Now it's time to take a close look at two newly produced loudspeaker models from the increasingly powerful Behringer. Some time ago, in the pages of ISP, I explained more or less what this German company's commercial policy is all about, so that no one would be misled or confused about the quality of the products it offers at super affordable prices; read this as an extreme value-for-money ratio. Not only does this continue with these models, but every relatively short period of time they raise the bar a little higher in the sophistication Olympics.
Eurolive B412DSP and B415DSP
For practical purposes, this pair of newly produced products are virtually identical in design and technical specifications, except for a few small features where they differ. On the one hand, the main distinction between the two speakers concerns the drivers they use: while the B412DSP has a 12-inch cone, its almost namesake B415DSP is fitted with a 15-inch. For the high-frequency way, both work with a 1.75-inch (one and three-quarter inch) titanium tweeter. Given this, and as you would expect, the B415DSP has somewhat more low-frequency response and, of course, is somewhat larger and heavier than its little sister. The specifications table I have attached is quite explicit on this.
As you can see, the power of the built-in amplifiers is clearly superior; capable of delivering peaks of up to 600 W, these two new Behringer machines really have a lot to give, which means they can serve us well for quite a range of purposes. However, this matter of muscle is not the most remarkable thing about these bi-amped speakers, since both the crossover and most of their signal management functions take place in the digital domain. As is now customary, both speakers also include the typical pole cup for wall-bracket or tripod mounting, and they can be used as stage monitors if needed. The mains connection is made via the classic standard IEC connector, and the corresponding cable is included in the package; which, I must say, is somewhat short, especially if the speaker is going to be mounted on a tripod. In any case, nothing serious. Three meters at least wouldn't hurt; the joint with the extension cord ends up dangling in plain sight, which isn't very attractive.
DSP on board
Both the B415DSP and the B412DSP are based on a digital sound processor from the renowned Motorola, with an effective resolution of 24 bits and a sampling rate of 48 kHz in the A/D/A conversion, more than enough for the purpose. Bear in mind that, with this sampling rate, analog frequencies on the order of 24 kHz can be converted quite successfully. A telling example is the fact that the ordinary audio CD (note that I am not referring to the SACD) runs at 16 bits/44.1 kHz; so...
Because they work with a DSP (hence the letters in the names of both speaker models), the frequency transition between the two ways (at 24 decibels per octave) takes place in the aforementioned digital domain. In addition to what I have told you so far, the Behringer 415DSP and 412DSP also include a rotary control that engages a widely tunable noise gate, a pair of knobs for two-band EQ, and even a control to engage a low-cut filter, also generously tunable.
Digital dynamic EQ
This is another of the strong points (perhaps the strongest) of these active speakers. The inclusion of this feature, or function, makes it possible for both the auditory performance (so to speak) and the electroacoustic performance to be optimized at all times.
When, in certain situations, we are working with amplification systems much more powerful than we need, in principle we will have no choice but to reduce the signal level sent to that amplification system, which is perfectly logical. Since we are forced to do this, the result we get by working at a low percentage of the maximum signal will easily be somewhat poor, mainly because the frequency response of the amp or amps will be somewhat narrower (which is why the specifications of some power amps often list the frequency response at, for example, one-eighth of maximum level), nor will the signal-to-noise ratio be the best the system can give us, and so on.
However, the main obstacle we will have to overcome comes from the physiology of our own auditory system. I am referring here to the equal-loudness curves (isophonic curves), or equal-loudness contours, something I won't go into further for now, although I will comment on it broadly. In the presence of low-level sounds (close to the threshold of hearing), the ear picks up the frequencies at the extremes of the hearing range (lows and highs) less well; as the sound pressure level increases, this physiological effect is automatically minimized and the ear's frequency response curve tends to become flatter, or more linear. Hence the reason for the weighting curves or filters (at least A and C weighting) featured on measuring devices such as sound level meters, which are trying to do nothing other than emulate the human auditory system. Surely more than one of you knows the famous LOUDNESS button so common on home stereo equipment; now you know its real function: physiological compensation at low listening levels. All this control does is apply an (EQ) boost at the extremes of the audible band.
To counter all this, the Behringer B412DSP and B415DSP include two bands of genuine automatic dynamic EQ (digital parametric), which works by continuously monitoring the program signal and acting on it according to its instantaneous level. I was able to verify the effectiveness of this implementation over a wide range of levels (from low up to triggering the clip indicator), and it is certainly very effective, especially at low levels, where the clarity of the music is paramount.
More functions
A pair of switches give us, on the one hand, CONTOUR, which engages a preset EQ or voicing for vocal or music use, and on the other, a switch called TIMED TURNOFF which, once activated, automatically shuts the speaker off if no signal is present at the inputs for a preset period of three minutes, reactivating as soon as signal reappears at its inputs. There is also an automatic limiter for each amplifier that will save us more than one headache if we push the level too far.
Mixer included
Note that I said inputs; that is because these speakers have two of them (balanced XLR), each with its own level control and an operating range so wide that on both inputs it goes from mic to line sensitivity. In other words, these new Behringers incorporate a basic two-channel mixer, which I tested myself without any complications. As you can imagine, this is a truly complete product. If you don't need to amplify more than a couple of mics (on each speaker), or a mic and music, or whatever comes up, always within the mic-to-line sensitivity ranges, choosing one of these two electroacoustic speaker models will be extremely convenient, portable and economical (they are Behringers, after all); in short, ideal. Purchasing either of the two models is explicitly recommendable.
Next time
Along with this pair of active bi-amplified electroacoustic speakers, I also received the XENIX 2442FX mixer (which is, incidentally, what I actually used to test these two machines, while also testing the mixer itself). That is what I will be analyzing in the next issue of ISP, something I am not doing here (I was given the option) so as not to overstretch the space I have been granted for analyzing and commenting on both products (speakers and mixer); so if this subject interests you, you just need to be a little patient.
That's all for now, but not before thanking the management and staff of the Casa de la Buelga (a university extension center run by the University of Oviedo, where I tested the system), located in the municipality of Langreo, for their explicit support and collaboration. As I said, friends, in the next installment: the XENIX 2442FX. In the meantime, cheers and best regards.