Peavey PV8 USB

The Peavey PV8 USB is a studio quality mixing console and a stereo USB Digital Audio interface, the perfect console for small venue performances or home recording environments.

Front Panel

The Peavey PV8 USB is a compact mixer built in a solid aluminium and steel enclosure, it looks very nice and professional, each control section has a clear and logical layout.

I also like the different colors of the control knobs, the master fader and the vu-meters.

Features:

Four XLR Mic inputs
Two stereo channels with RCA and 1/4″ inputs
Three-band channel EQ
A/B stereo input selector reduces patching
Inserts on all mono channels
80 Hz low-cut switch
Clip LEDs that thoroughly monitor clipping
Phantom power switch
Effects send on every channel with stereo return
Monitor send on every channel
Zero latency record monitoring cababilities
Control room output with level control
Contour control switch

Inputs/outputs

The inputs and output jacks are located on the top of the front panel, the Digtal audio USB port and the Tape IN/OUT RCA jacks are located on the rear panel.

All of the input and output 1/4″ jack are TRS balanced, only the stereo input jacks are unbalanced.

Rear Panel

Power adapter input, 15VDC, 0,5A and power switch
Digtal audio USB port
Tape IN/OUT RCA jacks

Master and Monitor Section

The Peavey PV8 USB Master and Monitor Section includes everything that i need in recording situations and that’s why i bought it, compared to many audio interfaces it has a master fader, a large vu-meter, a high quality powerful output headphones jack with individual volume control, no need for an expensive headphones amplifier or/and a monitor controler.

How does it sound ?

The Peavey PV8 USB delivers a very powerful and clean sound with lots of dynamics, no audible distortion or unwanted noise at normal settings, the mic preamp have enough gain for dynamic and condenser microphones, the EQ section is not fantastic in recording situations but it does the job in live performances.

The audio converters are limited to a 16 Bit/48 Khz resolution but are surprisingly good enough for home studio recordings, i think that the large external power supply and the quality of the internal components have something to do with the sound quality.

Peavey PV8 USB Drivers

There are no dedicated audio drivers for the Peavey PV8 USB, using the generic low latency ASIO drivers in Cubase Elements i couldn’t get an acceptable result, i do recommend using the ASIO4ALL drivers instead for acceptable low latency settings.

What i like

The compact size, the build and sound quality, the features and the look.
The Master and the Monitoring sections, the high power output headphones jack.

What i don’t like

A 24 Bit/48 Khz audio resolution would have been great.
The EQ section but it’s not a surprise in this price range, not bad but could be better.
No internal digital effects, the addition of an internal digital reverb as an example.