Behringer U-CONTROL UCA202 Ultra-Low Latency 2 In/2 Out USB/Audio Interface with Digital Output

For this low price you get the interface you need to be able to play along with yourself with a guitar and an amp!Drivers installed this thing automatically in windows 7 and a few tweaks in Audacidy and you have it ready to record and monitor the input via headphones in real time as you are recording!This will eventually be used to connect my mixer (and drum machine(s) and bass and microphone(s) connected via said mixer) to my computer but I wanted to try a quick 20 minute or so trial run on said product and found it very easy to get an acceptable sound out of my guitar and amp with very little work.That is right, get a 1/4 in to rca cable and plug from your headphone out on your amp into the UCA 202 RCA input and click the monitor switch 'on' that is found on the UCA 202 and you will be able to hear your tone sound exactly like it will on audacity as it is being recorded!I was able to get the levels to an acceptable range so there was no distortion, connected everything up with the 202 from the amp and heard myself playing along with my self in 3 tracks in only 20 minutes. I will say that for my 5 year old laptop that there was a very small lag that can easily be corrected in audacity but there were no background hiss or buzz noises compared to when I input directly to the computer from amp or mixer.I can't wait to see what I can do with this thing once I get enough of a studio area set up, I recommend this for those that are recording on a budget to pair with other behringer products such as their mixers and headphone splitters. I may potentially use the headphone out to monitor the input of a full band so we can all hear one another live as we record through a mixer into the 202.This is my ideal set up for a band with a budget to record themselves:Use Audacity, get a mixer, mic/hook your band up to said mixer, input the mixer output into the UCA202 and have its headphone jack split into 4 (or more) using the Behringer HA400 4-Channel Stereo Headphone Amp. TADA! Everyone can hear themselves playing along in real time with what will be recorded!This thing may cater more to different crowds but if you want to have you own budget studio I think it can be done effectively using the process I listed above.

Bought this just to use it as a DAC to a mini stereo amplifier and then to headphones or stereo receiver. No plans on using it's other features. I have an old Dell Desktop Windows XP with the built-in SoundMAX audio. The SoundMAX audio is already decent as is. But with all the great reviews of this product I thought why not give it a try. Glad I did! My sound is now improved. There is no hum or hiss or buzz at all. It is also good to know that this has other cool features as well just in case I want to play/need in the future.The unit is very light and I have kept it hidden with double sided tape. You can stick it anywhere and not worry about clutter. Just plug it in, let it quickly find it's drivers and you are good to go. Of course this is all from my experience and intentions for it. So if you think you need a decent USB sound card or DAC for your current PC running to your amp and for a very good price, this is it. It is a good chance that it will sound better than your current built-in audio. Just that alone is well worth it for me, the other capabilities is a bonus. For $30 and what it offers, this is a good deal.If I must complain, I would like it if the USB cord came out from the back and not the side. Having it detachable would also be nice too.What I use this DAC for (same PC):Dell Desktop Windows XP > Behringer UCA202 > RCA SA-155 Amplifier > Monoprice 8323 Headphones / Grado SR80iDell Desktop Windows XP > Behringer UCA202 > RCA SA-155 Amplifier > Technics SA-GX690 Stereo Receiver > Bang & Olufsen Beovox S40 and Insignia Subwoofer*Update 8/24/13*Still going very well for my needs. I made changes to my system. It is now running to a TEAC mini stereo to TEAC LS-MC80 speakers and MTS subwoofer for PC sound. It sounds extremely good. I use the headphone output on the stereo and it still sounds wonderful. Also upgraded the receiver to a Denon (optical and non HDMI input)with Energy Takes surround sound and a JBL subwoofer connected through the optical cable. It's great for surround and music but not good as good as with the B&O's. Yes you can play through the RCA's and optical at the same time. As for true 5.1 I have no program to run a real 5.1. I do not know anything about that or it's capabilities. It can only do PL2 or Neo 6 or stereo. I also tried the headphone output on the Grado's and it's good. Nothing bad at all to say about this Behringer. I have been using this for every single day since purchase for music and videos.

