Original Mu Tron Bi-Phase vs. Behringer Bi-Phase (Behringer Dual-Phase)

Here's a comparison between the original Mu Tron Bi-Phase to a new Behringer Bi-Phase clone. I try to make the Behringer sound as possible close to the Mu Tron, so the knobs settings aren't the same, but the sound is pretty close.I would like to thank Adir Dadia for inviting me to his studio and making this video using his original Mu Tron Bi-Phase.Riddim by the Med Tone All Stars.

[@herbertschmidt1719]

listening to it blindfoldedly, I wasn't able to tell the difference (and I have had an original Biphase for almost 25 years), and when watching the only thing that was slightly different was the resonance of the Behringer which sounds more pronounce and brighter -- but hey, how many of you had the chance to try out an original Biphase back in 1976 when it had just been delivered from the factory?

[@fiveways]

This is the best answer here. I had a biphase for years. Sold it for a ridiculous amount of money a few years ago. That said no, none of us know what a factory fresh biphase sounds like in a room or with real minimal micing. Studio examples are out because of the eqing that goes into that world. God only knows what the biphase sounded like before it hit the mic, board, a ton of high quality outboard, and tape. The best you can get is point to point clones. Which I did compare my original to. Clone was brighter. It also wasn't 40 years old at the time and 100% original. It's the curse of vintage. You often have nothing to compare it to and if you start fucking with it you might end up hating it. Like I have a real 16 second delay and I always wonder how it sounds compared to another one but goddamn I doubt I'll even get to do that comparison.

[@scottloiselle248]

@@fiveways Man do I hear you. In 1975, I went to Veneman's Music in Rockville Maryland to see Larry Coryell demo the BiPhase - it blew me away. So I took the $ I saved from my paper route and bought one (with a mic stand for it _and_ the photoelectric pedal), had it all, orig boxes, overlays, everything. Because I only had one amp (a Deluxe Reverb), to hear it in stereo I'd run the A and B outs into the 1/4" inputs of my dad's Akai deck! Then, like the young fool I was, sold it all in the early 80s for $125. Sigh. And I'm sure that like you, that isn't even the most painful thing I sold cheap back in the day.

[@djsash77oldmanradic]

I listened to the test without looking at the video and I couldn't tell which was what. They both sound excellent

[@dublev78]

People are asking $3k for a mu tron…. It sounds better, but not $2900 better.

[@josephwright5921]

I just ordered my Berhinger now that they are in stock. Man, this thing definitively pushes a reggae mix into the vintage sound!

[@eyesintheskies]

Been resisting paying out for a crazy priced original for years, now behringers saved my bacon 😃

[@Queerpunx]

They are close and to be honest for the price... The behringer is a no brainer!

[@RoryRonde]

yeah, the Mutron wins very clearly, but the Behringer is a good unit on its own. I might buy it.

[@oscarsound64]

Settings are different to my ears, I hear more feedback or depth on the Behringer. They both sound good, I would go for the Behringer anyway for the footswitches.

[@pinopinucci1026]

great riddim and demo! The mutron sounds so liquid and squelchy in the best way ever. The beheringer is a nice alternative but the feedbacks does't bouce as well.

[@julesl6910]

It's obvious the difference, they're both very similar but the behringer doesn't utilize a low pass filter at the output and thus has a wider frequency range - listen to the sweeps when the hi-hats come in clearly, where the original mutron filtered those frequencies out. You could easily either make adjustments to the circuit or run EQ on it to limit that in order to emulate a Black Ark or 70s funk sound. He mentions slowing the behringer down, you can do that by swapping variable resistor or other resistor values in the circuit.

[@nym053]

Interesting. They sound surprisingly close 😊

[@jeremywinnett6352]

Remember, the OG has very old caps in it. Thats going to soften its high end and likely add more bass. That's in line with opinions here. Im hoping this Ber isnt all surface mount. A few key capp replacements may get you REALLY close.

[@AsafSmilan]

From my experience old cap tend to reduce low frequencies, not to boost them, you can see it in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jnrFlJSlbrGhhtU

[@nodoor9132]

This💯‼️

[@mentalitydesignvideo]

the high end loss may be in the pots, rather than caps. @@AsafSmilan

[@FFGG22E]

Behringer's is just better. 1) the price 2) the foot switches 3) stop being a cork sniffer, if there's too much brightness, follow it with an eq and shave some off. $150 vs $1,500 and there's no guarantee that it's going to keep working? Don't be a fool.

[@Tomalo-Dub]

Was looking for this comment. Exactly manipulate the behringer with something else 🎉

[@photosynthesis69]

I would like to hear the behringer with the trim pots adjusted. I heard you can open it up and adjust the sweep speed to get it slower at the slow settings

[@dimitrisgakis9206]

i also believe the original sounds better, but i challenge everyone who thinks the same to do the test without looking

[@VagPoop_]

you can only tell because of the picture

[@mikaelherrstrom7302]

The most noticeable difference is that the stereo image is much wider on the original. In the second sound snippet they sound closer since the music there is in mono.

