User's Manual: Version 1.3 November 2001
User's Manual: Version 1.3 November 2001
User's Manual: Version 1.3 November 2001
ENGLISH
User’s Manual
Version 1.3 November 2001
TRUTH
www.behringer.com
TRUTH B2031
SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
This symbol, wherever it appears, alerts This symbol, wherever it appears, alerts
you to the presence of uninsulated you to important operating and
dangerous voltage inside the enclosure maintenance instructions in the
– voltage that may be sufficient to accompanying literature. Read the
constitute a risk of shock. manual.
2
TRUTH B2031
FOREWORD
Dear Customer,
Welcome to the team of TRUTH B2031 users and thank you very much for expressing your confidence in
BEHRINGER products by purchasing this studio monitor.
It is one of my most pleasant tasks to write this letter to you, because it is the culmination of many months of
hard work delivered by our engineering team to reach a very ambitious goal: making an outstanding reference
studio monitor that will become a standard tool. The task to design the TRUTH B2031 certainly meant a great
deal of responsibility, which we assumed by focusing on you, the discerning user and musician. It also meant
a lot of work and night shifts to accomplish this goal. But it was fun, too. Developing a product usually brings
a lot of people together, and what a great feeling it is when everybody who participated in such a project can
be proud of what we’ve achieved.
It is our philosophy to share our joy with you, because you are the most important member of the BEHRINGER
family. With your highly competent suggestions for new products you’ve greatly contributed to shaping our
company and making it successful. In return, we guarantee you uncompromising quality (manufactured
under ISO9000 certified management system) as well as excellent technical and audio properties at an
extremely affordable price. All of this will enable you to fully unfold your creativity without being hampered by
budget constraints.
We are often asked how we are able to possible to produce such high-grade devices at such unbelievably low
prices. The answer is quite simple: it’s you, our customers! Many satisfied customers means large sales
volumes enabling us to get better conditions of purchase for components, etc. Isn’t it only fair to pass this
benefit back to you? Because we know that your success is our success, too!
I would like to thank all people whose help on “Project TRUTH B2031” has made it all possible. Everybody has
made very personal contributions, starting from the designers of the unit via the many staff members in our
company to you, the user of BEHRINGER products.
Uli Behringer
3
TRUTH B2031
TRUTH
2-way active high-resolution studio monitor
B2031
V Ultra-linear frequency response from 50 Hz to 21 kHz
V Two built-in high power amps with 150/75 Watts and enormous power reserves
V Long-throw 8 ¾" woofer with special polycarbonate diaphragm and sturdy cast aluminum chassis
V Overload protection through separately controlled limiter for low- and high-frequency ranges
4
TRUTH B2031
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................................... 6
1.1 The concept .................................................................................................................................... 6
1.2 Before you start .............................................................................................................................. 6
1.3 Control elements ............................................................................................................................. 7
2. APPLICATIONS ....................................................................................................................... 9
2.1 Connection ...................................................................................................................................... 9
2.2 Level setting .................................................................................................................................... 9
2.3 Recommended setup .................................................................................................................... 10
2.4 Adapting the TRUTH to the room acoustics .................................................................................... 11
3. INSTALLATION ..................................................................................................................... 13
3.1 Speaker setup ............................................................................................................................... 13
3.2 Mains voltage ................................................................................................................................ 13
3.3 Audio connections ........................................................................................................................ 13
4. SPECIFICATIONS ................................................................................................................. 15
5. WARRANTY ........................................................................................................................... 16
ATTENTION!
The TRUTH B2031 are capable of producing extreme volumes. Please bear in mind, that high
sound pressures do not only temporarily damage your sense of hearing, but can also cause
permanent damage. Be careful to select a suitable volume.
5
TRUTH B2031
1. INTRODUCTION
Congratulations! With our new BEHRINGER TRUTH B2031 you have purchased one of the best high-resolution
active studio monitors available. It is a tool that reproduces your program material with highest fidelity and
balance, positioning sound sources accurately on the stereo basis.
We recommend that you experiment with your B2031 away from the pressures of a recording session, in order
to get a feel for it. It will be a good idea to listen to your favorite CD’s over the TRUTH, so that you can get an
impression of the neutral sound this speaker produces—which might be somewhat unusual at first!
If the unit is damaged, please do NOT return it to BEHRINGER, but notify your dealer and the
shipping company immediately, otherwise claims for damage or replacement may not be granted.
Shipping claims must be made by the consignee.
The TRUTH must be placed on a flat and stable surface. Be sure that there is enough air space around the
unit for cooling and please do not place the TRUTH on high-temperature devices such as power amps, etc. to
avoid overheating.
