Behringer UCA202 U-Control

The Behringer UCA202 U-Control is an inexpensive 2-in/2-out USB audio interface designed for do-it-yourself recording on your Mac or PC. It's designed to sit as an interface between your mixer, instruments, or pre-amp and your computer. It is a USB bus powered device with no external power supply required, and also requires no additional drivers for installation; just plug the UCA202 into an available USB port on your computer.

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Behringer UCA202 U-Control
MSRP $25.00
Release date --
Brand Behringer
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Pros & Cons11
Reviews4
Details
Buy It8
Competitors
Comments1
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Pros & Cons

ProSCORE
4 reviews
74
negative
mixed
positive
3 positive
0 mixed
1 negative

[i] How is the ProSCORE calculated?

show me!

Pros:
Do you agree?
•
Inexpensive - only $25
+3agreedisagree

•
No software drivers required
+2agreedisagree

•
USB bus powered - no external power required
+2agreedisagree

•
Dedicated stereo headphone jack for monitor ins and outs with volume control
+2agreedisagree

•
S/PDIF digital optical output for direct DAC conversion
+2agreedisagree

•
Small, portable unit
+2agreedisagree

•
High quality components
+1agreedisagree

•
High sound quality
0agreedisagree

Cons:
Do you agree?
•
Only 2 input channels (L/R)
+2agreedisagree

•
Only 48KHz/16-bit maximum
+2agreedisagree

•
Line level inputs - no preamplification
0agreedisagree


4 people added to this review by submitting or voting on pros and cons. Add your say!
See individual votes »

Details

The UCA202 features 2 analog line-level inputs (RCA) and and 2 analog line-level ouputs (RCA). There are high-resolution 48 kHz DAC converters to convert back and forth between the digital and analog domains. Additionally, there is a stereo headphone output with a dedicated volume level control for monitoring either your inputs or ouputs, and there is a direct S/PDIF optical output for direct digital conversion of your analag inputs.

Features

  • 2 RCA analog line-level inputs
  • 2 RCA analog line-level outputs
  • USB bus powered - no external power required
  • high resolution 48 kHz DACs
  • Stereo headphone monitor output with level control
  • S/PDIF digital optical output
  • No software drivers required

To connect your guitar or microphone to your computer, you will need a mixer or a pre-amp to boost your audio signals to line-level. For example, for $70 the Behringer TUBE ULTRAGAIN MIC200 with both 1/4" and XLR mic-level inputs can act as an interface between your microphone and the UCA202 recording interface. The UCA202 retails for around $25.

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This report was started September 3, 2007 at 11:08 am by Erik
with the last edit occurring September 1, 2009 at 8:57 am by nullman
This page has been viewed 4961 times, with 32 edits by 4 contributors.
See the full report history »

Buy It

Behringer UCA202 U-Control

• Behringer U Control UCA202 USB Audio Interface

• Intl 40/80GB DLT8000 SCSI SE Ultra2/LVD 5.0MB/S HD38

EAN: 4033653030472

MPN: 000-48400-00000

Behringer UCA202 U-Control

• Behringer UCA202 U-Control Audio Interface

• UCA202 USB Interface (New)

UPC: 689076269360

EAN: 689076361262

MPN: UCA202

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Comments

1.  avatar trisweb said:

I love this little thing! I'm surprised at the high sound quality out of such a cheap USB interface. Just a nice clean signal, in and out. Can't ask for much more than that at this price.

It's also great that everything "just works" out of the box (I'm using OSX - but I assume for Windows as well). Other USB audio interfaces I've used have horrible drivers that required restarts of programs, unplugging the USB and plugging it back in, etc. - but not this thing - it just works. Awesome.

I highly recommend this for anyone who owns a laptop and a good pair of headphones or speakers, since it will probably be better than the headphone jack on any laptop. Even my MacBook Pro (which generally has the reputation of being 'good for media') has horrible muddy noisy sound out of the headphone jack. At this price, everyone with good ears can enjoy a nice clean sound from any computer.

---

Update after a couple days of use:

Turns out that while this thing is an excellent value and works well with no hassles, but really doesn't give much in the way of audio fidelity. For those intrested, I popped it open and the chips used are a Burr Brown/TI PCM2902E USB Audio interface and codec, and three JRC J341H Op Amps. The Burr Brown DAC isn't very high spec'd, and the op amp is a cheap thing. In testing, I actually prefer the headphone out of my laptop to this thing, whose sound is sadly dry and flat with no definition. So while most people will not notice at all, if you have good ears and have been spoiled by high resolution devices, you might want to look for something that calls itself a "USB DAC" instead of a simple audio interface. It definitely does the job though, and I still recommend it for the price.

Jul 21, 2009 7:59pm
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Reviews

Sort by: Most helpful  •  Newest  •  Most positive

trisweb

avatar
July 24, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
75
negative
mixed
positive
6 pros
2 cons
have ithave it
love itlove it
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • Inexpensive - only $25
  • No software drivers required
  • USB bus powered - no external power required
  • Dedicated stereo headphone jack for monitor ins and outs with volume control
  • S/PDIF digital optical output for direct DAC conversion
  • Small, portable unit

Cons

  • Only 2 input channels (L/R)
  • Only 48KHz/16-bit maximum

Comments

"

I love this little thing! I'm surprised at the high sound quality out of such a cheap USB interface. Just a nice clean signal, in and out. Can't ask for much more than that at this price.

It's also great that everything "just works" out of the box (I'm using OSX - but I assume for Windows as well). Other USB audio interfaces I've used have horrible drivers that required restarts of programs, unplugging the USB and plugging it back in, etc. - but not this thing - it just works. Awesome.

I highly recommend this for anyone who owns a laptop and a good pair of headphones or speakers, since it will probably be better than the headphone jack on any laptop. Even my MacBook Pro (which generally has the reputation of being 'good for media') has horrible muddy noisy sound out of the headphone jack. At this price, everyone with good ears can enjoy a nice clean sound from any computer.

---

Update after a couple days of use:

Turns out that while this thing is an excellent value and works well with no hassles, but really doesn't give much in the way of audio fidelity. For those intrested, I popped it open and the chips used are a Burr Brown/TI PCM2902E USB Audio interface and codec, and three JRC J341H Op Amps. The Burr Brown DAC isn't very high spec'd, and the op amp is a cheap thing. In testing, I actually prefer the headphone out of my laptop to this thing, whose sound is sadly dry and flat with no definition. So while most people will not notice at all, if you have good ears and have been spoiled by high resolution devices, you might want to look for something that calls itself a "USB DAC" instead of a simple audio interface. It definitely does the job though, and I still recommend it for the price.

"
Did you find this review helpful?
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 / 
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Erik

avatar
September 3, 2007
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
78
negative
mixed
positive
7 pros
2 cons
want itwant it
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • Inexpensive - only $25
  • No software drivers required
  • USB bus powered - no external power required
  • Dedicated stereo headphone jack for monitor ins and outs with volume control
  • S/PDIF digital optical output for direct DAC conversion
  • Small, portable unit
  • High quality components

Cons

  • Only 2 input channels (L/R)
  • Line level inputs - no preamplification

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

nullman

avatar
September 1, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
0
negative
mixed
positive
0 pros
1 con
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Pros

Did not agree with any pros

Cons

  • Only 48KHz/16-bit maximum

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

ace248952

avatar
June 23, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
100
negative
mixed
positive
1 pro
0 cons
want itwant it
0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • Inexpensive - only $25

Cons

Did not agree with any cons

Did you find this review helpful?
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 / 
No

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This product is also known as:

UCA, 202, UCA202, U, Control, UControl