From the compressor to the expander and all the eq possibilities available, my tone went from"eh not bad, I can deal" to "it's tight and punchy and no fizzy hissy blah, I love it!"

Best features have to be the parametric eq and the compressor, those shaped my tone to get the perfect punch to cut through the mix for home recording ideas and practice and gigs. Least useful (for me anyway) are the feedback destroyer and stereo widener because the feedback destroyer eats some of my tone and I don't need the stereo widener for a mono setup

It takes a lot of trial and error to get the sweet spot but that's with any setup and it's really your own personal preference. You'll be bouncing back and forth a lot to get what you want but the time spent is well worth it.

Quality is fantastic! Behringer gets a lot of flack for shoddy products, but this device works wonders and it is an excellent addition to my rig, they did excellent!

This eq is $300, I was wanting an axefx which is $3000. Just do that simple math right there.

I haven't had any issues and figured the device out on my own, so I can't really say anything about support.

Every guitarist that's a finicky with their tone as I am, needs one of these in their rig. I could never find the exact tone I wanted with the equalizations available on the pod alone. This fixed everything.

12 years of guitar, play in 2 regularly gigging bands

Metal, hardcore, progressive stuff

10+ for the digital domain, no noise! Since I'm using it in a dedicated listening room, I'm a little more critical of the final sound and the onboard DAC isn't the best money can buy, but is more than adquate for the $300 pricetag. You can bypass it using the digital outs if a more refined DAC is available.

Unfreakin' believable that they can cram so much processing into 1RU. PEQ, DEQ, DYN, LIM, fully controllable Image Enhancer, MIDI control, AES/EBU in/out, Optical in/out.... seriously, this is one of the last honest-to-God-bargains out there. I would like to see it support the Width processing whilst in dual-mono mode, but at $300, I can afford a 2nd one just for that function.

You don't learn how to fly a fighter jet after reading a manual. You have to get in a USE it, experiment, A/B compare, etc. This is no different. The layout is rather intuitive (I have no problems with it), but it's a complex device. The multi-function jogs are very helpful, but the lack of backlighted button text makes finding the right hotkeys a little tough in darker situations.

No problems. Worked out of the box. Fit'n'finish is good. I'd expect to get at least 10+ years out of my home use (after that, I'll shoot myself if digital controllers are where they are today). I don't have any concerns about the quality of this product.

I couldn't find anything close to this price that allows me to autoeq my room.

The best support is the support you don't need.

Yeah, it's pretty sweet.

Hobbyist - Audiophile listening.

All

Already had one Behringer DEQ2496 Ultra Curve Pro purchased for $360 in 2005, got the second for another location--for only $299!-Thanks zZounds.com.

I use these not for live music, but instead to equalize high-end music theaters.

Learning curve is a good day the first time, you MUST RTFM, but once you have a basic understanding, it is very intuitive to use without a manual.

Don't know how Behringer does so much for so little money. Lots of horror stories all over the 'net but I've been happy since 2005, no failures.

Nothing to compare with, this unit takes the place of at least five individual and totally different units.

Never had to contact.

I find that this doesn't seem to color the sound in any significant, meaningful way. I'm not pushing complex musical program material through, mainly speech.

More features than you can shake a stick at. To have this kind of functionality for the price is just unbelievable. It's clear to me that Behringer doesn't believe in disabling features that are already on a chip just so they can have several product lines.

It took me a LONG time to really learn how to use the RTA and feedback destroyer/parametric EQ functions. I thought the manual wasn't particularly clear. It could have explained things in a more clear step-by-step procedure related to a real-world example.

This unit started failing right after the warranty expired. There would be occasional static in the right channel. I eventually took the cover off and started poking stuff, and discovered that there's a ribbon cable joining two circuit boards. One end of this cable connects to a header, and simply disconnecting and reconnecting this cable a few times to wipe the contacts cured the problem for a while. I've heard of other manufacturers having similar problems with ribbon cables.

I think that this product provides incredible value: all the features you need for a main house processor in one package at an incredibly low price. If you're willing to take the risk of failure (and now that you know how to fix it), it's a good addition to your audio system.

Live Sound Engineer

I bought this one to do some room eq due to some nasty peaks on some frequencies. After a while I've decided to use it's DAC rather than the one of my amplifier (Denon 1804). Great for room equalization.

I cannot use all of them... But there is one I would like to have: It should downmix DTS and DD5.1 to two channels over the digital input or an option to bypass digital streams it doesn't understand directly to the digital output. What it does is that it mutes it on those situations and the RTA just gets crazy!

Looks great. Own it for 12 months and no problem so far. I wish that they sold the equipment with the option not to mount on a rack. I use these machine for my hi-fi listning at home.

For the room problems that I had before, the sound I have now and the cost...

You should put an option not to rate this. I've no experience so I give it half.

I already have it. I've even thought of buying two more to equalize my center channel, surround and subwoofer for 5.1 SACD and DVD-Audio. But by now I will stick to 2-channel for music.

