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The affordable Xenyx 1002FX mixer with built-in effects.

Seventy US Dollars doesn’t buy a lot these days. Dinner and a movie - or maybe fill up your vehicle with fuel. When it comes to pro audio gear, it’s even tougher to squeeze much value in the sub-$100 bracket. This fact was compounded, not all that long ago, when foreign trade was limited, discrete components ruled the land and the lack of internet access at every street corner made the World a much bigger place.

The mixer. That metal box with pots and/or sliders often forms the hub of our studio. For simple work, many of us don’t even require a “physical” mixer since we can virtualize these functions on screen.

For others however, the tactile feel of riding levels, the response of LED’s, and the visual feel of switching/routing signals using TRS and XLR connectors just feels right. I’m still one of those that needs to feel the comfort of a knob or slider, however large or small, to manipulate audio.

When it comes to value, Behringer is in it to win, offering sub-$100 components when few others did. When it comes to quality, some will balk at the name. But… for most of us, Behringer products simply offer unparalleled value for our money. A good example would be many years ago when I needed a simple Phantom power supply for my condenser microphone. I had the choice of spending $50 for the power supply, or the little Behringer mixer for an incredible $39, not only able to supply Phantom power, but offer discrete EQ, panning, hi-z muxing and more. Amazing!

As consumers, we have become very knowledgeable about the gear we buy. Quality has to be good and price has to be low.

Enter the latest generation of analog Behringer mixers. I selected their small 1002 model, not much bigger in size than my hand, as a simple way to plug in and add devices to my existing chain. My large console uses solder connections to a DB-25 connector, so the little 1002 sits, dwarfed in size, next to it, ready to simply pass audio, add effects, or allow me to plug in a device for testing without re-arranging the studio.

Small mixers like the 1002 are also great for video work. You may need to inject a music bed or do a quick voiceover right to your camera. The small size of the 1002 lends itself nicely to this task, being small enough to fit in a carry-on for travel.

But what sets the Behringer 1002 apart from the crowd of sub-$100 mixers? In the software world, we would add features, tighten code up, fix bugs and raise it a version. Behringer has done much of the same in hardware with their small mixer. That little $39 mixer I bought about 8 years ago is still around, but even physically, I notice the enhancements. The 1002 pots and trimmers feel much tighter and stronger. There is no doubt that the Xenyx microphone pre-amp is quieter. The “British” EQ is improved. Frankly, at this price, I don’t expect much from EQ and would much rather stay flat unless absolutely needed …but it is there, and it’s miles better than my older model.

I was very pleasantly surprised with the capabilities of the upgraded 1002FX model. I perused the 99 presets (from the nice blue glow of the LED’s) and found a very nice array of reverb, echo and slapback effects. Very nicely done. The small, but helpful array of level LED’s worked fine, along with lighted “clip” and Phantom indication.

Improved mic pre-amps, nice fit and finish, smoother EQ, built-in echo/reverb effects and it fits in the palm of your hand.

Overall, a great little compact mixer at a price that’s hard to beat.

Behringer Xenyx 1002 w/FX (street price at publish time $89.99)

Behringer Xenyx 1002 (street price at publish time $69.99)

Best,
MarkJensen

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