I just bought one of these and have a couple of usage questions.
When using the Auto EQ function:
-should I only use frequencies above 100hz? I ran it once going down to 20hz and it seemed to work fine. It cut most of the frequencies below 100, except 20hz which it boosted.
-should auto eq (page 2 menu) be set to fast, mid or slow?
-on the page 3 menu, what should "Max" & "Max Span" be set to?
-what setting should I use for noise gain? I set the volume pot on my pre-amp to approx my normal listening level and then set noise gain to -40, again this seemed to work okay.
I was surprised how much clearer everything sounded, especially complex music, after running the Auto Eq function. |
Drubin-
Good point, I didn't even think of that. I have Vandersteen 2ce's and they are suppose to go down to about 28hz. |
Eldartford-
Thanks for the response! I think that answers everything. If I have further questions I'll post back.
I can't believe how good everything sounds putting this "active" component in the signal path. I always thought the shortest, most passive path, from source to speakers was always best. One more myth shot down. |
One more question.
How do I know when Auto Eq is finished? The manual says you have to stop it. How do I know when to stop it? |
I've never let it go long enough for the light to come on. I let it run on the "fast" setting for 5 minutes, then switched it to "slow" for another 5 minutes, then just watched it until the bouncing back and forth was minimal and then I stop it. By minimal I mean just a few frequencies going up a notch or two, then down a notch or two.
I can't believe how much clearer the sound is. In my book this is a "must audition" piece. |
Just an update. I love this thing. If you haven't tried one yet, do it! It really makes a huge difference. There wasn't a flat response in my room. Every frequency was either up a few db's or down a few db's. I can't believe I thought my system sounded good before. When I bypass the EQ everything sounds muddy and vague. When I turn it back on everything snaps back in to focus. It really is one of those products that you have to hear for yourself.
For the record:
TRL modded Sony 900
TAD-150 pre
McCormack DNA 0.5
Vandersteen 2ce's
Usher interconnects and speaker cable.
PS Audio & Signal Cable power cables |
I did not shape the curve. I set it to flat and then hit "room correction". Should I be tweaking it or is that just personal preference?
The thing that amazes me is that everything is clearer. I had no idea an EQ could make this kind of difference. |
Another question. Does it matter if the DEQ is before the pre-amp or after? Right now it's between my pre-amp & amp. I'm not using it as a DAC because I don't want to mess with the amazing sound from my Sony/TRL 900. But if I move it before my pre-amp I could use it as a DAC for my satellite receiver and my Sqeezebox. Any reason NOT to move it upstream? |
I just realized how stupid my last post was. Hello, it's a DIGITAL eq. |
I thought if I used analog in and analog out I was bi-passing the DAC.
Eldartford-
If I move it before the pre-amp I can only use one source? I can't hook up something to the analog in and something else to the digital in? I can't switch between 2 or 3 inputs? |
Twice now, my Behringer has emmitted a LOUD pop and then shows an error on the display. This has only happened when there was no music playing.
My pre-amp is tube, so I turn it off when I'm not listening. I leave the Behringer and my ss amp on continuously. Both times it happened there was nothing else on, TV, DVD player, nothing. My system is on a dedicated circuit and the DEQ is plugged in to a conditioner.
Any ideas? |
It says something like "please shutdown and restart, error 7". I'm sure about the "error 7" but I can't remember exactly what the first part says.
I had read somewhere that there were some quality issues with the Behringer, just wondering if this is related? I will contact Behringer directly and see what they say. |
Here's the response I got from Behringer
Hi Eric and thanks for writing to us!
First I would recommend turning OFF the power amp (to prevent any more potential 'pop' sounds while you are troubleshooting and turning things on/off from reaching your loudspeakers), and then attempt a factory reset on the unit by the following steps:
1) press & hold keys "compare" and "memory" during power up.
2) confirm reset by pressing "OK"
Then leave the unit on for an extended period of time, such as overnight or while you are away at work for the day, to try to reproduce the error message symptom (again you may want to leave the power amp turned off during your testing to avoid the possibility of the 'pop' being amplified to the speakers again).
If the error message still occurs after performing the factory reset procedure above, that could indicate a DSP error within the unit, and I would recommend contacting the dealer to see about making arrangements to exchange the unit for a replacement at your earliest convenience. Or,
if exchanging the unit for a replacement through the retail dealer is not possible, please use the instructions below to get in touch with our warranty service department and we will be glad to help you make arrangements directly through BEHRINGER.
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"Sometimes an input wire from a turned-off source can be noisy...noise that goes away when the source is powered up..."
"I'm guessing that with the preamp off and thus an open circuit to the input, some noise is being picked up on the input causing the problem."
I bet it is something along these lines. I'll keep you posted if there are any further developements. |
I just developed a new problem. I installed a Squeezebox, connected via ethernet. Runs great, no problems, until I turn on the Behringer, then there is a loud buzzing. As soon as I unplug the Squeezebox, the buzzing goes away. It doesn't seem to matter where the Squeezebox or the Behringer are plugged in, same conditioner, same outlet, different conditioners, different outlets, if they are both running, there is buzzing. Also doesn't matter if the Squeezebox goes into the pre via anaolg connections or into the Behringer via digital. Both on, buzzing. One or the other on, no buzzing.
Any ideas? |
Eldartford-
http://www.slimdevices.com/
The connection doesn't matter. It starts buzzing as soon as the Sqeezebox is plugged in to the outlet, even if it's connected to the pre-amp and not the DEQ. |
It does go away if the Behringer is off. |
If it's not connected to the pre or the Behringer, but it is turned on, there is no buzzing. If it's connected to the pre with the Behringer turned off there's no buzzing. If it's connected to the pre with the BEhringer turned on there is buzzing. Obviously the Behringer is picking up something and sending it to the amp, I just don't know how to isolate and remove it. |
Streetdaddy said-
"When i hit auto eq, i see the circles moving. But some of them are still at +10 to +15 after a couple of minutes in "fast" mode. Is this a problem? Will it eventually get to flat?"
The "circles" go where they need to, to make the sound flat at the mic. They don't move back to flat on the display.
Not the most elegant explanation, but I think you can see what I mean. |
It's the opposite for me. When I hit bypass it sounds muffled. |
I've been very happy with my DEQ, but after having such outstanding results getting my Sony 900 modded by TRL, I wanted to see if they could mod my Behringer DEQ.
Long story short, I exchanged a few emails with Brian at TRL, he told me that they have tried, but are unable to get any significant improvements out of this machine. He said they worked on one for two full days and ended up sending it back to the guy, along with the his money.
I think that says a lot for the Behringer. They are getting huge improvements out of very expensive cd players, DACs, etc but can't squeeze anything more out of this $300 EQ/DAC.
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Make sure your speakers can go to 20 Hz. My speakers only go to about 26Hz, the first time I ran auto eq, 25Hz was boosted a few db and 20Hz was boosted a LOT. If your speakers can't go that low, it could put strain on your amp and/or speakers. |
Kck-
The pink noise runs until you hit "done". I was letting it go for about 5 minutes, but someone clued me in, now I let it go for about a minute in "fast" then another minute in "slow". That seems to be plenty.
Also, I use the anolog in/out. I have it between my pre-amp & amp, no problems at all. I couldn't be happier with this product. |
From my understanding, AEQ will set the frequncies to whatever your target curve is. AEQ with Room Correction will slightly roll of the highs & boost the lows.
No doubt someone will correct me if I'm mistaken.
I'd also like to know what all of the other function do. They may be more for professional use. |
