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Behringer A800 Stereo Amplifier Review

A800

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Yes there is. There's no point in listening to any amp that's transparent, as most are. It's transparent, so any amp that sounds different won't be, and therefore wrong.

S

Ideally an amp should put out what you put in but no one really does so because it can't.
I listened to many amps in my life but I never had the impression that even a single one has been really transparent.
According to my personal experience every amp will color the sound somewhat.
Also there have been major differences in cone control, etc. between amps.
If you don't care about actual performance you can of course skip the listening part.
 

sergeauckland

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Ideally an amp should put out what you put in but no one really does so because it can't.
I listened to many amps in my life but I never had the impression that even a single one has been really transparent.
According to my personal experience every amp will color the sound somewhat.
Also there have been major differences in cone control, etc. between amps.
If you don't care about actual performance you can of course skip the listening part.
I ONLY care about 'actual' performance, that's why I don't bother with listening, just measurements. I've done enough blind, level controlled listening tests over the past 50 years to know that measurements are quite good enough to judge real world performance, not just uncontrolled sighted listening.

S
 

A800

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Thanks.
I also think the Behringer U-Phoria is bad.
In my experience it sounds muddy and there it has no(t a lot of) punch.
 
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JJB70

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An amplifier has to be capable of driving its load. So specifications matter and avoiding clipping etc. Provided an amplifier is suitable for the load, and hasn't been designed to deliberately colour the sound I think most of them are transparent. And even where differences can be discerned they are generally so small as to be irrelevant.

I think one of the problems for amplifier measurement and evaluation is that people have become accustomed to the sort of measurements that are normal for DACs and think amplifiers are poor for not matching DAC performance.

These Behringer power amplifiers feel cheap and don't pretend to be audio jewellery but my experience of them has been very positive. They perform fine, and are pretty rugged and reliable despite the low rent feel.
 

Niklasmagnus

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I ONLY care about 'actual' performance, that's why I don't bother with listening, just measurements. I've done enough blind, level controlled listening tests over the past 50 years to know that measurements are quite good enough to judge real world performance, not just uncontrolled sighted listening.

S
And by this statement you mean the A800 are no good?
 

sergeauckland

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And by this statement you mean the A800 are no good?
Just the opposite. The A800, as the A500 before it, are perfectly adequate amplifiers. They do what they are supposed to do transparently. That's all I ever ask of an amplifier. Any spec improvement over that is nice to have, but unnecessary.

S
 

A800

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I ONLY care about 'actual' performance, that's why I don't bother with listening, just measurements. I've done enough blind, level controlled listening tests over the past 50 years to know that measurements are quite good enough to judge real world performance, not just uncontrolled sighted listening.

S

But what about those amps that measure good but perform subpar?
Also there are amps that measure "bad" but perform pretty good.
Measurements are all fine but for me they are no substitution for real world performance.
 

Pulkass

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I have had two A 500 s , still have one, a very nice amp for the price, it showes some musical faults, compared to some other amps I possess, apart from the well known pots issue, shown on you tube since 2007-the amp worked well only with full on pots, don t know if the company fixed the issue in later production. Concerning the ability at handling complex signals, I guess must be also something in the circuit, somehow amps costing from 4000 usd have such ability. Not all of them of course.
 

Pulkass

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My main system is x overed, 4 amps--2 mono class d for bass, a stereo for midrange, a tube amp for highs. Such loudspeakers END does handle complexities, the problem is in the cd, dac, source, amps.
 

sergeauckland

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But what about those amps that measure good but perform subpar?
Also there are amps that measure "bad" but perform pretty good.
Measurements are all fine but for me they are no substitution for real world performance.
Those mythical amps that measure good but perform subpar are just that, a myth. If an amp measures well on a comprehensive set of measurements, not just distortion, it MUST sound good too. It can't not do so.

S
 

Pulkass

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But what about those amps that measure good but perform subpar?
Also there are amps that measure "bad" but perform pretty good.
Measurements are all fine but for me they are no substitution for real world performance.
I had a Technics with very good tested specs, sounded awful.
 

A800

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Those mythical amps that measure good but perform subpar are just that, a myth. If an amp measures well on a comprehensive set of measurements, not just distortion, it MUST sound good too. It can't not do so.

S

I have a different experience.
Good measurements, bad sound.
It happens.
 

gene_stl

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An amp that measures well and sounds bad is passing through bad sound from upstream of it.
Some people like the sound of tube amps, single ended amps, amps with no feedback, vinyl, and other things that measure poorly.
Lets hear some specific makes and models as well as the systems they were in. Maybe an explanation can be found.
Above a certain level amps are so transparent that people can't identify them. That is why the hearophiles are so hateful of correct blind testing.
 
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A800

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I found no explanation but maybe bad design and/or questionable components.
 

Willem

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You provide neither validated facts nor any explanation.
 

Not Insane

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Having been in a few bands, I have a PA and I also use a PA amp for my bass amplification. Both amps are Crown class D. The one for the bass is only 500 watts, bridged, and the PA one is around a thousand, bridged.

But I'm thinking of using one of them for my home system, and continuing to use one of my 70's hi-fi pre-amps. The thing is, they can be controlled digitally to have various low and high shelving characteristics. What this means is that I can use relatively small speakers, shelve them at, say, 50 or 100 hz, and then use a subwoofer below that line. It protects both the speaker and the amp and keeps the speaker from competing with the sub.

We're shifting our music to a different room and I'm going to give it a try.
 

IowAudio

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Did anyone buy this amp and test it at home? What do you think?
Only subs or mains?

This my personal A800 I donated for testing. I've run mine against a Marantz SR4021, Crown XLS1000, Sony V333ES. All decent in their own regaurds but the A800 seems to have better damping factor which I think results in its good low end transience. The low end is powerful, tight, and accurate while the highs are crisp, clean, and detailed. Also seems to be dead quiet in dynamic music and when not playing music. Can't complain at $300, I feel behringer has made a good amp with a fair price. The Crown XLS1000 is probably very close in performnce, size, heat, weight and could be found cheaper if your willing to buy used. Id say if you cam swing an extra $30 just go for the XLS1002 overall its a better deal at $330.
 
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