Behringer EP2500

[mike c]

i'm considering this amp for my HT setup, I already have 4 behringer A500's in my HT ...

but the EP2500 has more power, stabler to lower ohms and cheaper than 2 A500's ... the downside: the fan.

I have some questions for the guys here who have the EP2500 ...

1) how noisy is the fan? my research online has rated it between "niagara falls" and "just as noisy as a ps3" (which I have in the same setup)
-it will be about 1 meter away from me but shares the same rack as the ps3 and projector (both with fans that I can't hear) besides the fact that I have an ACU behind me as well.

2) if fan noise is negligible, what about the complaints that instead of blowing front to back (like other pro amps), this unit blows back to front and the filter up front becomes a dust collection bin ... comments?

3) anybody know of tests done on the EP2500 regarding it's power rating? (a power cube test like that was done on the a500 would be great)

4) does this amp sound the same as the a500? (meaning, is it designed just as well as the a500, differences being this one is class h)

5) anybody know how many mf capacitance this unit has?

thanks in advance

 

[mike c]

5) anybody know how many mf capacitance this unit has?

http://www.cwitt.com/epfanmodification/photos/photo4.html

looks like 48k per channel

 

[avaserfi]

While I don't know too much about the amplifier I do know that it is made from quality parts and that the fan is reasonably loud, but is very easy to replace with another fan and should cost you less than 10 bucks. As far as comparing to the A500 I am pretty sure they are of similar design, but the EP2500 is beefier and from what I understand has a little higher build quality.

As for power tests I do not know of any, but my understanding of Behringer is their ratings are fairly accurate with both channels driven.

 

[mike c]

i'm not that handy electrically ...

which is why i'm asking if it really is noisier than say ... a ps3 fan.

if it's not, i can make do with it stock ...

 

[mike c]

anybody read deutsch?

http://www.altoproaudio.de/images/onecms/site/download/alto/testberichtmacro2400.pdf

 

[Adam]

http://www.altoproaudio.de/images/onecms/site/download/alto/testberichtmacro2400.pdf

Mike, I had no success, but you can view that PDF file as HTML and try to have Google translate it. It kept giving me an error when I tried to translate, but you might have more success.

 

[Dolby CP-200]

Just rack it all in a separate room not too far away from the main room that way you want hear the fans running. That should keep you happy.

Besides the noise level of the fan I can’t see anything describing that in the pdf file user’s manual I could check with Digital Village in the morning to see if they have any data on that. But I would guess that the noise level would be around 60dbA maybe? And you know what that means the more you add the more the noise level so stacking them in a adjacent room would be ideal.

 

[WmAx]

1) how noisy is the fan? my research online has rated it between "niagara falls" and "just as noisy as a ps3" (which I have in the same setup)
-it will be about 1 meter away from me but shares the same rack as the ps3 and projector (both with fans that I can't hear) besides the fact that I have an ACU behind me as well.

If the fan noise is a nuisance, you can replace the stock fan with a very low noise Panaflo model[1].

2) if fan noise is negligible, what about the complaints that instead of blowing front to back (like other pro amps), this unit blows back to front and the filter up front becomes a dust collection bin ... comments?

You can reverse the direction of the fan by mounting it backwards, or by reversing the polarity of the wires. It's a DC motor.

3) anybody know of tests done on the EP2500 regarding it's power rating? (a power cube test like that was done on the a500 would be great)

There is no power cube test of which I know about. This would be difficult, as this amplifier produces extremely high levels of output power. The resistive tests performed so far required extreme measures(several hot water heater elements sinked into a water bath) to prevent the test load from heating(which would invalidate the test results) excessively. A Crown technician on the AVSFORUM measured [2] an EP2500 not long ago.

Here is a quick summary(please refer to the actual thread for detailed information):

SNR(unweighted): -110dB

8.5* Ohms: 450 watts/channel @ 1kHz, both channels driven, 0.014% THD [2a]

4.4* Ohms: 650 watts/channel @ 1kHz, both channels driven, 0.035% THD [2b]

2.3* Ohms: 1100 watts/channel @ 1kHz, both channels driven, 0.065% THD [2c]

*The values are not even 2, 4 and 8 due to the complications in getting exact values with the high power dummy loading.

4) does this amp sound the same as the a500? (meaning, is it designed just as well as the a500, differences being this one is class h)

The EP2500 appears to be designed very well, based on it's measurements. It's dead silent(except for the stock fan, of course) and has extremely low distortion at very high power levels.

