Portable PA Speaker Cabinets

The Stagepas 500 is a portable PA system that comes with a mixer, amp and 2 separate speaker cabinets. The overall sound with this system is amazing for this price; you will get some really clean sounding deep bass, and crisp highs no matter what style of music you are playing or who is talking. The mixer has 4 microphone preamps and a 2 band EQ. I did want to see them include a 3 Band EQ at the least but I guess I will have to make due with 2 for now. This unit is very heavy to me, it weighs well over 50 pounds and that might not seem like a lot but if you are by yourself taking it to and from places that is more weight than you want to carry. The amp is a 500 watt amp, the mixer has several inputs; 4 XLR, 4 ¼, 2 ¼ and outputs 2 1/4 (Speaker), 2 1/4 , RCA Stereo. These speakers are well made though and can handle some nicks and dings from getting them in and out of buildings. There is no microphone included with this system so you will need to have one or purchase one separately (I already had one so no need to purchase another). The sound of this system is the only thing that makes me a happy that the I bought it, I dislike the fact that I get no 3 band EQ and I dislike the fact that there is no headphone output from the mixer/system. But I love the sound and how it projects across the room. The frequency response is great and the preamps are great as well. The price is affordable but I am thinking about upgrading to a different system soon. This is worth it just because of the sound you get, the mixer and specs are not that great but the speakers make it worth the money.

