On November 9, 2026, Thomann had 144 analog and 227 digital mixers in stock. The median analog mixer cost $274 and the median digital one $2,445, but the medians hide the overlap: 23 digital mixers cost less than $500, and they compete directly with analog desks of 12 to 16 channels.
| Analog | Digital | |
|---|---|---|
| In stock | 144 | 227 |
| Median price | $274 | $2,445 |
| Under $500 | 104 | 23 |
| $500 to $2,000 | 34 | 74 |
| $2,000 and more | 6 | 130 |
What analog does better
A knob for every job. Every gain, EQ and send has its own control. You see the whole mix at a glance, and a guest engineer can use it in seconds.
Nothing to boot. It works the moment you switch it on, with no software, Wi-Fi or firmware to go wrong.
Cheap at small sizes. Under 12 channels, analog is still the cheapest way to mix.
Yamaha MG16, $531
Ten mic inputs with phantom power, compressors on eight of them, three-band EQ, four aux sends and two groups, with a rack kit included. It ranks third of 110 analog mixers; its little brother, the MG10 at $218, ranks first. #3 of 110 analogue mixers.
What digital does better
Processing on every channel. EQ, compression, gates and effects for each input, without a rack of outboard gear.
Memory. Save a scene for each band or room and recall it with every setting in place.
Monitor mixes. More aux mixes, often controlled by each musician from a phone.
Recording. Most digital mixers are also multichannel USB interfaces, so you can record every input separately.
Behringer X Air XR18, $416
An 18-channel digital mixer in a small box with no faders: 16 mic inputs, six aux sends, four effects processors, a built-in Wi-Fi router and a multichannel USB interface. You mix from a tablet, phone or laptop. #25 of 85 digital mixers.
In between: faders and a screen
Yamaha MGX12, $664
A 12-channel digital mixer laid out like an analog one, with a fader and a rotary per channel, plus a 4.3-inch touchscreen, eight mix buses, Bluetooth and built-in DSP. It ranks second of 86 digital mixers. #2 of 85 digital mixers.
Soundcraft's Ui16, a tablet-controlled 16-channel mixer with Lexicon effects and dbx feedback suppression, costs $496 and ranks third.
Which one?
- Analog for a duo or a small PA, a rehearsal room, a school hall, or anyone who wants it to just work.
- Digital rack for a band that plays different rooms and wants monitor mixes and recordings.
- Digital console for a church, a venue or a busy band: Allen & Heath's SQ5, with 48 channels, 17 faders and a 7-inch touchscreen, ranks first of 86 at $2,445.
If you go digital without faders, check that your tablet or laptop is supported and keep a wired backup for the Wi-Fi.
Where the numbers come from. Every analog and digital mixer Thomann had in stock on November 9, 2026, from its partner feed, without powered mixers and mixing desks for studios. Specs are from Thomann's descriptions. Places are from our mixer rankings. Prices are Thomann's US prices.
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Denis Kataev runs AudioFu. Every night the site records the prices of more than 38,000 instruments and studio tools at Thomann, and he writes about what those numbers show: what got cheaper, what just arrived, and which discounts are real.
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