Bought a new battery-powered speaker to try
- Thread starter steve149
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No .. not yet. Brought the very large box into the basement (Gawd I hope the speaker isn't that large) but having gotten home at 2AM Friday morning, I fell asleep early. Too much to do today, so it'll probably be tomorrow.
OK .. first impressions
It's a bit larger than some 12s, but smaller than a 15. Cheap plastic case (like the AA ELS GO8BT), but it's light enough to move easily. Roller skate wheels on lower back (though bearings seem stiff). Handle sucks .. pulls out easily, but doesn't lock so you can pull the speaker, but won't be able to push it with the handle as it collapses. Looks like a Mackie SRM450.
Speaker handles are minimal (basically inlets in the case instead of a true handle), but they work. There is a pole mount socket at the bottom with a tightening screw.
Mixer section is fine. Wireless mic receivers snap in, so it seems adding a second would be easy (though there is no second volume control so not sure if it's possible). Speaker is very quiet without a signal which is better than some of my other speakers. BT would have been nice. USB player works fine.
Mic is better than I thought. Metal case and a nice mute button. Only issue is grill doesn't seem to come off, so will have to take it easy. Looks nice as well. There is a mic holder that snaps into some holes on either side .. doesn't lock in, so if you use it, you'd have to tape it down. Handling noise is a bit high.
Some pictures and a quick demo.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lz5RezeJNA4
It's a bit larger than some 12s, but smaller than a 15. Cheap plastic case (like the AA ELS GO8BT), but it's light enough to move easily. Roller skate wheels on lower back (though bearings seem stiff). Handle sucks .. pulls out easily, but doesn't lock so you can pull the speaker, but won't be able to push it with the handle as it collapses. Looks like a Mackie SRM450.
Speaker handles are minimal (basically inlets in the case instead of a true handle), but they work. There is a pole mount socket at the bottom with a tightening screw.
Mixer section is fine. Wireless mic receivers snap in, so it seems adding a second would be easy (though there is no second volume control so not sure if it's possible). Speaker is very quiet without a signal which is better than some of my other speakers. BT would have been nice. USB player works fine.
Mic is better than I thought. Metal case and a nice mute button. Only issue is grill doesn't seem to come off, so will have to take it easy. Looks nice as well. There is a mic holder that snaps into some holes on either side .. doesn't lock in, so if you use it, you'd have to tape it down. Handling noise is a bit high.
Some pictures and a quick demo.
Oh, forgot to mention that it sounds fairly good. Next test will be to bring it outside and check mic range.
Never cared for the little AA ELS Go8BT speakers I bought, so I'm trying another option. Bought just 1 (will buy a 2nd if it's decent) of the new Alto Transport 12 speakers.
Got it for $350 shipped .. should be here the end of next week. I'll let you all know if it's decent or a piece of s**t.
400-Watt Battery-Powered Sound System with Wireless Microphone and USB Media Player
- 400-watt peak power output
- Rechargeable lithium-ion battery powers unit for up to 8 hours of continuous performance
- 12-inch woofer, 1-inch HF compression driver
- Handheld UHF wireless microphone system included
- XLR 1/4-inch combo mic/line input
- Voice priority feature automatically lowers music during announcements
- Built-in USB media player for convenient music playback - no DJ required
- Retractable handle and tilt-back wheels for easy transport
- 35 mm speaker pole socket for flexible positioning
I picked up a speaker last night very similar to this. It's a no name brand but seems to have similar features (USB, BT, battery powered, Wheels and handle, Wireless mic) to this one it looks almost identical actually. Claims to be 2000 watts but I'm sure it's nowhere lose to that. I haven't even opened the box yet I'll probably do it this evening and give it a little run. It was on sale at a local Shoppers Drug mart for $199 I grabbed it because it was the only one there. If it's any good it will be a ceremony system. If it's not I can return it or use it outside here at home
Easy enough to add something like .. Alto Professional Bluetooth Total Bluetooth Receiver XLR Equipped | Full Compass
OK, I purchased one of these speakers last Monday, found it for only $339 so I took the chance. I also bought one of the Alto Bluetooth devices Steve posted above. It arrived around noon on Saturday and I played with it for about an hour and decided to take a chance and use it that same evening. I had a wedding at a country club where the cocktail hour and dance portion was downstairs; but dinner and toasting would be upstairs. The B&G wanted music during dinner and wireless mic for the toasting. So my option was to bring a second sound system or just this one speaker and my laptop. My laptop was about 15 feet away from the speaker (see attached image). It worked flawlessly. Granted I did not crank it up extremely loud, since it was just background dinner music; but enough to be heard by everyone in the room. The wireless mic worked beautifully for the toasting.