The Yamaha Stage Pass 300 is a very usable, portable, small and complete PA system, best used for vocals-only solo or group acts needing no more than four dynamic microphones. Venues it is best used include small coffee houses, house concerts, smaller houses of worship, and outdoor events where attendance is less than 75 to 100 people, or up to about 200 people if using the Stage Pass 300 for mostly spoken voice. The Stage Pass 300's best attributes are it's portability (when used with the optional carry case,) clean sound, and easy to use controls. It's 40 pound weight (carry case and accessories not included) make it light enough to be carried, if with some difficulty, by most reasonably healthy people, although one is a bit off-balance with the Stage Pass 300 on one shoulder and nothing on the other, and balancing it with another 40-pound load on the other shoulder would be too heavy for most folks to carry any distance at all. Yamaha has done what it can, for the most part, to keep the unit's weight manageable, using poly-carbonate (reinforced plastic) cabinetry for both speakers and the PA mixer/amp unit. It appears not much more could be done to further lighten the basic "three boxes." Even when pushed to it's maximum output (main output and mic gain turned to full or max,) the Stage Pass 300 produces a (presumably) clean 300 watts. The 10% THD reported in Yammie's specs is not objectionable, so if you need to push it to it's max, you will not be punished by horrible distortion. The power amp and speakers seem to be well-matched (as you would expect, from a 3-box PA, and from Yamaha;) I have not heard speaker-destroying amplifier clipping, or self-destroying speaker distortion, even when the controls were turned to full. Tapco established the standard for non-expert mixer controls more than 30 years ago, doing away with both mic gain and input-channel slider in favor of a single "output" or "volume" knob, and Yamaha wisely follows that lead with the Stage Pass 300. Each input channel features a mic and line input, a switch to toggle between the two (but no LED to let you know which is chosen, and the push-on/push-off button lacks enough throw to give the operator adequate visual reference, a two-band EQ with up to 15dB of cut or boost for "treble" and "bass," a push-button to turn "reverb" on and off for each channel, and a level control marked for "unity" gain- marked with a hash mark, but not identified as "unity. A pro sound man would know what this is, but most amateurs who are the Stage Pass 300's core user might not. The EQ controls have a center detent, but the level control lacks this feature. Pity. Four of the input channels have XLR mic inputs (and thus, pre-amps,) the last two are stereo but lack XLR inputs. Input channel five has both TS and RCA inputs, channel six has RCA only. I dislike that cost-saving option- I like for EVERY channel to have mic capability, but that's must me- the TS/RCA inputs are actually often a plus for it's intended use- solo or small-ensemble acts can easily plug in a CD or MP3 player or a backing-track into either of these channels. Yamaha suggest channel five could be used for a keyboard, but the 10-inch speakers may not be able to handle the lower frequencies of an 88-key keyboard, so be careful. The output side of the mixer/amp is also noob-friendly, with only monitor out, reverb (global,) and Master Level knobs and a speech/music push button. Both main and monitor output jacks are 1/4" TS, and it is easy to plug in a cable to the wrong out, but at least there is a visual difference- the main speaker outs are black plastic, the monitors are chrome metal. Actually, it should have been the other way 'round- the mains will get much more use, and plastic jacks are much more easily damaged by force put on the plugs. RCA jacks are provided for Tape out, and a single LED level meter is included, too- although it is of questionable use, as the Stage Pass 300 includes an output limiter- I have never been able to make this thing distort, even when the top-most red LED was lit often. The UPC AC input is on the face of the mixer, which seems odd until you want to mount the mixer/amp in the back of either speaker cab- a very cool feature, as you have more portability (only two boxes to carry and setup,) and less room used. If the AC input were on the back or side, such mounting would be impossible. Both speakers have the same cavity (they are the same speaker, not L and R mirror images of each other,) so the mixer'/amp can be mounted in either; a filler plate fits in the other one to make for a small storage area for the user manual and perhaps a couple of microphones. The speakers are well-matched, as mentioned, but lack pole-mount cups. Additional-cost pole mounts must be bought and installed to the bottom; these are ugly, lack any adjustability, and take up room in the canvas carrying case that could be better used for cables and such. They are not cheap, either. This could have been done much better. All those features make the Stage Pass 300 easy to use and it turns out good sound. It begins to fall down on the job when you ask too much of it. Although the 5th channel's TS inputs can be used to slave a bigger mixer board to the SP3C, the user will want to limit these added mic inputs to about two- beyond that and things get muddy, fast, regardless of the room (or lack of a room, if used outdoors.) This cute little thing can only handle so much. The system has a strang 6-ohm operating impedance, you could probably use a pair of 8-ohm speakers (say, if you wanted 12-inch woofers for more bass,) but Yamaha would not comment on this, and you should NOT daisy-chain speakers- the resulting speaker load would be below the Yamaha-recommended 6-ohm load. This wierd 6-ohm load also means that if you blow a driver, you must replace it with one bought from Yamaha, which will no doubt make for a VERY expensive day (see below.) You can easily expand the output of the system by using the monitor outs and a power amp/speaker combo, or powered speakers. We've used the Stage Pass 300 for about 4 years, for Sunday morning services- a diminutive, soft-voiced interim minister could not be heard without, and the congregation has become dependent on it, even though the called minister has much better projection and can do fine without it. We's also used it for a number of rock, jazz or pops combo concerts, in the same 100-person space, and on occasion outside for the same kind of groups' picnic concerts. It has performed well, when not asked to do too much- too may added mics overwhelm it, and it does poorly when asked to reinforce instruments already amplified, like electric guitars. Yamaha put "only" four mic inputs on it for a reason- respect that limitation and you will be fine. The SP3C does not feed back badly or too easily- good thing, with it's basic-as-it-gets EQ. Just keep the speakers in FRONT of the mics, and you should be okay. If there is one fly in the ointment, here, it would certainly be the cost of service parts. This one developed a noisy, inefficient cooling fan (there are two in the unit,) and a replacement from Yamaha was almost $70, plus shipping. I found an exact duplicate, only lacking the plug (I spliced the plug from the original fan) for $12, locally. I don't EVEN want to know what one of those 6-ohm (and thus probably proprietary) drivers or horns would cost. Small, thoughtful features like the mic-stand mount (also optional) and ability to mount the mixer/amp in the back of either speaker make this a versatile little PA, much more so than the basic 3-box PA's often seen. Whether it is worth the extra $200 or so it costs is a question the user will have to answer for him or her self. We rarely move our ST3C very far, so if I were making the original buying decision (or had it to do over,) I probably would have bought a not-so-portable PA that has more inputs, power, and features, but this one has served us well. I prefer it's design over the "clamshell" type portable PA's from Peavey, Fender and others- If you need or appreciate the portability, it is a good bet.

