Behringer are like Kakashi Hatake, can mimic really well. A company that's a hero for those of us that can't afford the real thing. Thank you Behringer, lots of love!
@@SPAZZOID100 without the beautiful walnut case, it's probably not dramatically different. They both have simple metal chassis, reissue Curtis chips inside (made by Behringer I think)
1. Arp: Prophet more creamy - Pro more directly 2. 8oct + rev: Prophet more dreamy - Pro more clear 3. Glide: Prophet: more playful - Pro more precised 4. Blackhole: difference very subtle 5. Osc Sync: different charakter but both very nice 6. Filter: diffcult cauz different osc sound (prophet more release) 7. Chords: nearly no difference 8. Spacy Reverb: nearly no difference 9. Sync: Prophet more creamy - Pro more harsh 10. More chords like the chords before nearly no difference. .... Overall the raw Prophet sound is a bit more creamy/dimensional but really worth the additional costs? I do not think so, like you see with effects the sound is more or less the same. I am happy with my pro800
I never understand this argument. So what if no one “asks” what synth you’re using? What synth sounds better and inspires YOU? I guess for people only concerned about selling out, hardware isn’t needed at ALL…just grab a VST, a software drum machine, make a few beats and then call yourself a trance DJ…
You’re both right. I have both a Pro 800 and a Prophet 10 (literally just arrived yesterday) - the Pro 800 definitely got me close enough sonically (the Prophet by no means sounds 10x better!) but I after reading the book, I grew obsessed with Sequential, and I just needed the real deal. Now that I have it, I’m so in love with it - it really draws me in and makes me want to play it. It has an incredibly bold, punchy quality and as an object it is hugely inspiring! I could have been happy with the Pro 800 forever but now that I have the Prophet 10, I’m not just happy - I’m ecstatic.
@@jeffc1753 I may react to a VST vs. a REAL "bubbly" analog synth, but may not notice a hardware difference, like here. I both making music for fun and listen to only electronica/synthwave. I can notice the thinner VST sound in a mix but I can't always tell what hardware analogue synth they use. As a casual listener you probably won't notice the BRAND of a hardware synth...I just say again that Behringer nailed this one, with a very analugue sound, which has a broader bandwith than a VST. I try to use a VST -set only for sketching...
I really can't tell much difference. The Pro-800 filter seems to be a little grittier in the low range, but I like it. I also like the lower price of the P-800, extra voices, and the eurorack size is very convienient. Some of the original disadvantages of the Pro-600 seem to have been addressed, such as no noise generator.
My test for whether the sound differences are significant is listening to these kinds of comparisons while doing something else. If I become actually consciously aware of when the switch happens and that two sound are different, then it becomes significant. In this case, that didn't happen.
What amazing tools we have available at affordable prices. The question I kept asking while listening was: "Can I make the sounds I want with this?" And, yes. I think I can! Thank you for the video.
Thank you! Behringer did a very good job. It sounds very good and the original 600 has some issues I assume this one doesn't have. The old Prophet 5 was also a tad warmer to my ears, the 600 a bit colder, futuristic, sci fi something ( not a negative ). But they could do different jobs and shine in different "areas" ... That P5 rev4 does seem to have better control over It's sound. My B Pro-1 is the same when you do certain things, the original does them much better. But nothing one would care about. It can sound 5 percent prettier ... sometimes. :)
You haven't used these machines in a way that I would, so it's a bit vague for me, but I have to say as a Prophet 10 owner that I'm very impressed with the Pro 800 mostly holding its own. Might have to get one for use as a backup!
I want to say I hear a slightly polished character to the Prophet, like, as a "synthesizer instrument", which is very nice, and a slightly more raw sound to the Behringer, as, like, an "analog beast", which is also very nice.
Prophet sounds better, but the 800 (which I actually own) is better value. I got an OB-6 and I do intend to get another Sequential at some point in the future. I don't want Behringer to bankrupt everyone else.
Sequential will not bankrupt. It's too difficult for people in countries like mine to afford a Sequential instrument. Synths are made for making music, people has the right to make music. This high prices on synths are madness. I have faith that Behringer will help lower a bit the market.
