Roland CM-30 Cube Monitor

I'm really impressed with the amount of features they packed into these little monitors. They've got three channels with their own volume controls, one of which has an xlr mic input, and the other two are stereo in (which makes a big difference for my use). It's also got two other inputs - rca stereo, and 1/8" mini plug. Another great feature is that if you have two of them, which I do, there is a stereo link function which can give you up to ten inputs between the two of them!

I got them recently and have used them on three gigs so far. I do a solo act of ambient electronic music and use two keyboards, midi guitar synth, and a four track mini-disc deck for loops and samples. With all the inputs on these monitors, I don't have to bring a mixing board any more.

Other features include a two band eq, and stereo headphone out with it's own volume control. I also like the fact that they have a mount on the bottom that allows them to be screwed directly onto a mic stand, as well as a built-in carrying handle.

The sound quality is excellent! I wondered if they would have enough power and clarity when turned up, and they definitely do - provided, of course that you are not playing an arena with them. But for small gigs they are adequate. They can certainly get pretty loud without distorting. My guitar synth sounds better through these than it does through a guitar amp. They also provide a decent amount of bass for such a small speaker. I generally try to position them up against a wall to increase the bass response in the room for gigs. I performed yesterday and somebody asked me afterwards where the subwoofer was. They couldn't believe how full the sound was from just those two little monitors.

When I'm not using them for performances, I have them hooked up to my computer and use them for listening to music and for monitoring my ProTools recording setup. I also have a set of Yamaha NS10M studio monitors that I've used for years for recording, so I use both sets of monitors to check my mixes for different perspectives. The Roland's actually sound much better than the Yamaha's, which are studio standards, but I don't know if it's a fair comparison since the Yamaha's are designed to have a flat frequency for mixing, while the Roland's are not designed as studio monitors and could have certain frequencies accentuated. But flat or not, they sound fantastic.

I haven't had them long enough to evaluate the reliability, but they are certainly well contructed and seem quite rugged and heavy duty. I know someone else who has a pair of them and has never had any problems.

Not much to say here regarding this product, but my experience with Roland support in the past has ranged from excellent to terrible.

I am very happy with these monitors and would definitely buy them again if I needed to. There wasn't a lot out on the market to compare them to when I was shopping around. The only other one's I saw were a new model by Alesis - I forget the model name. The Alesis had more power - 50 watts, I believe, which was attractive, but not nearly as many inputs. They also didn't seem as durable or road-worthy.

I can't think of any other features I'd like to see on these (except maybe being a little less expensive). Perhaps maybe more power or a larger speaker, but then they'd be bigger and heavier. I really like the portability of these monitors.

All in all, excellent sound, great features, and a breeze to carry around - a very impressive package. I've written a lot of gear reviews here on Harmony Central and am usually hesitant to give out "10's", but I think these deserve it.

I use it to amplify a juno d synthesizer, an electric violin, a microphone, a boss br-864 recorder and/or a cd player. All at the same time. Theres also aheadphone out.
At first I missed some more eq-possibilties and reverb or an effects loop, but that would make it more expensive.
I have other stuff to eq things or to add reverb.
So, actually, features are perfect!

Ok, this amp is not BIG, so dont expect too much.
But you would be surprised how good it sounds.
I link the cm30 to another powered monitor/amplifier.
Great stereo sound and the other amplifier has got lots of bass.

Playing for 25 years now on different kind of instruments.
If it were stolen or lost Id get another one.
I love almost everything about it.
I bought it earlier this week, and havent stopped playing/writing/recording since!

Made in 2006. Lots of inputs and an easy way to connect up in stereo, if you get two, which I have done. I use it connected to a Dr-880 drum machine and a Pod xtlive, along with a variax 600 guitar.

Use it with my variax and the Pod xtlive. very versatile setup. Does a lot with any kind of music. The amp is totally clean; it's up to the player to add the effects. This was a big plus to me; I didn't want to have to overcome the effects on an amp if I was trying to model the sound in the Pod xtlive.

Very Solidly built

Roland is not a user friendly company. They are hard to get ahold of, very tight with their information and probably incompetent when it comes to dealing with the paying customer. They need to wake up. If it wasn't for their quality products, their company would be in the tank. It's almost as if they hate the customer and are fearful of the customer in some strange way.

The amps are very good, I bought two and hooked them up in stereo. Very nice, but don't go looking for a feel good company at Roland. You won't find it.

Features have been pretty much described by the previous reviewers. Small box with a lot of punch. Good Reviews here in Germany (e. g. Gitarre&Bass April 2005). The bass and tweeter are co-axial, supposedly this helps to get good imaging.
On the back there are two inputs for external devices such as CD players, etc. Wish those had a level knob, as the other channels do, so, since they don't, you need a variable output from the external device, if you want to mix the level with, say, a guitar.
I use the CM-30 fur a microphone, digital piano, a synth module, an acoustic guitar with piezo pickups, as well as for music production on the PC. The handle makes it very easy to relocate.
Wish it had a "line-out" so that I could use it as a mixer AND record from it. Don't want to use the headphone channel for this.

