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dlcmagic Special user 887 Posts |
I have read the post Dennis Michaels so kindly put together on sound systems.
I wanted to see what performers are using and having good luck with. I own a Fender PD 250 that I use for many shows but I need something portable for small shows like birthday parties and small banquets. I would like it to have these features. 1. Be able to operate on battery power or AC. 2. Have a headset mic and wireless handheld and be able to use them at the same time. 3. Have an 1/8" input jack for music. 4. Have a separate volume control for the music input. 5. Be reliable (Extremly important) Thank you for the help. Dave |
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Dennis Michael Inner circle Southern, NJ 5821 Posts |
My Thoughts on this list:
1. Be able to operate on battery power or AC. This limits the number of systems. Birthday Party and Banquets have electricity. An AC system can more wattage. Battery not as important as one thinks. It only becomes an issue on outdoor events. 2. Have a headset mic and wireless handheld and be able to use them at the same time. Once again, this limits the number of systems. (I have separate transmitters that did not come with my Mackie SRM 150.) When one system goes down the whole system is down most of the time. Kind of like the old Phonograph, Radio, TV all in one console by Emerson. In multi-systems, the microphones have a tendency to be cheap and unreliable. As was said numbersous time, get a good microphone system. Let me add, AND do not lend it out. A good wireless mic is very costly. The transmitter and receiver unit should be from a well known company. 3. Have an 1/8" input jack for music. There are tons of adapters so this should not be a criteria 4. Have a separate volume control for the music input. Yes this is important. I like mine on my Mackie, it also has an equalizer. 5. Be reliable (Extremely important) This is what you pay for. A good company will be pricey. What is missing from this list is Weight and Size. After a while the 22 lbs and size of the Passport 150, becomes an issue. I also used the Roland CM30, which served me well until I got the Mackie. The Mackie was designed for the individual musician who could hook up their musical instrument, use a Microphone and a CD/Tape/MP3 player. (AC only, 7 lbs) Dennis Michael
Dennis Michael
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chmara Inner circle Tucson, AZ 1911 Posts |
While I was using a PD250 the PD150 would work today and is more portable for the smaller venues. I went to it to handle smaller venues than my fulll blown system including 1000 watt horns and power amps with mixing board and technician. Used Kerry Pollack's remote systems (Show-Tech) to run everything including lights.
Today -- if I could perform at that size -- there are full computer-stage lighting sound programs and auto lights (scaleable) in DMX that run on bluetooth. NO one basic box does it all including lights and effects with great sound unless it is custom assembled -- to the best of my knowledge, an ever diminishing group of essoteric wisdoms.
Gregg (C. H. Mara) Chmara
Commercial Operations, LLC Tucson, AZ C. H. Mara Illusion & Psychic Entertainments |
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Rodney Palmer Inner circle 1317 Posts |
MIPRO 101-A from Joe Lefler and it will meet all of your requirments including a Handheld that can be used at the same time. It weighs in at 12lbs. I purchased this complete for around $ 625.00 and it is the best system that I have found and it will handle crowds of up to 100 maybe a little more. If you have any questions please PM me and I will try and answer them for you.
RJ
"Creating Memories That Last A Lifetime"
In order to keep "MAGIC ALIVE" Please become a Mentor to a Young Person. |
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Stevethomas Inner circle Southern U.S.A. 3728 Posts |
For a single amp/speaker, I use an Anchor "Explorer-Pro".
Steve |
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Ken Dumm Inner circle 1239 Posts |
I use a Roland Street Cube for small crowds. Very loud, runs on replaceable or rechargeable batteries or A/C. Does not have a built in mic, but for all the reasons Dennis mentioned above, I carry a Shure wired mic & wireless with battery pack to run the wireless, if I want/need to go wireless. Check around on prices, I got mine for $199 delivered..
Ken |
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Amazing Magic Co Inner circle 1711 Posts |
I too use a Roland Cube Street and am quite happy with it for birthdays, etc. I also have a Sony UHF wireless mike system with an AudioTechnica ear set mike if needed. I use a StagePass PD-150 for larger venues.
Dan. |
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Michael Messing Inner circle Knoxville, TN 1817 Posts |
I use a the Roland CM-30 for birthday parties and smaller library shows. It's AC only and does not have a built-in wireless but it has the best sound I've heard from a really small PA system.
Although I cannot vouch for the reliability as I don't own one, it sounds like the Happie Amp 2 matches your criteria: http://happieamp.com/happieamp2.html I've compared one to my Roland CM-30 and it has more power, although I think the Roland has better sound. The sound quality is pretty good - the Roland is just amazing for its size. Michael |
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Dennis Michael Inner circle Southern, NJ 5821 Posts |
I tested the Happy Amp (1st one) and dropped the Hand held mic and that made the mic inoperable. It sounded good for the price, but I questioned the durability.
I like Joe Lefler's Micropro, but don't own one because of the price. Roland is a good company. It seems that no-one makes systems specifically for the small group of entertainers such as magicians. They are designed produced specifically for two groups; Public Speaking and Musicians. It would seem systems designed for musicians would fit the bill more so than just public speaking. Entertainers use Sound and Music, so systems in that category seem appropriate.