Hobbyst

All. With enphasis on Classical and Electronics

Mobile DJ music producer

all ...

Sounds neutral.

This thing actually does more than the manual lets on. You've got to play with it.

No complaints - nice display - looks cool in the rack.

You can't find anything out there that will do what this does for $300.

Haven't needed any on any Behringer product.

I thought I had a VU meter problem. Emailed Behringer support, and they pointed me in the right direction. Just needed more drive to meet the VU input spec.

The sexiest to a audiophile

Soft rock to smooth jazz

I bought 4 of them for my soundco. Use them for FOH and monitor duties and they do a great job for me. I originally bought 'B' stock units and two of them had display issues and were promptly swapped out for me. One other had developed 'popcorn' noise after a couple months, but all were taken care of by Zzounds or later by Behringer. Essentially, I got brand new units back and have had zero problems past that.

The PEQ's do a great job of notching out feedback frequencies (never use the feedback exterminator-I'll find it myself just as easily) or and room echoes (large hall corporate A/V presentations). The delay features are terrific for multidelay lines for the corporate work.

It can do some amazing things, but you have to LOOK for some of them. The manuals don't explain some of the more hidden features like overall EQ gain or cut and delay resolution. I found them accidently while working with them. You can actually get delay resolution down to 1.4" when dialing it in.

It seems to be a pretty good product overall, but their return policies should at least PROCESS the returned units so B-Stock doesn't get 'recycled' without thorough testing and remediation at the factory.

Does one helluva lot for the $.

Excellent! Got a real live person right away, explained the issues and got an RMA within 3 hours via email.

Outside of the Behringer 'stigma' that the sound snobs seem to perpetuate, I like it and I'd buy them again if I needed them.

Musician, soundco owner

Classic rock

My DEQ is a RAM-modified (Reflection Audio Mods, in California) unit that cost $725 US and is used as a DSP-powered DAC in a 2-channel, low-end, Hi-Fi. I've never heard this machine in stock form, but, read debates online as to whether or not it had stock high-frequency problems, so I played it safe. After break-in, I was extremely pleased. Compared to my $200 Onkyo Changer (now the transport), the soundstaging is much improved 'cause of 3 things: A) the image was far better separated from the speakers than ever before - most welcome - B) the DAC's response alone, below 30hz or so, while lacking in the Onkyo, was completely restored, and, in combination with C) the extras, like the sheer flexability of the digital parametric EQ and the digital stereo width control, make for the most solid and widest soundstaging (and the most control) I've ever had. The digital glare seems gone altogether and I can enjoy playing the system louder now(!). Plus the digital expander works very well, too - not a hint of clipping or "breathing", also called "pumping", as with analog desingns.

A tremendous amount of features.

I thought this unit would be harder to get used to than it was. Rather logical and intuitive, once you get the hang of it. The manual gets you pointed in the right direction, but, doesn't go far enough into the details of "when" and "why" you use it - only "how", mostly.

Mine has been without problems since I got it in February, '07, it's now June, '07. Well, just one problem. When new, out of the box, my DEQ blew it's 1-amp fuse every time I turned it off(!). I was told I could substitute a 2-amp fuse without harm. Since then it has been fine, but, it remains a curiousity, to me, all the same. I suppose this machine to be reliable, but, I've read some comments about aggregious failures. My firmware version is 2.1 and I can only wonder if Behringer has been working on reliability issues, all along, ever since version 1.2 - I dunno, but, here's hoping.

This RAM-modified version has transformed my system. My speakers are three-way towers with twin 8" woofer per side, but, moreover, they're sealed-box designs (26-28k)+or- 3db. That means I can EQ them without the usual problems with boosting response with vented designs (below the 3db-down point), such as drastically increased driver distortion and audible port noise. My point is this, the very good response of my speakers to start with, together with the precision afforded by such a great DIGITAL, parametric EQ, means, in my case, I no longer have to consider buying a good, powered subwoofer(!) - probably saving myself about $1,200. A Swiss-Army kife, when it comes to DSP, and a great-sounding, RAM-modified DAC section. For $725?? Are you kidding me? I'll take it!

Have not had to use it, yet, but, from what I gather, it's fine if you want to ask a question, but, if your equipment needs repair...

One of the most desirable feature sets for Hi-Fi.

Audiophile

Rock, Classical, Jazz

Some Electric guitar.

Metal

the sound quality is pristine. i use it for live recordings and mastering. great space saver. does the work of many other brands you have to purchase individually. if you know how to master, this is all that you need.

for live pa, with speakers spaced apart, the time delay is a great feature to align speaker outputs, witht the stereo imaging feature, you can get creative and aim your sound at different target points in the audience, more eq's than you can handle, great digital out which offers ultra clean recordings and compatibility

solid, well made, we shall see if it stands the test of time, in the studio and on the road

have not had any problems, own other behringer products, no problems