"A functional and roadworthy piece of kit for a little money."
Sound:
I use the 1204FX for live location recording. The mic preamps are fine unless you use high gain settings in which case they become noisy - but if you need ultra quiet equipment, be prepared to pay considerably more for it. The FX 100 presets [of which perhaps half are truly usable] are a bit metallic and generate a lot of hiss unless you set up the gain structure correctly, but for non-critical monitoring they are quite adequate - I don't think any of Behringer's FX units are particularly good. Compared to the ubiquitous Mackie, the overall sound is a little brighter, but I wouldn't say that it's worse. Personally, I think Mackie's can be a trifle dull.
Feature:
The absence of a wall wart has to be a major plus. The EQ, aux sends, etc. all do their job. I agree that having no 1/4" jack outputs could be a pain, but the XLRs and phonos are present and correct. The LED meter ladder display is reduced in precision and size in order to fit the physical space available for it. There is also no colour change at 0dB which is unusual and unhelpful.
I don't like the new design for the fader 'knobs' - the old one was much better.
Quality:
The build quality is excellent - nothing rattles inside, nothing's loose outside and all the sockets and pots are of good quality. The metalwork case is solid and properly screwed together.
Manufacturer Support:
I have never had cause to use the Behringer service department, but a few suppliers have cast doubt on its efficiency. But then, they wanted to sell me a M.................
Value:
There are many small mixers on the market, and many of them look suspiciously similar to each other - badge engineered in China, I suspect. The 1204FX comes into this category.
But Behringer does give you do get a lot of mixer for a remarkably small amount of cash. If you need a truly professional lump of kit for truly professional work, then possibly look elsewhere and pay the going rate. For serious amateur use, the 1204FX is fine.
The Wow Factor:
I quite like the appearance of this mixer. All the features are arranged in a logical manner with no 'odd sockets' spoiling the view. And yes, the blue power LED has a lot more aesthetic appeal than the more common red one.
Overall:
The 1204FX does almost everything I want it to do. The ladder display could be better, and the FX presets are weak and inflexible compared to those available from the likes of Lexicon and Alesis. But if you regard the FX as a bonus and don't need them during mixdown, there is little to complain about. As a simple workhorse for amateur use, the Behringer is hard to beat.
Thanks for your vote. Can you specify what about this review did or did not help you?