One dude said on this forum that the B2 outshines his AT4060 on vocals. I find that hard to believe. I've seen these mics as low as 125. Anyone here have one and if so can you honestly say they hang with the big boys?

it's the best cheap condensers I've used.

How does it compare to the higher end mics you have and what type of vocals do you record

What other one you tried? and what mic pre did you try berry with?

more affordable mics included:

the low range adk (can't remember model), akg perception 200, mxl v67, blue bluebird

used it with different pres though, i used the b2-pro with the small behringer tube preamp. The others I used them with ART Pro Channel, pres on the EMU 1820.

The main difference is in the top end, where the others were slightly and piercing (which is sometimes a quality), especially with the akg, i felt. The b2 is a lot smoother.

That's just me of course.

thanks JYC

I'm using a Studio Projects C-1 for vocals at WildEarth and it really shines through the mackie preamp with aphex 106 on the insert! 200.00 rocks!

What I want to know is how this mic compares to higher priced/ end mics. I know it's really good compared to other cheap mics but the reason I started this thread is a poster here said the b2 actually beat out his at4060 for vocals and I find that really hard to fathom

Well if you don't believe it then you will have to try for yourself. And remember this is Gearslutz.

The b2 PRO kicks ass, I talked to a guy that does mods a LONG time ago on the phone and he was telling me that the B2 pro is up there with way more high end mics..I use mine all the time and I dont have to...I love it on a MS set up in FIG. 8 as the M/S!!

its for realz. just try one and if you don't agree, ebay it.

I have an old B2. How does that compare to the Pro?

There is possibility that that was Vince from Pro Audio in Watertown.. he has been saying for a while that the B-2 Pro is a HUGE value for the price and does a few mods to them.

If anyone is interested Vince is a real knowledgeable guy who inspects all the newer, cheaper microphones that come out. He basis his opinions on all the parts used in the mic as well as sound tests vs. other, much more expensive mics.. I value his opinion greatly as he isn't afraid to recommend names that aren't common with good gear (Behringer, Samson, CAD, etc.) and really just backs the products that he personally likes.

If you'd like to visit his website he talks about all the mods and good deals on more recent microphones that are well worth it... AudioProz - Welcome to Audioproz.com

...just so you understand the B2's origin...
...when Rode moved the manufacturing of their original NT2 (highly regarded at the time) from China to Australia, their Chinese manufacturer, 797audio, was left with inventory of body shells and capsules...
...Behringer contracted the original B2 (cardioid only) from 797audio using those same bodies and capsules (797audio is one of the better capsule manufacturers in China...trained by German engineers) using a stock circuit copied from a vintage German design...the B2 was well recieved and the B2-Pro was later added as a multi-pattern version...
...to my knowledge, the B2-Pro is still built by 797audio (if you look on the circuit board you may still see the "797audio" logo etched on the surface)...797audio built many of the better quality Chinese mics for MXL, ADK, Studio Projects and others at the time and continues to manufacture for many of these companies...they now also manufacture some of the highly regarded Neve 1073-clone mic preamps as well...
...at the low-ball Behringer pricepoint, the B2-Pro is definately a very nice LDC that would benefit greatly from a few mod upgrades...

Yup..thats him...That dude had me on the phone for over an hour talking about the mic and monitors and all kinds of shit, I liked him as soonas he told me to forget all the BS you read on sites like GS...and went into detail about why some things are very good that most of the snobs here on GS say suck...It was a long time ago but if you want to know if what you have is realy a POS and cant tell on you own...call this dude, he is very into gear so plan on having an extra hour or 2 free if you call him...but he is very informative!!

I love this post from vince

I, too, think this is a real kick ass mic. Everything from the look, the feel, and most importantly the sound reproduction are absolutely awesome. I haven't used any super-expensive mics, but I've tried some MXLs, some ATs and some Rodes. While I like the Rodes, too, they were more expensive than the B2-Pro; none of the others came close to the Behringer.

Hey all,

How would you describe the sound of the B2?

I'm looking for some better drum overheads than the NT1's that i currently have. I have an original NT2 as well, so i was gonna get a matching one to make a pair, or look at something else.

How would the B2 stack against an NT2 for instance?

Cheers,

Jim

...as I mentioned in my previous post, the original B2 was almost identical to the original NT2 (since the NT2 was the basis for the B2)...and their sound is also very close...both suffer from a slightly exaggerated high-end...if you like the NT2, you will like the B2/B2-Pro...

B2 around £120 new, original NT2's fetching £160+ second hand, IF you can find one!

Clever, the Chinese. That's why there are so many of them!

Cheers,

Jim

Out of curiousity - why would you want to use large diaphragm condensermics for drum overheads, instead of small diaphram ones?

