Introduction
The Behringer Xenyx 1202 is a simple mixer for new musicians, podcasters, or small events. It’s easy to use and has the necessary tools for making good sound.
Features
- Multiple Channels: With four Xenyx mic preamps and four stereo channels, it accommodates diverse audio sources.
- EQ and FX: Incorporates British-style EQs for precise sound shaping and onboard FX for added depth.
- Versatile Connectivity: Offers main mix outputs, headphone outputs, and CD/tape inputs for flexibility.
- Compact Design: Its compact size makes it portable and suitable for smaller setups or on-the-go use.
- Built-in Phantom Power: Facilitates the use of condenser microphones for clearer recordings.
Mixer Pros
- Easy to set up and operate, making it ideal for beginners.
- Affordable pricing without compromising on essential features.
- Compact size suits small spaces and portable setups.
- Quality preamps deliver clean sound with low noise levels.
- Versatile connectivity options ensure compatibility with various devices.
Mixer Cons
- Plastic build might not withstand heavy use or rough handling.
- Lack of onboard USB or digital connectivity may limit modern recording needs.
- EQ controls could be more precise for detailed sound tweaking.
Conclusion
The Behringer Xenyx 1202 is a great starter mixer for people new to mixing sounds. It’s easy to use and has the necessary features for small audio setups. Even though it doesn’t have all the fancy extras, it’s a good option because it’s affordable and does the job well.
Rob –
I bought this board initially to mix my various computers’ audio outputs so I would only have to use one headphone output (prior to that I had a hard-select panel). This mixer has worked great for mixing small rock bands, as well as for live DJ mixing. I have also done limited recording using this, although this is not necessarily designed for that role. For its price, it is a very powerful piece of equipment, and over the two years that I have owned a 1202, my board has taken lots of abuse and kept on ticking like nothing happened. It even survived a fairly careless coca-cola spill on my part, and came out no worse for the wear. No additional noise either.
The board does have a tiny amount of preamp noise, but overall is not a problem unless you’re working on heavy-duty recording projects (and again, this board isn’t designed for that).
My only real complaint is that it does not have an on/off switch, but I bought a single-outlet switch that it’s plugged into so that I can turn it on and off at will.
I highly recommend this board if you’re doing a lot of on-site operations, especially as a DJ mixer or podcaster.
James –
My second Behringer mixer (I already own a Xenyx 502). Firstly, the good bits. It’s well made and up to Behringer standards (with a couple of exceptions; see later). Acoustically, the mic pre-amps (that do support 48V phantom power) are very low noise and have a wide gain range, so will cope well with most microphones in use. The first 4 channels (on 6.35mm TRS jacks) can also being used as line-level inputs, allowing for 3-way eq, if necessary. The remaining 8 channels (arranged as 4 stereo pairs) only have gain and pan controls. Outputs-wise, there are 6.35mm TRS jacks for Control room, main out, a mono effects send and headphones (there are also 2-track stereo in and out on phono sockets, but there are no level controls for these).
Beefs: only 2 – the ‘feet’ are moulded parts of the left and right cheeks, and since the unit is not perfectly square, the unit rocks diagonally – this may not be the case with everyone, but it is with mine. Second, the power input connector – as other commentators have said, does not have a firm latching mechanism, so if the unit is moved, there is a risk of the power connector coming out. Would far prefer a plug with a ‘push down to release’ latch for this purpose.
Overall, though, I’m pleased with it (the feet issue is easily solved with adhesive silicone or felt feet) and would have little reservation in recommending it.
Trey M. –
Wow. When I purchased this I didn’t know how much I would truly love it. This thing is great! All of the knobs and buttons feel very sturdy, and will last a long time. Same for the 1/4 inch and XLR connections. I use this to run two mics, a keyboard, and a bass guitar and they sound crystal clear. I like that this mixer has a three band equalizer instead of a two band equalizer. The only problem I’ve had so far is that the top right hand corner of the mixer heats up after a while. Other people have had the same problem so I know mine is not defective, just something you should know. Most of the other reviews say that the power connection is wobbly. However this is not the case with mine. You won’t regret buying this product!
UPDATE: the power connection is beginning to become a little wobbly. Also, I feel like they could have picked a more universal power supply but it is what it is. Still sounds great though! All of the audio connections work great and like I said earlier, the power connection is my only real complaint.
Update 2: Two years later and I don’t really use this mixer very much anymore. Not because its bad, but because i’ve upgraded to a nicer Yamaha mixer that uses an IEC power cable as opposed to the behringer specific cable that this one uses. Of course, there are other reasons I upgraded, like the lack of a fan or power switch on this mixer, but the power cable is a big one. Personally, I wouldn’t recommend this mixer because of these three flaws.
NoName –
I am giving this item 5 stars because it is awesome litle mixer, was not expecting much for the price but this little unit (it is very small) as I went from Mackie 1202 to the Berhinger 1202 (anyone see a similarity here), this is basically the same as the Mackie mixer but slightly smaller, recieved it, hooked it up and it worked perfect, few minor adjustements and sounded as good as the Mackie, perhaps better, plus it took up less space on my desk. Only weird thing about this unit and it has been mentioned before is no ON & OFF switch, why?….problem solved by using a power strip and using the power strip to power the unit on and off, the only other way to power it on & off is by unplugging it from the back to turn it on, and plugging it back in to turn it on, using the power strip to avoid much wear and tear on the power source connector, this was really stupid of Behringer, never ever had any kind of mixer without a power on & off button. All in all for the price, I should not complain much, will pick up another for my daughters studio as it is that good.
