Behringer - Upgrade?

[GuitarLover28]

Hello all,

Been playing for 25 years - just started to do some live gigs again at cafe's, wineries and a few pubs. I have a 20 year old Behringer PA system - Eurolive 2000 or something like that. I plug in a mic and an acoustic guitar direct to the system and crack on from there. I play mostly folk and classic country/rock stuff.

As I've just got back into performing live I'm wondering if it's worth upgrading the PA? Has PA sound advanced that much in the last 20 years? Will I get a better sound from a newer system? As you know us musicians will get any help we can get to make it sound better!

Thoughts?

[Peter Z]

PAs developed quite a bit in the last decades:

1. class D amplifiers that are very light and efficient
2. digital sound processing also in the medium class of active speakers
3. improvement of light plastic enclosures
4. light neodymium magnets in speakers

So you can get a more linear sounding, powerful and very light speaker now.

In wineries you might even get away with a battery powered speaker like the Bose S1 Pro or an acoustic amp like the Fishman mini charge.
Pups, I’m not so sure, I just came back from Ireland where I found out that pups can be large (few hundred people) and NOISY.

Nice and cheap powered speakers come from RCF, Yamaha or QSC.

The there are the column speakers. Search here on AGF for EV Evolve. There are similar products from JBL, Yamaha, RCF, … Some of those come with and integrated mixer.

[YamahaGuy]

The biggest improvements are the efficiency of the power amps, as well as the wide angle sound dispersion. One system that gets little love on here because of its price and availability is the LR Baggs Synapse. I'm lucky to have got one at about half of retail price. It has two combo jacks and phantom power and reverb on both. It has an aux in too. It's heavy, but wow does it make an acoustic electric guitar sound good amplified. And it has the wide angle dispersion thing going for it.

Many of the newer units have the app-based mixers too. I have a love/hate relationship with them. I love having the ability to make lots of adjustments. I hate that I have to rely on an unreliable system with the Bluetooth and a phone/tablet/laptop.

[GuitarLover28]

Fantastic feedback - thank you! Exactly what I was looking for.

[rmp]

as mentioned most of the advantages will be in weight/performance.

what you have will no doubt work, at least to get you off and running.

good luck!

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by GuitarLover28

Thoughts?…

Hi GL…
Just because 'better' exists doesn't mean I need it.

"Can we get better sound…"
Sure. If you are prepared to spend $1500-4000 you can get better sound (if you can figure out what needs improving on the sound system and guitar sides).

Will others notice? Maybe…if your current rig sounds horrible. Kind of sounded like it was OK.

I'd set up your system in an auditorium setting (not your basement or bedroom), and see how well it performs with you setting someone up to play/sing using your instruments and mics, and you sitting in the audience and listening.

I'm still using a 2007 powered mixer (Behringer) which I can bridge to 1000W and a pair of Community 12" two way speakers.

The board is heavier than current ones, and the Community speakers weigh more than powered ones do these days. But the sound is really great!

We've used it for any and every situation of 200 people or less, and it sounds fabulous.

If you are an audiophile, then nothing short of the current best is worth considering.

Just because 'better' exists doesn't mean I need it.

[Peter Z]

Sure Larry, but those old Communities were fantastic high tech speakers and not comparable to Eurolives.
You made a very clever decision back then.

[GuitarLover28]

Hi GL…
Just because 'better' exists doesn't mean I need it.

"Can we get better sound…"
Sure. If you are prepared to spend $1500-4000 you can get better sound (if you can figure out what needs improving on the sound system and guitar sides).

Will others notice? Maybe…if your current rig sounds horrible. Kind of sounded like it was OK.

I'd set up your system in an auditorium setting (not your basement or bedroom), and see how well it performs with you setting someone up to play/sing using your instruments and mics, and you sitting in the audience and listening.

I'm still using a 2007 powered mixer (Behringer) which I can bridge to 1000W and a pair of Community 12" two way speakers.

The board is heavier than current ones, and the Community speakers weigh more than powered ones do these days. But the sound is really great!

We've used it for any and every situation of 200 people or less, and it sounds fabulous.

If you are an audiophile, then nothing short of the current best is worth considering.

Originally Posted by ljguitar

Just because 'better' exists doesn't mean I need it.

That is it..... I really like that.

