Behringer releases Centaur Overdrive Pedal
by The Press Desk   28th November 2024

love it!

It’s not even available. Thomann says “available in several months”, sweetwater “estimated February 25”.
This should be in “new Products coming soon(ish)”…

Also: 69,-?? Way overpriced

What the heck does that mean?!

Are they germanium diodes or not?

I think the wording "inspired by" means we can safely assume "not".

I wonder why not? Is that a price thing? Seems like a crazy way to cheap out if so. I think I'm just missing the point here.

I guess it must be price, unless the marketing people got it wrong.

Maybe they figured the name of the original carries so much weight they'll get the sales regardless.

Bill's trademarks on "Centaur" and the horse graphic appear to be live and in good standing. If he didn't license this, I hope they get hit with a C&D quickly.

I looked at the schematic. It's a very easy thing to slap together. The experienced DIYer could put it together in a few hours once all the parts are sourced. It looks pretty cheap to build too, even if you used good quality components.

I am confident that all these new pedals from Beringer are excellent.

But ... I wonder whether I am the only one who cannot stand that guy.

I have a bunch of Behringer Eurorack synths, RD8, the Neve-ish pre, 646 spring reverb (still in box) headphone amp. I even had a MX8000 for 20+ yrs and a few compressors I have since thrown in the corner along with many other pieces I gifted to people who need help with gear. i don't let prejudice get in the way of my music. I also listen to any kind of music, because I am forever a student of sound.

Supposedly the secret is in the transfer function in the diodes. He used a very specific diode that can't be replicated with other diodes.

That's the story i've heard, make of that what you will.

A 1n34a is a 1N34a or they would have to call it something else. Did you know that audiophiles say that the power cord have a big impact on the sound of the amplifier and spend big money buying the best sounding ones, lol. Too many myths in audio.
How else would I be able to get 10K for a box I put together for less than $50.

I had to read the title twice. There's no way they called it "Centaur" -- I must be reading it wrong. And yet, there it is on the pedal itself.

I agree, Bill would never allow an unblessed Centaur to exist, especially from Behringer, so either he gave his approval (which I highly doubt) or we'll see some related programming on Court TV in the near future.

I have a lot of OD pedals, including a Klon, and it does seem that there's some magic in those specific parts, not just the design.

Well yeah but my point is they aren't easy to come by. They don't make them anymore.
That's not what i was talking about, not even close. We're talking about an easily measurable difference.

They don't say that it has a "big impact" but if they use those words they don't mean it in the way most might read it. They tend to say that they hear an improvement, and in that world the smallest increase in dynamics is often referred to as "valuable" because they're dealing with small, minute differences anyway. There's not much you can improve upon with top-tier systems, but the superlatives sometimes remain so even if they say "big impact" it's relative to what their ears are focused on. Their point-of-reference is zoomed-in. That in no way discounts the differences between shit power cords and those of higher quality.

We did an A/B test of a cord used with an amplifier -- a premium IEC vs. stock -- and the whole room heard the difference without effort. Subtle, yes, very, but identifiable 100% of the time by engineers with good ears, proving that there's an unquestionable effect on the amp. No one expected to hear any difference... because it's power cables.

That has nothing to do with this product tho. It was an attempt to discredit those who care about details, and those willing to pay top dollar for road-proven gear, to make this Behringer's (possible) shortcuts seem irrelevant.

Now that is interesting.

What do you put the difference down to?

I don't really want to get into the science of it because I myself don't believe that such a thing should occur. It was one of those "I can't believe my ears" experiences and I think everyone in the room felt the same way. None of us put much thought into PS cables before that day. We do now.

The thing is... the wiring behind the walls in most rooms is more restricting than a standard IEC cable, so if there are limits being put on the power it's happening further upstream and the IEC shouldn't matter so much.

Since you asked, I assume that the higher end cables are less constraining and more protected from interference. What else could even be at play?

That's fascinating. I'll ask the electrical engineer at work.

We now return you to your normal programming - how about that pedal??

Ears are fallible. Without hard scientific data, the claims are just anecdotal and meaningless.

I've done a similar test in my studio, but with my converters, mastering console, insert switcher, and an EQ. I also did blind tests with recorded loops just in case, but they were not really necessary because the difference was clear. After that, I had to replace all my power strips and cables. I love these mysteries of life, especially when it makes my setup sound better.

Sorry for the OT. Back to the pedal...

Indeed, so there's not much to discuss here at this stage.

How many rip off the original name and artwork?

Here, chose your enemy...

https://www.andertons.co.uk/browse/g...rdrive-pedals/

So yes, the answer is one. Only one rips off the original name and artwork.

I like the one with a guitar instead of the sword.