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Post subject: Review: Passport 500
Posted: Mon Feb 15, 2010 11:20 pm
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We picked up the Passport 500 and took to right to the gig without even a test drive. It seems a little flimsy but let me tell you-my vocals have NEVER sounded better. The reverb is simply amazing. Of course, I had to test out the recorder. We stuck in a 2gig flash drive and pressed record. The quality is as good or better than anything I have done on Pro Tools. It records in WAV format so the sound is spot on. I would stop it between songs so that each subsequent WAV file would be as individual song. When I tried it out in a store, I was concerned about having enough head room. For most rooms it will work just fine. The speaker cables are not the greatest and they could be longer but for most cases they should work. Overall, this is really a piece of gear. We found it on the Internet for around $740, so we took the ad to Guitar Center and they beat it by 10%. I wish they would add more features on the mixer and recorder sections. I will elaborate on this in later posts.

Grade: B+/A-


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Posted: Sat Mar 06, 2010 2:51 pm
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club44 - thx for your review. FYI, i just got the new Passport 500 as well for our 2-guitar / 2-mic acoustic duo. While the portability is excellent, and the vocals super (as you stated), I've been having considerable trouble getting the guitars to come thru. After reading other posts on this forum, the 1/4" input is only a line in, and needs a preamp of some sort...but our guitars have factory installed Fishman Prefixes, and they should work,,,but they don't. After considerable attempts at making something work, I found that a TRS cable with a 1/4 jack at one end and an XLR cable at the other worked fine. Other than that, I love the system - and not having to lug around 2 huge Wharfldale 3-way speakers w/ a super-heavy Yorkville head. And you're correct in that the speaker cables are very cheezy. But if this rig takes the riggors of our schedule, I'll be thrilled.


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Posted: Tue Mar 23, 2010 10:09 am
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Hey Guys,

Congrats on your purchase of the Passport 500 Pro. I have the original PD-500 Deluxe that this unit replaces but have to agree some of the components on the new unit are a bit "cheezy".
The older Passport PD-500 came with Speakon Locking Speaker Cables, 2 Fender P 51 dynamic mics, mic cables, Celestion Speakers, Feedback Killer and a full on FX panel. None of these features / accessories are included with the new unit.

While the new Passport Pro's pricepoint is cheaper, I do like that they kept the wireless capability and added the recording / flash memory capability. Still the older Passport also has a Tape Out with RCA outputs that allow you to connect to a recorder.
All in all, the Passports in general are portable workhorses especially for PA use. Acoustic guitars and vocals sound very good through my unit's Celestion Speakers. I wish you both the best with your gigs and the Passport 500 Pro!

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Posted: Tue Mar 23, 2010 11:31 am
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DoctorM wrote:
Hey Guys,

Congrats on your purchase of the Passport 500 Pro. I have the original PD-500 Deluxe that this unit replaces but have to agree some of the components on the new unit are a bit "cheezy".
The older Passport PD-500 came with Speakon Locking Speaker Cables, 2 Fender P 51 dynamic mics, mic cables, Celestion Speakers, Feedback Killer and a full on FX panel. None of these features / accessories are included with the new unit.

While the new Passport Pro's pricepoint is cheaper, I do like that they kept the wireless capability and added the recording / flash memory capability. Still the older Passport also has a Tape Out with RCA outputs that allow you to connect to a recorder.
All in all, the Passports in general are portable workhorses especially for PA use. Acoustic guitars and vocals sound very good through my unit's Celestion Speakers. I wish you both the best with your gigs and the Passport 500 Pro!


Hi,

We've reduced the price by $400 compared to the older model, and by adding new features like the USB playback/record functionality. We had conducted a user survey to see what features most users use/want and what they could live without. The new Passport 500 Pro still has a "tape out" only called stereo out and we've used a more current connection, i.e. a 1/8" jack instead of RCA. We've reduced the size, weight, made the unit significantly cheaper and sound better, have lower bass extension, added a subwoofer out with an automatic highpass filter and made the unit louder and added a studio quality reverb as well as adding the USB record/playback functionality. Also, the speakers were still designed by Celestion engineers we just don't advertise this as it is not very significant in the PA world.

