Behringer Subs

leear

I spoke to you about Behringer subs a few months back. I own a pair of the B1800Xs like you. That doesn't make me any kind of expert, but I am familiar with these subs.

When these subs are in passive mode, the signal passes through a crossover. The highs are sent to a main speaker. This is fine if you are parallel connecting a main speaker to your sub.

When these subs are in bi-amp mode, the signal passes through the woofer only. This is the way to go if you are parallel connecting two subs together.

These subs come in passive mode default. You must take off the little plate covering the switch, flip the switch to bi-amp mode, and then turn the little plate over and put it back on. The plate prevents the switch from being flipped accidently.

To parallel connect (some call this daisy chain) both subs in bi-amp mode to one side of an amp, YES use +1/-1 at the amp. At the other end use +2/-2. On cable #2 daisy chaining sub #1 to sub #2 use +2/-2 on both ends.

+2/-2 runs through the woofers only.

Make sure to mark your cables permanently so you know which end has been reversed. I just write on the speakon with a permanent marker. Otherwise, you may find yourself taking the speakon apart to see how it is wired. :cry:

This is what I do. It bypasses the built in crossover. It sends the signal through both woofers only. This will get you the most power from these subs.

Are you using a crossover? You should. I use a crossover at 125 hz to send only lows to the amp side used to power the subs. Bass eats up lots of power. Why would you want mids and highs going to your sub anyway? I also use a low cut filter on my amp set at 30 hz. This prevents super low frequencies from going to your sub. These super-lows just muddy up your sound. Often you will hear a low hum or rumble. The low cut will get rid of that.

I believe you own the EP2500 like me. Read the manual. There are tiny little switches on the back that give you the option of a 30hz or 50hz low cut. You just need a tiny jewelers screwdriver to slide the switch to your selection.

i remember being told all of this but i forgot what i was told..... THANKS ALOT FOR UR HELP.........i have been picked up by my friend who owns the big sound business and work for him now........I handle little and medium gigs with my setup and then help him do the big ones...........I own a Yamaha EMX 5000 and 1 behringer 2500's but i use those for mains and monitors and another amp for subs. Here is how it is NOW setup i changed it a lil....

My powered board (1000 W 500/side) powers a my 4 B1220s two per side so i get a nice 4ohm load. then i run a pair of PR12's off of one behringer amp out of one side and then the other side i run to two (old skool) Peavey wedges but they are awesome and built to last. My subs are ran parallel out of a Nady 900 (yes i said Nady this thing has not let me down yet and i've used it in 98 degree weather in the sun and it kicked the entire time... plus its built like a tank) this amp bridged puts out 800RMS (about) so if i parallel my two subs (400W & 8ohms each) i get a 800 W 4ohm speaker splitting 800 watts so basically each sub gets about 350-375 after i tweak the setting sot maximum performance. and that is just perfect for me.... These subs kick so much i rattled some glasses off the bar at my house one day when i was ringing out my system in my yard.

*note* i run subs in bi amped mode parallel but i never knew about the wiring

thats basic setup its a lil more complicated than that now but u get the idea. I have recently been thinking about selling all my Behringer speakers. to purchase the new Behringer Pro Series......basically $10 bucks more than the Performer and they hold more power.....the Pro subs hold 800RMS where as the Performers hole 400RMS.

But anyway thats way off topic of this post.........but thanks Wes i'm glad u remembered talking to me and what u told me cuz I didn't

leear

Nothing wrong with that Nady amp. I have read many reviews on Nady amps and most customers seem very happy with them. In fact, I don't have a problem with any Nady gear. They get a bad rap because of their unbelieveable low price, but Nady gives you a lot of bang for the buck.

I am the Master of Cheap. I am always looking for good gear at a low price. And it's out there. I just may look into this amp myself. The price is awesome.

Yep, at the amp use +1/-1, at the other end flip both cables 180 degrees so +1 becomes +2, and -1 becomes -2. On your second cable you use to parallel the subs, use +2/-2 on both ends.

Make sure to mark your cables so you know which end is reversed on cable #1. :D

Hi, I'm a new sound man so to say. I had the money to buy the equipment to help my friends band so off we go into this new unexplored world...whish me luck. My questions is this, I have 2 Behringer sub's and am using a Behringer ep1500 amp to power then. I read this thread and it's been a huge help but I want to know should I run the amp in bridged mode and then daisy chain the subs together using the modified cables or should I run the amp in stereo mode and run 1 side to each sub with the modified cables. let me also state that I've looked at a lot of forums and this is by far the best, Every makes it easy to understand and they don't use all technicial vargon. So thanks in advance.
Frank

Hi Frank (arrow 322) and Welcome to GuitarNoise.

I just went to Behringer's site and looked up the specs on the EP1500. The specs can be a little confusing.

For instance, at 20Hz- 20kHz this amp is rated 2 X 400 watts at 4 ohms, and 2 X 260 watts at 8 ohms.

At 1 kHz this amp is rated at 2 X 450 watts at 4 ohms, and 2 X 280 watts at 8 ohms.

20Hz-20kHz covers your entire range of frequencies from your Lows to Highs. 1kHz is a rating at one single frequency of 1kHz (right in the middle). Your subs operate at much lower frequencies than this.

Bass draws and requires far more power than your highs. Just think about it, it is a lot more work to move an 18" bass speaker than a little tweeter, or ever a 12" full range speaker.

So, I think the 20Hz-20kHz rating is more practical, because it accounts for your Lows.

Now, at 4 ohms bridged this amp pushes 1400 watts. But that rating is based on the single 1kHz method of testing. So, I can't guess what this amp produces for the full range of frequencies, but it will be somewhat lower.

Your subs are 8 ohms each. They are rated 400w RMS and 800 peak. I have read that to determine the right power amp for a speaker, multiply .80 and 1.25 times RMS. So this would give you a range of 320 watts to 500 watts. This would neither be overpowering or underpowering your subs.

So, using both sides at 8 ohms each sub would get 260w (20Hz-20kHz). This would be slightly underpowered.

So, I would go with Bridged Mono and daisy-chain the subs. Your two 8 ohms subs in parallel (daisy-chained) would be a 4 ohm load. Make sure to read your manual carefully. I have always been very reluctant to Bridge amps. Just heard a lot of horror stories. But the manual for your amp gives the instructions, follow them carefully.

And once again Welcome, this is a great site with lots of helpful folks. Never be afraid to ask a question. :D

Wes

Thnaks Wes, People like yourself are the reason I like the board. You make it easy to understand and take the time to help us newbies. I will break out the amp manual and make sure I get the amp setup properly and then rewire a few ends of my cords and see how she sounds. Thanks again

Frank

First time poster so please forgive my possibly being in an incorrect format.

I realize this was answered above but I just want to confirm my understand. (It's just to much money to be wrong) I have two beh 12's and two beh pro 18's. I'm running all 4 with the inuke Dsp 6000. If I'm understanding correctly - in order to daisey chain the 18's and utilize the crossover in the amp not in the sun flip the switch to biamp on the back of the sub. Then leave the amp wired 1/1 and then 2/2 at the subs? I'm doing 12 shows a year and I love this behringer equipment. I just want to make sure I'm wiring everything correctly. Last night one sub was hitting harder than the other. Could have been because I'm leaving the amp 1/1 hitting the input on the sub 1/1 and then daisey chain to the second sub with the subs switch in passive.

I hope this makes sense. It's hard to describe this in text. Thanks in advance for the help.