Behringer 2600 Gray Meanie VS Standard - Filter Comparison and First Contact 

Can't wait to get mine....so excited with all these great videos coming out. Even with the extra cost you still can't get something this great for the money.

Once again from the reviews seen I'm going for the Blue/Grey. Thanks for the demo!

Very cool of you to do this. ❤️

If you listen to the Audio without watching you wouldn't know which of the 2 units are playing, so I guess the extra money is for the Spring reverb unit on the Grey. Great demonstration my mate, thanks for taking the time to do it.

Thanks t.noise. Apart from the Gray Meanie sounding a little nicer, I'd not noticed till this video, how aesthetically pleasing the 2600 Gray Meanie would look in a rack with 9U of 84HP Boland System 100 modules.

Definitely subtle differences. I've noticed them on other videos comparing the blue and standard black and orange, but I honestly wonder if it's just variation between units that might be found between two different black units as well

The difference I notice is that the African Grey Parrot has a bit more of maturity in behaviour of the resonance, whereas the orange seems a bit basic there

This was fascinating and very informative, and gives one the confidence to make a good decision based on science rather than the color and other differences. Judging from the audio signal on the Gray Meanie, the 4012 filter shows up on the scope as being different from the black and orange version, where in all the examples the 4072 filters looks identical on both versions. Listening to the audio by itself makes it more difficult to hear the difference, but it's there, and the Gray Meanie wins. But is it $100 difference? not sure, both are winners. The Gray Meanie may win as a collectors item since it's supposedly a limited run. Thank you, this was no boring at all, informative as well as helpful in making a decision on which version.

thanks for the comparisons ! I hear a clear difference in some sections. But this doesn't mean one is better than the other. Both have their advantages, none seem to really have any 'weakness' :P

Since I can‘t compare I‘m highly satiesfied with my black & orange one. I also find its different LED colours very helpful.

Ordered mine in January. Was told I'd get it in March. At the beginning of March, Sweetwater informed me that I now have to wait until June. And you have 2. I guess I need to start a review channel.

Have had the B/O for some time now, and just heard from SWS that the Grey Meanie I was on the wait list for was now available. I told my sales rep to let it go to the next person, I am perfectly happy with the B/O and don't feel there is a significant difference. If I really wanted to get as close as possible to an original ARP 2600, I would probably go for an Antonus 2600.

They both sound similar. I just received my original 2600 a couple days ago and I’m liking it a lot. Price-wise and aesthetically I like the original.

Very Cool!!!

Subtle difference but for my money I'll go for the Gray Meanie. I like the way its filter sounds at higher resonance.

Nicely Done Well thought out Set Up & Patches sound great, have alot goin on Interesting Spectral comparisons Grey sounds slightly richer with just earbuds... will try thru studio monitors tomorrow... Thanx T

Thanks for doing this comparison! I *hear* no difference, but it's interesting that your standard unit has a measured lower harmonic distortion than your Gray Meanie! FWIW spectrum analysis of my standard 2600's 4012 looks like your Gray Meanie. I don't have a way to share a screenshot without hitting the spam filter. So yeah, looks like it's down to differences between individual units, not necessarily the type. Looks like you got lucky with your original :).

The real question is: Do they pass the R2D2 test?

Thanks for doing this comparison. :) I wouldn't feel bad if I'd bought the regular version, the main reason I didn't is because I wanted single colour LEDs. :) I saw another video where someone took them both apart, he referenced this one. In his video you can see the Grey version has larger through-hole capacitors for the filter caps.

Very slight differences in sound, but I would be very happy to use either. As someone said earlier, I doubt you could tell the difference just by listening! I have the original 'Xmas tree' 2600 and on my studio monitors it sounds fantastic and integrates really well with my Eurorack system (I never use it's reverb because it's rubbish) I can't stand spring reverb unless it's for a one-off effect so that wouldn't persuade me to get a Blue or Grey 2600, but I like the look of the grey meanie! Thanks for doing this comparison, because it confirms for me that you would not be able to tell the difference in a full track.

Certainly a difference and it's audible! But I wonder if just the varience you get between any two purely analog filters OR if the new special versions have components that make the Gray Meanie's filters better. I am waiting for these become available here in the US (no US dealers have been sent stock yet ). I hope to have my 2600 soon. I also have a Blue Marvin coming later. So I guess I can check with mine... if they arrive at the US shores someday.

