It looks like new US tariff taxes are starting to impact synth prices, with some prices jumping close to 70%.
The Trump administration recently announced a wide range of tax increases on goods imported into the US. The new tariffs promise to hit instrument prices hard, unfortunately, since almost all synths and electronic music gear is now either made in China, or made with Chinese parts.
People are reporting that pricing on Behringer gear spiked significantly overnight at some retailers. Here are a few examples:
- Behringer Poly D Polyphonic Analog Synthesizer – was $569, now $629
- Behringer Wave – was $599, now $689
- Behringer Swing USB MIDI Keyboard Controller – was $99, now $169
- Behringer Pro VS Mini Hybrid Vector Synthesizer – was $99, now $119
- Behringer JT-4000 Micro Hybrid Modeling Synthesizer – was $49, now $70.90
- Behringer UB-Xa 16-voice Bi-timbral Polyphonic Analog Synthesizer – was $1199, now $1299
- Behringer System 55 Eurorack Modular Synthesizer – was $1,599, now $1,899
It’s not clear yet how broadly tariffs will impact pricing across the music gear industry, but this is probably a taste of what’s to come.
What do you think about the new taxes and their impact on music gear prices in the US? A necessary evil? Bad economic policy? Opportunistic price gouging? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Update: We revised the post to show the UB-XA was previously $1199 vs $999. Our understanding is that the official price was still $1199, though it was available at many retailers for less. We think that the revised list better reflects the impact of the price increases.
My opinion of Trump’s economic policy would attract the attention of the FBI, so, no comment.
What should be done? What is your alternative economic policy?
It doesn’t seem like this will break the bank for those who were considering buying one of these synths.
It’s not just the synthesizer, it’s just about everything you could possibly purchase is getting ready to turn like this. Price of wood is going to go through the roof, so if you need to repair your deck, or fix a deck, what might have cost $20,000 is now going to cost you $27,000 or maybe even more once all is said and done. This also goes for car parts, because a good majority of them are manufactured overseas, which means the price of old cars are going to go through the roof. Everything is about to get really expensive here in the US. And I agree with the original poster statement LOL
Biden inherited a shit show, but ended his presidency with record low unemployment, stable inflation and soaring stock market.
Trump has already turned the economy into a shit show again, with prices soaring, unemployement jumping and the stock market tanking.
The key is not to have a complete idiot at the lead. Expect to pay more for everything for the next four years, not just synths.
LOL. Biden and the Biden years were a sh*t show.
What reality did you live in.
Why do you think Trump won the popular vote, the Electoral College Points and all seven swing states.
I voted for Trump and I would do it again, sorry for your +20 bucks on synths, lmao
Same here brother
Sorry. I was told China would be paying this tariff, not me.
you were told wrong
If you were teaching a 5th grade class about William McKinley and asked one of the students how his economic policies might be employed in the modern day, and say a slow student just skimmed the text and came up with a quick essay, I would imagine they might write something like the current “policy”. I guess nobody told Trump how that presidency ended.
I guess it was voted for so the majority should be happy, eh?
Majority (uneducated hobos) that voted for this “person” is the reflection of this country.
Name calling is not necessary
That’s where you’re wrong kiddo
(? ?° ?? ?°)?
Lol, your cult leader is the biggest name caller in the world.
Hmm i thought this site had rules synthhead
Trump didn’t win a majority. He had .15% more votes than Harris, but not a majority.
Rupublicans haven’t won a majority of the popular vote for decades. They target rural areas very strategically, so that they can win the electoral college, even with an unpopular leader and platform.
“Sooner or later everyone sits down to a banquet of consequences.” (J.L. Stevenson)
That’s ok. His voters don’t make music; if they do, I hope they realize they voted for this.
Seems fair. I’m in the UK and if I buy a US synth I have to pay a 20% tariff on it (VAT).
You’d pay VAT on a synth in the UK, no matter where it is made, even if made in the UK.