Hope this helps to clarify a few things.

Thanks,
Ken

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Post subject: How do I hook a monitor to my passport 500 pro?
Posted: Tue Mar 23, 2010 2:24 pm
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How do I use a floor monitor with my passport 500 pro? It doesn't have a specific 'monitor out' port, so I'm a bit confused how this works. Surely people would want to use a little monitor w/ this system.


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Post subject: Re: How do I hook a monitor to my passport 500 pro?
Posted: Tue Mar 23, 2010 2:42 pm
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dhaugen wrote:
How do I use a floor monitor with my passport 500 pro? It doesn't have a specific 'monitor out' port, so I'm a bit confused how this works. Surely people would want to use a little monitor w/ this system.


Hi,

You can use the Stereo Out to connect your powered monitor to. You will have the stereo mix that is going to the main speakers come out to the monitor and you can control the volume with the stereo out volume knob. You may need a 1/8" to 1/4" adapter (cable) to do so.

Hope this helps!

Thanks,
Ken

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Fender Musical Instruments Corp.
www.fender.com

Proud to be a Fender band member since 1997
_______________________________________


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Post subject:
Posted: Tue Apr 13, 2010 11:08 am
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My decision to buy the passport pro 500 was for durability, playing seven nights for the past thirteen years in a beach resort with the first passport 250 model gave me the confidence to buy the new fender passport pro 500,sound and reverb are excellent,my nylon guitar sounds incredible and also my violin and vocal,THANKS FENDER!!


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Post subject: floor monitors with passport
Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2010 12:59 pm
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Do the floor monitors need to be powered? or does the passport provide phantom power?

I want to purchase a Passport, but I want to be able to use monitors easily.


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Post subject: Re: floor monitors with passport
Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2010 5:10 pm
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brigid007 wrote:
Do the floor monitors need to be powered? or does the passport provide phantom power?

I want to purchase a Passport, but I want to be able to use monitors easily.


Hi,

Just to clarify the 500 Pro has phantom power but phantom power is being used to power condenser microphones.

The stereo out jack on the 500 Pro can be used for monitors. It is a pre-amp out which means that you will need powered monitors. Also, keep in mind that the stereo out will give you the stereo mix, basically what's coming through the main speakers.

Hope this helps!

Ken

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Ken Porter
Director, Audio Electronics R&D
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Fender Musical Instruments Corp.
www.fender.com

Proud to be a Fender band member since 1997
_______________________________________


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Post subject: Disappionted with line-level 1/4" jacks
Posted: Fri Oct 01, 2010 5:19 am
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Hi Ken, if you're still there, maybe you can help me out with this.

I understand that the preferred method for plugging a guitar with a pickup into the Passport 500 Pro is to go through a DI box and plugging into the first six channels via the XLR inputs.

However, this only leaves me with six XLR inputs, and the two other channels have just the 1/4" inputs, which are fairly useless to me. I remember borrowing a friend's 500 deluxe this spring (the earlier model) and not needing pre-amps to plug into the 1/4". I was able to get more use out of the older model.

I'm finding this frustrating, in that I have to find some work-arounds to take advantage of all eight channels. I have a bluegrass band that requires inputs for three vocal mics, one guitar, a mic apiece for mandolin and fiddle, and standup bass. The 1/4" inputs are totally useless to me, and I don't see a way to use them.

Couldn't Fender have included XLR inputs for all 8 channels, or made the 1/4" inputs usable? Or is there something I'm missing here? Please advise.

Thanks! And for the record, when I went on the road earlier this month doing an acoustic duo (using five channels) it was some of the best sounding gigs i've ever had. This is a good piece of equipment in that regard, but it's letting me down in another regard.

