Behringer B112MP3 & B112D Powered Speakers

ehringer have been with us now for around 20 years. In that time they've thrilled and chilled us. They rewrote the book on pricing, making a host of products available at retail prices other companies could only dream of... though sometimes the prices were a hallmark of unreliability and trouble. This is what happens to most pioneers and it was Uli Behringer who pioneered the move to Chinese manufacture many years before others would do so.

Having overcome the early teething troubles, Behringer products on the whole behave very reliably these days. In addition, the recent purchases of Turbosound, Klark-Technik and Midas have made Behringer's R&D as good or better than anyone's. And so we come to Behringer's new range of 12” powered boxes, the B112D and B112 MP3. Both models feature Class-D amps (that means it has a “digital” amp and is therefore light to carry at 12.3kg) and two-channel mixer; plug in two mics or a mic and a line, do a bit of rudimentary tweaking with the two-band mixer (bass and treble) and away you go.

The MP3 designation lets you know that the box has a built-in USB 3 MP3 player complete with small backlit screen. You can plug a flash drive straight in and hey presto! instant rehearsal or instant backing track depending on your situation. You can even set it to repeat a track for rehearsing, straight off the flash drive - a neat idea. There's a line level “mix out” so you can pipe the signal from the MPS and 2-mic mixer to the other box. If you're going to get a pair the logical choice is to buy one with the MP3 player (RRP $459) and one without (the B112D RRP $399).

Most importantly though; how do they sound? They're rated at 1000 watts - this is the latest marketing ploy that all manufacturers are currently employing. We see high wattage specs but no mention of whether that is peak power, average power or Steve Power (producer joke!!). So really all you can do is to use your ears and judge for yourself. At these prices, you may not have high expectations for a powered speaker but these boxes are actually pretty decent. They're competitive volume-wise with more expensive speakers i.e  loud and reasonably clean. The actual quality is quite punchy for a lightweight plastic box with a top end horn that does a good job without too much sizzle. I was pleasantly surprised overall. I tried them as a vocal PA, played some Led Zeppelin through them and stuck on some “house”.

So, good job, Uli. This box is good value for money and will find a nice niche where young bands will get a good starter system for not much cash. Just remember, kids, they don't cost $1200 each so use wisely!