xenyx502

[NwbPwner]

Is the behringer xenyx 502 a good preamp/mixer for very basic recording?
I am considering buying one for what it is, a very cheap basic mixer as i am on a very limited budget.

[travelin travis]

i wouldn't sweat it too much. it's only $45. if that's all you got, grab it. otherwise quit being a cheapass.

i've owned a behringer mixer, one of the older mx series. it was built flimsy as hell but it worked fine and didn't sound any worse than the other cheapo mixers to my ears.

[battleminnow]

Tough question to answer, not knowing all the details, but I would say the answer is "no, it isn't a very good preamp" for recording but "there's not a lot of things that do what that does in that price range."

Yeah it's cheap, yeah compared to a lot of things it sucks, but compared to having nothing, it could fit the bill just fine. (but I would save a few more bucks and get something you might actually want to keep)

What's your budget, and what do you already have available? (software, mics, monitors, computer w/usb or fireire)

Pete

[chessrock]

For very basic home recording?

Sure. Anything that passes signal would be fine for basic home recording.

If buying a cheaper mixer allows you to save a few bucks that you could spend elsewhere on more important things ... then I say go for it.

.

[YeshuasFan]

I used to own a UB802 when I was first getting into multitrack recording to pre-amp my mics. I wasn't too impressed with it--not a lot of headroom and it was very noisy.
In addition, if you require phantom power for condenser mics, the 502 does not have it.
I'm not a beri basher as I don't think it's the worst stuff on the planet (that is reserved for Microsoft products--especially Windows Vista), but I'm not convinced that it's the best bang for the buck either. Their qc is inconsistent at best. Shop around, you might come up with a better deal in a dedicated pre-amp of higher quality for a little bit more $$.

[YeshuasFan]

Adding to my previous comment.
Another negative about the 502 mixer is that is lacks an on-off switch.
This tells me that either their engineers are amazingly inept at their jobs for not designing a simple on-off circuit into their mixer or they just don't care about the consumers (or both).
But then part of the problem is that they rip off their designs from other manufacturers (the usual victim being Mackie/Tapco) and they alter the units in their [usually] futile attempt to avoid patent infringement litigation.
Their lack of qc is demonstrated by the fact they just paid several hundred grand to the US government because several mixers did not meet FCC compliance standards.
I would avoid Behringer, spend some extra $$, and get something that will have a useful life of several years instead of something that will last maybe six months if you're lucky.

[dickiefunk]

I've owned Behringer mixers in the past (MX and UB series) but have since used used a Soundcraft M8 and Tapco Blend 6. The soundcraft was in a totally different league to the Beri's and I'm also really impressed with my Tapco Blend 6. This little mixer is a real bargain ( mine only cost £38 in UK ) and I would definately recommend it over the 502!

[weezerman2002]

You can get a presonus firepod brand new for $399 including an audio technica at2020 on ebay. You will find NOTHING in that price range that will out perform this unit with this mic. It seriously is like a sore pecker.......you cant beat it.

[travelin travis]

Originally Posted by weezerman2002

You can get a presonus firepod brand new for $399 including an audio technica at2020 on ebay. You will find NOTHING in that price range that will out perform this unit with this mic. It seriously is like a sore pecker.......you cant beat it.

i've seen complaints around various message boards about firepods giving up the ghost. sounds like behringer quality!

[weezerman2002]

Giving up the ghost?!?! Do explain. Please do not put a company that has made a few bad products in the same ring as a company who has made a few good products. When Behringer makes something that can lick the sweat from the balls of an ADL600 we can talk further.

[battleminnow]

And as far as "giving up the ghost..."

I think you will find a lot of satisfied users here of the firepod. Take into consideration how many more firepods are out there in the hands of you and I than pretty much anything else on the market, and your bound to have a few more horror stories. Sometimes things just break.

Seems to have some decent staying power in the hands of many people.

Pete