Description
Ultra-Compact 9-Band Graphic Equalizer with FBQ
FBQ800
Ultra-Compact 9-Band Graphic Equalizer with FBQ
- Ultra-compact 9.5″ graphic equalizer for studio and stage applications
- Revolutionary FBQ Feedback Detection system instantly reveals critical frequencies and can also be used as Audio Analyzer
- Additional Low-cut filter removes unwanted frequencies, e. g. floor rumble
- Accurate 6-segment LED input/output meters and Level control for precise level indication
- High-quality illuminated faders, potentiometers and illuminated switches for long-term reliability
FBQ800
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Why Do I Need an Equalizer?If we all lived in a perfect world, there would be no need for audio equalization. Sound systems would be perfect and would reproduce perfect signals in all their glorious perfection. Also, everyone in that perfect world would like the same amount of bass, midrange and high frequency, and there would be no such thing as feedback. But the world isn’t perfect, is it? Even the best sound system can benefit from the use of a good EQ—like the FBQ800. |
How Does it Work?Imagine the frequency range of the sound you hear as a highway, a very wide one with nine lanes. Each of these “lanes” represents a single octave of the sonic spectrum. The first four lanes, labeled 63 – 500 (Hz) contain the really low frequency sound content, mainly bass, bass vocals, and the kick and tom drums. The three lanes labeled 1 k, 2 k and 4 k (Hz), make up the fundamental zone of most musical instruments and the male and female vocals. 8 k and 16 k cover the frequency range of cymbals, snare drums and higher pitched percussion instruments. The FBQ800 allows you to control the flow of audio traffic in each of these nine lanes. When properly applied, EQ makes it possible to hear all of these frequency ranges equally, thus the term equalization. |
Feedback EliminationWhen a specific frequency, or range of frequencies, reaches too high a level, feedback occurs—that all-too-familiar squeal or howl you get when the mic is too close to the speaker. Basically, feedback happens when there is so much of a particular frequency that it is picked up by the mic and run through the system again. That’s why feedback typically gets louder and louder the longer it’s allowed to occur. Needless to say, this kind of feedback is very undesirable. This is where the FBQ800’s Feedback Detection System really works its magic. In this ingenious circuitry, LEDs on the individual faders light up when that frequency band is approaching the danger zone. All you need do is lower the illuminated slider until the LED blinks out—voilà, feedback problem solved! What once required a highly trained ear is now an activity that even a child can master. |
FBQ800
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Sonic Toolkit…That really is the best way to describe the FBQ800. With its nine frequency bands, you easily fine-tune your sound and instantly eliminate feedback. And each fader can be used to boost or cut the frequency range it controls by as much as 12 dB (and that’s a lot!). Special attention is paid to the low frequency zone. In addition to low frequency faders, the FBQ800 features a Low Cut filter for removing unwanted low frequencies such as floor rumble, room resonance, electrical hum, etc. This is especially handy if your system is being used for speech rather than music. |
To Boost or to Cut, That is the QuestionRaising and lowering specific frequency bands can improve the frequency response of any room’s acoustics. For instance, if the room you’re in is “bass-heavy,” lowering the 63 and 125 Hz faders can help eliminate an overall “boomy” or “muddy” sound. Likewise, gently boosting the 8 and 16 k sliders can add sparkle to a somewhat “dark” mix. Are the vocals getting lost in the mix? Raising the level of the 1 k slider can help bring them out. It’s important to note that raising a single fader level is not always the best solution; it’s often better to lower the bands surrounding the frequency you want to bring out, and then boost the overall volume level to achieve better headroom. |
Built for Accuracy and ReliabilitySpeaking of headroom, FBQ800’s 6-digit LED I/O meters and level control are provided for precise level maintenance. Long-term reliability is ensured, thanks to high-quality illuminated faders and switches, and our ultra low-noise audio operational amplifiers provide outstanding sonic performance. In addition, all Mini Series components can be stacked to create an ultra-compact signal processing solution. |
