The Top 5 Best-Rated Behringer Synths: The Stars Are Out Tonight
The Best of the B
With so many synthesizers in its stable, how do you know which Behringer instrument is worth your hard-earned money? These are the best-rated Behringer synths.
The Top 5 Best-Rated Behringer Synths
The Best-Rated Behringer Synths
Few companies have had as much of an impact on the modern musical instrument industry as Behringer. Love them or hate them, it’s hard to deny the effect the company has had on the market. It’s also hard to resist their synthesizers. They’re so affordable! But as they also have so many available, it can be hard to know what to buy.
On the lookout for a budget synth and leaning towards a Behringer buy? These are the top five best-rated Behringer synths as reviewed by customers of our affiliate partner, Thomann*.
The Number One Best-Rated Behringer Synth: Behringer JT-2
The best-rated Behringer synthesizer of them all on Thomann is the JT-2, the two-voice Roland Jupiter-8 desktop clone. I say two-voice but that implies true polyphony. The JT-2, rather, can do duophonic or paraphonic play, with each oscillator getting a single voice (but only one filter).
The two analog VCOs have sawtooth, triangle, square and pulse waveforms, as well as noise, and the filter is a 12 or 24dB/Oct lowpass, with a highpass pulling up the rear. You also get an LFO, two ADSR envelopes, and an arpeggiator plus more. It really is like having a mini Jupiter at your disposal.
Everyone who reviewed it on Thomann gave it five stars, saying things like, “I am struggling to find any negatives, even the small faders work great,” and that it’s a great synth. One even bought four of them and polychained them together for an eight-voice Jupiter. Now that’s love.
The Behringer JT-2 is available from our affiliate partners Thomann* and Sweetwater*.
The Number Two Best-Rated Behringer Synth: Behringer MS-1 MKII
The next in the list is also a Roland remake, this time taking on the SH-101, Roland’s famous single-oscillator monosynth from 1982. Called MS-1 MKII (the mark two part refers to the improved filter and envelopes, among other things), the little mono is great for basslines (both funky and acid), leads and effects. And, with its built-in keys, strap and modgrip, you’re free to take to the stage keytar style (should you have the confidence).
The MS-1 MKII has a 4.9 rating on Thomann, with buyers praising the build quality (“heavier and sturdier than I was expecting”), the surprisingly decent keybed, and the sound. Says one reviewer, “I’m very happy with the MS-1 and surprised by the excellent sound, which is almost indistinguishable from the original. A clear recommendation for anyone who doesn’t want to spend a fortune on the SH101.”
The Behringer JT-2 is available from our affiliate partners Thomann* and Sweetwater*.
The Number Three Best-Rated Behringer Synth: Behringer Grind
The first two synthesizers in this series were based entirely on existing synths. This next one, Grind, is something of a hybrid, with some elements you may have heard before, and others that are all Behringer.
Part of the Crave series, Grind combines a digital oscillator with an analog filter in a tabletop format that is especially fun to play, more so than the Eurorack-ready series – at least in my opinion. The familiar part of Crave is the oscillator section. There are 24 different synthesis engines, with 15 coming from Mutable Instruments’ open-source Plaits and the other nine original. You get a real grab bag of styles, from virtual analog to wavetable, DX7-style to TD-3-style. The filter is, like on the Crave, a Moogy 24dB/Oct Ladder construct. The synth is also semi-modular, meaning you can go wild with patching, and work up sequences on the 32-step sequencer.
Grind also boasts a 4.9-star rating, with customers loving the hands-on immediacy, and one calling it “a source of inspiration and exploration.” Says another: “Probably the best of the Behringer production series.” So there you go.
The Behringer JT-2 is available from our affiliate partners Thomann* and Sweetwater*.
The Number Four Best-Rated Behringer Synth: Behringer Kobol Expander
Honestly, this one surprised me considering how under-the-radar the Kobol is. Coming in at number four is the Kobol Expander, a Eurorack-ready desktop remake of the vanishingly rare 1970s RSF Kobol Expander, itself a cutdown version of the original Kobol. Known as the French Minimoog, the Kobol series is praised for its beautiful sound – and by all accounts, Behringer has nailed it with this remake.
The Kobol Expander offers an analog signal path with two VCOs, a VCF and a VCA, an LFO, two envelopes, a noise generator, and patch points for CV control. It may not seem like a lot of functionality on paper (or iPhone screen, whatever you’re reading this on), but the Kobol Expander is all about the sound. Warm, gooey and rich.
The 4.8-star reviews all gush about the analogness of this thing, with comments like, “This machine surprised me totally with its very unique sound,” and “A must-buy if you want something extraordinary.” And it’s so cheap!
The Behringer JT-2 is available from our affiliate partners Thomann* and Sweetwater*.
The Number Five Best-Rated Behringer Synth: Behringer 2600
I’m actually surprised the 2600 isn’t higher on the list. But this isn’t about popularity, it’s ratings. (By the way, the most popular Behringer synth is the Grind!) The 2600 is, of course, a clone of the ARP 2600, a landmark monophonic synthesizer from the 1970s and the world’s first semi-modular one.
In terms of specs, it’s a sound synthesist’s dream, with three VCOs, a resonant lowpass filter with two switchable characteristics, noise generator, ring modulator, sample and hold, preamp and envelope follower for external signals, ADSR and AR envelopes, even a stereo VCA with adjustable panorama. There’s also a DSP spring reverb.
This review sums up what people think of it: “The Behringer 2600 delivers exactly what many of us hope for when approaching a semi-modular classic: vintage attitude, immediate workflow and a sound that feels big, physical and alive.”
The Behringer JT-2 is available from our affiliate partners Thomann* and Sweetwater*.
More Information
- More about Behringer
- More about synthesizers
- Buy synthesizers at Thomann*
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