A review of the Behringer UB2442FX-Pro

[YourBigEvent 0]

OK, I brought this beast a few days ago, and have yet to go live with it, but have played about with it, and read the instruction book.

 

As Behringher put it...This is the big cajuna of the whole UB Series. You get all the features you'd expect in an ultra high-quality studio or recording compact mixer: 16 balanced high-headroom line inputs with dedicated gain controls on all the stereo channels 13-16, 10 new state-of-the-art, studio-grade IMP "Invisible" Mic Preamps, and an effective, extremely musical 3-band EQ with semi-parametric mid band plus switchable low-cut filter on all mono channels. There is also an integrated 24-bit digital stereo FX processor with 99 great-sounding Virtualizer presets, although most of these features I will not use for just mobile work, but more of this later.

 

Because of their extensive and carefully thought-out routing possibilities, these consoles lend themselves equally to both live and studio use, which is why I chose this model, I could have purchased the smaller UB2222, (22 channel), or indeed any of the other products in the UB range, although I went for the biggest model available because I can, and like I said beforehand it should be future-proof. The prime users of this mixer will be high-quality recording studios as well as MIDI-studio applications, mid-size PA applications (quartets, and above to mid size bands), video edits, and similar setups. I wanted one as it seems future-proof, I can add to it and it will always be better than what I need, I required in a mixer three microphone inputs, at least four stereo inputs and the ability to use subgroups, letting me send one signal one way, and another signal another way, to two different amps and speaker, and this mixer should do this with ease (notice I said mixer and not user

 

Each fader, knob and input has quality written all over it, in Uli Behringers name, as it says in the foreword of the instruction manual (I didn't realise how young he was, or at least young looking) faders are not the 100mm industrial standard but I would guess the 60mm ones. In fact he (Uli Behringer) has personally selected each and every individual component, all with the goal of squeezing the very most out of every single one of them. These consoles have been pushed as far as the technology permits to-date.

 

Features of the UB2442FX-Pro (taken from the box !!, should mean something to people like Norty and Kingy !!)

 

Ultra low-noise ULN design, highest possible headroom, ultra-transparent audio

 

10 new state-of-the-art, studio-grade IMP "Invisible" Mic Preamps with:

130 dB dynamic range for 24-bit, 192 kHz sampling rate inputs

Ultra-wide 60 dB gain range

Lowest possible distortion 0.0007% (20 Hz - 20 kHz)

 

Integrated 24-bit digital stereo FX processor with 99 great-sounding Virtualizer¬ presets including reverb, delay, chorus, compressor, tube distortion, vinylizer, and more — plus 1 kHz test tone generator.

 

Effective, extremely musical 3-band EQ with semi-parametric mid band plus switchable low-cut filter on all mono channels.

 

Channel inserts and direct outputs on each mono channel plus main mix inserts for flexible connection of outboard equipment.

 

16 balanced high-headroom line inputs with dedicated gain controls on stereo channels 13 - 16.

 

State-of-the-art 4580 operational amplifiers provide lowest noise and distortion — better than 4560 op amps.

 

2 headphones outputs

 

4 aux sends per channel: 2 pre/post fader switchable for monitoring/FX applications, 2 post fader (for internal FX or as external send)

 

Peak LEDs, mute, main mix, and subgroup routing switches, solo and PFL functions on all channels

 

4 subgroups with separate outputs for added routing flexibility

 

4 multi-functional stereo aux returns with flexible routing

 

Balanced main mix outputs with TRS and gold-plated XLR connectors, separate control room, headphones, and stereo tape outputs

 

Control room/phones outputs with multi-input source matrix

 

Tape inputs assignable to main mix or control room/phones outputs, ideally for a quick MD record of the gig.

 

Switchable +48 V phantom power for condenser microphones

 

Long-wearing 60 mm logarithmic-taper ALPS¬ faders and sealed rotary controls

 

BNC connector for standard gooseneck lamps (Does anyone ever use these ? http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/huh.gif )

 

Internal switch-mode power supply for maximum flexibility (100 - 240 V~), noise-free audio, superior transient response plus lowest possible power consumption for energy saving and of course no extra sockets, or wallwarts.

 

Extremely rugged steel construction ensures long life even under the most demanding conditions

 

Rack mount brackets included (This was also an important part of me buying the unit, as I required a rack mountable mixer, this mixer is about 9U 'high', I had 10U to play with, including the inputs on the rear of the mixer.

