Behringer FBQ6200 Ultra-Musical 31-Band Stereo Graphic Equalizer

[Peter]

Since much has been written about the pros and cons of Behringer equipment I
wonder if anyone might be willing to comment about a specific Behringer
component, namely the Ultragraph Pro FBQ6200 Ultra-Musical 31-Band Stereo
Graphic Equalizer with FBQ Feedback Detection System, Behringer's
"top-of-the-line" equalizer?

According to the company literature this Equalizer incorporates Swiss Alps
potentiometers, which surely have a good reputation, and it also features a
relay operated "hard" bypass, in order to permit instant comparison between
the equalized vs. the unequalized signal.

Unfortunately I have no idea about the quality, or sound, of the op amps
used in this Behringer equalizer.

I do not intend to use this equalizer in a professional recording setup, but
rather for a home stereo system in order to hopefully adjust the system's
response in order to cope with certain room anomalies.

Thank you very much for your kind consideration and comments.

[Bret Ludwig]

Peter wrote:
> Since much has been written about the pros and cons of Behringer equipment I
> wonder if anyone might be willing to comment about a specific Behringer
> component, namely the Ultragraph Pro FBQ6200 Ultra-Musical


<<sic>>

31-Band Stereo
> Graphic Equalizer with FBQ Feedback Detection System, Behringer's
> "top-of-the-line" equalizer?
>
>

[Bret Ludwig]

Peter wrote:
> Since much has been written about the pros and cons of Behringer equipment I
> wonder if anyone might be willing to comment about a specific Behringer
> component, namely the Ultragraph Pro FBQ6200 Ultra-Musical 31-Band Stereo
> Graphic Equalizer with FBQ Feedback Detection System, Behringer's
> "top-of-the-line" equalizer?
>
> According to the company literature this Equalizer incorporates Swiss Alps
> potentiometers, which surely have a good reputation, and it also features a
> relay operated "hard" bypass, in order to permit instant comparison between
> the equalized vs. the unequalized signal.
>
> Unfortunately I have no idea about the quality, or sound, of the op amps
> used in this Behringer equalizer.
>
> I do not intend to use this equalizer in a professional recording setup, but
> rather for a home stereo system in order to hopefully adjust the system's
> response in order to cope with certain room anomalies.
>
> Thank you very much for your kind consideration and comments.


Given the price of the unit it is obvious it is targeted at garage
bands and storefront churches. When you undercut HUartley Peavey......

Graphic EQ if properly implemented can be a good thing in a
reproduction setup but parametric EQ is much more useful. It is
expensive, see the Manley Massive Passive for an idea...and bear in
mind that's one channel.

"Peter" <reply to newsgroup only> wrote in message
. ..
> Since much has been written about the pros and cons of Behringer equipment
> I wonder if anyone might be willing to comment about a specific Behringer
> component, namely the Ultragraph Pro FBQ6200 Ultra-Musical 31-Band Stereo
> Graphic Equalizer with FBQ Feedback Detection System, Behringer's
> "top-of-the-line" equalizer?
>
> According to the company literature this Equalizer incorporates Swiss Alps
> potentiometers, which surely have a good reputation, and it also features
> a
> relay operated "hard" bypass, in order to permit instant comparison
> between
> the equalized vs. the unequalized signal.
>
> Unfortunately I have no idea about the quality, or sound, of the op amps
> used in this Behringer equalizer.
>
> I do not intend to use this equalizer in a professional recording setup,
> but
> rather for a home stereo system in order to hopefully adjust the system's
> response in order to cope with certain room anomalies.
>
> Thank you very much for your kind consideration and comments.
>
>
>
>
>
I've seen good and bad reports on this piece of equipment. If you desire an
EQ, and are on limited budget this unit along with their mic. would be a
place to start. A better unit would be one from Rane, and from there you
can go up substantially in price. If you have a room that only need a minor
bit of correction the Behringer will likely suffice. Many rooms have a bass
bump around 50-100 Hz and this unit will probably take care of that. One of
the drawbacks of less expensive units like this is that they generally
aren't exactly locked in on the bands they say they are, but IIRC you can
adjust those, so perhaps with a bit of time you can get decent results.
You can do better but it will cost you substantially more.

