Behringer iNuke 1000DSP

[Chris_Allen]

My very old Behringer EP2500 through a wobbly and got very hot, so I decided to have a go with the iNuke 1000DSP to run my monitors.

My other amps are:

Crown Xti 4000
Yamaha CP2000
Peavey 1500

First off, this amp is very light and very small but the fan is really noisy - not that you would ever notice playing live but I would if it was in the front room.

I'm not a fan of the styling and the case feels a little cheap but it only cost me £210. It has two combo XLR/TRS inputs, two speakon outputs, fan output and power socket on the back.

The volume dials have a nice reassuring notch as you turn up, as does the select dial. The up/down controls are a bit flimsy and the USB control socket has a lot of 'play' when you insert the cable. Being mounted on the front, it gives you quick access to plug until a laptop without disturbing the back of your rack.

The display on the front is nice and clear and doesn't glare at you. Fortunately, there are no overpowering blue LEDs in sight.

The immediate bonus for me is the 'Remote Connect' software. It is one file, doesn't need installing and it found the iNuke first time when I plugged it in (this is running on Windows 7.)

I'm technically a Software Engineer (though that's not what I do at work!) so I like it when software is done well and the Remote Connect is just that. Simple, clean and easy to use. Far better than the Crown one (Band Manager?). The interface is tabbed with Configuration, Filter/Crossover, Parametric EQ, Dynamic EQ and Setup. The Configuration tab lets you set the operation mode be it Dual Mono, Stereo, Bi-Amp 1, Bi-Amp 2 and Bridge. The UI shows you it a clear signal path of Filter, PEQ, DEQ, Delay and limiter both going the output, each box is coloured to show whether or not it is active. On the same tab you have the Delay, Peak Limiter and Phase control, one for each channel depending on mode. At the right hand side of each tab it has an Input and Output meter showing the levels.

Moving on to the Filter/Crossover tab you have another beautifully rendered display. Gain control, High Pass and Low Pass for each channel with options of LR, Butterworth and Bessel. LR and Butterworth both go up to 48dB slope.

I haven't played with the EQ yet but I did do voltage measurements.

Running a phone into a little mixer and out to amp (using unbalanced cables) I pushed the input until the Outputs on the display were hitting limit, in my test, this happened before the input was able to Clip.

Sine waves:
100Hz - 27.5V
1000Hz - 27.3V
5000Hz - 27.2V

Pink Noise - 9.8V
White Noise - 11.8V

So, for most people, this will be under powered but for monitor duty, it looks like it will be perfect. I will feedback when I've actually had chance to use it.

[Grant Bunter]

Chris,
Great read/review

[Ryan A]

Thanks for the information. I'm sure some can make good use of it.

[doncolga]

This thing caught my attention too for monitor use, as it could handle amp and EQ duties, so I can see me adding it or something like it in the future. I really like what I've seen with the DSP. It sounds like a silly complaint on my part, but the name of the amp is just plain embarrassing to me. Surely they could have come up with something other than iNuke. That is so juvenile.

[biggerrigger]

Inuke probably has a really cool meaning in Chinese.

[40 Hz]

I have had one of the iNuke 3000DSP's for a while and I am pretty happy with it. Right now I am using it with a super-portable mini PA, and the light weigh and built-in DSP makes it a perfect match. I highly recommend these amps for DJ's or small ensembles that don't want to lug a rack of gear around.

The DSP is very functional and easy to use, either directly through the amp controls or through computer access. It is basically a loudspeaker management system built right into the amp. The crossovers are great, the EQ decent, and it has a zero attack peak limiter that works well for speaker protection.

Yes, the internal fan turns into a leaf blower when running high power at a lower impedance. Supposedly there is a DIY fix for that (it is on my list of things to do) available somewhere on the internet. The wattage rating are severely inflated, but overall these are decent amps. I got mine new for $330, and for what it is and what it does, that is a hell of a deal! I will probably be buying some more of them in the near future.

[doncolga]

That's good to hear. As I mentioned, I really liked the DSP edit on a computer. For monitors at least, you could pretty much set it with the PC and not need to bring it to the gig. Front panel is available if needed in a bind.