If you want better quality sound than offered by your laptop or computer’s onboard mic/headphone jack, look no further than the Behringer.It isn’t the most robust build but it does its job well and will last a decade or more if you take care of it and store it properly.It’s not flimsy or poorly constructed but it’s plastic so if you use it for gigs you set up and break down - just buy a small padded bag for the 202’s and use it to store them.Mine, and I believe all, have analog in or out as well as a headphone cue port with volume dial. It’s an external DAC, so the USB goes to your computer/tablet or phone, sending digital audio to the DAC which as the name implies - flips ones and zeroes into analog (how we hear) externally and without the noise of the built in jack. As it’s surrounded by heat and noise (electrical noise) from the packed together system that makes a computer. From your C/GPUs to storage power supply and a couple dozen radios (WiFi Bluetooth NFC - dozens of cellular bands and signal types 3G/Edge, LTE, 5G and mm Wave - and multiples of frequencies under each. As well as the different types of controllers; USB, Thunderbolt and HDMI, MagSafe and SD readers - display and battery, you get the point).$25 way of getting excellent audio for amplification out of a computer bypassing the noisy, hot and lesser sounding built in jack.Weighs less than a deck of cards and is plug and play on both macOS and Windows.

I bought this as a low cost alternative to purchasing a new USB recording interface, since my old Lexicon finally gave up the ghost. Basically, I own a Behringer Xenyx802 mixer, and this allows me to boom the mix from that console over to Garageband when putting together new song demos for my band. For this purpose, the UCA202 works great! Clear, relatively un-"comprimised" tone coming from the mixer, and, best of all, no bleed or distortion like my old recording interface. This is a simple little device that does it's job well.I have owned this for a about a day now, and time will tell how long it lasts, but I've always had good luck with Behringer products, and I'm hoping it holds. As soon as it arrived I connected it in line with my recording gear in my modest home studio and cut a quick track. Recording chain is: Guitar / Vocal mic > Presonus Bluetube Preamp > Xenyx802 mixer > UCA202 > Macbook w/ Garageband. No problems, no drivers needed, just plug and play. I have not used the RCA Outs to run monitors yet, but that feature is cool to have. I'm looking forward to using this unit to run my monitor and record my set next time I do a solo gig.A couple warnings: First, it's plastic, and small, so be Careful!!! I think the unit could take a bit of abuse, but as it's a plastic box the size of an Altoid tin, the proper care and caution you should afford to any piece of music equipment is probably in order. Also, this only takes RCA cables, so if you're using it with a Preamp / Mixer you need to get an 1/4" to RCA cable for the input and an RCA to "whatever your powered monitor takes" for the output. And yeah, as some people in these reviews seem to be oblivious, you NEED a preamp of some sort between your instrument / mic and this unit. A passive mixer with preamps or Active DI / tube pre should do the trick. But if you're expecting to plug your passive single-coil-outfitted classic Telecaster straight into the UCA202 you're not gonna get much useable signal.Overall, I'd say if you're putting together an exquisite studio you could get something fancier and better for more money, but if you already have a good mixer like me and you're just looking to cut some demos for the band guys, this is the ticket.

I'll add my voice to the praise for this little device. The UCA202 is a no-brainer for affordable USB audio. I purchased this solely to send improved audio quality from my laptop to my desktop speakers. While I have an audiophile-grade rig in my basement for critical listening and DJ'ing, up in my bedroom all I have is my laptop and inexpensive computer speakers, and that's where I spend the majority of my time and listen to the most music. Unhappy with the predictably low quality, noisy output from my MacBook Pro's headphone output jack, I did some research and ultimately decided on the UCA202 for two simple reasons: first, the cost. At $30, you can purchase this item and a very decent 2.1 speaker system for basically the same price as a dedicated DAC like the Audioengine D1. Second, it gives you 3 different output options depending on the type of equipment you have: digital (TOSLINK), analog (stereo RCA) and analog (stereo 1/8" or 3.5mm). Finally, because of its two RCA inputs it can also double as an analog-to-digital converter for ripping vinyl or other analog sources. All considered, this is a pretty versatile little box for $30!The quality is completely fine for computer-based applications like listening to music or playing video games. This is all I use it for, with the occasional headphone session using my Ultrasone Proline 550s. The heaphone amp is not very strong, but it's much cleaner than using the headphone jack on your laptop, so I can't really complain. In terms of resolution, it maxes out at 16bit/48khz, which in the DAC world is not very remarkable, but considering this is not marketed as a DAC but more as an external sound card, it's more than adequate for me. Remember that CD audio - still the most common medium for music even with newer technologies out there - is 16bit/44khz. Until the industry as a whole migrates to 24/48, 24/96 or 24/192, something like the UCA202 will be relevant. And I suspect that will be a very long time.All in all, if you were like me and on the fence about investing in a high end DAC or saving the money for something like this, well, that's a personal decision but I can say that I don't regret my decision of going with the UCA202 at all. While Behringer is not usually in the conversation about quality audio, I think it fills this niche very well, and gives you more money to spend on those nice desktop speakers or powered monitors.