[Arny Krueger]

"Peter" <reply to newsgroup only> wrote in message
. ..
> Since much has been written about the pros and cons of Behringer equipment
> I wonder if anyone might be willing to comment about a specific Behringer
> component, namely the Ultragraph Pro FBQ6200 Ultra-Musical 31-Band Stereo
> Graphic Equalizer with FBQ Feedback Detection System, Behringer's
> "top-of-the-line" equalizer?
>
> According to the company literature this Equalizer incorporates Swiss Alps
> potentiometers, which surely have a good reputation, and it also features
> a
> relay operated "hard" bypass, in order to permit instant comparison
> between
> the equalized vs. the unequalized signal.

There ain't no such thing as "Swiss Alps" potentiometers. Alps is
headquartered in Japan.

http://www.alps.com/network/japan.html

Alps has a number of credible competitors. When the Behringer publicity
machine starts ranting about Alps potentiomenters, lots of people roll their
eyes. Not that there isn't anything necessarily wrong with Alps, its just
that they make cost-effective and high end product lines like lots of other
people.


> Unfortunately I have no idea about the quality, or sound, of the op amps
> used in this Behringer equalizer.

Nor do I - I haven't bought one, and probablyn never will. I do have some
Behringer equipment and its worth at least what I paid for it. If I had a
piece of equipment that I beat the dickens out of, I might not buy Behringer
or I would buy Behringer for sure, depending on how earlier replacement
would fit into my strategy.

> I do not intend to use this equalizer in a professional recording setup,
> but
> rather for a home stereo system in order to hopefully adjust the system's
> response in order to cope with certain room anomalies.

Using audio production type signal processors in home audio applications has
some exposures, no matter who makes it. There are two more-or-less standards
for input and output voltages. One is called consumer and the other is
called professional. There's about 11 dB difference between them, which
means that a piece of consumer gear used for audio production could end up
clipping, and a piece of professional gear used for home audio could end up
being noisy.

There's a lot of gear that is considered to be either consumer or
professional that works fine in the other role, and a little that does not.
FWIW the Behringer parametric equalizer that I have has more than enough
dynamic range and works well in either application. Some old Rane
parametrics that I have don't have enough dynamic range for dual use, and
are a tad noisy in consumer situations. I have other newer Rane equalizers
work fine in either situation. So you see, spending more money doesn't
guarantee good performance, and spending less doesn't guarantee poorer
performance.

[MINe 109]

In article >,
"Peter" <reply to newsgroup only> wrote:

> Since much has been written about the pros and cons of Behringer equipment I
> wonder if anyone might be willing to comment about a specific Behringer
> component, namely the Ultragraph Pro FBQ6200 Ultra-Musical 31-Band Stereo
> Graphic Equalizer with FBQ Feedback Detection System, Behringer's
> "top-of-the-line" equalizer?
>
> According to the company literature this Equalizer incorporates Swiss Alps
> potentiometers, which surely have a good reputation, and it also features a
> relay operated "hard" bypass, in order to permit instant comparison between
> the equalized vs. the unequalized signal.
>
> Unfortunately I have no idea about the quality, or sound, of the op amps
> used in this Behringer equalizer.
>
> I do not intend to use this equalizer in a professional recording setup, but
> rather for a home stereo system in order to hopefully adjust the system's
> response in order to cope with certain room anomalies.
>
> Thank you very much for your kind consideration and comments.

Feedback Detection isn't much use in home stereo. Just glancing at the
website shows the Ultra-Curve Pro DEQ2496 for "audiophile mastering."

Go digital.

Stephen

[Bret Ludwig]

Arny Krueger wrote:

>
> There ain't no such thing as "Swiss Alps" potentiometers. Alps is
> headquartered in Japan.
>
> http://www.alps.com/network/japan.html
>
> Alps has a number of credible competitors. When the Behringer publicity
> machine starts ranting about Alps potentiomenters, lots of people roll their
> eyes. Not that there isn't anything necessarily wrong with Alps, its just
> that they make cost-effective and high end product lines like lots of other
> people.

