Behringer FBQ800 Ultra-Compact 9-Band Graphic Equalizer

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List Price: $89.99
Sale Price: $69.99
Today's Bonus: 22% Off

• Ultra-compact 9.5" graphic equalizer for studio and stage applications
• Revolutionary FBQ Feedback Detection System instantly reveals critical frequencies and can also be used as Audio Analyzer
• Additional Low Cut filter removes unwanted frequencies, e. g. floor rumble
• Accurate 6-digit LED Input/Output meters and Level control for precise level indication
• High-quality illuminated faders, potentiometer and illuminated switches for long-term reliability

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UPDATE PART 1: This is a virtual duplicate of a review I wrote elsewhere at Amazon, because they have the same item on their site twice. One sold by them, and one sold by Musician's Friend. Please note Part 2 of this update, at the end.

For those of you who know what an equalizer is used for, skip this and the next four paragraphs. If you don't know what an equalizer is used for, think of it as a more sophisticated tone control. Whereas most audio systems have two or three tonal ranges that can be adjusted (base, treble and sometimes mid, the problem is that a control labeled "Bass" boosts or cuts All tones in the range it considers "Bass". Ditto for "Treble" and "Mid". An equalizer simply breaks up the audio spectrum into a larger series of smaller ranges, permitting more precise tweaking. For example, if your audio system is in a room with a lot of drapes or rugs, the lower frequencies will tend to be absorbed. An equalizer allows you to boost those frequencies (and it's not the whole "Bass" range) to compensate for where the losses are. Similarly, a room with wooden floors will tend to accentuate the higher frequencies and make the music seem excessively "bright". An equalizer can be used to cut those frequencies to bring what you hear back into line. They can also be reset for changes in your listening environment. They're also good for commenting for how your speakers color the music. Another thing they are good for is adjusting the sound for changes in you. Simply put, the longer we're around the more our ears and perceptions change. The recorded music may be the same, but we hear it differently. As we age, higher frequencies are harder to hear and an equalizer can adjust for that. Where people tend to misuse these things is they don't realize adjustments don't have to be major. A little motion of the sliders is usually all you need. Of course, the worst thing that is done is when people simply move all sliders all the way to the top. This basically accomplishes nothing and makes people wonder what these devices actually do.

You'll find some sales people or "pros" who will tell you you don't need these anymore as modern systems are so precise there's's no need for their sound to be adjusted. While modern audio equipment is light years beyond what it use to be, the problem is, they can only design for their lab setting and make what happens in the unit as accurate as possible. They can't do anything about what happens to the sound after it leaves the amplifier. Your listening environment and ears are unknown to them and they can't design for it. Or, they'll claim this will "distort" the sound or interfere with your surround sound. Not true. This is just a ploy to avoid the fact that the equipment they're selling may not have the necessary connections to use these marvels. The signal that's going to your surround speakers has already been pulled off before it ever gets to the equalizer (unless you put one on each channel, which seems a bit extreme). These normally are used on the front channels only.

With a little experimentation, the difference these can make is nothing short of astounding. Instruments and voices become clearer and more distinct. Once you've got yours set up, flipping it in and out of the circuit will surprise you. That sound you thought was OK all these years suddenly sounds muddied, as if under water or behind a curtain. Put the EQ in the circuit and it all snaps into "focus". It's subtle, yet dramatic.

Over time, it's become harder to find these devices as people have become lazier. They don't want to spend the 15 minutes or so it takes to set these up (and every setup is custom) so they don't buy them and never realize what they're missing. The best place to put them in the circuit is between the amp and preamp, but since not that many people ask for that feature anymore, the manufactures tend to not put that capability into the majority of their systems. The next best place is in a tape monitor loop. However, fewer and fewer receivers still have the ability to play tape, and fewer still have a true monitor loop. If you don't have equipment with either of these capabilities, you nay not be able to use an equalizer. If you are fortunate to have a receiver or components capable of either of these functions, run, don't walk, and buy an equalizer while you still can at affordable prices.

Now the more advanced equalizers will have more frequency bands to adjust, the more the better until you start getting ridiculous for most home use (25?, C'mon). They'll also have separate c sliders for the left and right channels (there's no need to equalize anything but the two main channels until you get into systems that cost in the serious five figures and then you start equalizing all channels separately). This is great, because you can adjust for your listening environment more precisely, but naturally drives up the costs.