The TransActive Mobile is more for a small party or small event. It is a portable PA system that has a built in iPod slot and it comes with a microphone. So even if you have never purchased a PA system before and don’t have anything to go with all you need to do is purchase the TransActive Mobile and you will have just what you need right out of the box to host with. SOUNDS There are two speakers in t his cabinet but there are not EQ options so the sound you get is the sound you get no matter what. There are also no outputs which would have been a bonus just in case you wanted to get a bigger sound and just continue to use the same system. There is also no headphone out jack either which is not a must have since you purchase this to project your sound and not listen to it in headphones. OVERALL OPINION This speaker is not very big but it does have nice weight to it, it weighs over 40 pounds which has me a little uncomfortable with the “portable” part of it because for it only to be about 17 inches tall, it sure does have some weight to it. Using the TransActive Mobile is very simple and it is all self explanatory. Right out of the box you can host a part or even do a karaoke gig for your friends and family. The microphone will work great for entertaining and it is a huge plus that it comes with one and you do not have to go purchase one on your own dime. There are 3 mixer channels and 1 mic preamp; giving you everything you need to project your voice to a small crowd. Do not think you can use this in a larger space though. There just is not enough power to project it that far. Keep it small and you will be just fine.

The XP40i is a 2 channel 40 watt amp, it is very portable and provides a very clean sound for whatever you want to use it for. Even if you where to play music through it with the built in iPod socket you will get a great warm sound for it to only be 40 watts. The sound is not anything that can rock a club or live show but it is great for small parties and small venues with not that many people. This unit, unlike other similar 40 watt speakers has a bass and treble control on it so you can have a little better control over how you want the sound to fit the environment around you. The woofer that is on it is only 6 inches which really makes your low end sound weak but as I stated this is not something you buy for the club. It is great for announcements or outdoor cookouts and other events of that nature. This unit’s best feature is that it is very light and portable. You can just pick it right up after you are done using it right on the top of the unit and take it with you. The frequency response is 70 Hz-17 kHz which is pretty standard for 40 watt amps. The EQ has a 2 band master EQ and there is 1 solid microphone preamp on this unit. The XP40i does not come with a microphone. So for the price of 250 I would think that it should come with a microphone because some of the other speakers that are made by companies like Peavey put this style of unit out with a microphone for that price. I was using this unit earlier this year and I think it is a great value for the price. It is a great choice for someone who needs a smaller speaker system.

The Expedition XP3098i is a portable PA system that comes with 2 150 watt speakers. It does not come with a microphone but it does have an 8 channel mixer that it comes with. Also it has the iPod socket and a simple reverb effect that really does not do anything for me. The reason that I loved this unit is because for this price you are getting not one, but two speakers that are 150 watts and an 8 channel powered mixer for a great price. I currently use this system at outdoor events because I like not having to take all of my set up to some outdoor venues. The built in reverb will add a little color to your vocals or speech, usually when you are using a PA system your vocals will sound clean but really dry. Since this mixer has a built in reverb you can add a little color and depth to your voice. The sound of the speakers is solid, not the best but it will work if you have to make do with it. It you keep this in a smaller venue and the focus of using it is not for playing music then it will work great. If you are purchasing this to DJ with or play music with then make sure the place you are going to be in is not too big or your sound will suffer. The speakers do put out a clean sound, the highs are clean and the mids are good. The low end is not has deep as I would like it to be which is where it suffers at. My favorite part about this system is that it is very portable and user friendly. It comes with a mixer and 2 speakers. It is simple to pack up and unpack, though I do wish that I came with a microphone for this price.

The XP40iw is a 2 channel 40 watt portable PA system that can be used for the most basic situations. If you are running a small conference or even some sort of a meeting then it will work great. One plus with it is that it does have a built in iPod socket that you can use to plug your iPod up to and play your music through it. The reason that I don’t feel that this monitor that comes with it is good enough to use for performances is because it is only 40 watts and the sound is not that big. The sound on this unit does not provide enough power and sound to fill up any of the venues that I am in on a regular basis and that is the reason why it would not work for me. I do still own it but rarely even get the chance to use it. I purchased it thinking that it was going to be a good system for me because it comes with a wireless microphone and the iPod socket on it. But after using it and playing music through it there was no way that it was going to be loud enough and provide enough thump for the clubs so I never even took the chance to use it there. The microphone that comes with it is good; you can deliver some really good speeches or make announcements with this PA system. It would be great for outdoor family picnics and similar events. But it is not enough to add to your club gear to move the crowd. So for me it has become more of a fun thing to have and for a backup. There are no outputs on this unit and it has a preamp for your microphone. The frequency response on it is not that good and the fact that it is only a 40 watt system does not work for me.

