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Viamichael
I hear all your thoughts that most of you aren't buying this, yet you say that the monitors and the room effect the sound more. This thinking confuses the question. The monitors are the same and the room is the same. Nothing changed except to take the 1202 out of the equation. And, this was replicated in 2 completely different studios.

Maybe you are dealing with defective channel strip(s)?
 
To rule this out, try connecting your audio interface to the "Tape In" source.  There is no EQ on that one.
 
Then select only the Tape source, and center the Main Mix and/or Control Room knobs.  Any difference?

Yes, this I should try. Was going to do it in the beginning but the Mackie manual says the tape inputs are boosted by 6db. Now I know that is volume and not tone but I also could not find where it states it bypasses all eq.

I'll try to get to this today. I think this is a good idea. Any other inputs or outputs on the 1202 that bypass all eq?

Looking at the current version of the 1202vlz, I see three sets of outputs that could be used as "monitor outs":
 
1) Main Outs on top.
2) XLR Main Left and Right in the rear.
3) Control Room Outs in the rear.
 
Not to mention the ALT and AUX outs...
 
I'd try all of them and see if there's a marked difference in the sound.

JonD
Looking at the current version of the 1202vlz, I see three sets of outputs that could be used as "monitor outs":
 
1) Main Outs on top.
2) XLR Main Left and Right in the rear.
3) Control Room Outs in the rear.
 
Not to mention the ALT and AUX outs...
 
I'd try all of them and see if there's a marked difference in the sound.

Also the PRE-FADER SOLO button on each channel strip taps the channel signal before the GAIN knob.  Soloed channels are sent to the SOURCE mix, which ultimately feeds your CONTROL ROOM, PHONES, and meter display.  Whenever SOLO is engaged, all SOURCE selections (MAIN MIX, ALT 3-4, and TAPE) are defeated.
 
This sends a unity gain signal to the CONTROL ROOM, PHONES, which has it's own outputs in the rear.

Viamichael
I hear all your thoughts that most of you aren't buying this, yet you say that the monitors and the room effect the sound more. This thinking confuses the question. The monitors are the same and the room is the same. Nothing changed except to take the 1202 out of the equation. And, this was replicated in 2 completely different studios.

Sorry, we were also working on limited information given. There's so many variances of people's hearing in the industry. Some can hear big differences between a $1,000 and $10,000 power cord, while others can't tell the difference between a set of NS-10's and Tannoys. There's just different levels of hearing. For a 1202VLZ, Greg Mackie, when he first designed these compact mixers touted how transparent and accurate they sounded. Simple age and wear of the mixer, bad connections, insufficient cabling, low power output from the power supply, or variances in output levels all contribute to differences in performance. For example, my 1202-VLZ is very transparent. But it's old, and at times, it can drop volume in the right channel until I power-cycle it. Fortunately, I can detect that condition quickly and remedy it.

Point-being, I do agree with those who suspect a faulty 1202-VLZ or the connections to and from it. If it makes a noticeable difference without the mixer, and it's affecting your mixes, it's bad.

brconflict
There's so many variances of people's IMAGINATION in the industry. Some can IMAGINE big differences between a $1,000 and $10,000 power cord, while others can't tell the difference between a set of NS-10's and Tannoys.

 
Fixed.
 

There's just different levels of hearing.

In reality, aside from hearing damage and age related hearing loss, everyone's hearing is pretty close. Where the differences are in the real world is in the skill of listening - i.e. knowing what we are listening for, focusing carefully, etc.
 
 
In regards to the OP - from that mixer I would expect reasonably low noise, low distortion, good headroom and very flat frequency response unless the tone controls are involved.
 
And since "boxy" is a subjective term and not a property a piece of HW can have, I would suggest some objective testing to find out what exactly you're hearing and what the cause is.

Viamichael
I hear all your thoughts that most of you aren't buying this, yet you say that the monitors and the room effect the sound more. This thinking confuses the question. The monitors are the same and the room is the same. Nothing changed except to take the 1202 out of the equation. And, this was replicated in 2 completely different studios.

What I meant was that the mixing choices you make are going to be affected more by your choice of monitoring system and treatment of of the space in which you mix than inserting a mixer in the monitoring chain if that mixer is functioning properly.
 
I don't doubt that you're hearing a difference, and it may well be due to that particular Mackie having issues. I'm just answering the premise of your original question, "Have any of you experienced this", and the answer in my case is "no". Also, I didn't want you to write off your Mackie without looking into why it (or the way it's connected) colors the sound so noticeably.
 
 

drewfx1
 
And since "boxy" is a subjective term and not a property a piece of HW can have, I would suggest some objective testing to find out what exactly you're hearing and what the cause is.

There are also several mods offered in the back of the Mackie 1202VLZ manual, that involve a soldering iron and "X-acto" knife (with UL warning and official Mackie disclaimer).  Any chance that the mixer has been "modded"?

Sorry, I have been away. The tape ins and outs performed the best. Yet, something wasn't quite right. Going directly from the Edirol FA-101 to my Mackie monitors I hear practically nothing with Sonar on full blast. I actually never did that before and I am shocked it is so quiet. So I replicated that scenario with the 1202's tape in and out. Boy, is it noisy. I always have heard a funny noise when I move the wireless mouse around (which, btw, is never recorded) but at full blast the 1202 is introducing all sorts of static. I have moved the 1202 away from the audio and video monitors to know avail and have also plugged it in on a different circuit. All my recording equipment runs on a dedicated circuit directly to the breaker box. Now I see my mouse noise is created by the 1202.

Psychologically, it is impossible for me to use the 1202. So noisy. But, this noise is not the same problem I initially had, that boxy sound which is an increase somewhere between 300hz and 600hz.