Personally, I have compared it's physical build to my Crown XLS amplifiers, and the Behringer is built to much higher standards in just about every way. In fact, the Behringer looks to be built to a higher standards than my Adcom GFA-555.

5) anybody know how many mf capacitance this unit has?

I'm sorry, I did not pay attention when I had my unit open. It apparently has the sufficient amount to measure/perform flawlessly.

-Chris

Footnotes

[1]Panaflo FBA08A24L1A, 24V, 80x25.5, 21dB
www.digikey.com P/N P9739-ND, $8.25

[2a] http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=10753603&postcount=56

[2b] http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=10753603&postcount=56

[2c] http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=10755537&postcount=64

 

[Dolby CP-200]

If the fan noise is a nuisance, you can replace the stock fan with a very low noise Panaflo model[1].



You can reverse the direction of the fan by mounting it backwards, or by reversing the polarity of the wires. It's a DC motor.



There is no power cube test of which I know about. This would be difficult, as this amplifier produces extremely high levels of output power. The resistive tests performed so far required extreme measures(several hot water heater elements sinked into a water bath) to prevent the test load from heating(which would invalidate the test results) excessively. A Crown technician on the AVSFORUM measured [2] an EP2500 not long ago.

Here is a quick summary(please refer to the actual thread for detailed information):

SNR(unweighted): -110dB

8.5* Ohms: 450 watts/channel @ 1kHz, both channels driven, 0.014% THD [2a]

4.4* Ohms: 650 watts/channel @ 1kHz, both channels driven, 0.035% THD [2b]

2.3* Ohms: 1100 watts/channel @ 1kHz, both channels driven, 0.065% THD [2c]

*The values are not even 2, 4 and 8 due to the complications in getting exact values with the high power dummy loading.



The EP2500 appears to be designed very well, based on it's measurements. It's dead silent(except for the stock fan, of course) and has extremely low distortion at very high power levels.

Personally, I have compared it's physical build to my Crown XLS amplifiers, and the Behringer is built to much higher standards in just about every way. In fact, the Behringer looks to be built to a higher standards than my Adcom GFA-555.



I'm sorry, I did not pay attention when I had my unit open. It apparently has the sufficient amount to measure/perform flawlessly.

-Chris

Footnotes

[1]Panaflo FBA08A24L1A, 24V, 80x25.5, 21dB
www.digikey.com P/N P9739-ND, $8.25

[2a] http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=10753603&postcount=56

[2b] http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=10753603&postcount=56

[2c] http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=10755537&postcount=64

Interesting most interesting statement on the Behringer EP2500 I might keep a close eye on that model. And besides that its selling for around £220.00 pounds free delivery from Digital Village that’s a quite a bargain for a 2.4KW amplifier.

 

[mike c]

Just rack it all in a separate room not too far away from the main room that way you want hear the fans running. That should keep you happy.

Besides the noise level of the fan I can’t see anything describing that in the pdf file user’s manual I could check with Digital Village in the morning to see if they have any data on that. But I would guess that the noise level would be around 60dbA maybe? And you know what that means the more you add the more the noise level so stacking them in a adjacent room would be ideal.

my research on the net says its around 70+db varying from front to back

 

[mike c]

If the fan noise is a nuisance, you can replace the stock fan with a very low noise Panaflo model[1].

will have to check the availability of that fan locally

... or by reversing the polarity of the wires. It's a DC motor.

now that seems easy to do, i just flip the positive and negative wire?

There is no power cube test of which I know about. This would be difficult, as this amplifier produces extremely high levels of output power. The resistive tests performed so far required extreme measures(several hot water heater elements sinked into a water bath) to prevent the test load from heating(which would invalidate the test results) excessively. A Crown technician on the AVSFORUM measured [2] an EP2500 not long ago.

Here is a quick summary(please refer to the actual thread for detailed information):

SNR(unweighted): -110dB

8.5* Ohms: 450 watts/channel @ 1kHz, both channels driven, 0.014% THD [2a]

4.4* Ohms: 650 watts/channel @ 1kHz, both channels driven, 0.035% THD [2b]

2.3* Ohms: 1100 watts/channel @ 1kHz, both channels driven, 0.065% THD [2c]

*The values are not even 2, 4 and 8 due to the complications in getting exact values with the high power dummy loading.

thanks for that, that still looks great

The EP2500 appears to be designed very well, based on it's measurements. It's dead silent(except for the stock fan, of course) and has extremely low distortion at very high power levels.

