Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I have purchased several of these over the past few years, both new and used and placed them in a series of racks. Last night I was doing an event and discovered that a couple of my patches came loose in the rear of the patchbay. This particular rack is complicated and has quite a few devices in it both front and back. I took a screwdriver to part of the rack trying to remove some devices to get to the cables and ensure everything was connected correctly. (I could see one cable had come out of the patchbay and was hanging loose.) Alas, it was just too hard without putting it on a bench and getting through the devices to ensure I reconnected the correct cables. Instead of trying to fix it just prior to the event I brought in some backup equipment and ran it through the rack.
The problem with this patchbay is the 1/4 connectors just don't connect tightly and if you have a rack which is transported a good bit (as I do)...even if you are careful the cables can vibrate out. (Yesterday I was installing a Monster Cable 1/4 to RCA for one device and couldn't get the 1/4 to continually seat. Every time I checked it the 1/4 had backed out. Generally I've had better luck, but this is something you have to watch for. The only solution is to double check each connector prior to a gig.
My cables typically are commercially made and are usually Mogami, Canaire, Whirlwind, Monster and have Monster or Neutrik connectors, and the cables built by hand. The cables are very secure in the devices themselves, but there's not a great deal of confidence in the 1/4 cables staying connected (or fully pushed in) with the rear of this patchbay. I have given away a couple of these and I think I have four of them left. I'm going to try and replace them in the months ahead as there's really no excuse producing something this critical with such poor performance.
I regret to say these patchbays are the weak point of my systems and I'm frustrated that a company supposedly producing commercial-grade equipment would produce something that one can only be confident of the performance if the rack is stationary or you double-check the patches prior to a gig. (In five years of regularly doing commercial audio I've never had a connector come out of a piece of equipment...I check each time...but this patchbay is very unreliable. Another thing is the switches for the configuration of the patch are above each connector, and they can be switched by accident when installing another rack device above it. I read where it says designed in Germany, but made in China...it's either poorly designed or poorly made. Nothing I've purchased from Behringer has been a keeper and learned the obvious to purchase the best you can initially rather than have to purchase the device twice...once with the cheaper model and later with the better device.
On the positive side, the patchbay works fine if you can ensure all the cables are tightly connected as they should be and the switches are thrown where they should be.
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The Behringer PX3000 Ultrapatch Pro is a 3-mode, multi-functional 48-point balanced patchbay with fully balanced, high-quality 1/4' TRS connectors. It certainlywill be a welcome addition to every studio. Its three modes function as follows: NORMAL interconnects the two rear jacks of one channel; Inserting a plug into one of the front jacks interrupts the connection of the rear jacks. THRU interconnects each rear jack with its corresponding front jack. HALF NORMAL interconnects the two rear jacks of one channel; Inserting a plug into the lower front jack interrupts the connection of the rear jacks. Do you dread dismantling your stage after a gig because of all that cable mess? Have you ever tripped over an unsightly cable cluttering up the already tight space? Behringer's Ultrapatch Pro PX3000 is just what you need. The PX3000 returns your attention where it should, to making music, by providing a solution to cable mess and clutter. Behringer PX200 Ultrapatch Pro Features Professional and fully balanced patchbay eliminates cable clutter in your studio, adding order and clarity Fully balanced high-quality 1/4' TRS connectors Three modes, easily selectable per channel via top-side switches NORMAL interconnects the two rear jacks of one channel; Inserting a plug into one of the front jacks interrupts the connection of the rear jacks THRU interconnects each rear jack with its corresponding front jack HALF NORMAL interconnects the two rear jacks of one channel; Inserting a plug into the lower front jack interrupts the connection of the rear jacks Super-rugged metal construction for long life and durability Conceived and designed by BEHRINGER Germany AmericanMusical.com is an authorized dealer of Behringer products.
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