Antonio Nieves Torres –
I have had it for over two weeks and I have to say it works great. It does exactly what I wanted. It did not cure the problem I have with a noisy keyboard. I did plug in my bass guitar and work flawlessly. It’s a shame it does not have an on off switch. The only drawback I see in this mixer. I was between this mixer and another Behringer that had USB support. I highly recommend buying the other mixer with USB if you are going to use it in a home studio situation because your computer will see it as another sound card and will avoid the additional signal routing that might introduce noise in your line. No worries Behringer has a nifty adapter I can plug into the unit and convert this one into a USB type mixer. All in all a great handy portable mixer I would recommend others to buy especially if you are going to use it on a live sound situation.
SAURAV ROY –
Good for beginners, we use it for our small church.
G. –
Behringer XENYX 1202
Veramente l’entry-entry-level dei mixer.
In compenso la qualità sonora è buona (come tutti i Behringer).
NON ha effetti integrati, ma è presente un send/return per gli effetti, selezionabili in ogni canale.
I canali da 1 a 4 accettano linea o microfono (con phantom disattivabile) e dispongono di equalizzatore a 3 bande, gli altri 4 canali sono stereo senza equalizzazione.
Nel complessso buono.
Consigliato principale per tutte quelle situazioni in cui non c’è bisogno di una regolazione esagerata (es. sale riunioni, piccoli eventi, karaoke, etc), oppure come mixer di riserva (ha comunque un certo numero di ingressi).
Michael W. Roane –
Unit was good for controlling instruments sound level and mixing sound.
Jamie Doyen –
The footprint of this mixer was smaller than I expected. It’s a very compact design, but it looks exactly as the picture does. Although I’m giving this mixer 5 stars, it’s more like a 4.5 out of 5 for me. Overall, I haven’t run into anything big enough to warrant knocking off a full star. Use of the mixer was without issue, although I did find that it moved around when I used it. Some rubber feet would have been nice. This is a more technical review, for like-minded individuals. 🙂
I read some reviews that complained about power issues, but that wasn’t present on the 12-input unit that I purchased. However, the design of the power adapter is a bit… awkward. It’s one of these units where you get four feet of cord that go to the wallplug, and four feet of cord that go to the mixer–with the transformer in the middle. The main concern is that they use an uncommon connector. (In this case it’s a 3-pin mini-DIN connection.) So if anything happens to that connector, it’s not like you can simply replace it. Examining the two-prong transformer markings, it seems to have twin 17.5VAC/650mA power supplies. The mixer itself expects 15V, which the transformer likely provides when load is applied. In any case, when I plugged it into my mixer, the connection was firm and solid. No wiggle–the way it should be.
However, this kind of connector is not really designed to be plugged and unplugged repeatedly. It’s hard to explain, but the socket on the mixer will eventually not grip as tight. When that happens it will become harder for the mixer to draw power, and so the transformer will begin to overheat. I would advise that if you buy this mixer, that you connect the transformer to the mixer and leave it connected if you have to move it. Doing that will avoid connector issues.
I was curious, so I took a look at the schematics. First off, this is actually a 3-bus mixer, not a 2-bus mixer. Since it is a stereo mixer there is a left-bus, a right-bus, and also the FX-bus. It should be noted that the FX bus is a MONO bus. Stereo signals sent to the FX bus are converted to mono before reaching the FX-bus. Channels 1-4 are mono, and channels 5-12 are stereo. So while they call it a 12-input mixer, it would be more accurate to call it an 8 input/12 channel mixer. Why? Well since channels 5-12 (8 channels) are merged and converted to mono if shunted to the FX-bus, the FX-bus will only see 4 mono inputs. Added to the first 4 mono inputs, that makes 8 in total.
The only thing I’m not quite certain about is there is some noise leaking into the signal. It’s not a huge deal though. You’ll only hear it if you things are dead silent, and with headphones. Since I was piping the feed into OBS, I just slapped on a noise reduction filter. I can’t confirm that the noise is coming from the unit though–not yet. I’m added a ferrite core to the power cord, and that seemed to clean things up a bit, so it may be ‘dirty’ power on my end.
In the end, it does what it should, and it’s a reasonable price.
Golden lindse –
Sound quality good
Fotoguy –
A lot of features and channels for the money. For $80., you can put 4 microphones and 4 stereo devices to the mixer, or if you prefer, just 12 mono devices. I did not do a full test on this product since I gave this as a gift to my cousin. I connected this mixer to my laptop via the Behringer UCA202 interface card that I have. It worked without a hitch. This mixer didn’t have effects, so I used one of my guitar pedals (TC Electronics Nova Delay) to add reverb to the microphone. The reverb sounded great! To be fair, the pedal cost twice as much as the mixer itself. You can buy the 1202FX for $20 more if you want the reverb, echo, delay etc, or for another extra $20, the QX1202USB, will give you the capability to connect directly to your computer as well as the built-in effects. For home entertainment or for a beginner’s first foray into audio mixing, you can’t find a better bargain.