Behringer DI4000

[swellis01]

Okay,
Most of us would probably rave about our equipment. I love a lot of the new stuff I have just picked up and could write several good threads about how nice it all is.

But not this time.

Despite the negative things I have read, I decided to try my luck and buy a Behringer DI4000, 4-Channel Direct Box. My plan was to go out of my tape deck, into this, to balence the signal, then into a Delta 44.

But the resulting output was noisy. Noisier than the whole analoge tape setup. And a 20db boost, via a switch next to the XLR out, was REALLY noisy. Completly unrecordable. Dissapointed, I took it out of the chain, and went straight from the dbx NR units into the Delta 44. What a difference.

Then, just as I was planning to take it out of the rig, Channel 2 started making a nasty loud noise sound. Not Hum, like a grounding problem, just a nasty static noise that stayed on all the time, even with nothing plugged into it. You could see it on the output meter for that channel.

Junk! I got it for 70 bucks, and wasted my money. Reviews were right. I suppose I could send it in and have it fixed, but they are probably already backlogged with all the other junk they are fixing.

GRRRR....I guess I have just benn luck thus far.

[87PRS]

Guess you could of used that 2% better sound that Paul F. was talking about there Steve. My experience with Behringer gear thus far, by observation of others....don't buy any of the gear for your studio. I have three friends who have bought this stuff for live play and its all failed.

[swellis01]

I was sucked into the vortex of cheap prices and flashy lights. I was the victim. Whom do I sue?

[GZsound]

Behringer gear is certainly an enigma.

I have some pieces of Behringer gear that have worked flawlessly for years and I have had other pieces that have been pure junk from the beginning.

I don't normally use any Behringer gear in my studio, but I have small rental PA units, a Behringer small bass rehearsal amp, a Feedback Destroyer, etc. that have worked as advertised. I had at one time six Behringer mixers and started replacing them when one started failing after about a year. But I also have a couple of their powered mixers that work great, and I have put three of them in permanent install locations over the last two years and they work perfectly.. Go Figure.

It's too bad the gear has such a bad reputation since it is affordable and when it works provides tremendous bang for the buck...but can we afford to roll the dice when it comes to critical audio? I don't.

There are other brands that are close to the Behringer price point that have good reputations for being reliable.. I suggest going with alternative brands.

[swellis01]

Lesson learned. Not a big deal in my case here, though, since I didn't really need it after all. It does make a cool looking paper weight!

And I don't have any other B's anywhere else in my signal path. I do have a headphone amp of theirs, still working.

It's still shocking to me. Even without anything plugged in the back, if I push the +20db boost, the registered signal on the LEDS, on all channels, is -12db. That makes the UNboosted noise floor -32db. Horrible and useless. Especially for a piece that touts a very Low Noise floor as a selling point. I think the engineers have been standing too close to running jet engines!

S

[Audiodude]

Hi all...

I re-named this thread to match the other threads in the gear reviews forum. In my book, this still counts as a review, even though it's not exactly a glowing one...

[jmail]

... though it's not exactly a glowing one...
Ahhh, but give 'em a week or two, and a fire *might* be next!!! You *definitely* want to check your Behringer power supplies...

[87PRS]

yep, this subject isn't anything new and exciting, there are Berry bashers all over the internet contesting to poor build quality and unreliable gear, and then there are the few who have been fortunate with a few pieces that actually function (without repair). Alot of the problem from what I have seen is "cold" solder joints, heating up, and then crackin', bad connections creating buzzzz, low freq humms and noise. Since B company prides itself on ISO certs, it seems it would at least have some quality control...NOT