I had once tried using the B2-Pro on drums, and it sounded a little harsh. I'm not a pro with drumming nor with recording a drum kit, so maybe both of those coupled with a badly tuned kit (and substandard, maybe? - it was a Pearl Rhythm Traveler!) and a horrible room (an L-shaped living room hahaha) made it sound harsh. But I'd imagine, if you have them high enough or far enough from the kit, in a not very echo-ey room (needn't be dead, but not TOO live!), it may sound pretty decent. On the whole, I love the B2 Pro for vocals and acoustic guitars - it sounds bright, with clean highs. You may need to use some EQ to taste around the highs, though, if using on drums.

I also have the Behringer C2 matched pair, which I picked up mainly for drum overheads or other stereo recording. They are decent budget mics, and are definitely better than most others anywhere close to its price. But you might want to try the Behringer B5's; I've heard they're awesome, but have never had a chance to try them out yet.

Good luck!

Don't you mean "horny"?
THAT is most likely why there are so many of them.....

Hi. Im thinking of buying two Behringer B2 Pro mics for figure of 8 guitar and vocal recording. Is the seperation good/great/exceptional?

Do you recommend for this setup?

Mine still solid since 2002

Thats really interesting, is this common knowledge or have you put two and two together with this? I kind of need a brighter sounding mic in my setup and this would fit the bill especially after a mod or two!

...this info has been circulating on the web for sometime...I've actually compared early B2 mics with the NT2 and the similarities are quite obvious...I prefer the NT2's headbasket, but it was a bit too similar to the Neumann, and was replaced with a less angular (rounder) style on the B2 and B2 Pro...

Okay, thats sweet, thanks for that! Yeah the NT2's head basket is definitely better. How hard is it to upgrade the headbasket on one of these?

I know. For the money, it's really, really good. Even if you set aside the insanely-low price point, IMHO it's still a really good microphone.

I have used these in M-S and Blumlein and been very pleased, as well as close on acoustic guitars and for vox. Yes, there can be some top-end lift, but this can easily be EQ'd if warranted (and the lift does vary by which pattern is chosen (naturally)). Throw in the fact the you can have three patterns, high-pass filtering, and a pad, and there's a lot to like. Mind you, this is standard fare in 'pricier' mics, which takes me back to value.

No, it's not a U87, but...for the money I would spend on one U87 (and believe me, I am a fan of Neumann as I use the KU 100 mannequin head microphone for all of my binaural work) I could buy many B2 Pro.

As I pointed out elsewhere on the web, if there is a down-side, it's the lack of 'street cred' this has as compared to various well established and respected mics, and how this may reflect upon you as a recording professional (i.e. your willingness to use it). However, my guess is that with careful placement etc, your clients would likely be satisfied with the results.

Still...I kind of wonder...if you COULD put the B2 Pro's electronics into an old U87 carcass...I wonder how its sound might be described.

Back to the high end lift...if you flatten the out the response via EQ (different patterns require different EQ corrections) you get noise figures that are pretty close to those of a typical U87, and in the process, also end up with flatter frequency response. These...are good things to have (low noise and flat frequency response), at least in my opinion - I much prefer to have mics that are as flat as possible, and add whatever EQ is desired / needed in post.

Hey gang, new to the forum,

I purchased a B-2 Pro for my home studio(such as it is!) and I can verify that 797Audio still makes the board. I was at a local studio (real one) and A/B'd it with the likes of the Nuemann, Telefunken, Rode, Blue, and even that uber expensive Sony monstrosity. With all of them running through an Avalon 737sp, The $149 B-2 beat the pants off the Blue, most of the Rode, a few Telefunkens (Some from as far back as the 50's), and the Neumann U47. Obviously the C-800 just nuked it, but the winner was the U87. THe B-2 came in 5th in most ears present. They make really good spaced pair overheads, and work really well with string instruments. On amps, Bass was pretty good as was pedal steel, and it just destroyed as an acoustic guitar mic. Used on guitar amps, not so much...

However Like all Behringer stuff, the quality control is hit or miss. The studio owner bought 5 of them and 2 had to be RMA as the output was really low on those two.

That's funny! I just talked to Vince not 10 minutes ago (well listened as you don't get a chance to say anything, the guy is so manic). Anyway, he tried to claim to me that the capsule in the B2 is the best mic capsule EVER MADE!! This was after he gave his spiel about how modern Chinese tubes are so much better in every way from the old American and British tubes ever were. Those were interspersed with so many absurd ridiculous claims and comments that when he started in on the Behringer B2 having the best mic capsule ever made, I had to cut him off and hang up. The guy is a real crackpot.