the fesitval of Behringer

It was twenty years ago today...
We were invited last Monday night to attend 'an evening with Uli Behringer', which was an intimate affair: a few Behringer dealers from the Southern states of Australia, together with the Behringer Australia team, and on his very first trip to Australia - Uli Behringer.

We expected to walk in to a Sgt Peppers theme, with cardboard cutouts of The Beatles playing Behringer guitars through Bugera amplifiers. However it was a rather chilled affair, and we were treated to a few cool ales and settled down to a relaxed session at a function room at Crown Casino (a short walk from our day at Factory Sound).

Uli hopped up onto stage, and sat down for a Parkinson-style session with Behringer Australia's GM, Michael Jago. Factory Sound was not only well represented with quite a few of us attending, but also very impressed. Uli is (in no particular order) relaxed, intelligent, passionate, charismatic and inspiring. We also got the feeling he is genuinely talented in many areas of audio, whether it is musically, or pro audio. This was indeed confirmed when he came to Factory Sound the following day.

We've no idea how he managed to end up at Factory Sound on the day of his 20th Anniversay (since Behringer began), but Uli spent quite a bit of time chewing the fat with us. It was in our speaker room, that we realised there is a reason why his company is 20yrs old and still rising. The reason is Uli. He has a firm grasp on not only what sounds good, but what is required both now and in the future for all things pro audio. We listened to every speaker in our room, and his face could not lie - Uli has never listened passively to anything in his life. Even when he is Salsa dancing, we're pretty sure he's going to be focussing on more than his feet and his partner.

Really hard to put into words how 'switched-on' Uli is. If you've got a spare 10 mins though, check out our video podcast interview (episode 21)that we did with Uli on the same day. We think it's the only time he's done it before, so we're thankful that he took the time during his hectic 20th Anniversary year to come in and share a beer and a few stories for Factory Sound TV.

JBL EON 500 series - the new generation

Now we know that the JBL faithful can be an excitable lot, perhaps not quite working up to a state like the mac-nerds when Mr Jobs gets up on stage...but nonetheless James B Lansing has by far the most famous three initials in the world of professional audio.

So with the recent (and highly anticipated....see, it's catching) release of the EON 500 series "the next generation" aka "the most powerful ever" we thought it was time to go All the way with JBL.

The 3 new models are: EON510, EON515 and EON518S. You can see the release we attended by viewing our Factory Sound TV podcast page (episode 20).


Back to the boxes: Both the EON510 (10" 280w) and the EON515 (15" 450w) have a super-sleek design, and not many kilos on board. They look to be set for a long life of typical audiovisual applications (plug a mic straight into the back, and also run the multimedia feed into the 2 x line inputs), plus quite at home doing month after month of gigs in pubs. Here's a closer look at the back panel of the EON515.


Now in stock, so come and check them out! We'll make sure you get looked after.

No stopping this solder station

Just in time for the start of Spring, we've just received a desperately needed top-up of Solder Stations (and other goodies) from Weller.

Hayden is especially happy...we guess it's because, with these great-performing solder stations, he's hoping there will be a rush of DIY-techs ready to solder up their own leads. It's not that he doesn't love his work, there's just so much of it at the moment!
For tech's on the run, up ladders, or working in tricky spots - look no further than Weller's Pyro Pen, for 'wireless' (butane powered) soldering.

For even more tools, check out this part of our website. You won't find any leaf blowers or chainsaws, just a small gathering of very useful tools for studio maintenance, live sound repairs on the road, and general audiovisual tech work. Oh, and a set of metric or imperial hex-keys to re-tighten that bit of furniture that came flat-packed and is looking like it may end up back that way...

Drawmer KickBox 4x4

We received something new from Drawmer in the shop last week. As anyone who's used any Drawmer gear since the early 80s will testify, they make great sounding gear that really delivers on the promise. This one's a little different to all that have gone before it... cause it's not the full 19 inches. But don't worry, 4x4 comes pre-packed inside its own 'road proof case' with detachable lid for 'unhindered access to all controls and connections'

The detail: portable 4 input/16 output active distribution amplifier. AKA mic and media splitter.

Of course, in typical Drawmer fashion...there's little extra than you'd get with the usual.

Each of the 4 channels has 66dB of gain (twist the pot), and an 8-segment LED ramp for metering. Select mic or line with a button, choose +48v via a button, and hit the 'listen' switch if you want.

Top left hand side of the 4x4 is a headphone output jack, with a level pot right next to it. With a decent pair of cans, you can effectively check how the incoming signal sounds. Then it's just up to the outputs...

4 outputs per channel, they're pairs of optionally selectable transformer isolated XLRs with LED status for transformer load. You can select a variety of input / output options:

• 4 x 1 in / 4 out
• 2 x 1 in / 8 out
• 1 in / 16 out
• 1 in / 12 out and 1 in / 4 out

The 4x4 from Drawmer is part of their new 'KickBox' series. Any thoughts on what's coming next? The great little 4x4 has a Recommended Retail Price of $2399, and as usual, introductory deals are there to be done! Now in stock.