Thanks please do more, gray meanie sounded a little stronger in the low end imho

Subtle differences but only around the order you would expect between two instances of the same design. I wonder if the component changes make a difference to the stability and reliability

Recently purchased the black & orange. Yet, your examples did show minor differences. I had heard that some of the internal parts are also different. I may have to buy the Grey Meanie or blue. Thank you.

Interesting difference in the sound of the resonance. I did not expect it. You did a good job highlighting it. I thought the only difference would be the reverb, since Behringer’s descriptions of these is super vague. I wonder whether there is a difference between Grey and Blue as well.

Thanks for the video Tom! I'm curious to know what your mixer levels look like, particularly in the 2 and 3 VCO examples. To my ears (but very limited 2600 experience), the ARP seems to have more of a growl with these types of sounds, particularly in the bass realm. So I wonder if you're driving the mixer (and filter) as hard as you can.

Precision! Nice! Put it this way.. super glad I chose the Gray Meanie! Great comparison ❤

Thank you for the comparison. I am listening to this on studio monitors and the differences are somewhat noticeable in some of the examples. The gray version has a slightly richer tone in the lows and the filter is ever so slightly sweeter on the top end. Minute differences, I guess you could say that the orange and black version is a bit cleaner sounding, but is that what you would be after when getting a 2600?...

thanks for the great video ...i am no expert but i think the grey is slightly more mellow not as bright on a few of your examples great for my style of old electronic effects etc also i i like clanky noise ridden reverbs ... i will be putting my blue 2600 through old tape machines and mine have lots of dirt and noise is i am happy sp far with what i have heard about the blue/grey 2600 ...great video easy to understand for us non pro producers and pro musicians thanks btw how limited are these blue/grey versions

Will have to listen with headphones... But as of now I hear the grey meanie with a little bit more "mud" compared to the original, which has a cleaner sound, with higher spectrum (for my taste slightly "too clean", meaning, I miss the subtle lower non-linearities of the grey Minniei, which, again, are minimal...) ...My two "cents"... Thanks so much for this... God bless you all!!

I wish they did the sonic features of the Gray or the Blue but with the basic look and the multicoloured LEDs.

Don't have any ARP2600 but I'm amazed at the "Filter FM by VCO2". What was the technique?

I would love you to explore the way the 2600 is used on Herbie Hancock's "Sextant" album

To me, the original sounds a bit "cleaner", the gray "dirtier". To each their own, but I like the dirt. Got mine today as well, really happy with it, though not too fond of the reverb, but then I'm no spring reverb fan so no surprise...

I want the multi-colored lights..

oh just like comparing blackwood to whitewood fingerboard on guitar!!. the grey one tends to sound older capacitors, mellow. i found the high frequency on sh101 and odeyssey a bit harshy. i mean the high is not together with other .

I hear the Grey Meanie has very very very subtlety more low end volume and definition. It takes weapons grade hearing to hear

Gray Meanie from Thomann??

Glad to see both sound great, but you are getting more then just a different color plate for your $100 bucks. At this rate, I’m still waiting for them come in stock in the US. At this rate, I’ll take what ever 2600 I can get my hands on. They say the blue/grey are limited edition, yet their standard already seems to be in limited supply.

Great video's of the behringer. What spectrum analyser are you using in the video's? thanks

The difference in sound is not that noticeable to make most people choose one over the other. The choice would be more aesthetics [IMO]. I'm very happy with my Christmas tree... Besides, when mixed in with other sonic textures from other instruments and running through an external reverb [eliminate the "spring" reverb altogether] nobody on earth will ever be able to tell the difference anyway.

I wanted to find out what the filter differences are between a 2600 standard Black/Orange version and the special editions of the Gray Meanie and Blue Marvin. Because the filter is where Behringer claims to have used selected components, compared to the standard. Timeline: 0:00​ - Unboxing and first look 2:00​ - First launch and setup 5:06​ - Test Setup Explanation 6:30​ - Spectrum Analysis of Filters 8:30​ - Audio Comparison 13:30​ - Outro Audio Examples of the Spring Reverb: soundcloud.com/noiseprofessor...​ soundcloud.com/noiseprofessor...​

Prefered the grey for the bassier sounds and standard for higher up the range.

I thought the selected components were in relation to the real spring reverb?