Thank goodness that I found this device. I have an AIO (All In One) computer that I use a lot, including recording and watching TV and the sound is just plain terrible.I've tried everything possible to improve it, including buying an Asus Xonar USB card that was a bit cleaner in some ways, but still totally unsatisfactory, with its screechy Asian type sound. I'm an audiophile from way back, even working in the industry, selling sound systems, as well as working in the record industry and I have zero tolerance for distorted audio, specially from the devices made in Asia that are always full of white and pink noise that can drive you mad after awhile. If you don't know what I mean by P & W noise, think of it this way. You are listening to loud music and trying to talk to your friend who is right next to you and you have to scream to be understood = Asian system.The same scenario and despite the sound being very loud, you can still talk in a fairly normal voice and be heard. The P & W noise causes a type of interference to the actual sound that you're trying to listen to, and it drowns out mid range audio, like our voices. The effect of listening to music through such a system is that after awhile, you just want to turn it down or off, as it starts to get on your nerves, whereas the good sounding systems made in USA, Canada and Europe, sound so good that you might want to turn it up even higher, and it never hurts your ears = American sound.Anyhow, enough info about hifi audio, this little device (I don't know where it's made) has a neutral American type sound.There are surely better devices on the market at much higher prices, but if we compare it to that Asus Xonar that sold for as much or more, it makes the Xonar look like a total piece of junk, which it is, but this one is absolutely excellent, neutral, clean, musical, etc.I'm listening to the audio through a pair of Audio Engine speakers out of California, they are very clean too, specially for the price, so the net result is fantastic, specially when compared to what my sound was before, more or less the same as what you'd get out of a laptop, I suppose.So, the short of it is that I have no idea how well this device works for all the other things it can do, recording, RCA in and out, etc. All I know is that the sound coming out of the headphone output that my speakers are hooked up to, is everything I hoped it would be and 100% satisfactory.Now I can enjoy my music, TV and movies from this AIO computer that I have next to my bed.If anyone wants improved sound from their laptops without spending $100 and more, this is the device they want and need, no two ways about it.

I finally gave the UCA202 a try and was blown away at how easy-to-use and low-latency it is! I use my Apple devices as little portable recording studios - nothing professional, just looping, sketching, and small compositions for fun. I'm a guitar player, so I have an Apogee JAM interface for instrument cable, and it works great. But the UCA202 expands those possibilities even further. It allow me to capture pretty much any line level or headphone output audio signal into the iPad using AudioBus.My experience with Behringer products and guitars has been, well, mixed. They're very affordable and decently built, but I've had a few other products that either sounded poor or were a nightmare to set up on PC. The UCA202 couldn't have been easier. I was able capture a great guitar signal using a Vox Amplug headphone amp (plugs directly into the guitar) and an inexpensive 3.5mm to RCA cable. This is fed into the UCA202 input, which leads to the Camera Connection Kit (basically a USB jack add-on for iDevices), and directly into my iPad or iPhone. Sounds complicated, but it's actually a very simply hookup, and requires no plug-in power source!Even better, I was stunned to find that the there was very little latency with the guitar playing and monitoring using headphones plugged into the iPhone! Despite the fact that UCA202 has to convert the raw audio signal into digital and then send it into the iDevice, it did so very efficiently and with no extraneous noise. You could similarly capture full size amplifiers with a line level output, MP3 players, or synthesizers/drum machines. Behringer has very useful $30 tool here that makes capturing raw audio very easy, and further turns my mobile device into a portable studio. Highly recommended!

