I got my Roland and it was basically what I expected. It is hard to tell exactly how I feel about any system that's playing MP3s. My standards are pretty high and I don't think that MP3s or even CDs are very impressive no matter what system they are played on. They (to me) cause listener's fatigue pretty quickly compared to a nice vinyl record and a descent audio system.

That being said, I was impressed with the midrange. The bottom end is lacking but I didn't expect any better really. The high end doesn't seem that great either but it could be due to the quality of the music I'm testing it out on.

All in all, it's a great small system that I will use for a small venue like a birthday party. It's durable, well made, cheap, and it works!

I'm definitely glad I bought it. I have not tested it out with a mic yet.

Rodney, is this the tote bag?
http://www.joann.com/catalog.jhtml?CATID......e=search

Hmmm... I like the pink one.

Dennis, Yes that is the one! The Pink one, but our store had the Neon Green one and it was on sale for $ 29.99. It is a great bag and works really well. If you are interested in one just call Joann's and ask if they have the Green one or any other different colors. Thank You for finding that I looked last night and could not find it on their website.

Rodney

They had them in black and pink at my local JoAnn's. I'm thinking about the black one. (I'm not secure enough about my masculinity to go for pink!)

Michael

I just got the Roland CM-30, it was less than 48 hours from ordering it from zZounds.

Now to look it over.

Michael, in this day and age we all must be secure in our Masculinity, go ahead and go for broke. Pink is COOL!!!!! It is just not for me LOL.

Rodney

Good to see these reviews coming in.

My money is still waiting in my pocket

I just plugged in my Ipod and then my Creative MuV players, into the Roland CM-30 and the music sounds great compared to the Florida PAS 767.

Later I will try it outside in high volume and see the distance it reaches. The 30 watts is much to powerful for my 20x20 room. It will definately serve at any birthday party show.

The addition of a 20 minute blank sound inbetween the songs makes for great continuation of music without the iPod or the MuV player shutting down.

I haven't tried the MP3 Tech yet.

So far first looks at the $175 Roland Cube CM-30 looks real good. The 30 watts blows away the Florida PAS in sound quality. (Florida has it's own wireless microphone, the Roland does not.)

I also has a spare Microphone stand which the Roland fits on top. A nice feature to project over the heads instead on placing it on the floor.

Dennis, I'm glad you mentioned the mic stand. To my knowledge we haven't even discussed speaker placement. Proper speaker placement can make a huge difference in coverage and is also essential to minimize feedback problems. I always use speaker stands unless I am performing on a high stage.

Glad you like the Roland!

Regan

Speaker placement. Here are my thoughts in brief:

For anything but a small show you should use a pair for better coverage and better sound.

They should be on speaker stands. The person sitting at the back of a room should be able to see the entire speaker from their seat.

If you use a mic that is prone to feedback, get those speakers up and out away from the stage. They can be past where the audience starts even.

Do a sound check before to test for feedback and walk around to see.

And very important!!! - Get to your gig early if you're not the only act. Especially if you're using other people's speakers and your wireless mic. They will put the speakers any damm place they feel the speakers look pretty. Like behind the stage with a stuffed rabbits on top, in the back of the room facing the stage, at the foot of the stage, on the floor and they will argue that THAT IS GOOD ENOUGH AND IT'S ALWAYS WORKED BEFORE. Be friendly and direct and get those speakers where you need them. This is NOT a time to be a whimp.

Bring lots of duct tape.

Even though the micropne stand works, I am looking at a tripod leg stand to sturdy the small box. Yes, it is nice...Not just because it is new, just because it sounds so much better than the Florida 767

Dennis, I have my Roland on a Tripod Mic Stand and it works really well. I bought the stand here locally. It is very sturdy and holds the Roland without any problems and you do not have to worry about it tipping over. I paid
$30.00 for my stand.

Rodney

For a very comprehensive look at the how's & why's of speaker placement, check out the "Speaker Placement" article on my site, and my two-page article in the first issue of "Street Magic Magazine". (You'll have to check the link in my signature, because we're not allowed to link to our own sites in the body of a message.)

The third issue on the magazine will include a two-page article on "feedback": what it is, how it happens, how to minimize it.
Cheers from Toronto.

The article at http://www.MagicRoadie.com on speaker placement is a good one.

It appears the Mackie SRM150 will not be out before June, and then June is not Definate!

Dennis, are you going to buy the Mackie also?

Yes, and make a comparison of the systems. As a matter of fact, I have a bunch of cheap wireless microphones, and a new HD/DV camera. I want to make a DVD video of the different sounds systems at different distances and locations to determine which sounds the best.

I haven't set the exact criteria just yet but I think
1. outside
2. inside 20x20 room
3. inside a 100 x 200 hall

The systems I will be testing will be the:
1. Roland CM-30
2. Mackie SRM150
3. Florida PAS 767
4. Fender Passport 150
5. Fender Passport 250
6. Boombox

Wireless will be:
1. Florida PAS 767
2. Samson FM VHF
3. GE Wireless Lav mics
4. JUS JS-306A Handheld wireless Mics
5. Radio Shack Wireless
6. Audio-Technis 2000 with Microset Headset.

I use my two Omni Microphones on the camera and the camera's internal microphone which I've been told is not the best.

I'll run all the microphones through a mixer so all the settings will be the same. Including the Music background. I'll run a Stereo test CD I use for my home theater which will push out stereo to give the feed for music in the background.

The idea is to get a feel for different systems.

I hope this will be enough clearly talk about each system.

I expect the Fender systems to sound the best, along with the Audio Technia Wireless.

Am I missing any critera that you think might be important. I don't have a Countryman or a DPA mic or I would try that and I don't have a PASO, but thinking of getting that one too.

Dennis,

Are those Fenders the PD150 and PD250 or the P150 and P250. (I had a P150 and a P250 and they don't sound nearly as good as the PD series.)

Michael

These are old P models, not the new PD ones. What did Fender do to make them different? I've heard what you said from Ken Scott, last year, but blew it off because I thought at that time they were the same.