Try to avoid that Lexicon, the Phantom power switch is on the back and it is impossible to use it on only one XLR.
You can find one with two 48v switches, one on each XLR input.

Thanks for the advice, you have failed to answer my main question. Would I notice a difference in my recording quality if I switched between the mixer and something like the Lexicon?

Well as long as you're not using it with Audacity, the Lambda should sound plenty better than the Xenyx. The Lambda comes with Cubase SE which is a great program, supports real time VST effects and instruments and just generally works well for the most part. Fortunately there are Forums for specific help like cubase.net (official) and cubase.com(unofficial and not supported by Steinberg.)

You also get the Pantheon reverb plugin which if it's anything like their hardware reverbs should sound pretty good if not awesome. I've never used it so don't quote me.

The thing with the behr..... stuff is that they are noisy. I know they say that they aren't but they are. Some of their stuff is alright to start with but QC is inconsistent. What turns most people away thoug is their business ethics. A couple of years ago they went through some more legal crap regardin their stomboxes which were originally marketed to look a lot like (and possibly designed after) effects from the likes of BOSS and others. But, that's another thread on it's own.......

EDIT: Regarding that phantom power thing. I doubt it will be an issue. You can plug a dynamic mic in with the phantom power on and it shouldn't be an issue. There is a possiblity that it might impart some noise. Other than that you can try as you may, you will not easily find an interface at that price that has separate phantom power for each channel.

+1 on the Lexicon.

+1 on Hueseph's reply.

+2 to bent/Hueseph.

Dynamics and even most ribbons aren't offended or affected by phantom. If the unit were huge and cumbersome, I'd be worried about a rear-mounted switch. This ain't, so I ain't.

I have not played with either unit, but I have played with a lot of cheap Behringer and Lexicon stuff and like Ben and Hueseph I expect that the Lexicon would be audibly better. However, if it weren't for the other features like the cubase, I would be hesitant to upgrade. One of the easiest ways to go broke without buying any really good gear is to keep buying unit after unit that make slight improvements for slightly more money. In most cases (maybe not this) you should wait until you can buy something of significantly better quality (or very different features) than what you have. The Lexicon is better than the Behringer (I assume), but the Lexicon is still a limited, entry level unit. Nothing wrong with that, but you already own one of those.

I agree that the phantom power issue is not something that would enter my decision at this price range (and I don't know of any units in this range with individual phantom power switches).

Correct me if I'm wrong. The Xenyx mixers do not actually interface with your computer so you have to resort to either using the 20 dollar usb interface that they have which uses unbalanced rca connectors or you can go from the outputs on the Xenyx to the line in on the computers sound card. Either option doesn't cut it AFAIC.

So yes, the Lambda is a minimal upgrade and Bob's advice is solid. I would take that to heart but I think that though the upgrade is only slight, IMHO it is significant enough to warrant the purchase.

Dang, you guys rock. This forum is a cool place. Thanks for the advice!

With all that being said, is there an interface that would surpass the mixer and the Lexicon with a budget of around $300?

It depends firstly on how many inputs you need.
I was looking for a 6-in interface (using in combo with a mixer however) and had limited success. With 6 ins I was coming close to say, $500 depending what I was looking at. Full featured ones with preamps and channel-specific phantom power will end up costing more, of course.
I can't remember the stuff I looked at though.

However my next bit of recording will be done using cheap adapters and a computer's onboard audio. (Do as I say, not as I do :P) Largely because it's a Church and we couldn't justify spending $400 (£200 in real money) on a bit of near enough single-use equipment.

Atmosphere wrote: Dang, you guys rock. This forum is a cool place. Thanks for the advice!

With all that being said, is there an interface that would surpass the mixer and the Lexicon with a budget of around $300?

It depends on if you have Firewire, and whether it is 6 or 4 pin.

For non FireWire at around $200 and 24bit 192khz is the E-mu 0404 USB

http://www.emu.com/products/product.asp?product=15185

For $300 you could get a Presonus Firebox but you might need to spend another $50 max on a firewire card if your comp doesn't have one. Firebox will do up to 6 simultaneous inputs factoring in SPDIF which would require another A/D converter and serial adapter. Four simultaneous inputs otherwise.

If you are only recording yourself, the Lambda is fine. You could also look into an Mbox 2 mini, Presonus Inspire, Edit:M-Audio(not edirol)FastTrack Pro, Edirol UA25. There are so many options but you have to remember that at this price the differences between units are trivial. I would look for something with features that suit you and the best software package.