4", USB, and RCA – Black, 1-Channel by Chasmod Ray ᠌

Name: BEHRINGER UM2 Audio Interface with XLR/TRS, 1/4", USB, and RCA – Black, 1-Channel
Item: BEHRINGER UM2 Audio Interface with XLR/TRS, 1/4", USB, and RCA – Black, 1-Channel
Rating: 5

August 23, 2022

Just super, it's beautifully made, I'm very happy with it.

In addition to the above, I can add that I highly recommend this kind of budget card not only to those who want to engage in sound recording, but simply to music lovers who love good sound. Believe me, no matter what headphones or speakers you have, by connecting them through this card you will definitely feel the difference in sound, because through a normal DAC card they will sound significantly better than through the audio output on the computer motherboard, whatever it may be. After listening to music through the sound system, you will no longer be able to go back to listening directly from the computer, especially if you have good headphones or speakers, with such a card the potential of their sound will be revealed to the fullest.
In my case, I have not the simplest headphones, with high impedance, and this sound card pumps them much better than even the preamp in my speakers, not to mention the audio output on the computer.

Pros

For the money, a great tool to learn how to work with professional audio equipment, having everything you need for this. If you want to work with xlr microphones and get a normal sound, then this is the sure minimum that you will need, there is also phantom power and a direct monitoring function. If you are an amateur musician, then through this card you can also perfectly record electric instruments through a separate high-impedance jack 6.3. Another advantage is its compactness, so if you wish, you can safely take it with you, because it starts up on any computer (at least on Windows) with standard drivers, there are no problems with this (I didn’t check the presence of ASIO, because I don’t feel the need for it, however, as far as I know, they are available, though only on Windows, but you can check it yourself on the site). Although it is made of plastic, it is surprisingly very good and not easily soiled, it is almost impossible to smear it with your fingers.

Cons

Firstly, not the most practical design. It looks fine, but the knobs on top are not the most convenient solution, on the front panel they would be more reasonable, and a slightly older model has such a solution. From there, there is also a minus that nothing can be put on the upper part, which can make it difficult to link with other equipment, although in my case it is convenient to hold the adapter to the jacks in the recess on top, because. it is often needed. Secondly, there is no power supply to the 6.3 jack inputs, so it WILL NOT BE POSSIBLE to write REGULAR JACK MICROPHONES through this card without its own preamplification, here you either need a microphone with its own separate power supply, or a separate preamplifier with the same function, then you can record this through the line input . Further, rather unreasonable nit-picking, here the DAC and ADC are only 16 bits (although what else to expect for such money), which is generally enough for a simple recording followed by simple processing, but if you want to further engage in sound recording in more depth, then I strongly recommend buying it right away a 24+ bit map, so that later you have room to maneuver in processing. This will be the case when I bought once and for a long time. Of the dubious elements, I’ll also note here the usb 1.1 connection, of course it works fine, and in the cross section it should pass a 16-bit signal at 41 kilohertz, but at 48, as stated in the characteristics, judging by the port bandwidth, it’s not a fact, but this is probably my mistake , most likely everything is working fine, it's just that my calculations are not correct, but still usb 2.0 would look more confident here, and preferably not in the form of the ancient type b, but at least micro, not to mention type c. On the issue of connectors, I’ll also note that the output to the speakers here is implemented through tulips, so you will need to get an adapter if you don’t want to constantly stick them into the headphone jack. In addition, I would like to see a separate volume setting, or at least a mute for headphones and speakers, but if it is possible to adjust the volume on the speakers themselves, then you can live.