Behringer DEQ2496: Ease of Use


I am intrigued with the possibilities of the Behringer DEQ2496 in tweaking my Avantgarde Duo/BAT system, which is in a large rectangular living room (which would quickly become my "bachelor pad" if I attempted acoustic panels). Only problem is that I am not an engineer, and configuration of the Behringer appears daunting.

Can anyone comment on how "user-friendly" this unit is? For the money, it would seem worth a try.
jeffreybowman2k
Trelja...If one is using the input A/D or the output D/A it is essential (for a valid evaluation) that the signal level be close to, but not over, clipping. This can be a problem with typical consumer audio equipment if the DEQ2496 is inserted in the TAPE loop. I have mine between preamp and power amp, with a lot of attenuation going into the power amp, so that the preamp output is high.

Also, note that RAM does upgrades to this unit which they claim make it the equal of the best DACs. About $1600 for all the bells and whistles (including transformer outputs). Of course the price of this upgrade removes the unit from the "dirt cheap" category, to the "audiophile inexpensive" category. If I find a grand laying around I may send one of my three units off to see what they can do for it.
I was wondering if I can use my CDP's dig out into the unit-correct and then dig out to my CDP's dig in. (MF Trivista) I do have to choose the dig in on the MF remote. I just don't know if the dig out from the transport keeps working when I do that. Any thoughts welcome!

ET
Eldartford: With my room being fully treated the worst case is plus or minus 10db. With just small adjustments across the frequency spectrum I've found I can make a huge difference in the presentation of my system.

At 31.5 I have it cut 4db which is not the 10db it actually is. Also at 10khz I have it cut 3.5db. I'm guessing that you're cutting or boosting more frequencies than the target frequencies which is why I'm apprehensive to make larger cuts. As for boosts I don't want to push my speakers and amp too far although the amp driving my woofers puts out 600wpc and the amp driving the planar/ribbons puts out 500wpc into 4 ohms.

I don't think most people should start out making large adjustments. At least in my experience it has been easier to take my time. The few people who sell these pieces I'd suspect a pretty fair percentage didn't learn how to use it properly and weren't patient. Just my opinion of course.
Warnerwh...I understand your point of view. But consider that if you use the "Feedback Destroyer" to do the cuts the bandwidth can be 1/60 octave, and you wouldn't have to worry about affecting adjacent frequencies.

I am using maximum cut around 60 Hz for my rear speakers that are mounted in alcoves. It's the alcoves which seem to function as a resonant external part of the speaker enclosure..ie: the 60 Hz hump is not caused by the room at large. As such, I am correcting response of the speaker itself, so I don't get into the direct vs reflected sound issue. Whatever...it works.
Eldartford: Thank You! I didn't ever think about using the feedback destroyer. I forgot all about it. Now I'll have to use that also.