Maybe someone can help me out. I have a Fender PD150 that I like for larger shows but I want something smaller for kids birthday parties. I recently bought the ICue2 which hopefully will come next week. I speak plus play music in my show. I was all set to order the Florida Magic portable sound, but then heard it wasn't stereo and some people have had problems with the mic cutting out and interference. Can anyone recommend a lightweight system for children's parties that would sound good with voice and music? Thank you.

Can you narrow it down by giving us an idea of what you consider to be a smaller lightweight system? By that, I mean how small?

I am picky about my music and couldn't find a small system that sounded good enough. I ended up with a Carvin StageMate as my small system but it isn't that small and it certainly isn't lightweight! It's a lot heavier than your PD150. What made it work for me is that it is an all in one unit. (The amplifier is built in to the speaker so all I have to do is carry the one speaker.)

Todd McKinney, who goes by the username todd75, is very happy with the Amplivox Portable Buddy. I've recently purchased a used one from him but have not received it yet. I should have it within the week and will gladly report on how well I think it handles music. If it sounds good, it should fit the bill. (It weighs 4 lbs. without batteries in it. It can run off batteries or AC.)

I use a Pyle Pro PWMA 120. This little unit has not one but two wireless mics systems! A headset/lapel and a hand held microphone. You can have both mics on at the same time since they operate on two difference frequencies. Also include is a built-in cassette deck plus audio inputs for my ShowTech.

This unit is 150 watts and can be operated by AC or DC power. The Pyle Pro weighs about 10 pounds including the rechargeable battery which will last you for 3 hours.

I can't say enough about this system. I also own a PD-150, Fostex 100 and an Anchor Audio 1000x. When it comes to my favourite system for birthday parties and outdoor shows, the Pyle Pro wins!

Cheers,

Robert.

Robert,
I am leaning towards the Pyle pro. How does it sound with music?

I am with Robert on the Pyle Pro PWMA 120.The sound power of this unit is incredible.I used it the other night in about a 1200 sq.ft. room for about a 100 folk's.I actually had to reduce the volume to a low level that was comfortable for all.
As far as music is concerned it definitely is not Bose quality,but the sound of the music played by the built in cassette player is IMO very adequate,especially for BD parties and such.
I imagine my Café friend Robert Wong can add some helpful comments.We purchased our units around the same time. Best.
Rich

I have the florida magic pa system and have not had any fade-out problems and I use music with it using an ipod. This is the only system that I use in b-days and other smaller shows and it works great.

The only comment I can make on the Florida PA is that it puts out 18 watts of power, which is why I went with the Pyle Pro system. (150 watts) I would also like to mention when I do a large corporate event, I use my PD-150 period, however for birtday parties, outdoor shows and for gigs that don't pay me enough to bring out the PD-150, hands down the Pyle Pro is my working horse!

Getting back to the question in regards to the music. It sound great!! Granted, the music I am putting through has been recorded on a mini-disc. As far as the mixing of the music with your mic, there is no problems when it comes to the Pyle Pro. There is a main power volume which you can use to adjust your music level and a separate mic volume so that you can make your vocal louder or softer depending on what your needs are. I would also like to mention that there is a volume control for built in tape deck, separate bass and treble controls and an echo feature for the mic as well.

I will be honest, at first when I saw this unit came with a built cassette deck, I was saying to myself, "What am I going to use this for, I use a ShowTech for all my music" Guess what? I have use the cassette deck feature. It's great to have some background music when I'm waiting to perform or while I'm blowing up balloons after the show, etc. All the music I have program in my ShowTech is for my performance only and once I'm done playing a music program I like to shut off my ShowTech.

One more nice thing about this unit is that it also has a line out! You can add another powered speaker to it and make your sound system even more powerful.

Here's a link with more detailed information to the Pyle Pro PWMA 120. There is even a PDF file of the owner's manual on the site. BTW: I am not endorsing the company of this link, I managed to purchase my Pyle Pro else where, if you would like to know where I purchased my Pyle Pro PWMA 120, please PM me.

http://store.teptronics.com/pwma120.html

I hope this help!

Robert.

P.S. I have to thank PaleoMagi for putting me on to this unit. If it weren't for him I will still be searching for a portable battery operated PA system. Thank you my friend!

:dancing:

Just one clarification. The Pyle Pro PWMA 120 is 75 watts RMS, which means average wattage. It has a peak wattage of 150 watts, which means it won't sustain that power.

Michael

Thanks for that Michael! What does RMS stand for?

Robert.