Before you connect the TRUTH to the mains, please make sure that your local voltage matches
the voltage required by the unit!
Please use the enclosed power cord to connect the unit to the mains. The cord complies with all applicable
safety standards.
Please note that all units must be grounded properly. For your own safety, you should never
remove any ground connectors from electrical devices or power cords or render them
inoperative.
6 1. INTRODUCTION
TRUTH B2031
All connectors of the TRUTH face downwards, so as to allow you to place the speaker as closely to a wall as
possible.
3 INPUT. This balanced TRS connector is used to connect the speaker to a signal source.
4 INPUT. This XLR connector is used to connect the speaker to a balanced signal source.
5 Use the POWER switch to put the TRUTH into operation.
The TRUTH should be the last device in the signal chain to be switched on and the first to be
switched off.
6 FUSE holder/VOLTAGE selector and MAINS connector. Please make sure that your local voltage
matches the voltage indicated on the unit, before you attempt to connect and operate the TRUTH.
Blown fuses may only be replaced by fuses of the same type and rating. Use the enclosed power cord
to connect the unit to the mains. Please note the instructions given in chapter 3 “INSTALLATION”.
1. INTRODUCTION 7
TRUTH B2031
7 SERIAL NUMBER. Please take the time to have the warranty card filled out completely, and return it
within 14 days after the date of purchase, so as to be entitled to benefit from our extended warranty. You
may also use our online registration option available on the Internet (www.behringer.com).
8 INPUT TRIM. Use this control to adapt the TRUTH’s input sensitivity to the signal source.
9 POWER MODE. This switch allows you to toggle between “ON”, “OFF” and “AUTO” power-up modes.
10 MUTE LOW. Disables the woofer for servicing and maintenance.
11 MUTE HIGH. Disables the tweeter for servicing and maintenance.
12 LOW FREQUENCY. With this switch you can adapt the woofer range to a subwoofer system or emulate
the sound characteristics of small speaker systems.
13 ROOM COMPENSATION. For maximum flexibility the TRUTH features a switch that adjusts the speaker
depending on its setup position.
14 HIGH FREQUENCY. This switch adapts the speaker's frequency response to the damping characteristics
of the control room.
8 1. INTRODUCTION
TRUTH B2031
2. APPLICATIONS
2.1 Connection
Use the enclosed power cord to connect the B2031 to the mains. To avoid ground loops, both speakers and
the mixing console should be fed from the same outlet. For your convenience, the TRUTH features an
automatic power-up system which activates the B2031 as soon as a signal is present on its input, and
deactivates the speaker after signal pauses of more than five minutes.
Function: The switch for the automatic power-up system has three positions. When set to OFF, the
speaker is completely switched off and cannot be activated with switch . Position AUTO allows the automatic
operation as mentioned above. In position ON, the B2031 is activated all the time and can be switched off only
with switch .
Be sure to switch the TRUTH off with switch during longer pauses.
Now connect both speakers to your console by means of commercial XLR or TRS cables. Since the B2031 is
an active speaker system, instead of conventional speaker cables you will need normal TRS or XLR cables.
Connect the TRUTH to the Control Room outputs of your console, so as to be able to control the monitoring
volume independently of the Main Mix level. If your console does not have such outputs, you can also use the
Aux, Tape or Main outputs. However, in this case the speaker volume cannot be set independently of the Main
Mix level, i.e. you must adjust the monitoring volume on the TRUTH. Please consult the operating instructions
accompanying your console to find out whether it has balanced or unbalanced outputs. Connect these outputs
to the TRS or XLR input. If possible use the balanced connectors, so as to avoid interference and
hum. It won't help, however, to connect unbalanced outputs with balanced inputs. The benefits mentioned
above will apply only when both inputs and outputs are of the balanced type. If all else fails, you can still
connect the TRUTH to the headphones output of your console.
Be sure to mute the signal sources before you put the B2031 into operation.
Once the TRUTH has been connected as described above, you can activate the speaker with switch .
The TRUTH is capable of producing high volume levels. You should mix your recordings at
moderate levels, so as to avoid listening fatigue and hearing impairment.
2. APPLICATIONS 9
TRUTH B2031
This illustration shows how you shouldn’t do it: you can clearly see that a portion of the sound bounces back
from the walls before it reaches the listener's ears. Thus, direct and reflected sound waves overlap which
results in a coloration of the sound.