umano –
Gutes GerätZunächst mal zu meiner Person, als Anwender: Ich habe einige Hörschäden nach Hörstürzen und Mittelohrschäden und bin auf Hörgeräte angewiesen. Früher habe ich an meiner High-End HIFI Anlage mit Referenzboxen die tollen Klangerlebnisse genossen und vermisse diese sehr. Am Fernseher habe ich häufig Probleme mit der Verständlichkeit der Sprache. Soweit so gut. Auf meinem Smartphone habe ich eine Equalizer-App installiert und meine persönliche Hörkurve auf den verschiedenen Frequenzbereichen eingestellt. Dabei habe ich bereits einen frappierenden Unterschied (“Tag und Nacht”) mit Equalizer und ohne festgestellt. Mit Equalizer erinnert man sich an “Früher” (ohne Hörverlust). Daher habe ich mich entschieden, den Behringer FBQ800 MINIFBQ GrafikEqualizer zu kaufen. Diesen habe ich mit meinem TV verbunden, auf dem auch Amazon Music läuft. An den Equalizer-Ausgang habe ich einen Studio-Kopfhörer angeschlossen. Dann natürlich meine optimale Hörkurve eingestellt. Ergebnis ist überwältigend. Beim Fernsehen kann ich die Sprache deutlich besser verstehen und der Musik-Genuss ist genial. Praktisch wie früher. Mittlerweile habe ich noch einen Bluetooth-Transmitter (Sender) für 10 EURO an den Equalizer-Ausgang angeschlossen und höre jetzt auch kabellos. Den Behringer Equalizer kann ich ohne Einschränkung empfehlen. Ich möchte noch ergänzen: die Bedienungsanleitung war für mich nicht ohne weiteres zu verstehen. Verschiedene Knöpfe werden nicht erklärt (was ist FBQ IN?). Dazu möchte ich auf mehrere YouTube-Videos verweisen, in denen das Gerät erklärt wird. Man kommt sicherlich auch mit Ausprobieren dahinter, aber mir haben die Videos geholfen. Wenn euch diese Bewertung weiterhilft, klickt bitte auf “nützlich”. Vielen Dank und viel Spaß mit dem Gerät.
JustPoo –
Clean sound and excellent control, great value.I bought this to shape the sound of my headphone setup. Depending on the source/amp/headphones a wee tweak here or there can make all the difference. I was previously using a full sized unit but it introduced too much noise and also looked a bit daft with the smaller DACs and amps you tend to use for headphones. This unit is compact and although fairly basic it does the job very nicely. It does introduce some noise but I have to use extremely low impedance high sensitivity IEM’s to hear it, and only when no sound is playing; with everything else it’s so low that I can’t detect it. With its 9 bands it’s versatile enough to hone the sound without being overkill. I wish that it would accept more than one input at a time, although that’s easily sorted with a switch box and it does have two outputs. A really welcome addition would be a balance control as I have hearing damage in my left ear and I can’t always control the sound at source. At this price I’m tempted to buy another to adjust each side independently.The build quality isn’t the best, it’s a very light plastic box and will move around unless you have something on top or blutack it down. It feels like a cheap device to use but that’s probably because it is! The sound is what matters and in that respect it’s excellent, it really makes a difference. It won’t make bad music good but it will make it better! 🙂
Andy R. –
A bargain if build quality isn’t a concern.Value for money it’s easily 5 stars, it was £37 when I picked this up, but honestly anything below 60 I’d be happy. I would say however it lacks the material quality of similar sized audio items, such as headphone amps and DACs.With that said if you don’t care what it looks like or feels like, it does the job well. For me it added very little noise and I’m using it with fairly low priced equipment. I’m using it essentially with a headphone amp and for some songs / applications I wanted to be able to boost some frequencies (add bass) which I know many audiophiles will say is wrong, but I wanted it.This does that perfectly. My setup is – TV to DAC via optical (DAC = FX-AUDIO DAC-X6) to this Mini FBQ equalizer to a little Dot 1+ valve headphone amp (with Mullard tubes). Sometimes I want a bit more warmth and bass response, this allows me to do that, I lower the gain (level) by two notches so -2 to avoid clipping / distortion and I love it.So if you have a similar setup and were looking for a hardware EQ that fits on a desk, for the money it’s honestly worth a punt. Obviously the two other devices I mention are less than £100, I think the amp cost me about £130 about 5 years ago. If you’re using high-end equipment this may not fit your needs, especially as others have