Dennis Michael
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Colin Uk New user 74 Posts |
Hi
I use a sound Plus Champ unit. It has CD/dvd/mp3 player, headset & hand held radio mic at the same time is battery/mains. I turn up at shows, plug in the mp3 tech, switch on and I'm ready in under 1 min Note: I very rarely use mains as this takes time. I have used the Tramp version as well. You can have any combination to suite your needs. Check it out here http://www.soundplus.org Colin |
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Mystical Matthew Elite user 468 Posts |
I recently saw a street performer run a Fender 150 off a car battery. I have no clue how he made that work...
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Michael Messing Inner circle Knoxville, TN 1817 Posts |
He had to use a power inverter. Fender used to offer a special inverter to use with a battery but it's no longer available. If you want to run an AC powered PA system on batteries, you'll want to get a pure sine wave inverter. These are relatively expensive but you don't want to go with a modified wave inverter, which is much cheaper. The modified wave inverter may damage the electronics of the PA because it doesn't produce "clean" electricity.
Here's a link for pure sine wave inverters: http://www.donrowe.com/inverters/puresine.html The model you would need would depend on the wattage of your PA. Of course, you also have to have a battery - either a car battery or a smaller sealed lead acid (SLA) battery. It's a lot more convenient to buy a PA system that has the built-in battery, like a Carvin StageMate or one of the Anchor Audio units. |
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Regan Inner circle U.S.A. 5726 Posts |
As Dennis mentioned, it may be difficult to find a unit of suitable quality with all those features built in. Plus, you have to think about breakdowns. If one thing breakks down, then your entire system may be out of service during repairs, etc. Also, I have never found a built-in woireless system with suitable quality for my tastes. Take that with a grain oif salt, because I am a musician too, so I am picky about sound.
Having said all that, you might want to check out the Carvin Stagemate. It has a lot of good features, but not everything you want. I don't own one, but I have been happy with other Carvin gear I have owned. It's great for the price! Maybe the best Bang-For-The-Buck available. Keep us posted. Regan
Mister Mystery
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giobbi1 Loyal user 252 Posts |
I have an older model Anchor Audio Explorer. Not the Explorer Pro. It does everything except you can't use a handheld and headset at the same time unless that's changed with the new model. Listen closely, if durability is an issue, this is the unit you want. My battery lasted 9 yrs before it started to not hold a charge. I found a replacement online and replaced it myself in 10 mins for under $35.00. Lastly, my unit slid out of the back of my pick up truck leaving a show doing over 30 mph. I didn't notice it until it was too late. Like an idiot, I didn't have it in the Pelican case I had bought for it. I put out flyers around where I thought I lost it and some honest person found it and returned it and except for some scuff marks on the outside, it worked perfectly and still does. The unit is over 10 yrs. old.
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Ken Dumm Inner circle 1239 Posts |
I can vouch for the Carvin Stagemate. I've been using mine for larger shows for over 5 years, and with the extension speaker, it can cover a very large area.
Ken |
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Alan Munro Inner circle Kentwood, Michigan, USA 5952 Posts |
The only system that I currently use is a Crate Limo amp. If I need more capability than that I use whatever system is being used for the event.
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dlcmagic Special user 887 Posts |
Quote:
On 2010-07-14 11:28, Dennis Michael wrote: It happens every once in a while. Sometimes on smaller shows it's easier to run on battery power. I have done a few shows in parks where there is no electricity close by. I just like to have the option. Yes I have found that I may have to actually spend just as much as I did for my Fender PD-250. I was thinking of something smaller than the 150. I'll be using it at peoples homes for birthday parties etc. Would like something faster to set up and tear down especially when I have multiple shows booked that day. Every second counts. Quote:
On 2010-07-14 14:35, TMORP wrote: I might actually have an older MIPRO 101 in storage. I used to use it years ago then the battery quit holding a charge. Quote:
On 2010-07-14 14:56, Stevethomas wrote: Are Anchor products as good as they used to be? A friend of mine thought they may not be as good as they once were. I don't know if this is true. I'd be willing to try them. Quote:
On 2010-07-15 06:28, Colin Uk wrote: I was not aware of this company before. Has anyone else here ever used products from this company? I will check them out. Quote:
On 2010-07-14 22:01, Michael Messing wrote: I have not tried the Roland yet. I will see if a music store near me carries it, I am aware of the Happie Amp. Brian has the best customer service there is and really backs his product. I'm currently testing a couple of them. |
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Bill Wilson Special user 536 Posts |
Dave, before you buy anything, take a look at the Mackie SRM150. It fills all your requirements, except it is not battery powered. You said you perform birthdays and small banquets. Do you really need something with a battery? One of these units could easily handle a small banquet. If a guy had two of these little Mackies on mic stands you could play quite a large audience, probably three hundred people indoors. Which means that down the road if you wish to add a second you can. The sound is rich and full and the best part, it weighs seven pounds. I have a Yamaha Stagepas 300. A nice system, but weighs about fourty-five pounds and that's without the speaker stands or anything else. I only wish I had discovered the Mackie before I made my Yamaha purchase.
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dlcmagic Special user 887 Posts |
Quote:
On 2010-07-17 09:52, wandboy wrote: Thank you I will check it out. Would really like a battery powered unit though. Just in case. |
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Scruffy the Clown Loyal user Coldwater,MI 233 Posts |
Has any one had a chance to try out the Happie Amp GMC100? Anyone have any thoughs on these?
Thanks! |
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