OH, you can go on... but you don't make many good points. There are only a very few items that they actually 'copied' in the past, one being a mixer board.
So the Boss stomp pad look alike is just a coincidence? They had never seen the Boss stomp pads that have been around forever. You can barely tell them apart.
And they had never seen that Genelec monitor before? The Genelec monitor that was probably the most popular 2-way active nearfield?
They didn't get inspired by these things, they made them look EXACTLY THE SAME.
The EP amps are not even actual copies, they just use a very similar circuit design(which is not exactly anything innovative- class H has been around a long time), and in fact, one could argue in this case they improve upon the performance of the original in this case by compacting the signal paths as to be less prone to noise pickup. The Ep2500 measures superbly - besting the beloved Crown K2 in every way, even though the K2 has nearly identical factory ratings to the Ep2500.
No class H isn't anything unique, but even you are admitting here that they "improved on the original" They might have had a nice thought to compact the signal paths, but the QSC amps blow away the Behringers any day of the week. Clubs don't even consider Behringer anymore, because it costs more to replace garbage than to buy the RMX and leave it there.
Crown K2s get a premium for their name, and are probably overpriced, but K2s are still good amps. Maybe not a value, but, they are good workhorse amps.
They have some superb crossovers (and what is the DCX2496 copying?) for studio monitor and high fi speaker systems use, and the parts used are even top notch.
dbX DriveRacks?!
Their crossovers are okay, I wouldn't say superb. Kind of hit or miss, sometimes you get a good one, sometimes you get a bad one. Some of them hum, some of them are quiet. A lot of them the knobs they use get loose after travel. Typical cheap-chinese made stuff.
The EP amps work great for most people. The Ep2500 is built to a very high standard and even used military spec redundant boards.
For home audio they are fine. Especially on a tight budget. Kinda noisey for a home though.
I use Crest for my mobile gigs, and recently noticed how quiet they are. The CC series is quieter than my Playstation. Costs more than an EP obviously though.
Many of the newer mixers are great - in both parts quality and performance (and are very low noise). I don't have any clue which model(s) you used, but I am referring to their newer and small units, like the Xenyz line. No crap parts are used either, and the sliders on this line are high quality Alps units, as well as most of the rotary pots.
I've used some of their older mixers, and their newer and older DJ mixers. All the DJ mixers, new and old, have junk sliders.
Oh, you just reminded me of another gank of theirs:
The Truth B2030P monitor uses very high quality parts and build(from the drivers, to the crossover, to the cabinet itself), and measures excellent. Better than anything 2-3x the price by anyone, that I have ever observed.
You need to hear more monitors. The Truths are fine for a bedroom DJ, and its great to have a cheap monitor, but they don't hold a candle to M&K, Bag End, or even Mackie. Speaking of Mackie, Mackie also competes with companies like Genelec by making cheaper models that are supposed to be fairly comparable, but they don't make the product look exactly the same and try to trick people into buying it because it looks like something they are familiar with.
Sure, they have crap products too. I have never stated otherwise, in fact, I have pointed that out many times in the past. I would not touch their instrument effect pedals or instruments with a ten foot pole. Same goes for many of their other products. You just have to pick your products carefully.
-Chris
Behringer is a great entry for people who have a tight budget but want to make music. While I don't agree with their engineering practices, I do like that they are an entry point for a lot of people. I'd rather see people use M-Audio as their entry point, but nevertheless, if you need a cheap mixer, a cheap amp, a cheap this, Behringer stuff usually works. Using good gear isn't going to make or break a good DJ from a bad one, or a good song from a bad song. I don't knock people for buying Behringer products, when I first started out I was so broke I'd use /anything/. First time I DJ'd I had one good turntable and one that was so bad beatmatching was almost impossible, and the motor was so dead I had to push the platter most of the time to get it to mix.
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I'm not going to sit here let people rag on Bose for shady business practices and then have someone say "people should buy Behringer!!!!!"
Nothing personal, really. I know there are products I love that people talk bad about or don't like and I get a little fussed about it, but, its just a difference of opinion. No beef with you brotha.
It doesn't sound like you were taking offense, but, I wanted to add this just in case I was coming off cross because I don't mean to be.
