Behringer Eurolive B208D Speaker

I was looking for a micro PA for my rental company - something that could easily be transported/setup by the novice client for playback music + limited speech (small parties, meetings etc); I was pleasantly surprised with the sound that comes out of these small boxes (and from this brand) - it's clear (even when pushed) and loud. Of course these won't shake any walls down but the do have a surprising amount of low end for their size/power; it's punchy (near field). They also have nice imaging. High-end sits just right, a little sizzle with no harshness. they also project well. If I had once complaint on the sound i'd be that the low mid is a bit pronounced in the near-field but I attribute that to the driver size.Cons - only points I can take away from this box is ... MoreI was looking for a micro PA for my rental company - something that could easily be transported/setup by the novice client for playback music + limited speech (small parties, meetings etc); I was pleasantly surprised with the sound that comes out of these small boxes (and from this brand) - it's clear (even when pushed) and loud. Of course these won't shake any walls down but the do have a surprising amount of low end for their size/power; it's punchy (near field). They also have nice imaging. High-end sits just right, a little sizzle with no harshness. they also project well. If I had once complaint on the sound i'd be that the low mid is a bit pronounced in the near-field but I attribute that to the driver size.Cons - only points I can take away from this box is that they have no handle and they may be a few smackeroonies over where a powered 8-inch should sit - then again - it isn't the QSC K8 (and isn't trying to be)

It gets a high score for being compact, loud and bright!It gets some points deducted for not incuding a carry handle on the monitor, not being 100% honest with the frequency spectrum, and beause this monitor in particular does not produce a very even or flat volume over frequency curve. Especially lacking in the mid section (around 1kHz).This lack of mids is bad when you want to use it as accoustic nylon guitar amplifier, piano, but might work well for steel string guitar and amplification for (electronic) brass instruments.But then, it is the cheapest monitor in it's size, and of it's power level, so the price justifies a lot of it's faults!the good:- 200W- bright, loud, and lightweight 8" monitor- Very tiny, easy to carry on one arm (like a baby).- XLR IN, ... MoreIt gets a high score for being compact, loud and bright!It gets some points deducted for not incuding a carry handle on the monitor, not being 100% honest with the frequency spectrum, and beause this monitor in particular does not produce a very even or flat volume over frequency curve. Especially lacking in the mid section (around 1kHz).This lack of mids is bad when you want to use it as accoustic nylon guitar amplifier, piano, but might work well for steel string guitar and amplification for (electronic) brass instruments.But then, it is the cheapest monitor in it's size, and of it's power level, so the price justifies a lot of it's faults!the good:- 200W- bright, loud, and lightweight 8" monitor- Very tiny, easy to carry on one arm (like a baby).- XLR IN, XLR out, Jack in, volume and '2band EQ' (see below in 'the bad')- 4 ways to place the monitor: Horizontal (tweeter left or right), vertical (tweeter up), tilted low (for seating musician), tilted high (for standing musician).- 3 mounting options: Wallmount (bracket not included), polemount on the bottom, mic stand mount on the top (mounting the speaker on a micstand makes it stand upside down, with tweeter down).- Electronical protection of the driver and tweeterThe bad:It lacks a lot of things like:- a carry handle- Possibility to connect a stereo 1/4" into it (the unit reads TIP-RING, not TIP-SLEEVE what most amps do, in other words, playing back from a stereo source you'll need to buy a MONO splitter cable)- The 2band EQ really is not a 2 band EQ, but 2 volume knobs one controlling the volume of the woofer, the other the volume of the tweeter.- No speaker out (like with most digital amps, when connecting another speaker to the cabinet, the overall sound changes. So most digital monitors of Behringer will only drive one speaker, no external one)- The frequency spectrum like stated on the behringer spec sheet (65Hz to 20kHz) only holds true for upto ~25% of the volume. As you boost past 50% of the volume the fundamentals no longer are boosted in volume, and the cab's specs rather are 130Hz-20kHz. Boosting the master volume past 12 o'clock (very high volumes) gradually even more of the lowend is cut, and the cab's specs rather are 160-200Hz to 20kHz. This is to protect the woofer from being damaged by too much lowend. The negative side is that the sound lacks bass, the positive side is you can boost volumes beyond what this cabinet was made to do.The sound quality is not good for monitoring audio CD, voice or any mid oriented instrument like piano or nylon stringed guitar.The B208D has the same amplifier as the B210D, and it is known that the B210D has a larger dome and cone than the B208D, thus producing more deeper lowend and more mids than this one.In other words, for the audio engineers out there: The behringer B208D not only has a real frequency spectrum of about 80-130Hz to 20kHz, it also has a dip in volume between 800Hz and 2kHz (crossover issue).Any mid oriented instrument will have difficulty hearing himself on stage.Drums will have issues with not hearing the snare well enough, as well as the depth of the bass kick.This monitor is excellent for amplification of wind instruments, or electronic wind instruments!Sax, trumpet, and steel string acoustic guitars, all those instruments that use anything from 200Hz to 800Hz as their base tone, and from 2kHz to 16khz for monitoring the bright of their sound (brightness of the reed, or bright trumpets) will love this monitor!There's no monitor on the market with the same specs for that price, save for a CONTACT CX MKII, made in italy, which only can be gotten in Europe, but is less flexible than this one.

I purchased 2 of these when they first came out a couple years ago not knowing what to expect. They came a few days later professionally packed and in flawless condition. Weighing in at just over 14lbs, I can carry 2 of them at a time while setting up for a job. The cabinets are built like a tank and they look fantastic. But all these features would mean nothing if they have poor sound. . .Right!I first played a CD through them, cranked the volume up and was totally blown away by the sound quality. The highs are crisp but not harsh; The lows are rich and very musical. Not as low as their larger brothers which I also own but still quite impressive. Since we are using these as stage monitors, the real test is how they perform with a live rock band cranking through ... MoreI purchased 2 of these when they first came out a couple years ago not knowing what to expect. They came a few days later professionally packed and in flawless condition. Weighing in at just over 14lbs, I can carry 2 of them at a time while setting up for a job. The cabinets are built like a tank and they look fantastic. But all these features would mean nothing if they have poor sound. . .Right!I first played a CD through them, cranked the volume up and was totally blown away by the sound quality. The highs are crisp but not harsh; The lows are rich and very musical. Not as low as their larger brothers which I also own but still quite impressive. Since we are using these as stage monitors, the real test is how they perform with a live rock band cranking through them.Our band uses no stage amplifiers. The guitar and bass both go through a floor processor and then output directly into the PA mixer. For drums, we use a Roland V drumset. This gives a very accurate impression of how the speakers sound and let me tell you they they pulled through with flying colors. Even the kick drum was clear and punchy and the volcals clear as a bell. I tried using them as the mains along with subs on a smaller job but to be honest, that was just more than they could handle. They passed every other test with flying colors.Since then, I purchased 2 more of these and use 4 of the b21d's along with 2 subs as the mains. I am sure that the QSC k8 or Electro-Voice ZXA1-90 8" speakers sound better but all 4 of my Behringers cost not much more than 1 of the above mentioned. As a musician playing for over 3 decades in many bands over the years, I highly recomend purchasing these speakers. You will be amazed as I was!Volume, bass and and high controls on the back. Aslo a output jack to link additional units.Built like a tank and the finish is very durable.Lowest price 8" powered speakers on the market.