All that said, how does the FBQ800 stand up? Pretty darn good for the price. It's got nine bands, and each slider adjusts both the left and right channels simultaneously, something unavoidable in keeping down costs (or you could buy two, one for each channel). . Construction is OK, but feels a little flimsy, especially the slider. However, this isn't as big a deal as it seems because once you set the system up it's very rare that you'll touch the sliders very often again. So, they're more than good enough for what this unit is intended for, performances and/or home audio use for stereo and home theater systems of the type that most of us have. It adds no noticeable distortion, and draws minimal power (remember, it's not an amplifier).

Could it be improved? Sure. 12-15 bands, separate left and right adjustments, remote control "memory" for various settings for different types of signal. All of those can contribute a lot, especially the latter. But remember, folks, This Thing is Only 40 Bucks! Is this equalizer good enough for a $10,000 or more system? No way. You need to look at better equipment (you'll also have more options). But is it good enough for a $2,500 system? You bet! What it will do is fantastic and who knows? After a couple of years you may love equalization so much you'll want a $400 unit, which can probably carry you darn near forever. Even for the bigger systems, this unit is a great way to experiment with equalization and see what it can do for you. This is an Incredible deal, for the price.

One thing about how Amazon is selling this. Amazon's page says this weighs "32.6 pounds", and so their computer calculates enormous shipping costs. They're wrong. Not only does it not weigh 32.6 pounds, it weighs Less than ONE pound. This has been pointed out to Amazon numerous times, but they have yet to fix this. So, until they fix it, select the free shipping option (unless you already paid for Amazon Prime), which gets you free shipping regardless of the weight. Hopefully you won't need it faster than that.

UPDATE PART 2: This exact same item is also available elsewhere on Amazon's site under the ASIN of B000H2D8VO. If you search for this gem with that ASIN, instead of the one that led you here, you'll find that buying it at that part of the site, through Musician's Friend, will use the more accurate weight, which will save you a bundle in shipping costs unless you are willing to use Amazon's free shipping option at this part of the website. So, the idea is, if you don't care how long it takes to come you could order from Amazon's internal stock, but if you want it sooner, then order it there, not here

UPDATE 2a: Amazon has finally put a more accurate weight into their system, eliminating the problem I described above.

Buy Behringer FBQ800 Ultra-Compact 9-Band Graphic Equalizer Now

My mother is 86 years old and she is half way deaf.

I have gone through at least a dozen products, headphones

connected directly to her TV for her to listen to the TV.

NONE of the headphones met with her satisfaction. The sound

quality of the headphones just did not meet her needs.

I finally realized that NO single headphone sound system

would be adequate for her individual circumstance.

It finally occurred to me that I needed a method to

customize the sound of any headset she was listening to.

I ordered the Behringer equalizer and put it into place.

Man it has done the job. After adjusting it to Mom's hearing

she is happier listening to TV than she has in years.

Hope this helps with ANYONE in a similar position.

Read Best Reviews of Behringer FBQ800 Ultra-Compact 9-Band Graphic Equalizer Here

I purchased this unit because I couldn't locate an acceptably affordable decent quality line-level preamplifier to pair up with my QSC GX5 amplifier. The Behringer documentaton merely describes this unit's gain control as an input "level control". I was pleased to discover that it can indeed be setup to perform as a master gain (volume) control via the associated IN/OUT "control elements activation" button. The additional gain allows me to drive my GSC GX5 power amplifier to it's maximum rated output. It's compact size and portability is also desirable for mobile applications. It can simply be tossed into a gear bag.

One does not require a PhD in Quantum Physics to operate it and it's not as cluttered as a Boeing 747's flight console. Nor can it bend time and space.

This is a sufficiently capable common-sense device that allows the average user to achieve desirable sonic results. The unit's documentation states that the device's rated Signal-to-Noise Ratio is greater than 95 decibels. With both my QSC GX5 amplifier and the Behringer FBQ800 set to maximum gain, the system noise is barely audible with my ear very near the speaker's horn tweeter.

My only caveat with this device is that it's not available in black. The silver finish does accentuate it's cheesy appearance.

Want Behringer FBQ800 Ultra-Compact 9-Band Graphic Equalizer Discount?

If you are familiar with equalizers this one should be pretty self-explanatory. Works well, small size means it fits into almost any audio setup. Many amplified speakers lack EQ or tone controls, probably because the manufacturers assume they will be connected to a computer and therefore the customer can just use software EQ. But although we sometimes do feed computer audio to our amplified speakers, we also feed the output from conventional audio components to them, in which case EQ is needed.

This is a great little equalizer for the money. I have it connected between two Behringer B212D powered speakers and a Dell lap top. I use it for DJ-less music at our club.

When I first set it up, there was a noticable hum but it was due to a ground loop I had and not the fault of the equalizer...