Behringer U-CONTROL UCA202 USB-Audio Interface | List Price: $44.99
Discount Price: $29.95
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Brand: Behringer
Features: - Ultra-flexible audio interface connects your instruments, mixer etc. with your computer for recording and playback
- High-resolution 48 kHz converters for high-end audio quality
- Works with your PC or Mac?no setup or drivers required
- Stereo headphone output with dedicated level control lets you monitor both input and output
- Powered via USB bus?no external power supply needed
Great item and can be monitored with the speakers [Posted on 2008-01-22]
I got this after purchasing a competitor's similar device (iMic) and finding poor reviews from audio purists about that model. This Behringer model had good reviews and was a similar price to I got one to try. It works well and has more rugged construction.
When I first set it up, it did not allow monitoring except through headphones. On my Windows XP system, I went to Control Panel and opened Sounds and Audio Devices. Then clicked the Audio tab and changed the Sound Playback device to the usual system device instead of the USB device that was apparently setup when this was installed. Then the music that was being recorded played through the computer speakers fine and that setting stayed when I closed the program and restarted. This was using Audacity for recording.
Decent....weigh your options [Posted on 2008-02-19]
This items ok. It does record at 48khz (CD Quality) which is the main thing. As a broke college student I was looking for an inexpensive way to run from my mixer to my laptop. Overall its a decent product, functionality and simplicity are pretty good. My main (and only I guess) beef with this product is that I cannot leave it plugged in when I power on my laptop. It may be because I have Vista. Other than that if you can't afford anything more expensive, you get what you pay for. If you can, purchase a USB Mixer or a FireWire interface. Way better quality.
Does what devices costing 3-5 times as much do. [Posted on 2008-09-05]
Got this little gem, plugged it into my Windows XP desktop and it was recognized and set up within seconds. Plugged a standard RCA (red & white connectors) cable into it then to the CD-in of my stereo receiver and was listening to mp3s within minutes. Plugged it into a Vista laptop again with no trouble and nothing to do on my part.
I was needing a USB sound card/interface to run karaoke from a laptop and was looking at devices (M-Audio, Soundblaster, etc) costing a hundred dollars or more to connect the computer to a mixer or receiver, and while I don't have any direct experience with those devices, the reviews I've read of the Behringer UCA202 on different karaoke forums convinced me that you don't need to spend $100+ to get good sound out of your computer. I'm not a musician or recording engineer, but I've always appreciated good sound and owned middle- to high-end stereo gear, and this device sounds very good. And I was worried about hum, but there's none, even with my receiver turned up to maximum.
I haven't tried it yet, but its "audio in" connection is going to be fun for recording karaoke performances to the computer. If you're looking for a a USB sound device, just buy this and you'll be happy.
Great and cheap!! [Posted on 2008-09-23]
Can't beat the price to skip crappy soundcards and 3.5 mm jacks to squeeze sound out of the computer, with no additional power source or weird cables required.
Instructions attached are useless, so be advised that some experimenting and exploring will be needed. In a Mac, under the "sounds" button of the control panel, you have to choose USB Codec as output.
Ergonomics are odd, but really not an issue since you rarely get to manipulate this gadget.
also greatly improves audio output as digital to audio converter [Posted on 2008-11-29]
I bought this device to do audio recording and it works super for me for that. I've nothing to add to the other positive reviews in this regard except to emphasize that you need some sort of pre-amp to get the signal to line-level, and that the recording level will be controlled by whatever device you have to do that -- I use a Behringer mixer.
What I do want to add is that I discovered that it is also a superb digital to audio converter. Which is to say that, when listening to mp3s or web radio, or watching videos, the audio output through it is much, much better than that from the output jacks on on-board sound cards. What had sounded harsh and tinny now sounds musical and warm, and I've found this so with both a HP laptop and a Dell desktop, whether using headphones plugged into the UCA202's headphone-jack, or listening to a stereo system plugged into its RCA output jacks. The $30 that it cost would have been well spent for this improvement in audio output alone!
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