See...I knew Robert could explain things better than me.
Oh by the way,when I first saw that picture of the PWMA 120,I thought ..Man that is a Fugly Unit.Let me tell you it looks very cool in it's snug fitting black DIE CUT carry case with shoulder strap.The system is fully operational while in the case!
I love this system.
Rich

Donsmagic:

One more important thing that I forgot to mention.... the price!!!! 119.00 U.S. plus shipping.

I have yet to find something that has all the features of the Pyle Pro PWMA 120 for the same amount of money.

Robert.

Thanks everyone. I will be ordering a Pyle pro!

Here's a definition of RMS: "Root Mean Square or the square root of the arithmetic mean (average) of the square's set of values. A reasonably accurate method of describing an amplifier's power output."

I'm going to play devil's advocate here about the Pyle Pro. The unit looks like it would be great for small shows but I had a more expensive Pyle Pro unit and, while it sounded great and was powerful, I was not happy with it's durability and overall performance.

This is the model I owned: http://www.teptronics.com/pwa3600.html . After a short while, I could not get the battery to hold a charge. I contacted Pyle Pro and they sent me replacement lead-acid batteries but it still didn't charge well. (That was the second unit I had because the first one had to be replaced when one of the channels wouldn't work.) Finally, the vinyl covering they used started peeling off. All this happened in less than 6 months. On top of all that, this PA used to sell for $500 - $600.

A friend of mine purchased a different model that they no longer make and his stopped working in less than a year. He was having trouble with the microphone, as well as battery issues.

I'm not saying that all their models are bad but just be cautious. At the first sign of problems, make sure you get it fixed if it's still under warranty! (Fortunately, their prices have dropped a lot.)

Michael

Hi Michael:

I live in Canada and to be honest if I have a problem with my Pyle Pro PWMA 120, I'm outta of luck. The shipping cost of me sending this unit to the states and back would not be worth it. Before I found the Pyle Pro I was looking into portable battery units that would power my other PA systems, wireless mic and ShowTech. (the thought of me having to carry another piece of equipment was making me ill) The Pyle Pro fits all my needs and I hope (knock on wood) I don't have the same issues as you do.

Having a wireless PA system that is battery operated for the birthday party shows is gold for me. I currently do have to plug in my ShowTech, however I am planning on buying a battery for that unit as well, then I will be totally battery operated. Worst case scenario if my battery ever dies on the Pyle Pro, I can always plug it in. (I always carry an extention cord and power bar with me)

I will post again in one year to let everyone know how my Pyle Pro is holding up.

Cheers,

Robert.

P.S. As per my previous post, the Pyle Pro is great for my birthday party shows that I do, however if I am booked to do a larger show that requires more sound coverage, that's when my PD-150 or Fostex 100 come in. I always have a back-up!!!

Robert,

I totally agree with you on the concept. That's why I bought the Pyle Pro myself. I just had a bad experience with mine. I hope it was an isolated situation.

In my case, I ended up buying a Carvin StageMate unit. It's battery-powered as well. My Virtual Soundman runs on batteries and I rigged up a battery pack for my wireless microphone. It's very convenient as well but weighs a whole lot more! (Since I put an extra battery in my StageMate, I would say it weighs around 42 lbs.)

Again, I hope your experience is better with the Pyle Pro!

Michael

I too have a PD150, but needed to downsize for the living room shows. I use a Virtual Soundman running a CD of my show music (which ALSO has pre/post show background music on the same CD), and a wireless mic system. I could have spent many hundreds of dollars on another smaller amplifier/speaker system but I found a solution that was literally staring me in the face as I Googled for portable amplifier systems.

I'm using an old pair of battery-powered computer speakers! The only thing I needed to buy was a small battery-powered mixer (eBay) to combine the wireless mic and the output of my V.S.

I use one of those fabric-covered suitcase tables and I simply Velcro the speakers, one on each side of the table, when I'm setting up. The mixer is only about 6" wide x 6" deep x 2" high, thus taking very little space on one of the table shelves. The speakers are plenty loud and use 4 C cell batteries.

If I have easy access to A/C power, I can use it, and also run a 12" x 12" x 12" subwoofer which I carry separately and set behind the table.

The frequency specs are great for the speakers and everything packs into the bottom shelf of the suitcase table.

One word of warning... Listen to the mixer before buying it. Some I found were unacceptably noisy. On the plus side, I have two spare inputs I could use for an extra mic, or sound FX rig (that's a whole other story!)

Give it a try!

I am glad to see this topic. See below for some info from the manufactures.

