Peavey Messenger?

The Peavey Messenger sounds exactly like you'd expect it to... barely acceptable. I wouldn't use it for anything bigger than an acoustic act that needs vocals only... and only if I HAD to for that.

Blech.

Corey

Maikii, what are you trying to use them for? If all you want is a pair of speakers so someone can address a group of 50-100 people, either the Messenger, the Passport or the Phonic version of the passport will work fine. If you want to supply CD or MP3 music at below-conversation levels to the same group, they'll work fine.

If you want to play acoustic guitar and sing, they MIGHT work, but there are better solutions available.

Describe your useage and I'll see what I can suggest.

I think all of the small all-in-one packages sound like absolute crap, personally, and can't think of a single use I'd go out and purchase them for.

Corey

I run 2 Passports for our church, in 2 different wattages.
The speakers sound very muffled. VERY muffled.

The amps are actually not bad. Pretty clean.
I now run them into some Yamaha V-15 wedges and it sounds pretty good.
Much better than the Passport speakers.
We only use the Passports for voice only audio reinforcement like for picnics etc.

That's about what they're good for. Picnics.

Again, a brief description of your intended usage is required to make any knowledgeable recommendations...

Are you running a karaoke show? Are you playing in a jazz combo in a dinner theater? Are you going to open for the Stones on their next tour?

Take a couple of minutes and state your needs...Then you can get the answers and recommendations that you're seeking...

How about the newer model passports, the "Deluxe" ones, such as PD-150 and PD-250? They are supposed to have much better speakers, designed by Bose. Anyone here heard those?

No. Sorry. Ours are 5-7 years old. Not the D models.
They may be better with the Bose speakers.
Bose does one thing very well... speakers.
I have not heard them and so can't comment.

Do leave us comments about the Peavey Escort after you get to use it live once.
I, for one, would like to hear your opinion of the unit.

For the same money, I can ALWAY blow Bose performance out of the water. Sorry, Eric, but I completely disagree with this statement.

No problem. I don't actually own anything Bose.
I was indeed going by all their promo material, which seems like they brag about speakers (and tuned enclosures) more than anything else.

At least they think it is their forte.

Personally, I can't afford anything they sell. But the brochures are pretty cool.

ORIGINAL: lazarous


To the original poster, the Escort will probably be ok if you're just running spoken word or background music through it. I can't imagine you'll need to use it for much more than that with elementary students.

Corey

If it was just spoken word, why would I need stereo? In fact, the junky mono amp the school already has is OK for spoken word.

Are your comments about the unit based on actually hearing one, or only on your prejudice against this type of system?

ORIGINAL: lazarous


Why do you need stereo?

What type of music education are you doing?

What music will be played through the system? What microphones (if any) will be connected to the system?

For years (and currently) I've run large sound systems that worked in Mono. No one EVER realized it. They still haven't. Stereo is great for effects, but if you're playing music at a wedding, you're just trying to fill the room... no one there will be able to tell if you're pumping out tunes in stereo or mono.

Issues I have with the Escort: 10" driver plus Piezo... Piezo's sound like crud. They're so peaky in response that a microphone in front of them tends to be more prone to feedback.

Honestly, the Peavey Escort system might be the absolutely perfect solution for your situation. I just don't know enough about it to give advice, which is why I've stayed in this thread trying to help where I can. If nothing else it's extremely portable, and should sound MUCH better than the Fenders.

For the record, Maikii, around here (where I live/work) I'm used as a consultant on sound systems because I'm good at the Devil's Advocate role. I work very hard to step outside my personal prejudices to provide advice about the right system for the requestor's needs. If the Escort is the right tool for the job, I'll tell you that, regardless of the fact that I would never use one for anything I'd do. Of course, I have the advantage of owning multiple systems and having access to sound systems capable of providing full festival sound & lighting.

Have you received the unit yet? What do you think of it so far?

Corey

I haven't received the unit yet.

Why is the 10" driver a problem? What is piezo, and why is it a problem? When you write the Escort will sound much better than the Fenders, do you even mean the D series of Fender Passports, even the more powerful Passport 250D?

I definitely need stereo. I'll see if I can quickly explain why. I make accompaniments with Sonar (and previously with Cakewalk, I've done this for many years), for my elementary choruses to rehearse with. Not only the accompaniment, but the voice parts as well.

It is very difficult for children of that age to sing in parts. Therefore, I have found this very helpful for their learning. For two vocal parts, I have one part panned 100% left, and the other 100% right. I also have a lyric view for each part, each taking up half the screen, and I have my laptop connected to a projector (when available) or TV. I find the visual aspect helpful too, to help the children stick with their parts.

Of course for this, stereo is essential. What have I used for years? Cheap all-in-one stereos (with separable speakers, not a boombox) thatI have got schools to buy, and I spliced on extra speaker cord, so that I could separate the speakers a lot. I have also purchased M-Audio DX4 powered speaker pair myself, that I have sometimes used (also with extra speaker wire). I also end up often using the powered speakers to play music from with my MP3 player.

In school performances, usually not having a live accompanist, I end up using the computer accompaniments too, turning down the voice parts. For that though, I do use the school's mono PA, as the cheapo stereo or small powered speakers do not have the power for use in any kind of performance.

Perhaps getting my own PA system is overkill for this kind of usage, but I think it might be good. It certainly should sound much better than what I have used so far for rehearsals. Having multiple inputs will be convenient, as when I have a student sing a solo with the chorus, the mic can be plugged into that same system, which of course I cannot do with a stereo or small powered speakers. And, if it sounds better than the school's crappy mono PA, I will probably use it for performances as well.

Portability is important, as this will not be set up in one location. I will need to take it apart and store it after each usage, store it somewhere with little space, and often take it to different locations (I teach at multiple schools) in my small car. Perhaps for my usage the Messenger would have been a better choice after all, much lighter and smaller, as well as cheaper. (The Escort weighs over 80 pounds!) But I went a step up with the Escort. I couldn't have afforded a new one, so I hope the used one from Ebay is decent. (Even the Messenger would probably sound better than the cheapo mini stereo systems I have used for rehearsals. I don't know if it would be suitable for performances though.)