Anyone use a Behringer DEQ2496 out there? (1 Viewer)

[Kevin C Brown]

(Richard M? )

I am looking at this guy to replace my buzzing BFD 1124. (To eq a sub.) Also doesn't have the turn on and turn off thumps the BFDs do.

(Richard turned me on to it.)

Anyone else use one? Seems like waaaaaay powerful.

"Ultra high-res 61-band real-time FFT analyzer with additional EQ function for room and loudspeaker equalization."

I'm just wondering if I'd be in over my head with this guy.

 

[Kevin C Brown]

(Richard M? )

I am looking at this guy to replace my buzzing BFD 1124. (To eq a sub.) Also doesn't have the turn on and turn off thumps the BFDs do.

(Richard turned me on to it.)

Anyone else use one? Seems like waaaaaay powerful.

"Ultra high-res 61-band real-time FFT analyzer with additional EQ function for room and loudspeaker equalization."

I'm just wondering if I'd be in over my head with this guy.

 

[MingL]

yeah, I'm using them.

Very nifty and has a better user interface, IMO, than the 1124.

The only issue is the different signal input levels of the 2496. 1124 can be set to a consumer friendly -4dbu but the 2496 is too high at +12dBu for consumer signalling..

 

[Craig Chase]

Kevin... It is a great piece... go for it !

 

[Kevin C Brown]

So will the input level work OK for a sub then?

And then, if I add a mike (Radio Shack meter?) and mike preamp, it looks like it might do automatically somehow in terms of dealing with room nodes, what I do manually now with a PC, the RS meter, and ETF5? (Analyze freq response, and suggest where to attenuate peaks?)

Looks like new it's around $330, but I've seen them as low as $260 on ebay.

 

[Craig Chase]

The input level works fine. I picked up RCA to XLR adaptors... and was all set. Make sure you also have a ground adaptor... It cut noise out completely

 

[MingL]

Despite the difference of voltage levels, its still going to work fine. However, we are going to loose resolution because the DEQ's ADC will never make use of the full 24bit resolution.

 

[Ned]

Do you need a mic amp with the DEQ? How important is it to have your mic calibrated if you get say the Behringer ech8000?

 

[Richard_M]

Ming,

This is true, but you must also remember that this is the maximum input level, the problem is even with the BFD how often do you run it at maximum, so the problem we face is no matter which unit you use the ADC's will always have some problems with lack of input.

For instance my DEQ when I run a sub test at reference into my DEQ, the input lights up to the -6dB light, this also allows a little head room, the sub out of my receiver is set at -3dB, and since it is only used for the subs I have never noticed any audio colouration by the ADC/DAC's.

Dick

 

[Kevin C Brown]

Cool. I'll start looking around for one at the right price. Thanks!

 

[MingL]

On DSP devices, its best to use the full resolution and dynamic range of the ADACs given. By virtue of its use for home theater, the input signal will change according to the master volume. But if the master volume is set to reference levels, known recorded pink noise of -20dBfs should register -23dB below clipping level (extra 3dB as a overhead buffer). This will use as much resolution of the ADCs as possible optimally.

But what is not recommended (although perfectly useable) is to have the same -20dBfs pink noise at reference levels barely registering -50dB on the 2496. By doing that, we are leaving the most significant 30dB of dynamic range unused.

As with the BFD, its best to use as much dynamic range as the ADC allows. By playing bass heavy DVDs and ensuring the yellow LED lights up (while not allowing the red LED to light up) in the heaviest bass sequences at reference level, I'm quite sure I'm using the full dynamic range of the ADC.

So long as the signal is not too low, the DEQ is my preferred unit over the 1124. The RTA is already quite a useful feature. The GEQ allows a house curve to be set fairly quickly and the compressor/limiter can help prevent bottom outs.

 

[JamesDB]

Hey Kevin,

I posted a personal review a while back... maybe it can help/

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...hreadid=190134

James

 

[Kevin C Brown]

James- Awesome! Will obviously take me some time to get through that thread. I might have some questions for you...

One quick question, I think I've seen that even new units come with 1.2 rev software. But there is the PEQ low cut/high cut filter in rev 1.4 that I could use as a sub-sonic filter. But maybe not easy to upgrade the software via MIDI? (I have no MIDI capability here I don't think.)

 

[JamesDB]

Kevin,

I thought about doing the firmware upgrade, but I've fried a few devices before and decided it was not worth the risk of having to send it back for weeks just to have them fix it.

Even if there is a filter I'm not sure if one could set it for under 20Hz since the software and graphs currently work from 20-20K Hz. My sub has a 15Hz subsonic filter that I engage, perhaps your does too.

I do like the limiter since for certain movies I tend to push my sub rather hard. It took me a while to find the right setting by watching transducer motion vs the input Db scale but now even if my sub is going crazy I am fairly well protected against that horrible bottoming out clack.

I would recommend you get the ecm 8000 mic. For $30-40 I think its worth every penny and you will really be able to do some pretty fine calibration with it. Much better than the Radio Shack and the Behringer has the sound meters built in too.

James

 

[Richard_M]

Kevin...

I was fortunate that I had my midi set up for the BFD; therefore updating the firmware of the DEQ was a breeze.

The SoundBlaster midi interfaces work well, they plug into the game port of the sound blaster cards, they did come bundled some years ago, and I still have a couple in my junk bin. Check with a local computer guy, and see if you can beg, borrow or steal one. Other than that there are USB-midi adaptors that work well, the only problem with the DEQ it does not have any software available to program it remotely, we need some software guru to write us a program.

Investing a lot of money in a midi device with out software control is not a good investment.

 

[Kevin C Brown]

I think I just realized that I know some computer/geek/musician types who could probably help me out.

 

[Kevin C Brown]

I think I just realized that I know some computer/geek/musician types who could probably help me out.

 

[Kevin C Brown]

See, I had a question about that 20 Hz lower limit too. The BFD has the same spec. But what happens below 20 Hz? There's still output, but it's just not "rated" below 20 Hz? And yes, I'd actually want to apply that low cut filter at the lowest possible freq. Ideally about 15 Hz, but I'd probably still be limited to 20 Hz. Would I still get the 12 dB/octave slope below 20 Hz? Otherwise, rev 1.2 would be fine.

 

[Kevin C Brown]

See, I had a question about that 20 Hz lower limit too. The BFD has the same spec. But what happens below 20 Hz? There's still output, but it's just not "rated" below 20 Hz? And yes, I'd actually want to apply that low cut filter at the lowest possible freq. Ideally about 15 Hz, but I'd probably still be limited to 20 Hz. Would I still get the 12 dB/octave slope below 20 Hz? Otherwise, rev 1.2 would be fine.