Well if other synth companies don't lower their prices, Behringer will be eating their lunches! It just goes to show how much a lot of us musicians have been taken advantage of over the years! All of these companies have been charging thousands of dollars more for basically the same thing Behringer is able to do for a fraction of the cost! It's about damn time we have a company come in and turn the synth community onto it's head! They've come in and are proving that you don't need to choose to either sleep in a 1 room apartment for the rest of our lives just to get some of these legendary synth sounds!
I have a Prophet 10 and two Pro 800's. The bottom line is the Prophet 5 (10) has a richness that the pro800 does not. I wish it did because I would love to sell the P10 and pocket all that money but I will never. It is pure magic. Is it worth the price difference?? That's the question....but I will never sell my P10. It's my desert island synth.
People say you are paying for outstanding build quality but I have experienced a couple things that should have been caught in quality control with a couple of modern sequential synths. Never had an issue with Behringer.
Yes, I can confirm that DSI was not free from built quality issues. I had serious problems with the endless encoders of my DSI Evolver keyboard. After expiration of the warranty period the recommendation was to replace the encoders by usual pots ...
Hi Pete. I think the big thing here is the Pro-800 sounds massively different when using the GliGli envelopes. You can really get it close to a Prophet 5 if you twek things well. It is hard to tell how you've setup your patches on the video - but you definitely got the sounds close!
The Behringer is 99% there. (with the vibe of the original). If it was 70-80% I would believe its close. But in my opinion the Behringer captures that "magic vibe" of the original.
It's funny that I had a running argument with someone who was convinced that the P5 and P800 are nothing alike. Page 4 of the P600 manual states that Sequential wanted to make a lower cost, more affordable synth based on the P5. That's why we are hearing very similar sounds from both. P5 is something that does what it does exceptionally well, but the P800 for most people who cannot afford a P5, will do what they need perfectly. There is room for both, but one doesn't better the other when you put things into context. Thx for the upload.
Amazing value, filter sweep sounds sick. I really couldnt do what I do with my Prophet 5 with it though. Within seconds of trying the envelope I was pretty dismayed they made such a slow envelope. But I guess it isnt even a P5 clone.
Ooh - those envelope comments remind me of one more thing that my Prophet 10 can do that my Pro 800 can’t - per voice vintage settings. Super helpful for filter envelope behavior!
Prophet 5's low-end impact and transient response are definitely better... listening to the comparison with my Genelec system, and the difference is noticeable!
This is the *real* story here. People making direct sound comparisons are somewhat missing the point. The Pro800 is a fantastic 8 voice analogue polysynth. Any differences with the original family of synths are moot imho. It's a whole lot of synth for the money.
@@NiceterCoolster but are they noticeable in a mix where it counts? I think not. And even if it was, only the “superior-ear’d” synth dorks among us could do it. No one else cares.
It's a great time to be alive for keyboard and guitar players, so much cool gear is available at budget prices. I started out in the 80s and it was so hard to afford anything that wasn't a cheesy piece of junk.
The prophet 5 will still be sellable for nearly new price in 10+ years (maybe even for more when decommissioned), while the pro800 will be a 2nd 200-250 device….(I guess)
Ok let's face it and people buying synths are drunkards for it. They can't accept that most analog synths sound the same. They do folks . .. prophet 5 .. pro800... Yep it's come to it now. Very cheap analog polys .. wonderful too. You wanna an analog synth.. get a pro800 .. I might actually not bother with getting a pro800 cuz it's sound I've got plenty of already .. because they all sound the same. ... The exception I think is the cs80 which had a unique sound.
The difference is there. But with some proper juicing in the mix, it would be practically identical. And typical listener doesn’t care how it was made or with what 98% of the time. That’s why the snobs are insecure about it. All that cash don’t equal musical greatness. The best music has traditionally been made by the impoverished or broke kids. Would I buy a prophet if I had the money? Of course, but I’m all for this damn near vintage sound being affordable.
I wonder how much the new prophet 5 differs from the original? I think sound wise Behringer has done a great job . Other manufacturers would never come in at this price point.
Wow, this is amazing. Thanks for this demo! Crazy, I actually like the way the low frequencies sound on Pro-800 better than the Prophet 5, plus its filter is a bit grittier. Amazing.