Update 4/2013:People have been coming at me with torches and pitchforks for this review lately, so let me clarify some things.First, I made the evaluation using speakers and the RCA outputs directly. So it's not a headphone impedance mismatch issue. NwAvGuy had a great detailed measurements-based review of the UCA-202 that I'm fully aware of now, and I have to disagree with him. I think he's very headstrong and overconfident, and it biases his results toward trusting his methodology too much, and he gives no room for doubt in his results or for subjective output analysis. As a scientist, I find his attitude suspect. But that's an ad-hominem argument, so take it with a grain of salt: the point is that I personally believe he's missing something in his analysis.Second, this review is SUBJECTIVE. Most reviews are! This particular subjective review was made from the point of view of getting an "audiophile-grade" experience. Of course we all want to believe we can get an audiophile experience for a scant $30, that would be great! And there are certainly some devices that do that--like the Sonic Impact T-Amp which really does live up to its hype. I think this little unit is an excellent sound utility! You will most certainly get audio that is good enough for almost any purpose out of this device. It is a DAC. It works. I'm not saying it sounds horrible here, I'm saying it doesn't have the top 2% needed to make the experience real. And it's not because of the price (I tested this DAC, as well as the comparison DACs, through that little $35 Sonic Impact T-Amp, which easily resolved their differences), but because of the device itself. I personally believe that the quality is somewhat limited by the price, but it doesn't have to be. There are DACs today for even cheaper than 4 years ago, FiiO makes some great ones, as do other companies. The UCA-202 however is still the same, and I don't think it's improved much while other companies have been innovating and bringing down the price of high quality audio.If you're going to write a comment on this review attempting to argue with it, you're not the person this review was intended for, and you're wasting your time. Don't bother. Please, purchase and enjoy the UCA-202 instead--and don't worry about how it sounds, because it will sound just fine. If you're the kind of person this review was intended for, you probably won't be thinking about the UCA-202 anyway, but this review is intended to validate that obvious conclusion.Thanks, and please, spend your valuable time doing something better than arguing about the sound quality of little $30 devices on the internet. I've moved on.Original review:===================================================This device is great for those who just want to get sound in and out of the computer conveniently without plugging in too many audio cables. It is nice to sit down at a desk, plug in the USB hub, and get sound in and out right away. I used mine to connect out to my ADS monitors and in from my run-of-the-mill Behringer 802 mixer.Key word "used." After a few hours of listening to the device, both recording and playback, I realized that it actually sounded worse than the headphone output on my laptop. Now, realize that I am a stickler for audio quality - your needs may vary - but for those with good ears this may be useful information. The sound is dead and lifeless, without much clarity or image. It seems as though a veil lies between me and the music that I can't get rid of.This, my good-eared friends, is the problem with a cheap DAC. That's the Digital-to-Analog converter, and it's what takes the bits from your computer and decides how to make sound waves out of them. Devices such as this one are cheap for a reason - the DAC chips and op-amps and components in the signal path are cheaply bought and cheaply constructed, and you'll get that signature veiled Behringer (oops, am I generalizing?) 'cheap' sound.If you have good ears and know you will be able to hear a difference - do yourself a favor and invest in a good DAC and ADC instead of this. You will thank yourself many times later on for it. There are many options in the $100-$200 range that those with good ears will (unfortunately for our wallets) require.So this review is mainly targeted as a warning to folks with discerning ears. However, if you're just looking for simple input and output and aren't running it to a good set of monitors or doing serious recording, then this will do just fine. If you know you won't be able to hear the difference, there's obviously no point in spending any more than this. Enjoy!(As a side note - if you're wondering why I care so much, let me put it simply: I think I end up listening to and enjoying more music when it sounds remarkably real. It's way more enjoyable. That's all. If you can avoid it, I suggest staying blissfully unaware of this fact; it's way cheaper.)

I had this item in my wishlist for a long time and finally bought it. Totally worth its price. I use it with Audio Technica M20x monitor headphones and it's a very good combination.

Einstecken und läuft. Treiber waren bei mir nicht nötig. Für den Preis bekommt man ein solides Interface mit Cinch-Ein- und -Ausgängen und Kopfhöreranschluss, ideal zum Digitalisieren oder als externe Soundkarte.

Ottimo prodotto, promesse mantenute a pieno.Su linux (Debian) non è secessario configurare nulla, lo colleghi ed è gia pronto.Lo uso per registrare la mia batteria acustica, lo collego all'uscita RCA di un mixer (Behringer UBB-1002 + set microfoni CAD 5 attivi,2 pan condensarore) e registro sul software Audacity.Il suono esce pulito, ho eliminato tutti i problemi di crepitii e lag della scheda embeded.Collego le anche cuffie per sentire la base e/o metronomo che suona separato dalla registrazione (sorgente audacity)Il cavo USB è sufficientemente lungo da tenere il laptop in posizione comoda rispetto al mixer e alle cuffie.Stavo valutando acquisti molto piu costosi e temevo di dover spendere altri soldi e invece lo portero anche in sala prove per registrare il gruppo.

We did like this unit - it should have had a digital switch to turn on and off - monitor - I know from experience that this switch won't last too long - so far - so good. Very little distortion - the sound quality is great with free recording software like Audacity - or better. I would say this is the best one to use - for the price - to master your Tapes and LPs. 96,000 KHz - 16 Bit - Not too bad with this device.

It's a great little unit, sounds good and does the job it's designed for real well. It you are using it on windows, just check you sound settings for the device as microsoft seems to have decided that a stereo device should be set to mono as it's default, which is real weird as windows knows & tells you it's a stereo microphone but still decides to remix it down to mono if you don't change you sound settings. Other than the windows issues, I've had no problem with the hardware, it's been plugged and unplugged lots of times without an issues. I would happy by any of the Behringer 202 range again.