mentioned it introduced a lot of noise for them – I didn’t find this.Some of the cool features of this I don’t use, as I’m playing digital music through a DAC, even when using a guitar with software amps. For example the low cut input button, this is geared towards live recordings with mics, it’ll remove very low frequencies in an attempt to remove stomps on a stage or similar – low frequencies not from an instrument or voice. I saw someone mention it was useful to remove bangs from their desk – this will not do that, it cuts low frequencies from the input, not ambient sounds. If you were to apply it while listening to a bass heavy song, you’d just remove them, which isn’t its intention.The other feature is the FBQ mode, it’s the EQ MODE button, this changes the red solid lights on the sliders to flash if feedback is detected on that frequency allowing you to lower it. Not something you need for pre-recorded audio.So if you are a recording artist or band or in a studio or some kind, I can’t comment on how it performs like that. My ratings are purely on using it for an EQ for a headphone amp.I see the price has already increased slightly, but it’s still a bargain. On build quality, the back of the power supply fell off as I plugged it in.
Rick Mason –
Great EQ with high quality sound and simple to use.Really good EQ control within this unit. I had been struggling to get a “relaxed” listenable sound in my music studio where I just wanted to listen to music for fun and not particularly loud. I put this unit between the monitor out on my Yamaha mixer and my amp. This meant I could leave all the EQ as is on the mixer and leave the amp set flat and dial in the Behringer with some added low end to warm up the monitors when needed. It’s really easy to get a small and controllable low-end boost at low volume levels and the results are really excellent. It only took a couple of minutes to get the sound I was looking for and I don’t have to faff around with the mixer at all. I leave it all set up and just switch in the EQ on the Behringer when it’s chill out time.
ijhodgson –
Improves sound, and has lots of lightsI purchased this to tweak the sound from my TV fed into an amplifier. The sound quality is fine, it’s easy to adjust once the thing is set up, and does improve overall listening. A few things to note:1. It’s very light, so moves around easily.2. There are lots of settings, not all of which you’ll need.3. The LED strips showing input levels don’t light up unless the input volume is quite high. Not necessarily a problem (just turn the destination amp down), but it took me a while to confirm there was nothing wrong with the kit :)4. The price of this item hops around like a cat on a hot tin roof. I paid £69 which I thought OK (and still do) but it’s sometimes available for much less. Of course I found this out afterwards 🙂 Watch out for good deals.Overall happy, and the multiple display lights are pretty groovy.
R. Lawrence –
The Behringer FBQ800 9-Band Graphic Equaliser – An Essential Device for Music LoversI must first admit that I am using this equaliser with the Behringer AMP800 headphone amplifier and the two devices are so well matched that they fit together like a well made sandwich, in all honesty they should really be sold together with connecting cables as a matched pair.OK, once properly set up (to taste) the FBQ800 brought joy to my old ears, for example, I can now hear those delicately played instruments hidden in the mid-range, the lead singer enjoying the song he is singing, background singers now brought into focus and, most amazingly, when the lead singer is singing harmony with the backing singers.I have now tailored what I hear to my particular liking, such as firming up bass and taming bright treble, i.e. mixed and equalised to taste. I believe that this item is well worth the price for it’s ease of set up, loads of controls to tailor your music, the way it works so effortlessly with the AMP800 and above all this device can be set to accommodate any music lovers particular tastes.Now I will say that Hi-Fi purest will turn their noses up at the FBQ800 but this device is not about Hi-Fi, it’s about enjoying your music and for this well targeted goal the FBQ800 truly brings it.However, the downside to the FBQ800 is it’s plastic look and feel but if you can overlook this one flaw you will be very happy with how this device controls and delivers your music.For me, this is a great addition to my music system and a well deserved 5 star device, and “5 stars plus” when used with the Behringer AMP800.