I did a 60th birthday party on the weekend and found that my little system was good - but not brilliant. Voice was good - guitar was where I felt I could do more with the sound.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by Peter Z

Sure Larry, but those old Communities were fantastic high tech speakers and not comparable to Eurolives.
You made a very clever decision back then.

Hi Peter…
It was an 'informed' decision. And the pro sound place we bought them at had an array of boards, amps, mics and speaker cabs you could hook up and try them out.

I've liked Community speakers since the first set I heard being used by a live group.

We tried out the exact combo we bought (and still use).

I've heard some of the Eurolive speakers (depending on the size and what was driving them) sound just fine for live gigs. They are not heavy metal band gear, but folk, fingerstyle, modern pop, worship - just fine.

They are not the equivalent of my rig, but then most people are not playing Olson guitars as their main instrument either (I have been for 30 years).

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by GuitarLover28

[size=2]Hi GL…
Just because 'better' exists doesn't mean I need it.

"Can we get better sound…"
Sure. If you are prepared to spend $1500-4000 you can get better sound (if you can figure out what needs improving on the sound system and guitar sides).

Will others notice? Maybe…if your current rig sounds horrible. Kind of sounded like it was OK.

I'd set up your system in an auditorium setting (not your basement or bedroom), and see how well it performs with you setting someone up to play/sing using your instruments and mics, and you sitting in the audience and listening.

I'm still using a 2007 powered mixer (Behringer) which I can bridge to 1000W and a pair of Community 12" two way speakers.

The board is heavier than current ones, and the Community speakers weigh more than powered ones do these days. But the sound is really great!

We've used it for any and every situation of 200 people or less, and it sounds fabulous.

If you are an audiophile, then nothing short of the current best is worth considering.




That is it..... I really like that.

I did a 60th birthday party on the weekend and found that my little system was good - but not brilliant. Voice was good - guitar was where I felt I could do more with the sound.

Hi GL
You could probably borrow some 2 way speakers with 8" or 12" woofers, and compare them to your system.

If the power amp is separate from the board, it would be an easy switch. There are some great powered speakers (the QSC 8" and 12" are awesome. If the board and amp are together, you would need passive speakers.

Have fun deciding.

[Rick Jones]

There was a venue that I played at for years (The Ha'penny Bridge on the Weighbridge Square in St. Helier) that was a dedicated music venue with bands or acoustic acts on almost every night in the summer season.

Their house PA was all Behringer and it really did the job well.

My own experience with the brand was only with their DI boxes and SM57 clones (we bought them to use at open mics with drunk people) about a decade ago. Those weren't so good. DI had a lot of hiss to it and the sockets would go intermittent, mics sounded quite woofy and needed almost all the bottom end rolled off, which left them with quite a weak signal.

I'd gig a Behringer PA from 10 years ago no worries, but I'd spend more on Shure or EV mics to go with it, and buy decent cables.

[Chriscom]

Originally Posted by Rick Jones

There was a venue that I played at for years (The Ha'penny Bridge on the Weighbridge Square in St. Helier) that was a dedicated music venue with bands or acoustic acts on almost every night in the summer season.

Their house PA was all Behringer and it really did the job well.

My own experience with the brand was only with their DI boxes and SM57 clones (we bought them to use at open mics with drunk people) about a decade ago. Those weren't so good. ...

It depends so much on the product. Local brewery owner bought an analog Behringer mixer for his Evolve 50 and it works fine.

Update--the following was operator error: I bought a Behringer "personal amplifier" to use headphones out of my 30m from its Aux out (XLR on one side, 1/8th-inch jack on the other), and it only feeds one side of my headphones unless I push reallllly hard in the headphone jack.. I didn't realize there's a switch inside the casing--accessible when you replace the batteries--that has a stereo/mono switch. Flipped it to mono, problem solved.

[Chipotle]

Overall sound, maybe not. But portability and features? Absolutely!

As mentioned, much lighter weight systems with class D amps and neodymium magnets. I can fit a PA on a single rolling cart (including cables, stand & accessories!) that would have taken big rack cases and multiple trips back in teh day. So many options also have very good built-in FX, better monitoring capability, and so on. And don't forget the digital revolution, where you can mix from a wireless tablet from FOH... or from your mic stand!

IMO all of that is worth an upgrade, even if the overall "sound quality" might be comparable.