I think this is exactly right. The Prophet 600 / 800 always had a slightly gritty, dirtier sound. The P5 was and is brighter. I have both for a reason even if they share DNA.
I have to say the Pro-800 will be saving me $3100 USD for now. After seeing this video, it is a no brainer to buy the Pro-800. It is touching most of the Prophet 5 sounds I need in my synth collection. The Pro-800 is on it's way to selling many units for Behringer. I'm on line for it. Great video and thank you for it. I just became a sub. 👍👍👍👍👍
@@apoclypse When that finally comes out, that I think is going to murder the industry. Right now everyone wants the Pro-800, so imagine that Pro-16. My God.
Thanks that's awesome. The P800 also POLY aftertouch since the latest update (1.2.7), which should make for a lot of fun when combined with a hydrasynth, for example. Now if only Behringer adds PWM as a destination for Polymod, i really see no reason to need a P5 anymore. Oh wait my P6 can do that ;)
The behringer sounds a bit more lo-if to my ears. Almost thinner as well. I own the behringer and love it, but it can sound a bit too scratchy at times.
Great video! I think the Prophet 5 is a bit beefier? But the Pro 800 sounds fantastic, and anyone who goes with that should be stoked. Most of the slight difference in that beefiness could probably be quickly added tastefully with some plugins, like a LittleLabs VOG for example.
Hey Pete. Thanks for the comparison. Let's be honest. For hobby musicians who don't (want to) "show off" their instruments live, the Pro800 is a blessing.
Nice side-by-side comparison. Both sound great. I think the sub oscillator on the Prophet 5 is a little beefier, and the upper end of the filter on the Pro-800 seems a little constrained. But for the price, I think the Pro-800 is really hard to beat.
@@PeteMidi😮Was soll das jetzt eigentlich heißen? Du antwortest oft mit dem Smiley oder einem Dankeschön für das Feedback und das wars dann. Denke mal drüber nach mit zu diskutieren, manchmal zumindest l
While reading through the comments & listening, my ears can't tell when you've switched from one box to another. That's good enough for me. The wet/dry difference is probably greater than the difference between the two boxes anyway. Get my in the ballpark for $400 & I'll do the rest.
I have an OG Prophet 5,61 keys,walnut cabinet and it sounds rich as hell. This little guy sounds pretty good. I can leave my big boy at home and take the little guy to gigs ,studio anywhere without worrying if it's gonna take a beating!
I think the heritage and importance of Sequential and Dave Smith certainly add to the cost but they also add the irriplacable value of both of these things, not to mention the quality of the hardware production. Both are great for very different reasons!
I just received mine and let me tell you, it’s a GEM. Takes an hour or two to deep dive, but wow. I have experience w plenty of vintage synths, and this is really delivering on the 70s early 80s sound! Hope you enjoy
A few months ago I had a pro800 and a prophet rev2 in my home studio and the prophet literally kicked the pro 800, perhaps because it was one of the first units the controls did not do things well, it sounded weak next to the propher rev2 which seemed like a Maybach and the other an Audi A4, maybe it was the firmware I don't know but I returned it I didn't like it at all, but in all the videos I see it sounds incredibly similar to a prophet but that was not my case
It sounds SO selling :D ! One thing I really would like that Behringer to add - the multitembrality! It will make this synth much cooler even without separate audio outputs per voice. Without it I'm really unsure if I want to buy it. Because the market will change after Behringer new synths. Not immediately... And probably somebody will "resurrect" MFB Synth Pro. It's a really capable synth, IMHO much more promising than Prophet-5 or Beh Pro 800.
Back in the days of the Prophet 5, no one would have dared compare a $400 synth with one costing $3000 or more. It would have seemed so incongruous that no one even thought of it. Today, it's a comparison that makes sense and shows that the differences in sound are subtle. Finally, this kind of test teaches us less about synthesizers than about our consumer society, where prices no longer reflect quality at all, but just the name of a brand.