[@musicxtn]

They sound like two different instruments/effects. Original sounds like the original. Behringer is it’s own take on the original. Sonically Behringer is brighter, a little harsher and brittle and thinner but for certain sounds it would work great! The groove goes away with the Behringer too. It maybe better suited for pads and synth stabs arps etc than a whole mix. Originals are hard to come by but Behringer only pushes the prices of the originals up even more, which are now around $2500 USD for a unit. Crazy!

[@arthurwilliams3479]

i have both, they're pretty similar and not much difference. the differences you're hearing are a result of aged parts like caps and LDRs. you could probably get some surplus LDRs and old caps and put them in the behringer and get that same aged sound if you wanted, but its not particularly a flavor I like. in 40 years the behringer will probably sound the same. i bought the mutron bi phase new when they first came out, also had an original mutron from the 70s which i sold. i'm honestly thinking of selling the original because of how well the behringer works, and cash in on the ridiculous vintage gear market. that 2 grand can go towards other gear. keep in mind that mutrons are clones of the univibe. so get a univibe if you want to be even more purist.

[@josephwright5921]

Close enough for an equalizer to do the rest

[@musicxtn]

@@arthurwilliams3479 thx. Which Univibe are you referring to? Also, do you think the Behringer is built to last for at least 10-15 years?

[@arthurwilliams3479]

@@musicxtn the 1960s/1970s Shin-Ei Uni-vibe, the original. the mutron biphase has a lot more features, but it is definitely the Shin-Ei Uni-Vibe with mods. The Univibe clones are decent too as long as they are LDR based. The Behringer dual phase is solid enough, steel case well put together, i've built pedals and it should stand up to quite a few decades. serviceable pots/jacks/switches. Might upgrade the pots to Bourns/CTS Solid shaft pots later if they start scratching in a decade, but its not necessary yet. Unit seems like it will take mods well. You can change out the caps to exactly match a vintage mutron biphase where the caps have drifted in value because of age if you want.

[@TheNocturnalEvil]

If Behringer would have added an option to toggle between 4-stage and 6-stage modes then their pedal would have been pretty much equivalent to the new Mu-Tron Bi-Phase II.

[@Dsil303]

The original sounds bigger, has more bass. That's on my phone, so i wonder on good headphones or speakers. My dual-phase is on it's way, can't wait to hear and see for myself. With this price its a no-brainer ;)

[@Tomalo-Dub]

How do you like your dual phase ? I’m waiting for mine 😅

[@Dsil303]

@@Tomalo-Dub I have received it about 3 months ago. It has the bi-phase print, not dual-phase. I haven't used it yet. It arrived when summer weather started and haven't made music since. Shame on me 😁

[@Tomalo-Dub]

@@Dsil303 you can fetch a pretty penny I think with that bi phase name on there ! Hope the music season starts soon!

[@shaft9000]

Both sound great. The difference sounds quite simple here: The original keeps more tightness and punch in the low end while rolling off highs, and it's feedback has a sharper peak. The Behringer has an "airy" high end but is muffled in the bass-end, lacking the punch of the original. Both are best used in parallel in conjunction with a highpass filter anyhow, since one typically won't want that circuit coloring and doing whatever it does to the entire mix.

[@apolloc.vermouth5672]

The Behringer's not bad, but the Mutron sounds a lot better in the 'slow sweep' comparison. P.S. Almost forgot to say - great demo!

[@photosynthesis69]

I heard you can open up the behringer and adjust the trim pots to get a slower sweep

[@derekwhite9828]

I just picked up a B stock Behringer for $100

[@karijohartmann2649]

The mutron preserves the fidelity in the high end, the behringer seems to scoop off the clean signal and the highs get squelched more than the mutron. I like there to be some of the clean tone evident. Trimmer adjust is hopefully the key. I hope it can deliver like mutron... I had a phaser II that was awesome on guitar solos. I wish I still had it. Gonna mess with this now.

[@josephwright5921]

Close enough for me and affordable enough to Average Joes now

[@ziggyzaagsma473]

Well thanks! The original is deeper, bigger and better. To my ears.

[@imslicc]

i think it might be more subtle and the Behringer definately has more feedback dialed in.

[@unduloid]

So you gone one before Behringer was forced to change the name. Neat.

[@jamesrycroft5449]

Maybe try to have the exact settings next time mate!!

[@AsafSmilan]

Believe me mate, with the exact settings they sound much farther from each other compared to what I've done in the video. It might be concerned with different calibration of the units or to differences in design between the two units.

[@strangequark420]

Thanks for the comparison… nice work!

[@brunobridge7253]

Do the inputs need a re-amp box to attenuate line signals to high impedance, please? Also the outputs? Thx.

