Behringer EUROPOWER EP4000 Stereo Power Amplifier

Behringer Europower EP4000 Stereo Power Amplifier – 2U Class H Rack Power

The Behringer Europower EP4000 is a two-channel stereo power amplifier in a 2U rackmount steel chassis, built to drive passive PA loudspeakers in clubs, houses of worship, mobile rigs and installed systems. Its headline figure needs reading properly, because Behringer publishes honest RMS ratings alongside peak figures. With both channels driven at 1 percent THD, the EP4000 delivers 550 watts per channel into 8 ohms, 950 watts per channel into 4 ohms and 1,250 watts per channel into 2 ohms. In bridged mode it produces 1,750 watts into 8 ohms and 2,400 watts into 4 ohms RMS, with the widely quoted 4,000 watt figure being the bridged peak rating into 4 ohms.

Output uses a Class H complementary linear circuit with Behringer’s ATR, Accelerated Transient Response, technology and a high-current toroidal transformer, a combination aimed at punch and control when programme material makes sudden demands. Voltage gain is 50 times, 34 dB, input sensitivity is 1.23V RMS at 8 ohms, and the damping factor is greater than 300 at 8 ohms. Distortion is below 0.02 percent, and the frequency response holds 20 Hz to 20 kHz within +0 and -1 dB at 10 dB below rated output.

Key features

• 550 W per channel RMS into 8 ohms, both channels driven
• 950 W per channel into 4 ohms and 1,250 W per channel into 2 ohms
• Bridged mode, 2,400 W RMS into 4 ohms
• Class H output with ATR Accelerated Transient Response technology
• Switchable limiters and selectable low-frequency filters
• XLR and TRS inputs, speaker connectors and binding post outputs

Controls, filters and protection

The front panel keeps operation simple: a power switch and detented gain controls for each channel, with Power, Signal and Clip LEDs showing status at a glance. A bank of rear DIP switches configures the amplifier, switching the clip limiters, selecting stereo, parallel or bridged operating modes, and engaging the low-frequency filters, which can be set to 30 Hz or 50 Hz or switched off entirely. Protection covers short circuit, open circuit, thermal overload and HF faults, with turn-on and turn-off muting to protect loudspeakers from switch-on thumps, and the design remains stable into reactive or mismatched loads.

Connections and cooling

Inputs are balanced XLR and 6.3 mm TRS sockets, with input impedance of 20 kohms balanced and 10 kohms unbalanced. Outputs are professional speaker connectors alongside touch-proof binding posts. Cooling is by a continuously variable-speed fan drawing air from back to front through a filter, which suits rack installation where hot air must exit at the rear. The amplifier measures 88 x 482.6 x 402 mm and weighs approximately 16.6 kg, so a fixed rack or a properly rated flight case is its natural home.

Choosing operating mode and matching speakers

Work from the loudspeaker backwards: check each cabinet’s impedance, decide whether the system runs stereo or bridged, and set the rear switches before connecting cables. Bridged mode concentrates the amplifier into one high-power channel for a single demanding load, while stereo mode serves a conventional left and right pair.

For medium-sized venues and mobile systems built on passive speakers, the EP4000 offers substantial, honestly specified power with the configuration and protection features a working PA amplifier needs, in standard 2U rack format.