Big AL –
This is an amazing piece of hi-tech at the right priceBOUGHT AS A VINYL RECORD PLAYER ADD-ON….. ‘EXACTLY’ what I needed and wanted! This is an amazing piece of hi-tech at the right price. Using it for my recently acquired 80s Technics record player, and I was using the graphic equaliser in ‘Garage Band’ on my MAC, which worked okay but – I get occasional annoying noise and interference I think due to wifi and mobile devices the MAC talks to (couldn’t seem to irradiate that). So, I bit the bullet, and bought this fine beast instead. Now have very good control of input and output, the low-cut filter is working a treat, can hardly hear any rumble, no noise interference anymore, the device seems to create a very clean sound, I can obviously still hear the occasional crackles and pops on my ageing records, but I can live with that! Frequency changes volumes can be easily made using the 9 sliders, and easily set to listen to whatever music genre you like! I like a bit of oldie progressive rock like Free and Fleetwood Mac, a bit of Tamla Motown, a bit of electronic Jean Michel Jarre, and so far the results of the sound quality have proved to be excellent using my new FBQ800, and I’m not just saying that. This was the best value for money product I bought all year, and would have given it 10 stars if I could, well pleased! If like me you are on a budget, but you like records, this will enhance your listening! 57 English pounds well spent, you ‘might’ get it a bit cheaper in January or you might not – who knows, good luck!
HAYLYN. THE ANALOGUE MAN –
IT DOES WHAT IT’S DESIGNED FOR!Compact, light weight. Replaced a large heavy duty Realistic model (Some may remember the first Betamax Video recorder, it was built like a tank.) I had for years, which gave up the ghost. The Realistic was better than the Behringer, but the new one still dose what it’s intended for. Equalisers are thin on the ground now, sign of the times. This useful little gem was also a reasonable price….I have the levers which I set, I don’t need to move them around since I use it as a playback only, for, older analogue recordings to commercial Digital CD’s which I find lack of bass and over the top high frequency. One can adjust with an equaliser, a more warmer original sound from the time of the recordings. See also versatile use, as shown from other reviews of this item.
Andy H –
Great addition to my set up however supplied mains adaptor dangerous and not fit for purpose.Small, well spec’d and easy to set up but quality build is lacking ,the mains adaptor is broken, dangerous and needs replacing, the equaliser has a nasty plasticky build quality and as the unit is so light you will need to use sticky fixers to hold it to your shelf, hence the the loss of 2 stars. However don’t let this put you off, as once connected it actually sounds amazing.I listen to music through Sennheiser HD800s and my partnering equipment consists of a Sugden Bijou Headmaster amp connected to a laptop via an Arcam IRDAC with Chord interconnects. Generally the sound is superb. However with certain types of music I still crave a little more attack or bass, so thought I would try out a small equaliser to achieve this.Surprisingly this inexpensive addition really does make a positive difference with no sound depreciation, so If like me you sometimes feel the need to add a bit of flavour to your music, try adding this little gem to your system. If you are prepared to buy an aftermarket mains adaptor and forgive the poor build quality you won’t be disappointed.
B. Higgins –
Build Quality seems a bit flimsy but it does the job.If you want to EQ your headphones (I have Grado SR60 + HiFiman 4XX) and you are using HARDWEAR – not using your phones software or a download) this is by far the cheapest, best option.I picked this one up at a great price. £41.00 new.Prices vary dramatically. They do sell for over £70.00 + from ‘chancers’. Don’t pay that. Its too much.This is my 2nd one. The first (bought from eBay used, sold as perfect had a intermittent fault/dropout in the left channel so this is a replacement) They have a reputation for developing faults but so far this one is fine. Set it up and leave it alone and not much can go wrong.If you see it at around £45.00 or lower buy with confidence.