To be fair, I can't really hear any difference. I've got to the Standard one and the "Gray meanie" and I tried all the day both units and I can't hear any difference. There is a difference in the filter section, the gray meanie/blue marvin are using bigger yellow capacitors instead of the little surface mounted of the "standard 2600". But it seems this has very few or no effect on the sound. The reverb is then the most noticeable change. Giving the price of a spring reverb (eurorack module for example), the Gray Meanie/Blue Marvin are a bargain, else the "standard" 2600 is the best for sound quality / price ratio. I love the "standard" and I'm very happy with the Gray Meanie. having two 2600 like Zawinul is really cool (just have to practice a bit more to also play like Zawinul :-) ).

Hi - Great to see comparisons like this as Behringer don't tell you what the differences are! The Grey has a slightly different filter as it has additional/different components but, let's be honest, the difference is not going to be a massive contributing factor when you start patching. The 'biggie' is the spring reverb but it's hard to see how they can justify another £100 just for that. I have a Moog Grandmother with a spring reverb and they sound, er, springy :-) Also, everyone knows the ARP 2600 is brown and orange! :-)

Grey has a real spring reverb in it and black is digital. I was unaware of the filter difference. Interesting. $100 USD difference is well worth it.

I can hear a very slight difference in fatness/roundness of tone with the grey one. I closed my eyes and did random seeks in the video and always knew which was which. A lot of what people perceive as enjoyable analog sound is due to nonlinearity and harmonic distortion. It’s certainly not night and day, they do sound quite close, but the original seems more precise, almost more like a good digital emulation, whereas the grey seems to have just a slight slight bit more ‘fur’ in the tone for those analog freaks. In a mix you probably wouldn’t hear the difference. I like the color blue and the normal white lights, so i bought the blue one 😂 scientific reason. Haha

So ad I knew it haven't some patch cables?

It sounds like the Gray Meanie has a little more ... umph. LOL Not sure how to say it but maybe had a little wider lower end? To me the gray meanie had a slightly better sound. And thank you very much for doing this! It's not boring to me.

How did you manage to get a grey meanie?

One goes Myyut Myyut while the other is rather Mwoot Mwoot

thanx! Grey, more characther ...

No difference period. Spring reverb on one, digital on the other. I'm going with the digital reverb less hassle.

Warum hast Du den schon?

These differences are measurable but you don't hear them at all. The Special edition 2600 use through hole capacitors, that's the main difference for the filters. The difference between the two types of filters is only audible if you drive them to the extremes and then it's mostly a difference in brightness. I have the Gray Meanie but I actually like the black and orange look better. Only the reverb in the original is digital and I hear from others that it is noisy too.

Yes there is a slight difference but you have to ask yourself, "is it a $100 difference?".

i bought a grey mean, bstock, when i got it it had the xmas tree lights, so9me jerk swapped the face plate of a black version. returning it for a new blue... Shady people suck..

Nothing I can hear outstanding between the two. Variations in factory calibration. How long did they both warm up? When I get my stuff set back up I'm going to compare my 2600 to my CAT since it's probably going to be the most similar sounding. I do have a short demo on my channel of the CAT and Pro-1 set up to sound the same and hard panned R and L.

2 actual 2600 arp's sitting side by side dont sound the exact same.... thats the essence of anolog synths

People who have used headphones and/or a decent sound system and who cannot hear the difference definitely have a hearing issue that must be adressed if professionals, sorry ! (I personaly hear a more beefy, thicker low end on the Gray Meanie, as well as tiny bit more harmonic content in the mids). Big up and many thx to t.noise, I was about to get the x-mass tree... and I'm happily in the waiting list for a GM.

I don’t see or heard any difference..

Just marketing... different face plate color. They sounded the same to me.

Standard version has more clicky attack and sounds brighter.

Honestly they sound the same, think the 2600 is a little smoother but that probably comes down to minute differences in the unit and knob placements so whatever

Some people seem to hear colours of a chassis 🤣🤣🤣! So the Blue sounds brighter than the grey or the Orange is dirty??? 😉Close your eyes and hear the truth! I didn't hear a difference. But you did?

The “standard” is stabier

Your samples are too long, i forgot first synth when listening second

Sounds the same to me. Prefer the look of the older one though.

Gray Meanie sounds so much fatter and aggressive. I regret now having bought the shitty standard one....

I have here the 2600 black ( metal dark grey ) and orange and the Odyssey and i need to say i love more my Odyssey . There is a magic in the duophonic i can't find on the 2600 . It feels lifeless .

no important difference to these ears.

No difference

The Grey Piece of shit basically sounds better because it costs $100 more than the standard 2600.

7 minutes of talking and I still haven’t heard the synth. I’m out!