10 2. APPLICATIONS
TRUTH B2031
This effect can be reduced by turning the speakers towards the listener. To make reflections from ceiling or
floor less likely, the tweeters should be on the same height as your ears. Please note that the TRUTH should
be operated vertically. Where this is impossible, place it horizontally as shown in the illustration (i.e. woofers
closer to each other), to allow for an improved stereo image.
In addition to the setup position, the room characteristics also have quite an impact on the sound the TRUTH
produces. Although control room designers have calculated some ideal room sizes, we assume that you are
not willing to rebuild your entire studio, just to be able to set up a pair of speakers. Nevertheless, you should
consider the following tips:
The room acoustics should neither be too reflective nor too dull (i.e. neither bathroom nor anechoic chamber).
You can alter the room acoustics easily by installing or removing carpets, curtains or furniture. Fabric
covering on the wall opposite the speakers might be a good idea if the room is too reflective. The next chapter
describes how to adapt the TRUTH to the room acoustics, once it has been set up properly.
2. APPLICATIONS 11
TRUTH B2031
If you are still having problems, you could try the following: The ROOM COMPENSATION switch allows
you to lower the bass range, depending on the speaker position. Ex-factory, the switch is set to a neutral
position. If you’ve set up the TRUTH close to the wall or in a corner, try reducing the low-frequency level in steps
of 2 dB. Since every room and speaker setup are unique in their acoustic properties, we cannot provide more
specific information here. The same applies to the HIGH FREQUENCY switch , which determines the
tweeter level (between +2 dB and -4 dB). Here too, the best setting depends on the room acoustics. If you have
an additional subwoofer installed, you can attenuate the TRUTH’s lower cutoff frequency using the LOW
FREQUENCY switch . This can be necessary when adapting the TRUTH to your subwoofer. Trust your
own aural instinct, but don’t forget: Listening at high volume levels over long periods leads to listening fatigue
and thus reduces your ability to judge the sound. Consequently, we recommend regular pauses to keep your
hearing “healthy”.
As a general rule, you should set up and adjust the TRUTH with great care. Above all, you should take your
time: unlike hi-fi speakers, the B2031 is tuned to produce a neutral sound, which can be confusing when you
are working for the first time with such a high-quality speaker. Don’t try to adjust the TRUTH with its rear panel
switches to produce a “bombastic” sound that impresses you or other listeners. To get a feeling for the
TRUTH’s sound, you should listen to as many records as possible that were produced in other studios. We
also recommend that you listen to your own recordings over as many other systems as possible, for example,
your car system. If you find that your mixes are somewhat “dull” in their overall sound, the reason might be too
much treble power from your TRUTH. On the other hand, if you set the bass level to high, you will find that your
mixes lack bass power. Tuning a speaker can take several days’ time, so once again: take your time!
It might be necessary to insert an equalizer between console and speaker, in particular, if you prefer extreme
setups or sound images. The BEHRINGER ULTRA-CURVE PRO DSP8024 has proven its usefulness in practice,
as it is not only a simple equalizer but also includes analyzer circuitry. You can use our measuring microphone
ECM8000 to automatically adapt the TRUTH to your room or modify its frequency response.
12 2. APPLICATIONS
TRUTH B2031
3. INSTALLATION
Your TRUTH was carefully packed in the factory and the packaging is designed to protect the unit from rough
handling. Nevertheless, we recommend that you carefully examine the carton and its contents for any signs of
physical damage, which may have occurred in transit.
If the unit is damaged, please do NOT return it to BEHRINGER, but notify your dealer and the
shipping company immediately, otherwise claims for damage or replacement may not be granted.
Shipping claims must be made by the consignee.
Be sure that there is enough air space around the unit for cooling and please do not place the
TRUTH on high-temperature devices such as power amps, etc. to avoid overheating.
Please note that all units must be grounded properly. For your own safety, you should never
remove any ground connectors from electrical devices or power cords or render them
inoperative.
