Behringer XENYX Q802USB USB Mixer

Behringer XENYX Q802USB USB Mixer

The Behringer XENYX Q802USB is a compact eight-input, two-bus analogue mixer with a built-in stereo USB audio interface, aimed at podcasters, home recordists, small live acts and presenters who need real microphone preamps and hands-on control without a large console. Two of its channels carry Behringer’s XENYX microphone preamps with one-knob compressors and three-band British-style EQ, two further stereo channels handle keyboards, media players and instruments, and the USB connection sends the finished stereo mix to a computer for recording or streaming while bringing computer audio back for monitoring. It is a small mixer that behaves like a proper one: physical gain controls, a musical EQ, an effects send and separate control-room and headphone outputs.

Key features

• 8 inputs in total: 2 mono mic/line channels and 2 stereo line channels
• 2 XENYX mic preamps with 48 V phantom power for condenser microphones
• One-knob compressors on the microphone channels for controlled vocals
• 3-band British EQ on the mono channels (80 Hz, 2.5 kHz, 12 kHz)
• Built-in 2-in / 2-out stereo USB audio interface for recording and playback
• One post-fader FX send and a stereo aux return for external effects
• Separate main mix, control room, headphone and 2-track outputs

Channels and preamps

The two mono channels accept microphones on balanced XLR or line sources on quarter-inch TRS, with gain ranges that cover everything from a quiet dynamic microphone to a hot line output. XENYX preamps are specified with 110 dB A-weighted signal-to-noise ratio and distortion around 0.005 percent, figures that keep recordings clean at sensible gain settings. Switchable 48 V phantom power, applied globally, runs condenser microphones and active DI boxes. The stereo channels take balanced TRS pairs for synths, drum machines, media players and the stereo output of another device, and RCA 2-track inputs and outputs connect recorders and consumer gear. One point worth understanding before purchase: the headline eight inputs include the stereo pairs, so the mixer takes two microphones at a time, not eight.

EQ, compression and effects

Each mono channel carries the three-band British EQ that made the XENYX name, with plus or minus 15 dB at 80 Hz, 2.5 kHz and 12 kHz for shaping body, presence and air. The one-knob compressor on the microphone channels is the feature podcasters and singers feel most: turn it up and louder phrases are gently held back, keeping speech intelligible and vocals sitting steadily in the mix without riding the fader. A post-fader FX send per channel feeds an external reverb or delay, returned through the stereo aux return, and channel level, pan and a peak LED complete a layout that a beginner can learn in an evening and an experienced user can operate without looking.

USB recording and monitoring

Connected by USB, the Q802USB appears to a Windows or Mac computer as a stereo audio device: the main mix is recorded as one stereo track while playback returns to the mixer for monitoring through speakers or headphones. That makes it ideal for podcasts, voice-over, livestreams and two-track live recordings; it is not a multitrack interface, and productions that need every channel on its own DAW track should look at a dedicated multi-input interface instead. Separate control-room outputs with their own level control feed studio monitors, the headphone output carries an independent mix of main and 2-track sources, and the main mix itself leaves on balanced TRS connectors at up to plus 22 dBu. The mixer measures 195 by 248 by 50 mm, weighs 1.1 kg and draws 13 W from its external supply.

For a small setup that mixes two microphones with music sources, adds polish with EQ and compression, and records the result straight into a computer, the Behringer XENYX Q802USB packs the essential tools of a real console into a genuinely portable box.