It is currently Mon Mar 16, 2020 8:41 am

All times are UTC - 7 hours



Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 5 posts ] 
Author Message
Post subject: I'll go first...
Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2010 11:03 am
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Fri Feb 29, 2008 9:49 pm
Posts: 3233
Location: Memphis
OK, Who has one, and what are your experiances???

_________________
Hey, Boy Blue is back!


Top
Profile
Fender Play Winter Sale 2020
Post subject:
Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2010 11:35 am
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Wed Feb 03, 2010 11:25 am
Posts: 1
We have 2-150's and 2-250's and a fender 10 that we use as rental PA systems. They work great and have had very little problems with them. We even had a small portable PA system like the Fender 10 and it lasted a good 3 months before the battery went out and we found that the battery was so specially designed that there is no way to get a replacement for it. The hardest thing we have going on now is trying to find a replacement speaker for our fender 150. The people we bought them from no longer carry the systems and will not respond to our requests for replacement parts. Anyone know where to get a speaker from?


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2010 12:15 pm
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Mon Jul 16, 2007 6:51 pm
Posts: 25350
Location: Witness Protection Program
Rentalguy wrote:
The hardest thing we have going on now is trying to find a replacement speaker for our fender 150. The people we bought them from no longer carry the systems and will not respond to our requests for replacement parts. Anyone know where to get a speaker from?


The speaker cabs contain one 5.25" woofer, two 2.75" tweeters.

You could probably find something close made by Cambridge Soundworks, Bose or Boston Acoustics, maybe even KLH?

I have a pair of Boston Mini's with a 5.25" and one 2" tweeter in each.

Good luck!

_________________
Being able to play and enjoy music is a gift that's often taken for granted.

Don't leave home without it!


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: I'll go first...
Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2012 6:42 am
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Thu Nov 29, 2012 6:27 am
Posts: 12
Fender Passport 300 Pro – an unbiased review!

As a vocalist with 40 years experience (man & boy!) I’ve been in many bands and used a wide variety of PA systems both active and passive.
Having recently sold an 1100 watt active system because of its physical size, complexity and my present lack of storage facilities I needed a replacement system, that would suit a duo playing acoustic and hard rock numbers that could be stored easily.
I did the usual internet trawl looking for reviews on compact systems and looked at several options. I decided that a 300W system would probably be a good compromise as the units I looked at were neat and compact. Having read around 5 reviews I decided that the Fender Passport 300 Pro looked like a good contender but at around £600 it wasn’t the cheapest option. So I did what we all do and looked on Ebay! Lo and behold there was a listing for the exact system, used but described as mint condition at a buy it now price of £400. I contacted the seller and asked if he would agree to £350 and to my surprise he did! So the next morning, wad in hand I set off to collect the unit. True to its description the unit was in perfect cosmetic and working order, the guy even threw in a pair of aluminium stands!
Last night was the first rehearsal of the new duo.
We started off with a few acoustic ballads and I have to say I was blown away by the fantastic quality of the PA! Despite its small size and only having 8” speakers it has plenty of rich bass tone and the clarity of the vocals is superb! The reverb is lovely – no need for any extra vocal effects here!
My partner in crime patched in to a channel and the guitar sound produced was fantastic.
He is also very experienced and owns a pair of Mackie 450s with additional Mackie 150 monitors, he commented that he could not believe what he was hearing!
Following the acoustic numbers we moved on to some hard rock material with backing tracks. The PA coped admirably with the higher volumes and I would say that for most pub sized gigs this system will do the business.
Don’t be put off by the Passports seeming lack of features – most rivals boast hundreds of built in FX ( trust me you’ll never use them!), the Passport has one simple good quality reverb.
Most others have at least 3 stage EQ and possibly a graphic, the Passport has only a high and low tone control on each channel and a overall master tone control, simple but stunning sound!

I have only two very small criticisms:
• You cannot patch in a footswitch to kill the reverb on the vocals for talking in between songs.
• It would have been nice to have had the direct to USB recording feature that the systems bigger brother the Passport 500 has.

In summary, if you need a stylish compact PA system that’s easy to move and store and has a GREAT sound then look no further than these Fender Passports!


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: I'll go first...
Posted: Fri Nov 30, 2012 9:44 am
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician

Joined: Wed Feb 16, 2011 7:24 am
Posts: 434
Assuming you don't want to go back and read earlier in the list but are looking for replies to your post...

I wanted a Passport 500 Pro, but the local dealer only had a 300 Pro. They promised to get the 500 in real soon now, but not soon enough for the first gig I needed it for. They were generous enough to offer to sell me the 300, then when the 500 came in, they'd trade in the 300 at full value for the 500. I used the 300, loved it, but still wanted the 500 for the recording capability and the additional channels, as well as the additional wattage.