Pin 1 Ground
2 1 Shield 1 2
Pin 2 = (+) Signal (+) Signal + Hum Positive (+)Hum + Signal
(-) Signal + Hum
3 3
Pin 3 = (-) Signal Negative (-)Hum + Signal
2 x Signal
= Signal + 6 dB
RFI and Hum
3. INSTALLATION 13
TRUTH B2031
14 3. INSTALLATION
TRUTH B2031
4. SPECIFICATIONS
Audio inputs
XLR servo-balanced input
1/4" jack servo-balanced input
Impedance 20 kOhms
Max. input level +22 dBu
Loudspeaker
Tweeter 25 mm ferrofluid-cooled dome
Woofer 22 cm (8 3/4") polycarbonate diaphragm
Amplifiers
Low frequency max. 150 watts
High frequency max. 75 watts
Noise (SPL @ 10 c m) <10 dBA @ 1 m (each)
Crossover
Type active, 4th order Linkwitz-Riley filter
Crossover frequency 2 kHz
System specifications
Bandwidth 50 Hz to 21 kHz
Sound pressure level max. 116 dB SPL @ 1 m (pair)
Power supply
Mains voltages U.S.A./Canada 120 V ~, 60 Hz
U.K./Australia 240 V ~, 50 Hz
Europe 230 V ~, 50 Hz
general export model 100 - 120 V ~, 200 - 240 V ~, 50 - 60 Hz
Fuse 100 - 120 V ~ : T 5.0 A H
200 - 240 V ~ : T 2.5 A H
Power consumption 210 watts, standby 27 watts
Mains connection standard IEC receptacle
Physical
Dimensions (H x W x D) 15 3/4" (400 mm) x 9 13/16" (250 mm) x 11 3/8" (290 mm)
Net weight approx. 15 kg (each)
BEHRINGER is constantly striving to maintain the highest professional standards. As a result of these efforts, modifications may be
made from time to time to existing products without prior notice. Specifications and appearance may differ from those listed or
illustrated.
4. SPECIFICATIONS 15
TRUTH B2031
5. WARRANTY
2. If the warranty claim proves to be justified, the product will be 6. If an inspection of the product by BEHRINGER shows that the
returned to the user freight prepaid. defect in question is not covered by the warranty, the inspection
costs are payable by the customer.
3. Warranty claims other than those indicated above are expressly
excluded. 7. Products which do not meet the terms of this warranty will be
repaired exclusively at the buyer’s expense. BEHRINGER will
§ 3 RETURN AUTHORIZATION NUMBER inform the buyer of any such circumstance. If the buyer fails to
1. To obtain warranty service, the buyer (or his authorized dealer) submit a written repair order within 6 weeks after notification,
must call BEHRINGER (see enclosed list) during normal business BEHRINGER will return the unit C.O.D. with a separate invoice
hours BEFORE returning the product. All inquiries must be for freight and packing. Such costs will also be invoiced
accompanied by a description of the problem. BEHRINGER will separately when the buyer has sent in a written repair order.
then issue a return authorization number. § 5 WARRANTY TRANSFERABILITY
2. Subsequently, the product must be returned in its original This warranty is extended exclusively to the original buyer
shipping carton, together with the return authorization number to (customer of retail dealer) and is not transferable to anyone
the address indicated by BEHRINGER. who may subsequently purchase this product. No other person
3. Shipments without freight prepaid will not be accepted. (retail dealer, etc.) shall be entitled to give any warranty promise
on behalf of BEHRINGER.
§ 4 WARRANTY REGULATIONS
§ 6 CLAIM FOR DAMAGES
1. Warranty services will be furnished only if the product is
accompanied by a copy of the original retail dealer’s invoice. Failure of BEHRINGER to provide proper warranty service shall
Any product deemed eligible for repair or replacement by not entitle the buyer to claim (consequential) damages. In no
BEHRINGER under the terms of this warranty will be repaired or event shall the liability of BEHRINGER exceed the invoiced value
replaced within 30 days of receipt of the product at BEHRINGER. of the product.
2. If the product needs to be modified or adapted in order to § 7 OTHER WARRANTY RIGHTS AND NATIONAL LAW
comply with applicable technical or safety standards on a national 1. This warranty does not exclude or limit the buyer’s statutory
or local level, in any country which is not the country for which rights provided by national law, in particular, any such rights
the product was originally developed and manufactured, this against the seller that arise from a legally effective purchase
modification/adaptation shall not be considered a defect in contract.
materials or workmanship. The warranty does not cover any
such modification/adaptation, irrespective of whether it was 2. The warranty regulations mentioned herein are applicable
carried out properly or not. Under the terms of this warranty, unless they constitute an infringement of national warranty law.
BEHRINGER shall not be held responsible for any cost resulting
from such a modification/adaptation.
The information contained in this manual is subject to change without notice. No part of this manual may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording of any kind, for any
purpose, without the express written permission of BEHRINGER Spezielle Studiotechnik GmbH.
BEHRINGER and ULTRA-CURVE are registered trademarks. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
© 2001 BEHRINGER Spezielle Studiotechnik GmbH.
BEHRINGER Spezielle Studiotechnik GmbH, Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Str. 36-38, 47877 Willich-Münchheide II, Germany
Tel. +49 (0) 21 54 / 92 06-0, Fax +49 (0) 21 54 / 92 06-30
16 5. WARRANTY