 

Manufactured under ISO9000 certified management system, whatever they are !! http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/smile.gif

 

The newest bit of the technology are the Invisible Mic Preamps (IMP)

Five years in the making, the Invisible Mic Preamp (IMP) is a superior mic preamp that delivers crystal-clear audio with incredible reproduction of the slightest noises. It matches or exceeds the performance of outboard mic preamps. You get extreme bandwidth of 5 Hz to 100 kHz coupled to unusually neutral, noise- and distortion-free circuitry. The Behringer IMP provides ultra-linear frequency response up to 100 kHz. The result of perfect design. Almost unmeasurable distortion for your signal integrity.

 

24-bit/ 46 kHz

Digital recordings are often done at a depth of 16 bits, which breaks up the dynamic range between the loudest and quietest portions of a signal into 65,536 steps. They use the finer resolution of 24 bits, which divides the signals‰ loudest-to-softest dynamic range into 16,777,216 steps, allowing for far more accurate rendering of the quieter parts of the audio.

 

Audio signals change constantly, so a digital device must capture these changes as faithfully as possible. The higher the sampling rate, the better. The consoles use a sampling rate of 46,000 times per second. To capture any given frequency, a digital signal‰s sampling rate must be roughly twice that frequency. The sampling rate of 46 kHz is more than adequate for capturing all signals in the audible range — the human ear cannot hear the sounds whose frequency is higher than 20 kHz.

 

Ultra Low-Noise (ULN)

ULN stands for the Ultra low-noise design of our circuitry. It is based on extremely low-impedance components that keep thermal inherent noise and crosstalk at an absolute minimum. The result: your console is considerably less noisy and crosstalk between neighboring channels is virtually non-existent. The result of perfect design. Almost unmeasurable distortion for your signal integrity.

 

Switch-Mode Power Supply (SMPS)

Every console in the PRO Series uses a state-of-the-art, over-sized, switch-mode power supply with lots of headroom. One of the great advantages is that (compared to conventional circuits) a switch-mode power supply adapts to mains voltages between 100 and 240 volts automatically. Furthermore, due to its much greater efficiency, it consumes much less energy than a conventional supply unit. Even more important is the fact that conventional transformers always induce 50 Hz hum (check it out on other mixers when you turn up all volume controls). Their switch-mode supply operates at very high frequency and therefore keeps the mixer "dead" quiet.

 

XPQ 3D Surround

The XPQ 3D surround effect available in the UB1832FX-PRO widens the stereo image and adds life and transparency to your sound — an easy way to put a unique final polish on your music and turn your performance into an incomparable experience, or just book a decent DJ in the first place.

 

Like I said I haven't used it live, and will not use more than 20% of these features, but it is like your watch, it is nice to know if you ever find yourself 300' under water you know your watch will be safe, a bit like this mixer I know whatever I want to do, either disco wise, or live acts wise, this mixer will be able to do it.

 

BTW this is the longest post I have ever done, have listened to two news reports on the radio whilst writing it !

 

 

[NiM 0]

When we had our Battle of the Bands compo on the 23rd, that was the mixer we used. Alongside it's smaller brother.

 

Very impressive. Alot of people I know slate Behringer but you can't complain for the price (about £159)..

 

Gets 2 thumbs up from me.. http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/thumbup.gif

[YourBigEvent 0]

Only recently 'discovered' Behringer, alot of kit fo rthe money.

[ChrisPointon 0]

Whether Behringer Effects or Behringer Amplification or Behringer speakers you can't really go wrong. The Behringer Europower series Amplifiers are worth a look too the EP1500 and EP2500 both offering a lot of Watts for your £.

 

I spent £70 two years ago on a Behringer Dualfex Pro EX2200. Best £70 I ever did spend and even a modest 1kw Sound System sounded a whole lot better, with more depth and bass - without eating up amplifier headroom. The EX2200 made a huge difference and it's the cheapest of the series so I can imagine that the UB2442FX-Pro is a force to be reckoned with http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/smile.gif

[YourBigEvent 0]

I was talking about the sound last night, a decent mixer WILL improve your sound, make every link in the chain good, you have a good chain.......Any system is only as good as the sum of its parts.

 

You wouldn't buy a Bentley and expect it to run as good if you put chip fat in instead of the correct oil would you ?

 

Amixer is not just a few sliders and a volume control, it processes a signal, so a decent signal out of your mixer will continue along the line (a find the weakest point of the system to fail at)