Behringer MINIAMP AMP800 - a short review - Page 3

After reading this debate about Behringer AMP800, I decided to give this brand a try an bought the HA4700 model. At more than twice the price, I hoped it would be even better than the AMP800, especially because of the built-in toroidal power transformer. Unfortunately, the HA4700 is really not a good piece of audio component. Sure, it is VERY loud and can drive even my old Realistic PRO-30 orthodynamic to insanely high levels. But that's almost all it seems to be capable of : play loud...

The major problem I can't forgive from this amp is noise. There is a “hum” noise in the audio signal, clearly audible even when all the control levels are lowered and no cables connected. This noise is still audible when listening to quiet music at low to moderate level.

What surprises me a lot, is that my cheap Samsung HTiB receiver’s headphone output is doing MUCH better than the HA4700, with no noise at all and a really enjoyable musical sound. I'm talking here about a 300$ system that includes a upconverting DVD player, a multi-channel receiver with DD an DTS decoder, a tuner, a wireless amp for rear channels and 5 speakers plus a subwoofer. Isnt it supposed to be the lowest crap available when it comes to sound quality? It seems that Samsung has put an excellent headphone amp in this low range system.

Anyway, I was wondering if the Behringer AMP800 has any "hum" or noise like the HA4700. Maybe the AMP800 is better designed, but now I'm afraid of the Behringer brand. The only other multi-channel headphone amp I want to try is the PreSonus HP-4. If it fails my expectations, I will stick to my Samsung.

You guys have to consider the fact that some people who bash cheaper gear might have gotten a lemon, while those who say the same gear performs just great in their setup might not have gotten a lemon. I have both high-end and low-end gear in my studio, and if the low-end gear performs just fine and can keep up with my high-end gear, then it has found a place in my studio. I have a Behringer MiniAMP as well as two MiniMON's, and also two Samson C-Controls, and they all perform just fine--no unacceptable levels of distortion, coloration, noise, collapse of stereo imaging...etc. The only problem I've had is that the older C-Control I have has developed an intermittent problem with its power supply, but all the other units are just fine. I have tested all these units and A/B'd their how they contribute to the signal chain, and they really didn't do anything negative at all--in fact they didn't change the sound of my signal chain, even when compared to when I ran a purely digital signal straight out to my Klein + Hummel O 300D's.