Marc Harkness


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Post subject: Re: Review: Passport 500
Posted: Wed Feb 16, 2011 7:45 am
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I have a Fender Passport 500 and a 300 and use them in uncommon ways. For one venu, I use the 500 like you'd expect. Up straight, it is the sound system for a band and caller for a dance.

Most venues require monitors with a different mix than the mains, so the caller and drummer don't show up in the monitors. So, the keyboard player has her own monitor patched between her and the 500.

The multi-instrumentalist has three instruments plugged into the 300, which is used as his monitor. During the sound check, I set volume for each of his three instruments so that the volume level is consistent between them, then I use a really high quality 1/8" stereo patch cord between the 300's stereo out port and one of the stereo input channels on the 500.

The drummer and caller go straight into the 500. The sound is crisp and sweet. Dancers can hear the calls and the music. Most contra dances have massively overpowered sound systems that sound like mud with the master volume set to between 2 and 3. The 500 is just right.

Then, there's the "techno-contra" with a DJ. Another high quality RCA-to-1/8" stereo cable connects the DJ to a stereo channel on the 500, and the very nice 1/8" stereo patch cable connects the 300 to the 500. The caller gets an XLR channel. I put the 500's speakers to either side of the DJ's table and put the 300's speakers in line with the 500's speakers, out near the walls. I got longer speaker cables for the 300 for this. The original cables are cheap, but do fine for the short distance they can reach. For most applications, they are adequate, very compact for travel and don't add a lot to the cost of the system.

I really like the way the whole system is engineered. It's simple to use, right-sized for the venues I take it to, it doesn't break my back carrying it around, and it sets up quickly. I like that the 500 has more input channels than most comparable systems. Bravo. This is well done. I love the fat, comfy handles and the rugged skin and storage for cables.

I do need to solve a sub-woofer issue for the techno-contra, but I'll put that in a separate post.


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Post subject: Re: Review: Passport 500
Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2012 10:58 am
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Hello. I have a question for Fender staff and one for the community.
How come Fender decided that pan/balance knob and feedback killer are features one can live without? =) Seriously, am I missing something?
And where can I find and buy the old PD-500 (a used one at least) system?


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Post subject: Re: Review: Passport 500
Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2012 12:27 pm
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Being able to pan a mono sound source to a virtual stereo position may be a virtue for recording music to be played through headphones or through a home stereo or a car, but in live performances on a stage, you have some people in the audience close to one speaker and a different set of people close to the other speaker, and it's not a virtue to give those two segments of your audience a different mix of volume levels for your different instruments. This is why most PA systems that have the option of being used in stereo or mono mode almost always get used in mono mode. You want everyone in the crowd to be able to hear the same mix of volume levels for all the instruments.

Meanwhile, there are stereo effects boxes for electric guitars, and stereo outputs from keyboard synthesizers that give you a really nice "spacial" sound. It's not like normal stereo. It's a quick swish of sound from one speaker to the other and back, over and over again. It sounds great in live PA settings and everyone can still hear all the instruments, and it's got nothing to do with "pan". The stereo chorus guitar and the stereo keyboard synth are the same volume through both speakers, but there's a dynamic shift between left and right happening a lot of times a second.

So, the Passport takes mono inputs and plays them mono, and it takes stereo inputs (like the stereo chorus guitar or the stereo keyboard synthesizer) and plays them in stereo, and nobody has to deal with the pan controls, which basically screw up the quality of the mix at each speaker in order to please the minority of your audience who happens to be equidistant from both speakers.

As for a feedback killer, I've been using my Passport for 37 gigs and I haven't had a feedback problem, except for a couple of brief, short-sighted actions by performers involving walking over to the speaker and pointing the mic directly into the speaker at a distance of a foot or so. Use speaker stands to get the speakers above head height and feedback doesn't tend to be a problem. Even then, the feedback had a quality of sound that was different than what I've heard from other systems. It was somehow less unpleasant, though still loud and painful.


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