That said, I'd rather lick a toilet seat than have to use a Mackie SR 24-4
again. But their little studio monitors aren't half bad, and the 1202 is
still
probably the best front end around in its price range.

The Behringer MXB1002 has comparable sound quality, more channels, and can
run on batteries, all for about half the cost of a 1202. The Soundcraft
Notepad has better preamps, again less expensive.