The Next Day:
Even though it worked fine I wanted to spend more time with it the next day and see how long the battery would last night. So connected via bluetooth again and started a long playlist. I began hearing an occasional thump (no pattern) every now and then when it was playing. This was certainly not there the night before. I connected via RCA plugs... no thump. I played using the usb drive and built in mp3 player... no thump. Only when Bluetooth. So I unpaired the device and re-paired it... still had the extra thump. I used a different mp3 player on the laptop that used direct audio driver and not the Microsoft WASAPI drivers... no thump at all. So this is where I was focused. I decided to take a break figuring this out and have some dinner so I shut down the laptop. Came back after dinner fired up the laptop paired the device and again it played flawlessly using bluetooth with no additional thump. So I am a little mystified and and gonna try playing with it some more before deciding to send it back or keep it.
I bought a Block Rocker (Block Rocker iPA76C - Wireless Rechargeable Speaker System - ION Audio - Dedicated to Delivering Sound Experiences) about two years ago just to use when I am working outside, family picnics, etc... and like it; but it does not have wireless mic and could not be pole mounted. Elevating a speaker can make a world of difference.
I am now intrigued by this post as well since it has Bluetooth already built in: A Denon Envoi By Any Other Name - Marantz Voice Rover
I hope to get it figured; because I have about 3 events in the next month where this little unit could really save me some work. I do see some benefits in having a tool like this available. It has plenty of volume for ceremonies, cocktail hour, dinners, etc...
The Next Day:
Even though it worked fine I wanted to spend more time with it the next day and see how long the battery would last night. So connected via bluetooth again and started a long playlist. I began hearing an occasional thump (no pattern) every now and then when it was playing. This was certainly not there the night before. I connected via RCA plugs... no thump. I played using the usb drive and built in mp3 player... no thump. Only when Bluetooth. So I unpaired the device and re-paired it... still had the extra thump. I used a different mp3 player on the laptop that used direct audio driver and not the Microsoft WASAPI drivers... no thump at all. So this is where I was focused. I decided to take a break figuring this out and have some dinner so I shut down the laptop. Came back after dinner fired up the laptop paired the device and again it played flawlessly using bluetooth with no additional thump. So I am a little mystified and and gonna try playing with it some more before deciding to send it back or keep it.
I bought a Block Rocker (Block Rocker iPA76C - Wireless Rechargeable Speaker System - ION Audio - Dedicated to Delivering Sound Experiences) about two years ago just to use when I am working outside, family picnics, etc... and like it; but it does not have wireless mic and could not be pole mounted. Elevating a speaker can make a world of difference.
I am now intrigued by this post as well since it has Bluetooth already built in: A Denon Envoi By Any Other Name - Marantz Voice Rover
I hope to get it figured; because I have about 3 events in the next month where this little unit could really save me some work. I do see some benefits in having a tool like this available. It has plenty of volume for ceremonies, cocktail hour, dinners, etc...
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I haven't had a thump, though I won't connect to speakers with BT (still too iffy) and the built-in USB player is limited (though sound wise haven't heard anything bad). I have no issue with an iPad connected by cable.
So my Wife decided she wanted to give me that for my Birthday I opened it last night....It's really bad. It sounds horrible and has a constant background hum. Very cheaply built and the mic was over-driving it at normal speaking, I returned it today and ordered the Transport 12 from my local Long and McQuade. It should be in in a week or so.
It's a little more expensive up here in the great white north they run $549 plus tax
My Transport 12 arrived today. I didn't have much time for testing but it powers up and runs a USB stick. First impression I am very pleased with it it's much better than I expected. Even the Mic isn't bad and has decent range. I went about 200 Ft and it was still working with no issues. to my ears the sound is a little sharp but decent overall but I didn't toy with it much either
As many times as I read this thread and other reviews on the box telling me different I had it in my head there was BT built in but there was not. A little disappointing but my fault for not noticing and not a deal breaker
As many times as I read this thread and other reviews on the box telling me different I had it in my head there was BT built in but there was not. A little disappointing but my fault for not noticing and not a deal breaker
Alto sells a little stick that plugs into the XLR that gives it BT if needed ..
Amazon.com: Alto Professional Bluetooth Total | Professional XLR-Equipped Rechargeable Bluetooth Receiver: Musical Instruments
I used it for the first time for a ceremony on Saturday. I love the portability as there was a 250 foot walk from where I could part to the ceremony site. It was very windy and threatening rain so I didn't really have too much time for a sound check as I was trying to keep everything sheltered as long as I could.
I noticed a little distortion I'm thinking it may have been a gain issue. I'm going to set it up at home this week and see if I can re-create it and fix the peoblem