Peavey Escort Portable PA. I am a professional Karaoke DJ. All the stands will fit in the case and there are two compartments on each side to hold microphones and other small items. The cord is plenty long enough to spread the speakers out aprox 20ft. It has both an RCA Imputs and Outputs. Purchased slightly Used on Craigslist For 300.00 I purchased a used Peavey Escort Portable PA System a few months ago. The system was only 1 year old when I purchased it for 300.00. I have used it 6 times as a Karaoke DJ. I added a Powered Home Theatre Subwoofer, which added bigtime to the sound. Even though its only 150 watts, its perfect for small functions (Cafe, Small Bar, Or Livingroom)In a karaoke setting, this system should be good enough for a 1000 sqft room. I do recomend adding a powered subwoofer, which you can come off one of the RCA outputs.Very clean sound with each channel having reverb controls. There is nothing I dont like. Its about as good as it gets for a small portable system. Constructed of Heavy Plastic, with metal folding speaker stands. Great Karaoke System for small venues, such as a small Cafe, Bar, Livingroom, or an area no larger than 1000 sqft This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

After an exhausting investigation about this gear and its pros and cons, I finally got it yesterday. I got it in a downtown store in Mexico City, for $5400 pesos (about $570 US Dollars). As a Live performer (piano and vocals) in a Lobby Bar, I was in the need of a consistent, practical, versatile and affordable PA equipment, and I read almost everything there is about portable PA's. I was adviced to give the Escort2000 a try. So I did, during a Birthday party, where I played the piano and sang for about a hundred people, outdoors. I wondered at first if the gear would be enough powerful to fill the place, it was a quite big garden. It did! Not only that, but my voice sounded clear, at a good volume, and the portable piano did too. Everybody at the party was surprised for the perfect sound, and the "so small equipment". Days after, I had the chance to try it at the Maria Isabel Sheraton Hotel and Towers Mexico City, where I work, at the Lobby Bar. I would say it's one of those really big old fashioned style Lobby Bars, and it sounded perfectly. I just love the clearness of the sound coming out of the speakers. It only takes my roadie 5 minutes to set it up and 5 to put it away. It is a very complete gear and easy to handle, easy to assemble and easy to carry. It fits exactly to the trunk of my car and I just think I made the deal of my life. There's nothing I dislike about the unit. The gear includes two resistant speakers, the stands are light but firm at the same time, the design of the unit is great! I highly recommend this portable gear for all Live performers that play in Clubs, Churches, Schools, Restaurants, Bars and Hotels. And for Events, it is worth the investment. The best gear for solo performers, guitarists, keyboardists and of course, singers. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

For $500 this portable PA system is working great. I bought it for a DJ gig in a fairly large restaurant space, and I never had to go above 60% on the master volume. Clear as a bell, no giant booming bass, but bass responsive is fine. I'll get a subwoofer later to add to the system. Ipod dock is a major plus! console has a really small footprint. Also used with live band (power trio) and worked great! The sound from this PA blew me away. Crystal clear vocals, deep, resonating guitar, and very little ambient noise. Ingenious design that allows the two speakers to be hooked together and the mixer and cables to fit right into the back of the cabinets for ease of carrying. Perfect setup for singer songwriters wanting to start live gigging, and plenty of punch for full band as well. Plenty of power for 1-3 people as long as your style isn't deafening noise. The emphasis on this system is superb clarity and it does that with room to spare. Incredibly portable and I really like the fact you can keep the amp head IN the speaker while using. reduces clutter & improves stage space. Bu there is the lack of 3 band eq (it has 2) and the reverb sounds a little funky if turned up too much. Used judiciously, the reverb does enhance the sound considerably. A perfect weight for a aging wanna-be rock star. If your emphasis is on portability and QUALITY of sound I highly recommend this little pa. Overall, The sound quality was great. The ease of set-up was wonderful. Just wish I could put the mixer in the back of the speaker with an iPod 'attached'. Other than that, this system is great and has paid for itself, twice! Great sound reasonable price! Buy It