(Subject to the retailer being liable for VAT, which in the UK is if the retailed has a taxable turnover of greater than £90k. Some small, boutique retailers, such as, maunfacturers sellign direct, might not charge VAT.)
VAT is a consumption tax, not an import tariff. You pay VAT on all goods, whether they’re made in the UK or abroad. Tariffs are additional.
The USA also has consumption tax in the form of state sales tax. It varies from zero percent in Alaska to 7.25% in California.
Actually, Tennessee has 9.9% sales tax.
Frodo, it is embarrassing that you would have to even explain this to a fellow Brit, that they cannot nor never have seemingly understood what the VAT is and how it works. Thank you nevertheless.
Seeing how the original prices could never be maintained without a workforce essentially willing to work long hours for “room and board” like some kind of turn of the century sweat shop, I can’t say I’m sad.
Not trying to be argumentative, I am genuinely interested.
Do you have a source for that?
Can you link to an article or anything please?
Thanks in advance.
I think you’ve replaced facts with your imagination. All the really tedious work that a synth used to involve (soldering hundreds to thousands of tiny components) is now done by machine. Humans do assembly and QA, and the work conditions are far from a ‘sweatshop’. Assembly work isn’t glamorous or thrilling but nor is it horribly soul or health destroying, I’ve done the same sort of work right here in the USA.
Unfortunately Behringer’s employees aren’t going to be paid more with this price hike. This is to meet their tax obligations for doing business in the USA.
They import their own products into the USA, meaning the USA’s government is hitting them with tariffs. The cost of manufacturing hasn’t gone up.
If they used a 3rd party to import into the USA, it’d be the same thing just with an announcement by a different company.
If/when they need to pay more to their employees expect another hike.
…and that’s why i cancelled my 3 year old preorder. screw these smoot-hawley nutjobs.
Yep. It’s called, “congrats fuckos!”
That’s why I bought a ton of gear back in Dec.
I did too – I went through my list of things that I had been putting off and picked up the ones that seemed like they would go up under the tariffs that I had the pocket cash for and grabbed them – so got a few behringer synths I had been putting off – a couple of Chinese made guitars. All of them are more expensive now
Elect a clown, expect a circus.
Waaaaahhhhhh!!!!! Next time, maybe the Democrats will run a candidate who can answer questions and do press conferences, a candidate who doesn’t stink.
Answer questions, you mean that guy whom literally cannot explain the economy without the visual aid of tictac? Or the one that could not read Yosemite? Stop hiding behind your racist and sexist views to simply tout someone not qualified to run a convenient store, let alone a once venerable nation. I would say you are embarrassing yourself, then again somethings are built in.
she did, you were being lied to.
TimS, look at the USA’s economy. It’s starting to tank. The reason why it’s crashing is because things were good, now they are turning bad. Billionaires and partisan fools are making that happen.
The Dow Jones has dropped over 500 points in a day because of chaotic & stupid financial choices are being made on the fly without actual policy & strategy.
You can’t blame the political opposition for that, the collapse started after the new government was sworn in. This bad choice has affected the whole world.
Just look at reality & how those Bernie Sanders town halls are going. The reality is a strong middle class benefits everyone. Look at the USA’s economy post WW2, that boosted the economy by ensuring everyone had jobs and those jobs were paid OK.
No one elected you so no circus
No one elected Elon Musk, Kash Patel, RFK Jr or Karoline Leavitt either. There is a circus and it is well staffed.
Haw haw!
Whatever way you slice it those are still ridiculously low prices
Hardly worth complaining about
Yes those prices are great
Oh yes any way you slice it Behringer synths will always be relatively cheap. As in a Minimoog clone for $299 or $1299 depending on how dumb your government’s trade war is. Nothing to worry about.
Nobody wants behringers cheap ass clone garbage anyways right
What kind of clown would pay $169 for a Behringer Swing smh
A discussion of synth tax policies wasn’t on my bingo card today!
