Rolls PM50sOB Personal Monitor

The Rolls PM50sOB Personal Monitor Amp Plus is one of many great, simple Rolls products out there that do one task, but do it pretty well. This box features a mic input, mic through, mic level control, monitor input (1/4 jack), monitor level control, DC power input (which can accept anywhere from 9VDC to 16VDC, according to the packaging), battery compartment, two phones output (one 1/4 and one 1/8), a power switch with LED indicator, and jumper controls for stereo/mono and ground/lift.

This box is perfect for intercepting a vocal signal from a standard XLR cable, and sending it to headphones. I use the headphone output to send to a wireless transmitter for my in-ear monitor system, and it works great for live shows. This way, I can tap into the microphone line without changing the vocal signal that is sent to the house. The monitor input (1/4) is also great if you want to mix in another signal to the monitors, such as guitars or keyboards or a click track.

There are a few odd, archaic feature about this box that I do not like, however. There are switches on the box for stereo/mono mode, and changing the ground/lift of the box. However, both are not actually switches; they require a small jumper between three of the leads to be moved, and this requires a pair of needle-nose pliers. A bit old school. and a very big pain to use. I would expect Rolls products to have actual switches, just like most of their other devices. Also, the battery compartment is completely unsealed, as the battery sits directly on the circuit board with no protection. I had to wrap my batteries in a bit of plastic wrap, in order to prevent damage to the circuits, and to prevent short circuits from forming.

But overall, this product does it's job, and it is one of the cheapest microphone amp solutions I have found. If you need it for your in-ear monitors, it is a great buy, as long as you are careful with that battery slot!