Seems to be very clean, I am very satisfied. I didn't find a review that tested the frequency response. But it does sound very even, without exaggerating any part of the spectrum. I also use it occasionally for my electric guitar through a Korg Toneworks Pandora PX-4. Latter sounds very good in "jazz" settings, but I am still working on getting a good "distorted" sound. Possibly a level-mismatch when using a headphone-out instead of a line-out? Anybody use it with, say, a Line 6 POD?
Easy to set the level for each channel using the knobs and turning up high, until a soft distortion is heard, then turning back.

Seems to be very reliable, all the parts are of good quality, knobs, case and the rest.

Have never had to contact Roland for support. I own a few Roland and a few BOSS products, no problems, ever.
Warranty is three years from the store I bought it from.

I was actually looking for near-field monitors, but then I heard these in the store, and found them to be more versatile because of the mixing features and the microphone input.
I have just ordered a second one to link them in stereo.

It is a versalite box. Very good for jazz and acoustic guitar.I've two of them.

Very,very clean.

Very solid and small weight.

I've no problem with the CM-30. But Roland have a great support in germany.

It's a fantastic box. Before, i had a AER Bingo but after i bougt two CM-30, i sold my Bingo. Fantastic price,very good sound and very versalite.Maybe you work with a singer, you have a small PA with 10 inputs. When you play solo with jazz or acoustic guitar, take a small Nanoverb or another effect in front and you have a small great clean amp. For me it's the best.I hope Roland built a new CM with more power. Maybe a CM-60.

Made in 2004. This is not strictly a guitar amp but can be used for guitars if necessary. I use it for my keyboard and it performs very well despite its small size. Power is 30W which is plenty for filling a small room or for busking on the street. It has three channels. One has an XLR jack for microphones and there are two others for ordinary phono jacks. All three have individual volume control and can also be controlled by a master volume. There is also a stereo output for connecting another monitor. There are two aux inputs, which can be used to connect a cd player or minidisc. One of the jacks is a headphone socket and the other is a red/white jack input. There are no indivdual volume controls for these but they can controlled by the master volume. The monitor has two EQ knobs, one for low and one for high EQ. It also has a headphone output which has it's own volume control as well. Like this amp for it's size, sound, weight and mixing capabilities.

Made in 2004. This is a 30 watt amp marketed as a keyboard, studio or stage monitor. It has 3 inputs with seperate volume controls plus two additional inputs. So, in effect 5 channels.
It has a bass and treble eq, and although that sounds limited eq-wise it colours the sound fine.
There are no built in effects. Perhaps a little reverb woiuld be nice, but that doesn't bother me.
If you buy two of these monitors they can be stereo linked into a small stereo PA system.
the beauty of the unit is that it is very small and relatively light while giving enough punch. (OK, not if you need to be really LOUD).
I would like a mic/line switcher on each channel... as it is there is one mic channel and two line channels. Two mics is a nice option to have. You can get round it by putting two mics into the first channel using the jack in and XLR...

The monitor has a very natural sound slightly on the bright side with plenty of bass. It is ideal for a singer/songwriter act who wants to plug his accoustic guitar and mic through one amp and play a cafe or street. I've no idea how it would cope with a more heavy electric sound, but I wouldn't recommend it for that. I think accoustic acts is the name of the game. At high volumes there is a slight distortion, but nothing too worry about overall in this price range I found the sound to be very solid and clear. Interesting that Roland don't market this as a mini pa, as it does that job very well. In short a nice punch contained in a very small unit.

Too early to say. have not used it enough. So far no problems and I feel confident about it.

No idea. i have a few Roland bits and pieces from through the last 15 years. I like their equipment and find it good quality. I have not had to contact support. Servicing is always no problem.

I would buy it again. infact I might even get a second one to use as a stereo PA. the band I play in is quite accoustically orientated and in the size of most venues we play (ie nothing too BIG) this would be fine. If you are a loud rock band, steer clear - this is not the answer to your amp search. Lighter pop/rock towards accoustic acts should definitely consider this for either practice or playing small venues and street music. So far I have used this unit busking(street music) with a guitar and two vocal mics plugged into it. It performed well in a fairly noisy environment (traffic).

NOTE:To play outside you will need some kind of power setup. this does not take batteries. You need a car battery starter kit or something. (I know how to do this - contact me through my site if you'd like more info, I'm happy to share)

keep on playing!

Gustav
http://www.gustavbertha.com