Thing is, the tariffs will go to the Feds and then Elon and Donald will write Federal contracts directing those extra funds to their companies, ex-girlfriends, and ex-wife so no one in the music business, vendor or consumer win in this case
Bullshit – I bought my Ubxa for $1,199.00 on 12/04/2023 from Sweetwater and I have the invoice to prove it.
Way to puff up those numbers to fit your agenda.
You might want to bring this website into modern times as well…. scaling on a phone looks bad.
Billy – thanks for the feedback.
The UB-Xa has been listed at prices down to $999 at many retailers. Our understanding is that Sweetwater is a Behringer ‘super partner’ and officially sticks to the list price. Sorry you did not get a better deal.
We updated the post to clarify this.
Regarding a mobile version of the site – we used to maintain a mobile-friendly version of the site and it didn’t pay for itself, so this has not been a priority for us. We don’t want to pimp mobile apps and affiliate junk to justify the investment. We’ll revisit this if it makes economic sense.
lol I said this was going to happen as soon as he was elected and got called an idiot for saying people should have bought last year before the tariffs kick in. I guess those same people that shouted me down can make some new argument about how higher prices are actually lower prices because of some right wing talking point
It’s time for a new president that has brains with what he promised to the public. Not necessarily republican nor democrat. Someone who knows what they are doing. Get rid of
DOGE (doggie), Elon is destroying this country fast!! People are losing jobs and soon it will be
beyond repair, no more USA, it will not be great anymore. Thomas Jefferson once said the people shall revolt about every 200 years…it’s past due. I’m not saying to destroy it’s time to rebuild within the ranks of the laid off, furlough and the already poor. The fight has no race. It has more intelligence than the crooks that have placed in office by T rump. As the old song by the Chamber Brothers, Time….Time as come today.
Time to wave the freak flag again! This is not a message for the “left”, liberals, it’s a message for all for…….ALL LIVES MATTER! It is time GOD to help all.
Bought Behringer Pro VS Mini Hybrid Vector Synthesizer for $99 in Moscow, Russia. Free shipping. JFYI.
“What do you think about the new taxes and their impact on music gear prices in the US? A necessary evil? Bad economic policy? Opportunistic price gouging? Share your thoughts in the comments!” why, it’s none of those things, it’s a demented old narcissist and a techno-nazi dismantling the government so a christo-fascist white male power movement called project 2025 can rip the rights away from everyone else and pursue their cherished religious oppression. don’t believe what you read in the news papers, their owned by the ruling oligarchy.
Remember, politicians are the vampire class, regardless of party affiliation. We’re not allowed to drag them into sunlight and kill them outright. The only alternative is to drink until they get soused and pass out. When the fangs come out, you can more easily get at them with a hammer. Or pliers, if you’re feeling frisky. Whoever pulls the biggest ones gets to go bow hunting with Ted Nugent.
People who create software instruments are likely to enjoy at least a small surge in business if hardware gets too pricey for too long.
Have you heard about techno-feudalism yet?
Sadly it’s not a genre made with that TE sampler. It’s living in a rent-based economy where we don’t own shit, we pay for access durations like Netflix, Amazon, Microsoft 365, Roland Cloud etc. Companies pay-wall us into their version of enshittification.
They’ve learned- why bother making something good we pay for once when they can half-bake it & get us to pay every month/year? If we stick around for a few pay cycles they’ll end up earning more than a single purchase.
As we’ve seen with the relaunched Lemur app, subscription models can be beaten when the owner is small. But large companies are a different problem requiring massive levels of rejection.
When the vampires are also business mafioso, corruption is inevitable.
This is about the tariffs on Chinese stuff. So – if I am not mistaken ASHUN (Hydrasynths) should also be affected by this?
Correct. Also it will affect anyone using components manufactured in China, which will hit a lot of other companies to a lesser degree.
I can buy Chinese semiconductors and other electronic components, assemble them on a PCB and build everything into a synthesizer in Vietnam.
As long as 51% of the process occurs there, I can label it “Made in Vietnam” and import it into the US without tariffs.