Behringer PP400 mods?

lossfound · 11th March 2010, 04:45 PM

I've searched the forums and the 'net generally but can find no hobbyist input on the PP400 phono preamp. Well, I just gambled $20 on one and, to my surprise, it's not horrible. Noise is low, detail is OK, and output is not as overly hot as I'd been led to believe. Channel separation / imaging seems a bit mediocre, and it does seem that it's lacking some oomph in the low registers.

Has anyone done any modding or experimentation with one of these?

Zero Cool · 11th March 2010, 05:49 PM

one question....Why? hate to be that way but for $20 plus the price of mods, i think you could build a better sounding pre!

lossfound · 11th March 2010, 08:20 PM

Yeah, I've always thought I should be able to build a well-regarded pre for about $5-10 in parts. Over the last two years, such a plan has not come to my attention.

I bought the Behringer as a gamble to resolve an "emergency" left by the death of a beloved receiver in a room that sees 2-3 hours of vinyl time daily. But ultimately, $20 about is the cost of an enclosure, jacks, and a cheap power supply, plus shipping... and since I have Amazon Prime, I didn't even need to pay the latter on the PP400.

And if a replacement cap value or two has been discovered that would improve its abilities vastly... well, I just thought it was reasonable to ask

coolmaster · 12th March 2010, 04:34 AM

Hello all, I had a go with this thingy and looking at its PCB, its basic single chip dual opamp implementation, as basic and good as its price point. No audiophile caps of any sort. There isn't any input load shunt nor capacitance to match the cartridge loading. A little mod here may do some good. The opamp is smd, the wall wart is cheap skate, unless you can swap it for something better, there may be some hope. In stock form,don't expect stellar performance with this. Its cheap and useable, nothing more.

lossfound · 12th March 2010, 05:29 AM

Thanks so much, coolmaster. What would be the primary audible benefits of adding capacitance in this case? I can solder stuff to points if the Internet says it's OK, but when it comes to comprehending the electronics theory behind the mods, I'm pretty dumb.

coolmaster · 12th March 2010, 08:38 AM

Hi, google cartridge loading, there's much to read and learn.

lossfound · 12th March 2010, 11:51 AM

Will do. Thanks.

11th March 2010, 04:45 PM	#1
lossfound diyAudio Member Join Date: Sep 2007	Behringer PP400 mods? I've searched the forums and the 'net generally but can find no hobbyist input on the PP400 phono preamp. Well, I just gambled $20 on one and, to my surprise, it's not horrible. Noise is low, detail is OK, and output is not as overly hot as I'd been led to believe. Channel separation / imaging seems a bit mediocre, and it does seem that it's lacking some oomph in the low registers. Has anyone done any modding or experimentation with one of these?

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11th March 2010, 05:49 PM	#2
Zero Cool Audio Junkie diyAudio Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: MN	one question....Why? hate to be that way but for $20 plus the price of mods, i think you could build a better sounding pre!

11th March 2010, 08:20 PM	#3
lossfound diyAudio Member Join Date: Sep 2007	Yeah, I've always thought I should be able to build a well-regarded pre for about $5-10 in parts. Over the last two years, such a plan has not come to my attention. I bought the Behringer as a gamble to resolve an "emergency" left by the death of a beloved receiver in a room that sees 2-3 hours of vinyl time daily. But ultimately, $20 about is the cost of an enclosure, jacks, and a cheap power supply, plus shipping... and since I have Amazon Prime, I didn't even need to pay the latter on the PP400. And if a replacement cap value or two has been discovered that would improve its abilities vastly... well, I just thought it was reasonable to ask

12th March 2010, 04:34 AM	#4
coolmaster diyAudio Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: MY	Hello all, I had a go with this thingy and looking at its PCB, its basic single chip dual opamp implementation, as basic and good as its price point. No audiophile caps of any sort. There isn't any input load shunt nor capacitance to match the cartridge loading. A little mod here may do some good. The opamp is smd, the wall wart is cheap skate, unless you can swap it for something better, there may be some hope. In stock form,don't expect stellar performance with this. Its cheap and useable, nothing more.

12th March 2010, 05:29 AM	#5
lossfound diyAudio Member Join Date: Sep 2007	Thanks so much, coolmaster. What would be the primary audible benefits of adding capacitance in this case? I can solder stuff to points if the Internet says it's OK, but when it comes to comprehending the electronics theory behind the mods, I'm pretty dumb.

12th March 2010, 08:38 AM	#6
coolmaster diyAudio Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: MY	Hi, google cartridge loading, there's much to read and learn.

12th March 2010, 11:51 AM	#7
lossfound diyAudio Member Join Date: Sep 2007	Will do. Thanks.

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