The Community DnD12's are two way portable personal address (PA) speaker cabinets for live sound. As the name suggests, these have 12" speakers, although there is also the DnD15 which is a bit larger and has a 15" speaker. They aren't the biggest speakers out there, but for use in a smaller venue or a bar, they're probably big and loud enough. I recently had the chance to try a set of these at a show I played over the weekend at a bar. They had a set of these for the PA, although we had to provide our own mixer, which was a Peavey. Although it was a somewhat small bar, I thought these speakers did a pretty good job of getting the sound out there. We were only using them for vocal microphones as we didn't mic any of the amps or drums. I had never heard of Community before I used these speakers, but was definitely pleasantly surprised to hear a clear and loud sound come from them. Upon further inspection, it seems like Community has a nice line of PA speakers and other products at pretty reasonable prices, although I honestly thought the DnD12's would be a bit cheaper than they are. Still, they won't break the bank and will provide you with a nice set of portable PA speakers for practicing with your band or for use in your small bar/venue. I think that I would probably go with something just a little bit cheaper if I were getting a set of PA speakers, but it all depends on what you're using them for. The Community DnD12's, and probably the DnD15's which are similar in specs but have a 15" speaker instead of 12", are well worth looking into as they are a nice option for a smaller PA speaker!

The Peavey 115DL's are a set of speakers for a personal address (PA) system. These are no longer being made but can be found out there every now and again. The bands that I'm playing with recently starting renting a new practice space and these are the speakers that we've got to go along with the Peavey XM6 mixer in there. While these aren't the most powerful speakers out there, for our purposes inside our cozy little practice space, they get the job done just fine. We don't own these as they came for use with the space, so it's not like we sought them out and bought them. Having said this, they seem to be doing a pretty good job for us as we're able to hear over the drums and loud amplifiers in the room and it's not the biggest room in the world. I don't know much about the technical specifications of the Peavey 115DL's, but they do seem to be pretty standard in terms of PA speakers on the smaller side. I'm not convinced that they would be adequate for a small venue, but for practicing they do seem to be okay. Of course this has a lot to do with the amp/mixer, which for us is the Peavey XM6, so at least they match. The sound isn't always the clearest, but this also has to do with the Shure 10A microphone that we also use. One of these days I'll bring in some of my microphones from home and try it out to see what the difference is. Upon doing a quick search, I found that there doesn't seem to be too many sets of the Peavey 115DL's out there, although you will find some for sale here and there. I wouldn't recommend going out of your way for these speakers, but if you find a set of them for less than 100 US dollars, which is probably what they're worth, they should serve you well in a practicing sort of situation...

The Samson Audio RS12 HD's are passive PA speakers designed for a variety of purposes. The setting which I've used these speakers has been in a practice space with a band. Along with the Samson Audio XM410 mixer, some good friends of mine in a band have these set up in their practice space and they're really some good sounding speakers. It terms of pure sound quality it probably matters most which PA amplifier you're using, but the speakers can make a huge difference as well. It's good to have compatibility within your amplifier and speakers as I did when using these, but not necessary at all if you don't have a matching amplifier. These speakers have a 500 watt peak and boast a 12 inch sub woofer to go along with a 1 inch tweeter and 1.5 inch compression driver. They also have both 1/4" and Speakon connections in one. The speakers are pretty large, but certainly portable if you're looking for something to bring around to play shows with. However, since they are pretty big, they are definitely best suited to stay in one place most of the time. The price of these speakers is quite a bargain, as a larger company like Samson Audio is able to afford making PA gear at this great price. I believe that they are sold as individual speakers if this makes a difference to you. While it's not the best one that money can buy, it's quite good for the price and is perfect for bands who are looking for a PA for their practice space and would even work well in a smaller venue for live music. Either way, if you're looking for some modest PA speakers at a reasonable price, the Samson Audio RS12 HD's are definitely a set of speakers you need to know about.