When the 500 came in, I bought it outright and kept the 300. I primarily use it for contra dances. That means a live, acoustic band and a caller. I drive a Honda Fit, so the system needs to be compact and the dances are typically done in rooms the size of a basketball court. Some venues are acoustically hideous; very live and echoing with frequent feedback problems.

In the worst halls, I use both the 500 and the 300 patched into each other so that I have four speakers, all at low volume so they don't set off the hall acoustics. With four speakers, dancers are always near a speaker, so they don't need loud volume, and hearing clearly is more important than being deafened by impressively loud sound. Hearing the caller's voice clearly enough to understand what they are saying, while hearing the music clearly enough to dance together in figures that don't work if people aren't together is the highest priority here, and the Fender systems are terrific. The sound is crisp and full-range beautiful.

Then someone wanted me to do Techno-Contra dances. They needed higher volume levels and more bass. The Fenders could handle the higher volume, especially when combined, but adding a 400 watt active Subwoofer made a huge difference for that kind of music. Besides adding bass, plugging in the subwoofer makes whichever Passport I plug into it louder because the built-in crossover kicks in removing the wattage load of the bass signal from the main amp. The Passport then applies all of its wattage to the midrange and treble.

I only bring the sub-woofer when I have this kind of gig. It weighs about 65 pounds. Each of the Passports weigh 44 pounds. I use a hand truck for the subwoofer, so the subwoofer and hand truck take up more room in the car to transport it.

Then a women's choir wanted me to do sound for their concert. More mics and mic stands, and the Fender Passports came through again. The setting was in a church with VERY active acoustics, and mics that were several feet away from the singers, so feedback was very much a problem, especially since the air conditioning system provided a note that rolled into feedback unless I sat through the entire concert wearing headphones, very actively working the volume levels to keep the sound level as high as possible without feedback. A parametric equalizer and the expertise to run it might have been ideal, but I worked with what I had.

Next, I had a band with special monitor needs. In addition to three Mackie SRM 150s to use as monitors (small enough to fit in my car), I got a Mackie line-level mixer in order to provide a separate monitor mix from the house mix so the mandolinist could hear himself over the drummer he was standing next to. Mostly, his monitor had to be loud enough to cut through the acoustic volume level of the drums. Mission accomplished, especially since the keyboard player has her own in-line monitor, so they can adjust volume levels on the monitors for the mix they individually need, in addition to my responding to their requests for a proper monitor mix going through the Mackies that has nothing to do with the mix going out to the house, where the caller is added in with no caller in the monitors.

So, I ran the caller and drums straight into one of the Passports and ran everyone else through the Mackie mixer to channels in the Passport, then daisy-chained the Passports. The sound was particularly nice once I got a grip on speaker placement in the hall.

So, the Passports are superb in terms of clarity, quite adequate in terms of volume (I never get to turn them all the way up or people complain), very versatile in terms of their ability to combine together with each other or with other equipment to fit new sound amplification needs, and they are compact enough for my sub-compact car and comfortable enough to carry between the house and car, and the car and gig. And they store well in a walk-in closet with other stuff in it.

It's a joy to lift the 15 pound speakers up onto speaker stands. The amps work well on your average folding table. Having internal storage for cables and small adapters and accessories is a bonus. The USB recording on the Passport 500 is better and more useful than I initially thought it would be. I love the overall layout of the mixer and the sensitivity level of the controls. It's really easy to get a good-sounding mix out of the system; much easier than on many sound systems I've used with extremely broad-range (highly sensitive to minor adjustments) trim controls. It's an extremely well designed unit.

The only shortcoming for my uses is the absence of good facilities for monitors. The designers clearly expect people to use this system without monitors. If having the house mix and monitor mix be identical works for you, then you can use the Stereo Out for your monitors, though most monitors are mono, expecting either XLR or 1/4"TS inputs, so you have to go find adapters, if you do this.

I've worked around this when I need it with an external mixer. This works, though I don't like the mixer's controls as much as the Passport's mixer controls, but again, you work with what you've got. Likely most people who use the Passport don't need monitors.

Portability, sound quality, and ease of use are the three outstanding features of this system. I haven't seen anything else that can match it in these three areas, and since these are priorities of mine, the monitor compromise is something I can live with and work around.


Top
Profile
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 5 posts ] 

All times are UTC - 7 hours

Fender Play Winter Sale 2020

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum

Search for:
Jump to: