Bugera V22

[KingBiscuit]

Anyone haeard one of these? I picked one up at GC for $299 after $50 off coupon. Nice sounding amp.

I know they are Behringer-made, Chinese, etc., so the build quality is suspect, but for the cost it's an amazing amp. I haven't opened it up yet to inspect for myself, but it functions perfectly, isn't noisy, sounds surprisingly good, etc.

What's this a copy of? I'd be curious to see a schematic.

BUGERA: V22


-KB

[jrfrond]

Why everyone associates Behringer with poor build quality, I do not know. Behringer's QC is actually far above more popular brands of pro audio and MI gear, because they have their own factory. They no longer subcontract work to faceless vendors in China. In fact, their work is so good that other famous companies (who shall remain nameless) utilize Behringer's factory to produce some of their products.

Perhaps you should watch this:

YouTube - Audiotechnology Magazine presents Behringer Factory

YouTube - Audiotechnology Magazine presents Behringer Factory

[Enzo]

As a service center, I find the Behringer units are generally well built. My general criticism is they tend to be light weight units - not tough sturdy things you want on the road. One can then argue over how robust the design may or may not be, but I do believe they built what they intended to build pretty well.

If I were touring with something, I would prefer controls with a nut on each bushing.

I have no complaints about the Bugera stuff really, I just fear those tiny little controls on the panel won't hold up to a lot of travel. But I haven't had to replace one yet. The most common repair to the Bugera line for me so far has been resoldering the inrush limiter to the AC inlet board. That and basic tube failure damage, as seen on ANY tube amp.

[KingBiscuit]

My only reason for suspecting lower quality is the constant complaints I've read from others regarding their products. This is the only piece of their gear I've ever even laid hands on, and as I said, I can't find anything at all wrong with it. Major bang-for-the-buck, IMHO.

[Enzo]

keep in mind that when you sell a million things, a low 1% failure rate still results in 10,000 bad units.

You may hear about a lot of people with Behringer products that have failed, but my god they sell stuff by the boatload - literally.

How about all those Fender amps burning up those two resistors for the zeners? All those MArshalls with the C46 issue?

Whenever a problem is reported, it is crucial to consider how many did NOT have a problem.

[tedmich]

people really like them at HC, with a few "early adopters" having solder/OT problems. Should be a great deal and plenty stable enough for home use. Everyone big makes amps of similar quality nowadays (cept a few $$ builders); Buggy just sells them for less. Its not rocket science but you have to take the time to train the ultra low wage workers that make all this value possible....

[Enzo]

Have you watched the documentary film? It is fairly impressive. They make everything they need, don;t buy much in other than components. The workers can live in dorms on their campus. Factories look clean and efficient inside. The wages may seem low to us, but there, it is a good job.

There was one other issue. There is a molex connector from the transformer, and the heater power pins would overheat and get flaky. They have us solder the wires right to the board to eliminate this problem. We are suppsed to do it to any unit we service, and it is a warranty covered fix for the customers.