Penny and Giles is the name to look for.
>
>
> > Unfortunately I have no idea about the quality, or sound, of the op amps
> > used in this Behringer equalizer.
>

We aren't talking Jensen 990s at this price point!
>
> > I do not intend to use this equalizer in a professional recording setup,
> > but
> > rather for a home stereo system in order to hopefully adjust the system's
> > response in order to cope with certain room anomalies.
>
> Using audio production type signal processors in home audio applications has
> some exposures, no matter who makes it. There are two more-or-less standards
> for input and output voltages. One is called consumer and the other is
> called professional. There's about 11 dB difference between them, which
> means that a piece of consumer gear used for audio production could end up
> clipping, and a piece of professional gear used for home audio could end up
> being noisy.

Matching transformers. They're a wonderful thing.

[Pooh Bear]

Peter wrote:

> According to the company literature this Equalizer incorporates Swiss Alps
> potentiometers,

LMAO !

No - that means *ALPS* potentiometers. The name of the company that makes them
is Alps ( in Japan ) - nothing to do with Switzerland at all.

Graham

[Pooh Bear]

Bret Ludwig wrote:

> Peter wrote:
> > Since much has been written about the pros and cons of Behringer equipment I
> > wonder if anyone might be willing to comment about a specific Behringer
> > component, namely the Ultragraph Pro FBQ6200 Ultra-Musical 31-Band Stereo
> > Graphic Equalizer with FBQ Feedback Detection System, Behringer's
> > "top-of-the-line" equalizer?
> >
> > According to the company literature this Equalizer incorporates Swiss Alps
> > potentiometers, which surely have a good reputation, and it also features a
> > relay operated "hard" bypass, in order to permit instant comparison between
> > the equalized vs. the unequalized signal.
> >
> > Unfortunately I have no idea about the quality, or sound, of the op amps
> > used in this Behringer equalizer.
> >
> > I do not intend to use this equalizer in a professional recording setup, but
> > rather for a home stereo system in order to hopefully adjust the system's
> > response in order to cope with certain room anomalies.
> >
> > Thank you very much for your kind consideration and comments.
>
> Given the price of the unit it is obvious it is targeted at garage
> bands and storefront churches. When you undercut HUartley Peavey......
>
> Graphic EQ if properly implemented can be a good thing in a
> reproduction setup but parametric EQ is much more useful. It is
> expensive, see the Manley Massive Passive for an idea...and bear in
> mind that's one channel.

You're suggesting that a high price = audio quality ?

Graham

[Pooh Bear]

Peter wrote:

> Since much has been written about the pros and cons of Behringer equipment I
> wonder if anyone might be willing to comment about a specific Behringer
> component, namely the Ultragraph Pro FBQ6200 Ultra-Musical 31-Band Stereo
> Graphic Equalizer with FBQ Feedback Detection System, Behringer's
> "top-of-the-line" equalizer?
>
> According to the company literature this Equalizer incorporates Swiss Alps
> potentiometers, which surely have a good reputation, and it also features a
> relay operated "hard" bypass, in order to permit instant comparison between
> the equalized vs. the unequalized signal.
>
> Unfortunately I have no idea about the quality, or sound, of the op amps
> used in this Behringer equalizer.
>
> I do not intend to use this equalizer in a professional recording setup, but
> rather for a home stereo system in order to hopefully adjust the system's
> response in order to cope with certain room anomalies.

It'll be fine. Hi-fi gear snobs might disagree but they all have their heads
stuck up their asses. I'd ignore them.

Graham

[Pooh Bear]

wrote:

> A better unit would be one from Rane,

What would be *better* about it ?

Graham

[Pooh Bear]

Bret Ludwig wrote:

> Arny Krueger wrote:
>
>
> > Using audio production type signal processors in home audio applications has
> > some exposures, no matter who makes it. There are two more-or-less standards
> > for input and output voltages. One is called consumer and the other is
> > called professional. There's about 11 dB difference between them, which
> > means that a piece of consumer gear used for audio production could end up
> > clipping, and a piece of professional gear used for home audio could end up
> > being noisy.