I too was looking for a replacement for smaller shows. I had been using an old Radio Shack guitar PA with built in mixer. 20 watt they claimed. Horn tweeter and 6" woofer. It has done well over 10 years for smaller shows. (Birthday parties to halls)

Being that the unit is heavy and almost gone, I had been looking for something small and portable and would save some time with the built in mics and the battery power was a must for this upgrade.

Current I am using a Nady 101 lav.

Nady has an interesting system. Since I have experienced the quality of their mics, I saw this systemhttp://www.nadywireless.com/products/product_pgs/wa_pg1.html
Which can be found at $99 US here: http://www.dak.com/reviews/3010story.cfm but be warned this could be remanned.

However, I read this thread and my eyes popped when I saw the specs on the PYLE.

75 Watts REALLY? I still find this hard to believe. For the price that would be a steal. Seeing that the 15 Watts RMS was fine for me on my old system. 75 Watts with 150 peak would be great. But there are some issues with their specs, direct from the horse’s mouth.
First off, if you go to the web link provided by robertwong, Pyle states the system is 3.4 pounds but in fact I have found it is closer to 13.5 pounds.

"All I can tell from actually using the speakers is that they sound good for their size, but are by no means a PA system.
Wattage ratings can be pretty confusing, and don't reflect actual output, but rather the power consumption of the drivers...

Contact our distributor http://www.tball.com for availability in the East Coast.

Ari
Pyle Pro
Customer Support"
And
"Correct weight is 13.6 lb.
The speakers are relatively small, so they are not terribly efficient.
This unit is ideal for use in small classrooms and works great in that setting.

The specs for the wireless PAs are provided to us by the OEM factory in China.
As for frequency range, I do not have that spec for this model.
I cannot confirm or deny the specs as I have no way of testing the units myself.
All I can say is that the unit doesn't sound VERY loud when I have tried it, but was adequate for classroom settings.

For more power, have a look at some of our larger models.


Ari
Pyle Pro
Customer Support"
Hmmm not much SUPPORT for their own product and I did want to try this one out.

ANYONE ELSE USING THE PYLE unit?

The one key benefit of a two speaker set up is that the range and quality for music should be better. The other units use a single speaker. As with my old SHACK unit, two speakers can handle voice and music better. If it is a HORN tweeter it will project the voice better. I think the Pyle is a compression but still might have a greater range.
I would like to hear more if anyone has heard a side by side of the ones mentioned.
Or if RW can speak more on how the volume sounds compared to his more expensive units and their ratings. Do you really think it is 75 watts?
I find it odd that the company would not confirm anything nor seemed to be able to. They just pushed it off on the manufacturers in China.

Others are using the Hisonic 321-
As to their 35 watt specs the company responded

"Thank you for your interest in our HS321. Yes, the true RMS is about 15 W.
It is pretty aloud, and works great.
Let me know if you have any questions.

Walter"


Oh and with family in the electronics business, I have learned that even the TOP companies save money by having low quality control standards. The cheaper the unit the more likely that they check maybe one in XXXX and many might go out with problems before they are caught.
This is is why some LOVE a product while others hate it. So for the guy who has had PYLE problems, thanks for the heads up. But it sounds like they did not ignore your problem and sent you a new unit and a replacement battery.
Yes, with some models they just cut too many corners.

Again, if anyone else has the Pyle unit or has compared to the Nady or Hisonic, please post.

Oh and please post if you have the unit and tell us the quality and actual range of the wireless mics provided.

Mghia:

that is quite the post you have there, lots of info! All I can say about the Pyle Pro is a couple of things, it works, it does everything I want it to, it sound good and it was cheap to purchase.

Robert.

I am totally satisfied with my Pyle Pro PWMA 120.I would not hesitate to use it in a gymnasium.I have used it in some fairly large rooms,and had to turn the volume down.
I got mine on the 'Big Auction'($119.00+S/H),and I got a 3 year warranty for $16.00 from Square Trade.
I paid around $400.00 for the unit from the Florida Magic Co...The Pyle Pro is far superior.
Best.
Rich

Thanks for the info Paleo- what is the mic quality?

Robert,
I liked your use of the cassette deck. I was not sure if it was a waste or space since I had planed on using MP3 or CD. But I usually have pre-show music on a different CD and have to switch. Using the tape deck for pre-show or background is a great idea.

Since you own some good systems and have commented on the quality of the Pyle, how well do the wireless mics work? Have you tested all provided? Do they live up to the listed specs for range? Any static or issues compared to PD-150.


Does the Pyle have a hole for pole mount?