Behringer PMH2000 Powered Audio Mixer - Product Review

I'm a professional guitarist, singer-songwriter. I do a one-man acoustic act. A few years ago, I was in search of a PA system. I didn't need anything too elaborate. I was looking for a powered mixer with about 6 or 8 channels and a pair of speaker cabinets with 12-inch speakers and a high frequency horn or tweeter on stands. Being that it was only me plugging into it, I didn't see a need for anything bigger. I was lucky enough to find a package deal that included the Behringer PMH2000 powered mixer which had 10 channels along with two speaker cabinets with 12" speakers and a high frequency horn, two stands, two microphones, 2 speaker cords, and 2 microphone cords. Everything I needed to get going. Priced for under $700 at the time, and I was sold.

The features of the Behringer PMH2000 powered mixer are as follows:

2 x 250-Watt (500 Watts bridge mode) power amp with full protection.

Ultra low-noise ULN design, highest possible headroom, ultra-transparent audio.

10-channel mixer section comprising six mono and three stereo channels plus a separate tape / return channel.

6 state-of-the-art, studio-grade "Invisible" Mic Preamp s Switchable +48 V phantom power for condenser microphones.

12 balanced high-headroom line inputs.

3-band EQ, switchable pad and peak LED's on all mono channels.

9-band stereo graphic EQ allows precise frequency correction of monitor and main mixes.

Main level and monitor level controls with precise, 5-digit LED level meter.

Integrated 24-bit digital stereo FX processor with 99 outstanding presets including reverb, delay, chorus, flanger, vocal distortion, vinylizer and more.

Optional stereo (main L/R) or double mono (main/monitor) operation possible.

Multi-functional stereo preamp outputs and stereo power amp inputs for added flexibility.

Professional speaker connectors.

Extremely rugged construction.

I thoroughly tested the Behringer PMH2000 powered mixer and messed around with it a bit. The real test would be bringing it on a gig and fortunately, I had a gig later that very night.

The room that I was playing in that night was a medium room with about 200 people in it at the peak of the evening. My speakers were on the stands and were set up in stereo mode left and right. I used the number 9 effects preset that gave me a decent reverb for my voice. I use a Zoom A2 guitar effects processor and go direct from that into the PMH2000 powered mixer for my guitar. That processor has all the effects I need for my guitar so I didn't use any of the mixer's effects for my guitar mix. The speakers are elevated and set slightly in front of me pointed towards the audience. Being that it's just me on stage, I have no need for a monitor. I can hear myself just fine.

The sound is clear and right on. The EQ in the PMH2000 powered mixer allows me to tweak my sound just fine and give my voice or guitar as much low end, mid or highs that I desire. The gig went off without a hitch. Total setup time including unloading the truck was about 30 minutes. Tear down time including loading the truck back up was about 18 minutes.

Since that first gig with the PMH2000 powered mixer, I've used the system in bigger and smaller rooms. I used this system at outdoor venues and I have never felt that it lacked the power or the clarity that I need for what I do. You can't go wrong with the Behringer PMH2000 powered mixer.

The Pros:

Plenty of power, plenty of effects, and plenty of flexibility. 250 watts per side is PLENTY for I'd say up to 4 vocals, 2 guitars, and a bass guitar. For a full band situation, I wouldn't put anything more than vocals into this mixer.

It's light. It doesn't weigh a ton and it doesn't get hot even when it's cranked for long periods of time.

The Cons:

I have only one. The unit has "Speakon" type connections for the speakers. I've heard it said that the "Speakon" type connectors on speaker cables are superior to the older style ¼ cables. No one I know can tell the difference in the sound and I can't either. Speaker cables with "Speakon" connectors are generally more expensive than the speaker cables with ¼ " jacks.

About a year or so ago, Behringer discontinued the PMH2000 powered mixer and replaced it with the slightly more powerful PMP2000 powered mixer. You can search around on ebay and still find the PMH2000 and it's a good investment even if it's used. If you want new, I suspect the PMP2000 would do just as good a job for you with some added power.