Behringer B-1800X Pro

Once again Behringer got me. I have never had a good experience withe Behringer electronic products. I thought what can go wrong with a speaker(outside the obvious). First the cheap plastic switch on the back inevitably breaks off. Why not design it to be recessed? In addition,when it breaks it shorts out the connection. As a result,blown power amp. Secondly, the speakon inputs are wired differently depending on the position of the switch. You actually have to re-wire the speakon cable if you use both modes.

The specs of the speaker are pretty good. It is rated at 800rms. Nothing in this price range is comparable. Again, Behringer doesn't tell us this. They use a different pwr rating system from the rest of the world. The higher rms rating means that the speaker can handle more power before blowing. Always a consideration, especially when buying a Behringer product. It does not mean it will put out more or be louder than a 400 watt speaker. However, the speaker does perform well.

Good,especially for the price.

Very non-intuitive. Behringer does things differently for the sake of being different. It usually is not better. I don't know if this is ego, or just stupidity.

see above

Further to my review yesterday... i was thinking on the way home, i didnt actually describe the sound...

This thing is a very warm sounding sub... its more of a round sound than a "slap" sound... which is probably partly my mix, because thats how i like things to sound. So, yes, very round and warm sounding.

The B1800X pro is the sub in Behringer's top series of speakers - they seem to be making 4 lines - the S, which is real basic, the P, which i've never physically seen, and the E, and then the B series is the top one. The speaker is reasonably large for a portable sub, i believe from memory it is 76cm high, and about 65 wide and 60 deep. It weighs approximately 41kg, which is similar to my JBL SF25s (2x15) top boxes. The box is made out of MDF I am told, and i was warned not to let it get wet - i havent experienced this personally. It is plastic coated, and it does get marked fairly easily, but no worse than say, my JBL Eons.

This is a passive sub - it takes only speakons (wish it took 6.5s, although i've realised just how good the speakons are). It has an inbuilt crossover at 170hz, and will let you hook up a top box with one amp and no crossover, but i havent tried it. I run these (i have 4 but generally only use 2) behind a DBX crossover and a Yamaha P7000s amp, which will put out 700w a side into 8 ohm. The speakers handle 800w program power according to the specs - sounds unlikely, but i havent seen any evidence of clipping or strain with that amp.

Here's where these things come into their own - they dont sound like a cheap sub - my church has some sort of EAW subs (2 years old too) and these things blow them away. In all the reviews i read before finally taking the plunge and buying behringer for something that involved a lot of money(we all know the horror stories), they all agreed that the sound was impressive, and i agree. Quite seriously, the only time i have heard "better" is with true professional rigs.

I give it a 9, because i am sure that a full size, EV touring rig would sound better.

Has inbuilt handles, but plan on having two people to lift them.

The only fault i have found is with the general design of the back panel. It has a switch to switch between Biamped mode, where you'd run separate amps and maybe more than one sub, and passive mode, where you'd run from this to a top box off one amp... thats fairly tricky to get your mind around (maybe cos i am not used to 4 way speak ons) and the cheap plastic switch sticks out from the back (WHY???)... anyway, on my way to my first gig, i broke it and as a result the sub wouldnt work... when i opened it up, i found it has a bit of a fancy backing on the switch that moves it between terminals to change settings, and after getting a look around and doing some tweaking, i was on the road again with no major tools... fixed it later and it hasnt been a problem since, but its definitely a factor if you are gigging.

IN the real world - i have used these things at probably 6 or so gigs, in a few different setups, with the wedding/corporate band i mix, my own covers band (pop rock sorta deal), my friends rock band, and my church worship team. Indoors and out. I am very happy with them and would recommend them. Not perfect, but more than you could expect for the price. I too-ed and fro-ed for a long time, trying to work out whether i should save up (or incurr bigger debt) and get JBL MRX series, or just go the behringer... they were a good choice.