Behringer DEQ 2496 help

You should be able to play a (any) CD from beginning to end, and, using the METER display which logs the peak level, see a peak level for the whole CD at about -6dB, or less. (That's dB down from CLIP). Most of the time the -20 dB green LEDs should be lit. Don't make the mistake of reducing the signal level so much that the 24 bit A/D and D/A are underutilized.

Cwlondon..."Line level" (analog) for pro equipment is higher than the usual for home audio equipment, not lower. The potential problem is that home audio equipment will provide a less than optimal signal input to the pro gear (for example: the DEQ2496). Clipping is not an issue here.

In the digital world clipping just means that all the bits are used up. Sixteen bits set is the largest value that a CD can represent, and if the analog signal goes above that the digital signal stays "stuck" at 16 bits. (Actually it's one "sign" bit (+/-) and fifteen bits of value).
Obviously the CD has a 16 bit clipping level, and if the digital input scaling is bit-for-bit you will not clip in the DEQ2496 no matter how close you come. I do remember that the DEQ2496 "CLIP" indicators light up a bit below clipping (3dB or so) and it is possible that a CD may have been made right up to clipping. The DEQ2496 would only be affectes by actual clipping, not a close call. Unlike analog equipment performance of digital does not deteriorate neat to clipping.

Your systems are probably not crappy, but your rooms probably are. Most fun you can have with your clothes on! Certainly the "bargain of the century".
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Cwlondon...According to Rives Audio, who qualifies as something of an expert on room treatments, you can't do much that way below 350 Hz or so. This is why they developed their PARC equalizer.

Of course it may also be that you have set up a frequency response curve that you prefer over flat. This could be related to your speakers/room, your ears, or just a personal preference.

Cwlondon...See page 14 of manual. Paragraph 3.8..RTA menu.

Cwlondon...There is usually a way to restore factory settings, but I can't find one for the DEQ2496.

Cwlondon...NO!!! If you use a DAC to feed an analog signal into the DEQ2496, it will immediately do an analog to digital conversion. If you want to avoid the A/D and D/A converters of the DEQ2496 (completely unnecessary IMHO) you should feed digital into the DEQ2496, and take digital out of it and then run it through your outboard DAC.

Cwlondon...You can bypass the A./D input converter, and the D/A output converter if you feed digital in and provide an outboard D/A converter connected to the digital output. Within the Behringer the EQ processing and other processing is done by digital algorithms using a purpose-designed (for music) 32 bit floating point module, so all the usual digital phobias don't apply.

Frankly I think that all the complexity and cost of your proposed setup is a waste. Although many audiophiles just can't accept it in a $300 piece of electronics, the A/D and D/A converters used in the Behringer are darned good. Unless YOU can hear better results with an outboard DAC, your money would be better spent on superior recordings.
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Cwlondon...If price is any consideration, the DEQ2496 certainly ranks high simply as a DAC, and the RTA, the equalizer, and all the other features can be considered a bonus! I am not going to tell you if it sounds as good or better than DAC X, Y, or Z, because the only opinion that matters for you is your own.

Regarding build quality and reliability I think these are better than average. I have three of them which have been performing flawlessly for several years. And, FWIW, if one should develop a problem I could buy a new one for less than the cost of repairing the typical audiophile unit.
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