or on it's way there. Cheap internal power supplies (common in cheap amps) will weaken and fail over time. It's due to the lack of quality components and craftsmanship of the amp.

If you can afford it, bite the bullet and spend the cash on something that won't fail over time. I've played my SWR SM-500 head for 10 years now and it still performs like new. Take care of it (routinely clean the dust out) and a quality piece of gear will last a life time.

[PostApocalypso]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

micro vr rocks

This is a fact.

Originally Posted by LowKee

Most of my gigs are coffee shop gigs or smaller jazz gigs so I think the micro-vr would be perfect.

It would. I've had mine for a few months now and I can say that it's loud enough to compete with all but the craziest of drummers. You definately won't be begging for volume in a jazz gig.


Edit: Full disclosure - I find the amp's fan to be a bit loud at my practice volume.

[Jim Campbell]

Originally Posted by LowKee

for my amp that is.

First off, I do realize that I own a Behringer. I'm sure some of you will tell me how crappy they are. I am prepared for to bear this burden and I will also tell you that I have been looking to upgrade anyway.

So anyway,
I plugged into my Behringer BX1800 tonight and noticed right away that it was significantly quieter than it should be. I turned both gain and volume all the way up and it was still not giving me much at all. I tried it with both an active and a passive bass and no luck. Is my amp near enough to death to go ahead and pull the trigger on buying an Ampeg Micro-VR or will it be a cheap and easy fix for a poor college student? I will be happy for an excuse to upgrade my amp but I need a legitimate excuse to do it. Does anyone know what the problem with it is?

a lot of things that sell at low price points are designed with ease of manufacture in mind and ease of repair is tossed on the back burner.....ergo not repairing them is best......i don't know about your particular stuff but it's a good rule of thumb thing to remember......

[LowKee]

Originally Posted by Plays_For_Dog

Were you playing in a different room then usual? The size of the room does effect the ear's perception on volume of the amp. If you're used to playing in a small room (dorm for instance) and then you play the same amp in a larger room, it won't sound as loud and full. This is due to the amount of sound bouncing off the walls and into your ears.

If you're playing in the same room and notice a volume drop, your amp may be fried, or on it's way there. Cheap internal power supplies (common in cheap amps) will weaken and fail over time. It's due to the lack of quality components and craftsmanship of the amp.

If you can afford it, bite the bullet and spend the cash on something that won't fail over time. I've played my SWR SM-500 head for 10 years now and it still performs like new. Take care of it (routinely clean the dust out) and a quality piece of gear will last a life time.

It was the same room I normally play in. I'm pretty sure I'll be buying the micro SVT tomorrow.