Personally, I have compared it's physical build to my Crown XLS amplifiers, and the Behringer is built to much higher standards in just about every way. In fact, the Behringer looks to be built to a higher standards than my Adcom GFA-555.

thanks for that info as well

I'm sorry, I did not pay attention when I had my unit open. It apparently has the sufficient amount to measure/perform flawlessly.

in post #2, i have found a pic that shows 12k per cap, with 4 per side = 48k

Footnotes

[1]Panaflo FBA08A24L1A, 24V, 80x25.5, 21dB
www.digikey.com P/N P9739-ND, $8.25

[2a] http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=10753603&postcount=56

[2b] http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=10753603&postcount=56

[2c] http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=10755537&postcount=64[/QUOTE]

 

[mike c]

Wmax, if it were you:

you had two 8ohm speakers to power, would you use:

TWO A500's bridged

or

ONE EP2500

if they were the same price. (same because the EP2500 + fan + labor = 2 A500's)

 

[WmAx]

Wmax, if it were you:

you had two 8ohm speakers to power, would you use:

TWO A500's bridged

or

ONE EP2500

if they were the same price. (same because the EP2500 + fan + labor = 2 A500's)

I would try the EP2500.

BTW, you live in another country, right? I can alway ship the fan to you via USPS if you can not find it in your country.

-Chris

 

[mike c]

thanks chris, I'm in manila philippines.

thanks for the shipping offer, but I don't know of a way of paying you.
i'm thinking of making a dust filter to retro fit at the back of the fan to prevent dust from entering the unit.

while you're here chris, can you comment on the 10k ohm input impedance? could it be what's causing me to increase the gain on the behringer to nearly 80%-90% and the receiver outputs to the positive side (instead of my normal 0db trim)

 

[mike c]

more research

as I was researching possible alternatives to the EP2500 in the pro-amp world ... I started to look for 400+ watts /channel at 8ohms power amps.

I found this:

http://www.qscaudio.com/products/amps/rmx/rmx.htm

I am now much much happier to conclude that behringer DID NOT design the amp themselves (and most probably imitated the QSC amp for much cheaper), so the EP2500 should be the bang for the buck amp because they did not really spend on R&D (unless you count corporate espionage). harsh I know, but that's what QSC gets for having the RMX made in china.

so, I think I'm leaning towards the EP2500 ... knowing that QSC is behind the design -maybe I should call/email QSC for my other questions

check out the rear pics of both the RMX 2450 and the Behringer EP2500.

they should do this to all the expensive amps.

edit: I knew the A500 was a knockoff of alesis ... but didn't know the EP2500 was a knockoff as well.

 

[Dolby CP-200]

Bugger me they look the same with the exception of a slight cosmetic appearance.

That model isn’t THX approved thou some QSC amplifiers are THX approved.

The (QSC RMX 2450) sales for £480.00 pounds, at (Digital Village) here in the UK a trifle more to pay, not sure what the situation is in the US.

http://www.dv247.com/invt/froogle/12495/

my research on the net says its around 70+db varying from front to back

Good gracious that would drive me stir crazy within a minute.

You’re best off placing it in a rack and sticking it in cloakroom underneath a staircase or something, that way you won’t hear the fan mechanism running.

 

[mike c]

Bugger me they look the same with the exception of a slight cosmetic appearance.

http://www.behringer.com//EP2500/EP2500_rear.jpg

 

[Dolby CP-200]

LOL oh bugger it gets worse, man I feel for you I know what you must be thinking do I chose the red pill or the blue pill.

There’s a similar same case with the Alesis RA300 which looks remarkable like the Behringer A500 wow they almost have exact identical twins!

The weird confusing issue is, is that the RA500 is lot taller than the A500 yet the A500 has the same power as the RA500 yet the A500 looks a lot like the RA300?

LOL so again…do I chose the red pill or the blue pill?

 

[mike c]

i already chose the blue pill ... and I'm going to do it again.

 

[Dolby CP-200]

i already chose the blue pill ... and I'm going to do it again.

Well I chose the red pill I was one step shy from buying my first A500 that was until Turnkey one of the UK’s largest suppliers of PA and audio equipment said we don’t have any in stock so I looked for an alternative.

So now that I started with Alesis RA300 I might as well finish. I’m a little behind at the moment and from the looks of you’re set-up you’re doing quite well indeed and by the way nice professional racks.