Behringer A500 Amplifier: Objective Test Results

[arrt vandelay]

Hi Arrt, and Welcome to Audioholics.

The gain on the A500 has to be at zero, because you don't want to have a loud pop sound from your speakers, that's all. That's the Pro version way of many amps.

Now, with your Energy speakers, you don't really need much power at all, as they are very sensitive (94db for the C-500, 91db for the C-C100 and 90db for the C-100). Also, they are an easy load (8-ohm impedance for all).
Your Yamaha 765 is fine., like you said, "everything sounds good now".
But, if you want to add an external amp, you'll gain more power of course, and you'll be able to play your Energy's louder. BUT, you cannot play them to very loud, because with their smaller drivers, they will overload.

>>> If I was you, I would not waist my money, even if that amp is cheap.
* I'm not a big Adcom fan. And in your case, I don't think you need it either anyway.

If you can try the Behringer A500 at home for your C-500s, and see if you like it, with the precaution indicated about setting the gain at zero, when powering it up, and having the option of returning it; then, go for it, and give it a shot.

Cheers,
Bob

ah, thanks for the info. i figured there would be some sort of pop/power surge when everything is powered up. to me that pretty much rules out the a500 as i am lazy and couldn't be bothered to get off my butt to put the gain at the right level every time i wanted to watch a movie or something.

i know right now i don't "need" an amp, but really just want to see what it would add. who knows, maybe i'll spring for a nicer one, but like you said it could just be a waist of $$$ if i like they way things sound. to get one that has the features i would want seems like it may be more $$ than i'm willing to spend for an experiment.

thanks again...

 

[Lordoftherings]

No sweat Arrt, like I said, might is well save your money for speakers instead, or another sub. And like you said, this type of amp is not for lazy people like you and I.

* If you wannaknow what an external amp does to your C-500s, just get a very cheap used one, but still powerful, from Audiogon. At least, you got to keep it for future use, like another zone, or keep it there with your 765, to power your two front mains, and use the two extra power amps of your 765 for the presence speakers or the zone 2 speakers. Of course, if the 765 allows that.

Cheers,
Bob

 

[AdrianB]

Hi guys, I've been sent over to the Audioholics forum here by my friend, FredK, over at Axiom's forum. We were talking about the Behringer A500 amongst other Behringer amps and he steered me over to this thread to pick some brains (if you guys don't mind).

So, to basically "set the table", I am considering building some tower speakers as a DIY project likely using Vifa/Peerless drivers and have talked to Solen about designing and/or building me a crossover(passive). Recently I started looking at some of the active crossovers such as the DCX2496 from Behringer as a possibility as this would provide ultimate flexibility in tuning the drivers to virtually any type of x-over design out there and is actually not too much different in cost, all things considered. (any comments on active x-overs appreciated...maybe should be in another thread, I know).

Then, I would be looking at using 3 amps to run the lows, mids and highs which brought me to the A500. Most of what I had read until recently was quite positive on these amps, ie good-bang-per-$$, but I'm somewhat concerned now about some of the quality issues being brought up here. Are some of the problems people are having with the A500 because they are bridging them and using 4 ohm speakers? or is it a quality issue or design flaw?

The bigger amps from Behringer look to be quite solid, I'm wondering if they'd be overkill for what I'm thinking of doing though. Granted, the EP1500/2000/2500's are not all that expensive(even compared to the little brother, A500) for what appears to be quite a bullet-proof amp.

I'm quite new to this guys, bare(bear?...beer) with me, any input is appreciated.

Cheers, Adrian

 

[mike c]

Hi guys, I've been sent over to the Audioholics forum here by my friend, FredK, over at Axiom's forum. We were talking about the Behringer A500 amongst other Behringer amps and he steered me over to this thread to pick some brains (if you guys don't mind).

So, to basically "set the table", I am considering building some tower speakers as a DIY project likely using Vifa/Peerless drivers and have talked to Solen about designing and/or building me a crossover(passive). Recently I started looking at some of the active crossovers such as the DCX2496 from Behringer as a possibility as this would provide ultimate flexibility in tuning the drivers to virtually any type of x-over design out there and is actually not too much different in cost, all things considered. (any comments on active x-overs appreciated...maybe should be in another thread, I know).

Then, I would be looking at using 3 amps to run the lows, mids and highs which brought me to the A500. Most of what I had read until recently was quite positive on these amps, ie good-bang-per-$$, but I'm somewhat concerned now about some of the quality issues being brought up here. Are some of the problems people are having with the A500 because they are bridging them and using 4 ohm speakers? or is it a quality issue or design flaw?

The bigger amps from Behringer look to be quite solid, I'm wondering if they'd be overkill for what I'm thinking of doing though. Granted, the EP1500/2000/2500's are not all that expensive(even compared to the little brother, A500) for what appears to be quite a bullet-proof amp.

I'm quite new to this guys, bare(bear?...beer) with me, any input is appreciated.