I love my 800 but I also own a Prophet 10 and to say that price doesn’t reflect quality doesn’t apply here at all - of course, with a linear increase in quality comes an exponential increase in price, but that said, the Prophet 10 is hand-built by a small team in the USA using traditional through-hole construction techniques (MUCH stronger and easier to maintain/repair than SMD), whereas the Pro 800 is built in a fucking CITY Behringer OWNS in China in poor labor conditions using cheap, SMD technology (if something happens, good luck finding a tech who is willing to fix it - it’s more worthwhile to just buy another).
@@prizenex Yeah I agree. Maybe it sounds a little different, not necessarily worse though, and it has 8 voices and is affordable. I have no loyalty to Sequential either now, as it was bought by a soulless venture capital firm. I've been pleasantly surprised by Behringer's build quality too, it's no better or worse than Sequential. I had a DSI Prophet '08 when they came out, had a few issues with the encoders. But the only issues I ever had with Behringer was a faulty unit on arrival, which was refunded in full.
I'd love a Prophet 5 Rev 4 keyboard version though, it just oozes mojo, great looks and the pedigree.... But, I'm lucky enough to own a Prophet 6 and the Pro800 came a couple of weeks back so I guess I have all sonic bases covered? Great review!
The vintage knob is great - I have it on my P10, Trigon 6, and Take 5 (and a similar thing on my UB-Xa) and it really shines with the microvariations per voice in the filter envelopes. I had a Rev 2, and never got on with the slop knob - to me it just sounded shit unless it was planted at 0 (I did like the Rev 2 otherwise - I just sold it to get a Trigon 6. . .would gladly own another one, but I think I made a good call for a few reasons).
The P5 has a bit more chunkiness. But not that much more! I might have a hard time in a double-blind test knowing which was which each time (except sync which I’d probably guess right every time). I’ll bet i’d get it wrong sometimes on everything else. Anyway, surprising how little difference there is.
To my ears, the prophet 5 has a tad more weight and authority to its sound signature. The pro 800 has a slightly grating/piercing sound at times. They’re definitely not worlds apart though, and the pro 800 is excellent value.
I swear to god the Behringer sounds less alive somehow- more "2d" I guess? I really love some of their mono stuff, I thought their Poly D sounded pretty good too, but this falls into the same category of boring/just use digital as the Deepmind for me. Maybe it's different in person and while I highly doubt anyone would know the difference in a fully mixed song there's still a small something lacking. It's still a great option for the price, I wouldn't turn one down. Edit: so I just listened to a 600 v 800, and I could not distinguish. As a point of comparison, I do think that is more fair for obvious reasons- I don't think pricetag makes a thing good, and maybe my ears are bias against the edgelords at Behringer, but I would take the pure sound of the 5 over the 800. I would take the pure sound of the 5 over the 600. I would take the value of the 800 over either, lol.
I was reading comments while watching the video and couldn't tell which synth was playing at any given time so effectively they sound the same. If you gave me one for free I'd want the sequential, if I have to pay for it I'm buying the behringer.
Curious does the Pro 800 have the latest firmware. There were big improvements to the Filter and Envelope. Seriously If I was playing these blind and I stepped away then someone switched them and dialed in the patches I probably wouldn’t notice the difference.
Genius move of behringer for secureing their own chipset , the pro800 will foreshadow maybe a similar fate that had put american synthcompanies out of business in the 80s
In this demo I definitely can hear a difference. The Prophet sounds fatter, thicker, fuller and with small evolving changes within the sound - more alive. The Behringer sounds more clean and direct. Personally, I like the Prophet more. Whether the difference is worth the price is another thing.
For me the differences can mainly be heard in the frequency spectrum. The Pro 800 sounds slightly forward in the lower mids. Also the Pro 800 sounds overdriven in the higher frequencies in comparison. On sound alone I think the Prophet 5 sounds a little more scooped and sparkly, which I prefer. But when you consider the price, the difference in tone becomes somewhat irrelevant.
Behringer used the pro-1 clone with the SSM2044 filter that they cloned from the original SC Pro-One. (same filter as SSM2044 VCF's and the Prophet 5 (Rev. 1/2)) In the Pro-800 they decided to use this filter to sound more correct to the prophet 600 and have 2 onboard sequencers with 8 voices of polyphony and chord memory for 2 arpeggiators. That was it, then the Gli Gli mod is included in the machine, which you don't have to have additional catos to improve anything and now with firmware 1.2.7 it's much better. for less than 400 dollars or euros.
