Behringer A800 Stereo Amplifier Review

[Pulkass]

I've modded many speakers with prices ranging from less than $100 to $10k new. This one picture shows 3 modded speakers I did this last year, im working on a matching center to the Heresy's i made. The ML Areius (the smaller electrostats) I added a second woofer (and bypassed crossover) on the rear panel and made them into an entirely better sounding speaker. The prodigy has the crossover on the woofer bypassed to stop the bad idea they built into them that corrects room modes, now the bass is prominent and goes deep. Neither match my DIY electrostats that burned in a fire, 28 JansZen panels total 14 per side .View attachment 507862
I use a behringet 3 way crossover in my system I like it better than the dbx 2 way. I only use it as a 2 way.
It keeps rotating my pictures!

That's what I want !!! My idea of mid higs module

 

[Zinda]

That's what I want !!! My idea of mid higs module

Wait, there was a speaker in that picture, let me look again!

 

[Zinda]

I wish l had got hold of those Graebner (?) ribbon 6 ft mid highs, from Arizona, the company went bust 10+ years ago,Paired to a 12 '' woofer should have been great. My modding is basically adding mass to cabinets, bracing, silicon gaskets. Companies so greedy don't want to spend 30 bucks for such amazing improvements. Jbl is one of the worst.

I was in the process of making a stack of JansZen electrostatic panels I had 28 total and once I started planning it out, I realized I would be running a ton of wires from each separate power supply (they are not small, all have a transformer or 2 and 3 wires to each panel along with a string of 22MΩ resistors. I opted for this to keep the wiring more localized. This was my test results of course it needed a plan on a finished cab but it ended up being melted in a small fire.

You can see I was working on a possible frame and later I notched the center cabinet on top and bottom to bring the center row even with the 2 sides to make a square frame. Bottom woofer was in an old gutted cab for testing but would have been part of the base. The center 10" is a Monitor Audio subwoofer and the bottom 12 is an Infinity from a Kappa 7. Both woofers survived the fire but not fully survived the fireman's axes.

I can't figure out why it turns some images, I have tried rotating them to this position before uploading but it still posts them like this. My amps had no problem running this difficult load 4 power supplies per side all wired in parallel, woofers in parallel with an active crossover, I allowed a 1 octave overlap using the natural roll off of the panels which started at 800Hz and was down to nearly zero at 600Hz . The woofers stopped at 800Hz , both tested nearly flat from 24Hz to 3kHz. The MA subs had a huge spike at 3kHz then right to zero. The Infinity played past 3kH, but steadily declined afterward no spikes. Both are 3 or 4Ω.

There was still a wad of wires to hide, I can't even imagine how long it would have taken if I stacked them in a single column. I had to run new wires as it was but runs were only foot or two. 14 panels with 3 wires each is 42 wires going to 4 different power supplies. The bluish green panels were from early Infinity's made by RTR, the others were original JansZen dated 1959 and 1971 removed from C300 and Z400 series jansZens.

 

[Pulkass]

I was in the process of making a stack of JansZen electrostatic panels I had 28 total and once I started planning it out, I realized I would be running a ton of wires from each separate power supply (they are not small, all have a transformer or 2 and 3 wires to each panel along with a string of 22MΩ resistors. I opted for this to keep the wiring more localized. This was my test results of course it needed a plan on a finished cab but it ended up being melted in a small fire.
View attachment 508652
You can see I was working on a possible frame and later I notched the center cabinet on top and bottom to bring the center row even with the 2 sides to make a square frame. Bottom woofer was in an old gutted cab for testing but would have been part of the base. The center 10" is a Monitor Audio subwoofer and the bottom 12 is an Infinity from a Kappa 7. Both woofers survived the fire but not fully survived the fireman's axes.
View attachment 508651
I can't figure out why it turns some images, I have tried rotating them to this position before uploading but it still posts them like this. My amps had no problem running this difficult load 4 power supplies per side all wired in parallel, woofers in parallel with an active crossover, I allowed a 1 octave overlap using the natural roll off of the panels which started at 800Hz and was down to nearly zero at 600Hz . The woofers stopped at 800Hz , both tested nearly flat from 24Hz to 3kHz. The MA subs had a huge spike at 3kHz then right to zero. The Infinity played past 3kH, but steadily declined afterward no spikes. Both are 3 or 4Ω.

There was still a wad of wires to hide, I can't even imagine how long it would have taken if I stacked them in a single column. I had to run new wires as it was but runs were only foot or two. 14 panels with 3 wires each is 42 wires going to 4 different power supplies. The bluish green panels were from early Infinity's made by RTR, the others were original JansZen dated 1959 and 1971 removed from C300 and Z400 series jansZens.

How is it possible than no one builds such marvellous GB like 6 ft ribbon loudspeakers? A guy in Spain sells them at 7000 usd - pair . New he states. They were originally 2000...wish I had bought them.

 

[EJasonC]

As soon as Behringer A800’s become available from back order, I plan on feeding a pair of LFE/Subwoofer outputs to this amp which would then be driving a pair of Clark Synthesis TST429 Platinum Transducers
Based on a few reviews that seem to indicate the A800 does rather well in the bass region, will the Transducers be too difficult to drive?
Is the A800 a good option as a Subwoofer/LFE amp driving Transducers for bass frequencies exclusively?
Are there other similar amps available with similar pricing & features as the A800, including convection cooled / no fans?

 

[staticV3]

Are there other similar amps available with similar pricing & features as the A800, including convection cooled / no fans?

Not that I know.

For cheap, passively cooled output power, the A800 is still king.

 

[gasolin75]

Fosi Audio V3

 

[Westsounds]

Fosi Audio V3

Its just a TPA3255 with an orange volume pot and a larger price tag.

 

[gasolin75]

Not super expensive

Fosi audio v3 monos over 200 watt in 4 ohm 1% thd https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/power-amplifiers/fosi-audio-v3-mono-combo-p-20935.html

 

[EJasonC]

Unfortunately, Fosi V3 won't do.
My Processor is fully balanced with XLR outputs.
I send LFE outputs to subs XLR input which also have an XLR output.
From the subs XLR output, I will feed to the A800 and then to the TST429's.
That way, during late movie nights, I can dial down the subs while turning up the Transducers so as not to disturb my neighbors with LFE.

 

[EJasonC]

Got it today! Now the challenge of mounting the transducers.

 

[Yourgis]

Received it yesterday. At the beginning it occasionally hesitated to power on - clipping and prot leds flickering and no sound. Now it seems to be fine. I'm using it to power my GRS 10SW-4HE sealed sub with LinkwitzTransform to 25 Hz. One channel is well capable of driving it above its mechanical limits.

 

[effj]

Sweetwater’s website claims that it currently has this amp in stock for $229 new, which seems like a steal given current world economic conditions.

 

[HumbleDeer]

I paid €179,- in March of 2020 out here in Belgium. That price is indeed not bad in retrospect! I think it was actually on sale at the time. In any case: I hadn't realised it had been six years and some since purchasing. It's been almost flawless since then. Just a brief stint of a very very occasional "crackle" that would fade in on one channel as if it were thermally exacerbated corrosion noise, but I admit a brief percussive therapy seems to have solved that issue for the past three years to never return. I'm definitely happy!