Cheers, Adrian

the short note:
1) the DCX2496 is great
2) some A500's have a factory defect, so it's better to get the EP2500 and change the fans to the quieter version
3) no, there's no such thing as overkill, get two EP2500's to power your LCR speakers

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=45137

 

[highfigh]

ah, thanks for the info. i figured there would be some sort of pop/power surge when everything is powered up. to me that pretty much rules out the a500 as i am lazy and couldn't be bothered to get off my butt to put the gain at the right level every time i wanted to watch a movie or something.

i know right now i don't "need" an amp, but really just want to see what it would add. who knows, maybe i'll spring for a nicer one, but like you said it could just be a waist of $$$ if i like they way things sound. to get one that has the features i would want seems like it may be more $$ than i'm willing to spend for an experiment.

thanks again...

Turn the amp on last and off first, to see if the pop goes away.

I put one in a bar and it works well. That's a hostile location when they have a hot babe bartender who likes to crank it up at night.

 

[lsiberian]

Hi guys, I've been sent over to the Audioholics forum here by my friend, FredK, over at Axiom's forum. We were talking about the Behringer A500 amongst other Behringer amps and he steered me over to this thread to pick some brains (if you guys don't mind).

So, to basically "set the table", I am considering building some tower speakers as a DIY project likely using Vifa/Peerless drivers and have talked to Solen about designing and/or building me a crossover(passive). Recently I started looking at some of the active crossovers such as the DCX2496 from Behringer as a possibility as this would provide ultimate flexibility in tuning the drivers to virtually any type of x-over design out there and is actually not too much different in cost, all things considered. (any comments on active x-overs appreciated...maybe should be in another thread, I know).

Then, I would be looking at using 3 amps to run the lows, mids and highs which brought me to the A500. Most of what I had read until recently was quite positive on these amps, ie good-bang-per-$$, but I'm somewhat concerned now about some of the quality issues being brought up here. Are some of the problems people are having with the A500 because they are bridging them and using 4 ohm speakers? or is it a quality issue or design flaw?

The bigger amps from Behringer look to be quite solid, I'm wondering if they'd be overkill for what I'm thinking of doing though. Granted, the EP1500/2000/2500's are not all that expensive(even compared to the little brother, A500) for what appears to be quite a bullet-proof amp.

I'm quite new to this guys, bare(bear?...beer) with me, any input is appreciated.

Cheers, Adrian

I will first address your plans to actively drive the high and mids separately.

That is a total waste you can pay someone to design and build the crossover if you just afraid to screw it up. But and additional amp is wasted on a tweeter. Read TLS Guy and his comments on Bi-amping to get a hold of this topic. In fact why don't you just PM him and ask him.

Now for the Low range to midrange active is your friend. I've got an A500 amp and have no issues. My best suggestion is get it from zzounds and then if it's broke send it back and get something else.

http://www.madisound.com/services/leap.php they have a pretty good service for designs.

 

[lsiberian]

I will further add that if this is your first build. You select a kit form madisound instead of building from scratch. This will give you a lot of valuable experience.

 

[AdrianB]

Thanks for the replies, Mike C and Isiberian.


In regards to an active crossover, you (Isiberian) mentioned using the same amp for the mids and tweets. This would imply using low and high pass filters from the single amp to the mids and tweets correct? I agree having an extra amp to the tweets is overkill power/expensewise, but it would then negate using the 3rd cross-over features on the dcx2496 (or other) would it not?

I started looking at active x-overs as an alternative, as they seem to have a lot of possibilities for the DIY'er. I may still go the passive route once I do enough research on them, or I will consider getting Solen or someone to design/build one for me. They would be building to manufacturers fq charts which would be in the ballpark obviously, but would lack the flexibility of an active x-over, at least for the novice, and doesn't mean that it would sound right in my own cabinets.

There's not really too many "kits'" out there that really make me want to try one. Most of them are 2-ways as opposed to full range towers which I'd prefer. I should mention that these would be only for music and not for HT.

Cheers, Adrian

 

[bomellberg]

If someone could email me the schematic of the A500, I'd be grateful. I have a problem with noise and pumping/clipping on channel 1.

bosse(at)mellberg(dot)org

Thanks!

/Bo

 

[aroeth]

A500 versus Marantz MA-500

Price and general specs are similar(within reason, and considering two mono MA-500 units to one stereo A500), I am wondering if anyone has had any experience comparing the two products?

I'm in need of some quality amplification for my rear and surround HT speakers, and ~120W should be more than sufficient for my Energy e:XL-R & e:XL-16 speakers which have a high sensitivity rating of over 90. I currently have a Marantz receiver that will integrate well with the MA-500 from an automation point of view, and they are available used from $100-150(requiring two for stereo).

