Feature:
Pro: This thing has far more features than just about anything else in it's price range. It has more features than I need just about.
Con: The onboard effects unit is really static, it seems to work fine, and in a pinch, it'll do, but a more full-featured outboard effects rig is necessary for anything truly interesting. I'd prefer that they just left it off or included either a better effects unit, an equalizer, or expanded the level meters. I'd also like to see them make the buttons a bit larger. I have a Eurorack MX2642A, and the buttons are a much nicer size.
Both of the Cons are just nitpicks, though, on an otherwise great, full-featured mixer.
Quality:
Big, sturdy metal construction. I bought a B-Stock unit and it seems to have weathered whatever bumps and scratches with a reasonable level of indifference. One nice thing about Behringer's is that they're cheap, but for the most part are not cheaply made.
Value:
I'm sorry,, you're just not going to do any better than Behringer for a mixer of this type when it comes to price. It has more features than a Mackie with similar specs that sells for $400-500 more.
Desirability:
Yes, it's very very nice.
Sound:
Sounds clean, signals come through fairly effortlessly.
Support:
Although I haven't talked to Behringer directly, I'll comment on their documentation.
Outside of occasional Germlish in their manuals, Behringer puts together good manuals. The level of information they put into their manuals should be considered an industry standard minimum. If more companies put that sort of effort into their documentation, I think we'd all be happier. But, as I said, it should be the minimum. They're sometimes a bit short on explaining some of the more eccentric features of their products. This mixer's documentation is no exception, but even still, it's quite good.
Overall:
I think this unit will fit my needs for a long long time.
Besides price and brand (I'm a big fan of Behringer) other deciding factors included the use of 100mm faders, channel meters, and having 16 fully in-line channels with insert points. The inclusion of an external power supply is also quite nice as the Mackie's in the same category have internal supplies which leads to isolation issues, I've found.
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