Behringer Xenyx Q502 USB & Q802 USB

Behringer's ever-popular Xenyx range of mixers has become “USB-ised” in recent times in order to send and receive the audio through your computer. Today I'll be reviewing the Q502 and Q802 models.

First, the Q 502 is an extremely simple little desk featuring one mono channel and two stereo channels, for a total of five channels. Channel one houses a single Xenyx mic preamp, balanced/unbalanced input, gain control, compression, phantom power (for a condenser mic/active DI box), two-band “Neo-Classical British” EQ (based on legendary British consoles of the '70s and '80s), pan and level. Then channels 2/3 and 5/6 are identical with two ¼” balanced/unbalanced inputs, balance (pan) and level knobs. Very simple stuff. The Q502 also has USB out so it can send and receive two channels of audio in and out of your computer, like a basic audio interface. So essentially, you have the option of using it as either a live mixing desk, a recording preamp going into an audio interface, or even a basic audio interface itself.

I tested the unit by plugging in my Mann M21 condenser mic, cranked the gain up to around 3 o'clock and started singing. The Xenyx mic pre sure is impressive, much cleaner and smoother than one would anticipate at this price. Turning up the compression produced fantastic results, as the one-knob onboard compressor is extremely transparent and effective, wonderful for recording. The two-band EQ is also really sweet and musical, definitely smoother in design than most three-band EQs but a little over-exaggerated in being termed as “Neo-Classical British” (invented by King Arthur and Rupert Neve?). Using the USB also worked beautifully, but required the use the supplied adaptor as it requires more juice than the Q302. Playback is flawless but there's a bit more latency on input than a designated audio interface, so DAW monitoring with a plug-in like an amp modeller may give you a bit of a headache, but it's fine for recording some dry vocals.

Next up, the Q802, pretty much the same thing except with two Xenyx mic preamps, two compression controls, three-band EQ, FX send, stereo aux return, control room out and six overall channels. This time the gain structure on Xenyx mic pres was more linear, with more gain, volume and compression on tap (better for dynamic mics), so finding a sweet spot on the desk is essential. The three-band EQ is again wide and musical, but not quite as sweet as the EQ on the 502. The addition of an FX send lets you set up an additional effect like a reverb or delay to be brought back on the Aux return, and two extra outputs for the control room allow you to hook up some extra speakers for foldback or room fill.

Personally, I liked the Behringer Xenyx Q502 more for recording, as the channel strip sounded a bit cleaner (probably because phantom power is not shared) and sweeter, but remember it's only good for direct monitoring and DAW monitoring would require the use of a designated audio interface. The 802 is a much more practical solution for, say, acoustic duos with routing to a computer's audio via USB for backing tracks or house music.