Yamaha Stagepas 500

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.

(Originally written by la.boulanderie/translated from Audiofanzine FR)
We already had two live gigs and one rehearsal with them.

I bought them for their price and their compact size. And also due to the brand's reputation.

They can easily fit in your trunk. The mixer can fit in one speaker while the other speaker has a compartment for cables. The speakers can be mounted on stands, but we haven't tried that out.

The mixer is very simple. We connected two vocal mics, one harmonica mic, one electro-acoustic guitar, one drum machine, one electric guitar via a VG99 and one iPod for playbacks. Everything was set really fast and I could control the mix while we played given that we don't have a sound engineer.

The stage can be ready within 15 minutes and that's a huge advantage because you don't always have a lot of time for a soundcheck.

We don't depend on bad P.A. systems anymore (which is what you usually get from concert organizers who not always have the best audio knowledge).

This independence is a great advantage to play gigs for people or in locations without any P.A. equipment. Private gigs for example.

We think about buying two active wedges to get a better stage sound. The sound coming out from the back of the speakers is quite dull, which is normal. We haven't had feedback or noise problems placing the speakers in front of the stage.

The system provides a reverb for the four mic inputs. It's nothing extraordinary but it comes in very handy. The two first channels also have a basic compressor. They are enough for us. We use few effects and have a natural, very acoustic sound.

I only miss insert points for external signal processors, but considering the current price of compact mixers we can buy one later if we have the need.

We played without a problem in a theater packed with about 200 people and in a 4,300 sq. ft. hall without turning the power fully up (only about 3/4 of the way).

The audience congratulated us for the well-balanced and clear sound. They liked the fact that they could understand the song lyrics clearly and also hear the instrumental parts without any ear damage. For my taste you must emphasize high frequencies to get a better sound.

The value for money is very reasonable and I'm sure I would buy this product again.

Let's go and the show must go on.

Hello all.

1 / How long have you been using?
We use this sound for about 6 months, the only time in rehearsal for the song.

2 / What is special that you like most and least?
The +:
+ The power sufficient for a group Noisy-Pop drum / bass / guitar song.
You can not pass the song currently in, but maybe some samples soon. Ample.
+ + The output for adding additional powered speakers for a future possible returns.
+ + + Of course, the practical aspect of this sound! Table in a chamber, in the other cables. Perfect for space saving Really the compact!

The -:
--- No pan! For one voice, okay, but for many it is still annoying. For me this is the biggest downside of this sound, this is the first time I see a table without pan!
- An equation still limited to the price of the sound, we would have appreciated a medium para possibly facilitate the search history of the feedback equation against such slaughter without acute or severe depending on ^ ^.
-The reverb is super ugly honestly ^ ^ but hey, putting 1 or 2 grand max, it can be used while waiting for a real reverb ^ ^
- The speaker jacks plastic ... cheap to death, there is no incentive to take the foot in the cables too often ...
The fan-cooling a bit light for this power, I fear for the components to heavy use. But hey, I would put a neutral on this point, because do not forget that it's "compact"!

I add 2 points I would say "neutral"
_The Compress, yeah, nice, but hey, it looks like more of a "boost" that compress ... they could have a medium para instead, it would have been more useful ...
_The Button speech / music, yesh ok, but in the end it is always set to "music" ... ^ ^ it is supposed to cut the bass position mainly speech, indeed this is the case but still very light. Finally Panoramic mono inputs would have been more useful ^ ^

3 / Did you try many other models before buying it?
No, we jumped at the chance to € 500 because they had heard only good things about this model and we were in a hurry with a sound that finally we would hear the voice.

4 / How do you price / quality ratio?
The value for money always seems unfair (today anyway, everything is too expensive ...), it could still be cheaper saw the appearance of some cheap components and major limitations "art" of this sound .
From 780 € to 900 € new, I still find it unfair! "It's yamaha": Moui can be, but it's still relatively cheap the gear, see the "minus" above. (Sorry for this Anglicism I use a little too much in this post ^ ^)

5 / With experience, you do again this choice? ...
Ptet bin that yes, Mayhap qu'non ... I confess I do not know ... say that if we had time, we would probably have tested other systems, but I think we would still quite hesitant because of the strong point, the compactness of this model for our vehicles ^ ^. Despite the relatively large gaps (no pano, no medium, speaker terminals plastoc ...).
In the same circumstances (urgency of our research), we would probably jump at the chance again we had a great and serious seller (it will recognize if it goes through there thank you again to the passage). € 500 for a sound like that in a great state, yeah, it does. Moreover, it should be the price new, but it is only my opinion and my misunderstanding of the current prices of new ...

Conclusion:
I put a 7/10 because I think especially compared price new / Components that seems really exaggerated! But it's still "good" because really practical / compact is actually a very strong force is to admit it.