I saw a review that said the pro800 lacks the sharpness of attack of the P5, so I compared the two to focus on that point. It is true that the pro800 seems to have a weaker attack click, but whether you can tell the difference by mixing them in the mix, let alone if you are a performer... I don't know, I'm not sure. If you are a keyboardist who cares about the feel of your performance, P5 is the best choice, if you want to mix a little analog polysynth on your DAW track, Pro800 is enough, but for that purpose, I would choose a cheaper Softube or u-he plugin.
Still the P800 sounds a lot more Brassy to me than the P5.... The P5 can do it all, it's techno all the way. Owing a P5 for over a long time now, I can say it sounds very high end and luxurious.. There is something beefy also noticeable in higher notes, a thickness and golden edge of presence on top of the sounds. It just blends into a mix without any treatment. The issue I have with most Behrs is that I had a hard time to get all of them properly in the mix compared to my other sound sources. At a first listen things sound great and similar maybe. That is not the point. From all Behringer, the Wasp was a keeper but still it required me to do a decent amount of additional treatment to let it sit in the mix. I found most oscillators from Behringer had a generic flavour. Not to mention the incredible harsh top end some of their gear has... Something that never pleased my ears. You can't expect from one factory to produce all sportscar and brands and have all the distinct differences and characters between them. The looks are the first thing, under the hood it's all just a lot of bread and butter is my impression. It's great that Behringer make the music scene somehow more democratic but I wonder if this is really their idealistic mission.. What if one day Ford decides to start producing Ferrari's, Lamborghini's and Lada's.... For sure a lot of synths have been way overpriced but you also thought twice before buying and wasting your creative time..
Say and think what you will about Behringer, their biggest success is proving that good synths can be made more inexpensively and made affordable than the old guards Moog, Prophet, Roland and Oberheim were willing to admit or implement. Every market needs someone to shake it up from time to time.
Hi. First, Behringer is not David in this story, they are the Goliath. They are ripping off concepts and products other, smaller manufacturers made and driving them to the ground. Recently they knocked off Maths module from Make Noise that retails for 300 quid and are selling theirs for 90 quid. they did the same with Intellijel and Xaoc Devices. This is terrible practice and just one example of Behringer running small developers into the ground. Sequential, even as a part of Focusrite, couldn't compete with Behringer. So that part of the story is clear. Further, to the devices. I had Prophet 600 as well as Prophet 5 rev 3 and I have Prophet 10 for a year and a half now. Behringer's clone of P600 is close BUT - Prophet 5/10 is a synth of a simple architecture, and it's unique power lies in behemoth oscillators, great sounding filters (be that Curtis or Rossum), and the analogue circuitry. Behringer cloned what they could but the oscillators and filters are not of the same quality. So, in the synth where pure sound source and filter are 80% of the instrument's character, it is absolutely not fair to conclude that differences are minimal and that Prophet is expensive for the sake of it.
Yes, I also see that the Behringer market strategy is somewhat problematic because it may have serious consequences for product innovation and diversity. A few months ago I bought a Melbourne Instruments NINA synth which for me is the most innovative synth since years, but also for me it was extremely expensive. However, for most other musicians Behringer only now makes it possible to try out a (partly) hardware-based workflow, which they could not afford otherwise ...
@@PeteMidi Their market strategy is absolutely abysmal. I have been living from music for the last 30 years. I won't lie, I had a few Behringer products, like knockoff of Sure SM 57 and Yamaha 01R. Plus a bunch of other things, some mics, headphone amps etc. Even back then, Behringer's strategy was to steal a patent and then drag it through courts for ages. Now, it was one thing to do it to Yamaha, but driving small boutique developers to the ground is absolutely shameful. Make Noise made revolutionary modules for modern systems. How long do you think they will last with a conglomerate like Behringer stealing their products and selling them 3x cheaper? I fully appreciate Behringer doing re-issues of iconic synths that cannot be bought any more, like WASP. But that argument "they make it more accessible for the musician" doesn't work, if in the process they destroy competitors and shut down small businesses. I don't mean to argue, I am sure we are on the same page, I just can't stand their business model that will shut down some of the most intuitive developers of today. Look what they did with Mother 37, DFAM and Subharmonicon - same thing, selling their version of something someone else made and has patent for, for 1/4 of a price. There are so many software versions of hardware synths - if people can't afford Sequential or Moog, they can find emulations that work just fine. The only thing I saw Behringer doing right was buying MIDAS (and that was also shady since they were cloning them too), and implementing patent into new products.