[@schoovaertssimon7904]

anybody knows how to use it with a CV pedal? I can't seem to get it to work

[@inperfectsequence7840]

I have Behringer bi-phase and the original, the Behringer replica for me there is no difference. Berhinger always gives the option to calibrate its replicas to adapt to classic configurations or to your taste, in this case the pedal is also with rotary regulators to use with a screwdriver. For this you have to open the case and calibrate with the original. The result is more than expected and gives a good phase and is great for reggae with analog sounds, a great option to not kill the analog signal and have a sound experience without digital.

[@vidvaldiv8374]

nice. nice phaser what instruments runnin

[@kabronetti]

good video and riddim

[@MonkeyMarc]

Thanks for the shootout

[@fredmanteghian5913]

Hi did you open the Behringer and find a trim control to slow the speed?

[@AsafSmilan]

Yes, but only after making this video

[@fredmanteghian5913]

Did it make it as slow as the original Mutron? Was the trim pot labelled as “speed”? Or was it the only one.

[@AsafSmilan]

@@fredmanteghian5913 yes it was a big step in the right direction. It's labeled RATE drive.google.com/file/d/1M1SexrXtUUqlcInyFe9F6YUDsWO2USD0/view?usp=drivesdk

[@fredmanteghian5913]

Wow, thanks Asaf, there are a lot of controls available!

[@sciamanmusic]

Have you tried any of the other pots to see if that gets you closer to the original ? Great video. Thanks 🙏🏽

[@texacomann]

Who sends the whole Mix through a bi Phase? But yes there are slight differences but no reason to buy the original. For me, the Behringer wins for the price, and at the end, music is just a Kind of an Art, you are free to go your own way. Nö matter what any one tells you from the side..... The Behringer is an amazing piece of engeneering of a real analog device without fucking Digital simulation tricks (I dont like these Tricks try to fool Users) but the Behringer is an honestly non-artifical authentic piece of electronic device!

[@decimal1815]

Now called the "Dual-Phase"

[@richbrown5852]

Sounds like a cut of bim shermans love forever

[@ripsniff9742]

Sounds a bit more stopped. But it's close enough

[@ripsniff9742]

Stepped

[@amanray]

I hear too much depth on the Behringer compared to the Original, and I see on your pictures you put more depth on the B. Not a fair comparaison

[@taewankim6283]

I love these 'shootout' videos; Behringer is a clone. Just about every clone I've heard from Behringer is a little brighter, nothing you can't fix in the mix. I will not be buying since I'm planning on stealing your next time. 😂😂😂

[@PierreBruynooghe]

Very closed, with a great advantage : the two footswitches !

[@ripabroadcast]

There’s a pedal 2 switch with the mutron

[@fredmanteghian5913]

You had the B side depth cranked up on the Behringer, not the same as the other. So is that because the original has more max depth? My Behringer is a Bi-phase, first batch. With no music playing but engaged, you can hear the phasers. Annoying. You think that’s the one part they would try and NOT sound like the original.

[@aloncarmelly282]

Nice one. Keep em coming

[@Lovetone1983]

There are lots of trimmers inside.

[@lars-fenin]

thanx for the comparison.. (nice rhythm/dub) mu tron sounds better/thicker, but for the prize the dual phase ist still doin a good job. (btw.lee perry used the mu tron heavily in his "black ark decade"..)

[@googledriver8795]

Great Demo!! the beyringer hurts my ears , where the Mutron makes my ears feel gooood

[@FoundationStepper]

sweet demo! where can I get one of these clones?

[@AsafSmilan]

Just google Behringer Bi-Phase and find a seller in your area.

[@davidjamesallen]

I hear like a slightly more pronounced brittle ness / harshness on the behringer version

[@karlthunderaxe]

the original sounds more natural, the behringer sounds a little more extreme

[@IcePicker9855]

Listened on HiFi headphones. MT sounds clearer, more open. BG sounds flat. Like turning on noise reduction on an old tape deck.

[@IcePicker9855]

Still good though, definitely close enough for the price

[@privilegeunderground3429]

Very closed i think .

[@AnodyneHipsterInfluencer]

Not even close.

[@ZiggyZeitgeist-p8g]

knew it was 2 good 2 be true . behringer just sounds cheap and tinny compared to the OG

[@reggaeinomano]

People listen to music with the eyes and wallet and not with their ears (same for vinyl, collectors, vintage amps, guitars, etc etc) I bet how many of them would know know the difference if you dont pair music with images/prices/fashions. Too much snobery.

[@mirkomarkovic3438]

Behringer sounds like plastic, no depth whatsoever

[@ripsniff9742]

Lol. You have the real deal right? Sorry bro 😂

[@mirkomarkovic3438]

@@ripsniff9742 yes i have the real one.

[@mirkomarkovic3438]

@@ripsniff9742 i do not know what you are sorry for

[@andmoreagain]

cope

[@mirkomarkovic3438]

@@andmoreagain what?