Specs:

MA-500
Amplifier Section
Continuous power output (RMS)
8 20 Hz - 20 kHz <.05% THD 125 W
4 20 Hz - 20 kHz <.09% THD 180 W
EIA Dynamic power
8 170 W
4 270 W
2 320 W
Bridged mode (2 x MA-500)
Continuous power output (RMS)
8 20 Hz - 20 kHz <.1% THD 360 W
EIA Dynamic power
8 500 W
4 600 W
Damping factor at 8 200
Frequency response 1 W 10 Hz - 100 kHz ± 1 dB
S/N ratio 116 dB
Input sensitivity/impedance 1 V/30 k
General
Power requirements 120 V, 60 Hz, 230 W
Dimensions W/H/D 35⁄16” x 51⁄2” x 173⁄4”
84mm x 140mm x 451mm
Weight 14 lbs. 6.4 kg.


The specs and pricing for the A500 seem to put it in the same ballpark. I'd lose some "automation"(auto turn on) with the A500 and could potentially have to work around input impedance issues. But given the hefty power supply of the A500, maybe it may have a bit more headroom for the dynamics of HT? The A500 has a shared power supply, but appears to have a higher quality transformer, etc. so maybe the fact that the Marantz units are true "monoblock" is a moot "advantageous" point??


Bottom line, I'm curious if anyone has had a chance to listen to both the A500 and MA-500 units and has an opinion on sound quality. Given this is for a HT application, dynamics... "headroom".... is something to consider I would imagine.

I also have SACD & DVD-A multi-channel in mind occasionally, so beyond just HT, "musicality" is important to me as well.

Thanks,
Al

 

[bandphan]

As for the auto turn on, use a signal sensing power strip. The A500 needs a fan mod to run silently. As for sound both will sound the same as long as they are not faulted.

 

[aroeth]

The A500 is passively cooled

As for the auto turn on, use a signal sensing power strip. The A500 needs a fan mod to run silently. As for sound both will sound the same as long as they are not faulted.

Thanks, I appreciate the reply.

But I think you were thinking about the EP2500 versus A500. The A500 is passively cooled(no fan).

I am interested in the EP2500 or Yamaha perhaps for my fronts and center speakers, but I think would be huge overkill(figuratively and literally) for my Energy surround speakers.

Cheers,
Al

 

[bandphan]

Thanks, I appreciate the reply.

But I think you were thinking about the EP2500 versus A500. The A500 is passively cooled(no fan).

Cheers,
Al

yep..... thnks

 

[vincenzoerre]

Hi Guys, i'm from Italy
and i'm going to buy this "behringer a500" amp
i have a couple of boxes with a 15" 100w 8 ohm Woofer and a 1" 8ohm 50w Driver
i use a Ciare Pf 203 2 way Crossover 2000 Hz.
So I would know if this amp is good for me.
I play Piano and a friend of mine is a singer, we would use this amp and speakers.
The Power of the behringer a500 should be 120w rms per channel with my speakers, right?
Do you think that is enough in a rock-band situation with drums,a guitar and a bass?
Thank You, this forum is very helpful, and sorry for my bad english!!

 

[zumbo]

Stumbled upon this.

I haven't checked the thread to see if this is here, but very interesting.

 

[majorloser]

Interesting, but using this amp in our applications you'd keep the gain control turned all the way up. In my case I'm using the amps bridged.

It's funny to see somebody with a studio that extensive using $200 amps.

 

[jeffsg4mac]

Wow that explains a lot. I thought I was having some issue with them so I took them out of the loop. I had my gains set about 70%. I will have to put them back and set the levels with the receiver trims. Huh?

 

[zumbo]

Interesting, but using this amp in our applications you'd keep the gain control turned all the way up. In my case I'm using the amps bridged.

It's funny to see somebody with a studio that extensive using $200 amps.

I feel the same way. However, you do have to set them first. That's some pretty nasty distortion.

 

[majorloser]

Wow that explains a lot. I thought I was having some issue with them so I took them out of the loop. I had my gains set about 70%. I will have to put them back and set the levels with the receiver trims. Huh?

I keep mine at 100%. Very few home audio amps have gain controls. My B&K 7270 is one of the few and the owner manual recommends leaving them at 100%.

 

[zumbo]

I keep mine at 100%. Very few home audio amps have gain controls. My B&K 7270 is one of the few and the owner manual recommends leaving them at 100%.

Seems to me pointless to have them on the B&K if they want you to keep them @100%. Not debating your reply, just seems odd.

I would think running any amp gain up to 100% would be incorrect.

For example, in car audio installation, you run the receiver up 3/4(speakers disconnected). Then, with the correct test tone being sent to the amp through the test cd(depending on what the amp is amplifying), you turn-up the amp gain to the amps recommend voltage output using a multimeter. Then, just simply never turn the volume on the receiver past the set-point.

http://www.shopatron.com/products/productdetail/CleanSweep+Calibration+Disc+%28Audio+CD%29/part_number=97018/1451.0.1.1.48090.0.0.0.0?pp=25&