Sorry the behringer lacks something. And that something is everything i want. Its really evident in a hollowness in the behringer. Harmonics complexity feels so flat. I wish it weren't so.....I wanted to love it.
Shows very well how similar sonically they are. Behringer have a good product there. People will buy a genuine Sequential for more reasons than the sound - you can get that with a plug in. I find I'm attracted to these Behringer products because I'm their target market - those that wanted these tools back in the late 1970's early 80's but the cost was stratospheric. These days the prices have soared on these vintage synths so they are hard to justify when you can get the same sound with a better workflow in a plug in, but the yearning remains. I don't currently own any Behringer products - other than a Xtouch one to control Logic. I found the synth modules didn't fit in with my current workflow and the size was fiddly. The quality of the couple I owned was great (Neutron and K2). I think the Behringer synth clones in the module format are a great alternative to modular. They are affordable and require less patching and indeed can be eurorack mounted. Certainly a gateway drug to modular. I can't think of any reason to buy a Behringer synth for myself right now as I can't see how it would help me be more productive or offer something to enhance what I'm doing in the box. I do need a performance keyboard though with poly aftertouch. 4 octave or more. Something made of real metal so gig worthy. Maybe that could be something Behringer could add to their portfolio, but it would have to be decent quality...
Yes, that's a positive aspect, that more musicians are able to think about and try out a hardware-based workflow, which may work better or not for them - you usually do not know this before you tried it.
Hello, I have one, I needed polyphony in Eurorack with adsr filters and so on, this one is perfect, but I had no idea that it is a clone of the prophet ahahahahahahahaha, they sound the same, my goodness Behringer, this is amazing, greetings
Unless Behringer suddenly changed how their eurorack-form cases are manufactured, the side cheeks aren't plastic. Just wanted to point that out in your facts section. You can take them off and double check. They're just thin and precisely cut.
A lot of these comparisons videos show a remarkable lack of ability to match sounds. This to the point of embarrassing. This video shows a bit better ability to adapte each synth to each other. If these however is based on presets then this is largely up to the programmer or the person implementing preprogrammed tape sounds to the synth itself.
If you want the sound: Buy a VST. If you want hardware: Buy Behringer. If you want the joy of owning the real thing: Buy the reissues. None of that is wrong or right. It's about emotions. I own a Prophet 10 and a Behringer Pro 1. I love to play and touch the Prophet. But if I need another voice it's good to have the Pro 1. I also bought a minimoog reissue and an Behringer Model D. Both are fun. Now that I'm an old man I have the money to afford that luxury. Being a Bass player I spent most of my musical carrer playing just one bass: a 1973 Jazz-Bass: I made some money being a session player, played it for Rock, Jazz, Pop, ... style sessions. I wish that in my young years I had such a choice of good quality and cheap alternatives. But on the other hand: Overcoming restrictions makes you a better musician, not better equipment.
The Prophet does sound slightly better. More body in the lower mids and more mellow sounding treble, the filter is a little more refined and so is the glide/portamento but other than that there is very little between them. Considering the price difference those minor shortcomings of the Behringer can absolutely be ignored. I’m amazed the sound was as close as it turned out to be, and you even have extra voices to add. Thank you for making this video, great method of comparison, but you have now made me want to buy one 😅
Thanks for the comparison. Out of curiosity, how do you have both synths connected via USB? Are you running the Arturia to a USB hub then the modules into the USB hub?
