Behringer DEQ2496 - worth using in hi-end system?

As Warnerwh said, the best thing to do is try it and see how you like it. A couple thoughts:

The equalization/room correction feature may be so beneficial that it outweights some loss in ultimate sound quality.

This is an amazing piece of equipment. You can use it a DAC, an ADC, a sound meter, etc.

Given its relatively low price, it is really a fun gear to experiement with.

I am seriously considering getting one of these units. Would i be able to connect it in between my cd player and my integrated amp? I would like to use the dacs in my cd player. My integrated { Rowland Concerto has preamp outs.} Thanks.

Street, Yes you can put it there, but you would be taking your CDP's DACs out of a meaningful role, because the DEQ2496 is a digital equalizer, not an analog equalizer. The DEQ would convert the analog signal from your CDP to a digital signal, perform the equalization operations, and then convert the equalized digital signal back to analog and send it on to your integrated. The critical D-to-A function would be performed by the DEQ, not your CDP.

Thanks. I have a well regarded exempler 2900. Are the dacs in the behringer comparable? Does the quality of the cd player still have a significant role? I would hate it if i wasted the $$$ on a cd player if it wasn't fully utilized!

I am only using the digital functions of the DEQ, so I don't know how its DAC performs. I also don't know how the DAC in your Exemplar performs. However, a lot of what you paid for the Exemplar went into providing a nice, tube analog output section after the DAC. If you used the DEQ to provide digital equalization and output an analog signal to your integrated, you'd bypass all that. You probably wouldn't be using most of what makes the Exemplar more than the Denon 2900. Unfortunately, it seems like going with the DEQ may not be very compatible with taking advantage of the Exemplar's strengths.