Well not especially noisy to be honest.

>
>
> Matching transformers. They're a wonderful thing.

They're hugely expesive. And non-linear.

Changing a couple of resistor values inside the unit makes more sense if you know
how to.

Graham

[Bret Ludwig]

Pooh Bear wrote:
<<snip>>
>
> They're hugely expesive. And non-linear.

They are not hugely expensive and they are very linear when operated
inside their design parameters. They also generally last forever in
small signal applications.
>
> Changing a couple of resistor values inside the unit makes more sense if you know
> how to.

It depends on the type of output circuit and may be listed in the
service manual as an approved mod for good results....oops, there
probably are no service manuals on Behringers.

[Pooh Bear]

Bret Ludwig wrote:

> Pooh Bear wrote:
> <<snip>>
> >
> > They're hugely expesive. And non-linear.
>
> They are not hugely expensive and they are very linear when operated
> inside their design parameters. They also generally last forever in
> small signal applications.

You must have a different idea of expensive to me.

Graham

[Ruud Broens]

"Pooh Bear" > wrote in message
...
:
:
: Bret Ludwig wrote:
:
: > Pooh Bear wrote:
: > <<snip>>
: > >
: > > They're hugely expesive. And non-linear.
: >
: > They are not hugely expensive and they are very linear when operated
: > inside their design parameters. They also generally last forever in
: > small signal applications.
:
: You must have a different idea of expensive to me.
:
: Graham
:
About 30 quid from Sowter. What's a P&G 100 mm fader go for, these days ?
0.05 % dist @ +11 dBu, so well below 0.01 % at normal levels is not
_very_ non-linear 1:4 step up ;-)
Rudy

[Arny Krueger]

"Bret Ludwig" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>
> Pooh Bear wrote:
> <<snip>>
>>
>> They're hugely expesive. And non-linear.
>
> They are not hugely expensive and they are very linear when operated
> inside their design parameters.

Transformers are fairly nonlinear compared to the common alternatives,
which are IC's and passive parts. Furthermore, they generally introduce
frequency response limitations. Today, audio transformers are often used to
impart a characteristic sound.

>They also generally last forever in small signal applications.

So do lots of things.

>> Changing a couple of resistor values inside the unit makes more sense if
>> you know
>> how to.

Agreed.

> It depends on the type of output circuit and may be listed in the
> service manual as an approved mod for good results....oops, there
> probably are no service manuals on Behringers.

Usually you can generate the required small section of the schematic from
the circuit card.

"Pooh Bear" > wrote in message
...
>
>
> wrote:
>
>> A better unit would be one from Rane,
>
> What would be *better* about it ?
>
> Graham
>
From what I've been told, the center frequency controls are more accurate
and there is a better build quality.

"Peter" <reply to newsgroup only> wrote in message
. ..
> Since much has been written about the pros and cons of Behringer equipment
> I wonder if anyone might be willing to comment about a specific Behringer
> component, namely the Ultragraph Pro FBQ6200 Ultra-Musical 31-Band Stereo
> Graphic Equalizer with FBQ Feedback Detection System, Behringer's
> "top-of-the-line" equalizer?
>
> According to the company literature this Equalizer incorporates Swiss Alps
> potentiometers, which surely have a good reputation, and it also features
> a
> relay operated "hard" bypass, in order to permit instant comparison
> between
> the equalized vs. the unequalized signal.
>
> Unfortunately I have no idea about the quality, or sound, of the op amps
> used in this Behringer equalizer.
>
> I do not intend to use this equalizer in a professional recording setup,
> but
> rather for a home stereo system in order to hopefully adjust the system's
> response in order to cope with certain room anomalies.
>
> Thank you very much for your kind consideration and comments.
>
>
>
>
>
A better choice, assuming you want tostay with Behringer is the DEQ 2496.
For whatit costs and whatit does, it's very much better than might be
expected and digital EQ is generally considered a better way to go.