This was great, thanks for this comparison. (Mine finally arrives Tuesday and I will be getting a second as soon as I can) I have heard full sustain on the filter envelope will not completely open the filter from closed/nearly closed when the level attenuverter is set to max? If true I can bring in a second envelope to "Filter CV In" as needed, but hopefully they will address that in an update. A rev 2 filter instead of the 3320 would have been great, but then it would not have been a 600 clone. The "vintage" voicing modeling on Sequential synths sounds FANTASTIC. Round robin with 2 of these set a bit differently gets you partway there. That capability is why I am most excited for the 2-XM. I plan on at least 2 of them so ALL the voices can be set slightly different.
The newly released 1.27 brought update to the ranges for filter envelopes, some ranges for polymod and ranges for LFO to filter. Plus polyphonic aftertouch...
I own both and I have had both since a while and I have designed sounds with both, comparing behavior and results. The truth is that the Prophet 5 sounds way better, fuller, more organic and natural, but the Pro 800 sounds good, it has its own character, it is different than the Prophet 5. But between these two, the Prophet 5 is a superior instrument in my opinion.
Fantastic comparison video, really great! Now my old and battered ears should never be used as any audio reference, but i'd still like to share my impression and knowledge about the electronics inside ... - It seems to me, as a constant throughout this video, the p-5 has a little more volume than the p-800. Easy to fix using any common mixer. - It seems to me, as a constant throughout this video, the p-5 has a little more low end and is a bit brighter on the high end, than the p-800. Also easy to fix using any common mixer. The differences are minute. In theory this is expected, since both companies use modern versions of the original CEM integrated circuits. Thanks to Dave Smith the heirs of Doug Curtis have started to reproduce the original line of CEM ICs. Other manufacturers like Oberheim, Roland and Korg, to name a few have also benefitted from that. Now Behringer took a somewhat different route. He set up mass-production lines for ICs similar to the original CEMs as well as for other analog components that had long been out of production, especially the LM13700 OTAs and some transistors. These components were intensively used in older synthesizers, even before the first CEM ICs appeared. And since Behringer specializes in recreating vintage synths from various original brands they require huge numbers of all of these components, making their manufacturing line profitable. The sound differences being minute, a choice between these two would, for me, depend on size and on features (e.g. polymod on p-5, 8 voices on p-800).
Just like the Berhringer Pro-1, the Pro-800 lacks the transient detail of the Sequential synths. Listen to the attack portion of every note played - it's fairly obvious to me.
I’m glad that both exist. Both sound great to me. Maybe Moog Music’s recent acquisition by InMusic was accelerated by strong competition from Behringer? Still too soon to know the impact of the acquisition; there will be some positives; nevertheless a big change for the company
Unfortunately that’s true. Professor Moog would be concerned. Happens all the time when the original owner dies or retires. The partners who said ‘we’ll keep it all just like before,’ never do.
I think the P5-desktop sounds a bit richer in the low end. Personally I will go for the P5 since it has a history and comes from the original manufactor. For me when selecting between synths it's not only the sounds that matters, it's also the look and feel to use it.
Thanks for the comparison! Behringer is almost always fantastic for the prices they charge. I much prefer the sound of the Prophet compared to what sounded to me to be the thinner, higher pitched, and seemingly faster modulation of the Behringer. The Prophet just sounds more musical and magical and open to me. Definitely being drawn more and more towards Prophets as my musical/synth journey continues. And what a journey! It’s a great time to be a creative musical nerd. 🫶
The difference is only a fantasy in my ears, and the influence of the once great star *Prophet 5* , and that people still cannot believe, that Beringer can make it possible with smd-technology right now, same they did it very well with the minimoog-clone "Model D" ;D
You did a very good job matching the sounds! I overall did like the Prophet 5’s sound slightly better, but this would probably be the same if you compared it to an original Pro600. The Prophet’s sound was a bit livelier and vintage sounding to me, particularly when using oscillator sync. The filter also sounds a bit smoother and more refined. But these aren’t big differences and maybe meaningless to the average person. However there’s no denying that the Behringer offers great value for money and has some additional features the Prophet doesn’t have.
They both sound remarkably close. I can't imagine being able to pick any of this out in a mix. If you're doing synth forward Carpenter-esque soundtracking it might make sense to go with the P5, but if you just need an analog Prophet sound palette the Pro 800 gets you there for a fraction of the price.
