On the bench today is a Behringer DEQ2496 repair.
This is the third generation of 'Ultracurve' from the well-known German manufacturer. The DEQ8020 and DEQ8024 were both 2U 19-inch rack-mount units but in 2005, Behringer released the super high-specification DEQ2496... in a 1u enclosure.
These extremely high-quality and versatile processors do a lot more than graphic equalisation. Amongst the machine's function is a real time spectrum analyser. You can purchase a Behringer ECM8000 calibration microphone and quickly and easily set up the graphic to 'compensate' for room acoustics, for example.
There's also a myriad of other functions such as parametric eq, dynamic eq, dynamic processing and time delay, to name but a few.
With digital inputs and outputs (S/P DIF on TOSLINK and AES / EBU), the analogue side of the DEQ2496 is balanced and boasts a fantastic dynamic range with its 24-bit / 96 kHz conversion.
Gaining distinction amongst hi-fi enthusiasts and audiophiles, the latest and current Ultracurve is of course, also very popular with theatres, night clubs, PA, recording studios, broadcast and even in musicians' instrument rigs.
So, unreliable power supply, then? No, definitely not! The date code on the one that's on the bench today is July 2006. That makes it almost fourteen years old and quite honestly, it's done bloody well, in my humble opinion.
The power supply isn't actually a Behringer component but is made by a company called Eton, I believe which has an excellent reputation. Generating so much heat in a 1U enclosure however, takes its toll.
Today's power supply took just over an hour to fix. The parts cost about 20 GBP and in no time, the machine's going to hopefully last for another fourteen years. 🙂
Well, not quite. I got lucky with this one. I've seen a lot of these which have required considerably more fault-diagnostics and that isn't easy on switched-mode power supplies. On top of that, some parts are impossible to get hold of now-a-days. There's not always a magic wand fix for these.
Check out the Behringer DEQ2496 Ultracurve here.
UPDATE - 22nd May 2023
Apart from being my gorgeous wife's birthday, I launched a post featuring my Galaxy project. A replacement power supply for the Behringer DEQ2496 Ultracurve, you can read all about here.