Carlsbro Cobra PA 60

This a reveiw of a powered mixer - I can't find anywhere else to put it apart from this category. I got this amp for free - it came bundled with a bunch of mics I bought off ebay.

OK its a three channel 60 watt mixer, small and compact and easy to transport. 19 x 5 x 11 inches deep and not too heavy. The front and back are aluminium, blocky with the volume controls set-in. The sides are plastic and top and bottom tolex-covered board. Theres a plastic handle on the side. Come to think of it there seems to be a resemblence to the way HH amps are put together.

On the front there are 3 channels with controls for GAIN and HI and LO eq, and 2 jack input sockets each. There is a master VOLUME and a PRESENCE control and and effects loop in and out.

The rear pannel has an IEC inlet for the mains, ON/OFF toggle switch, 1a fuse and two speaker outputs putting 60watts RMS into a 4-16 ohm load.

Probably built some time in the 1980s.

60 Watts and loud and clear with it. If you don't know what 60 watts should sound like because you've been using today's amps with their micro-chip amplifiers, well you should try this one and try pushing the volume up. 60 watts is when things start to get really loud. There is some mathematical equation which shows that loudness is some sort of logrithmic function, so you can double and quadrupal your wattage and not much happens after a certain point, about 150 watts. 60 watts is good for practice and small gatherings, but you will still do damage to your hearing with the volume fully up.

This amp uses power transistors that can deliver 120 watts, and the mains transformer is a fairly sizeable one too - no problems there. The sound stays clean with no clipping at full volume. A lot of bands carry around mini-mixers these days, so three channels is OK for taking the signal from one of these. I have to say the two jacks are not independent so you shouldn't try to plug-in two jacks and try to double-up your inputs. One of the jack sockets will take a feed from an instrument and the other one is a stereo jack which takes a balanced input from a mic. The balanced input has a red bezel on it. There is only high and low on the eq but those two controls are good and effective.

Master volume controls the overall loudness and the presence control takes down the high end to reduce hiss.

Speaker outputs are the usual 4-16 ohm jack; no speakon or binding posts.

No reverb, but there is an effects loop between the front end and the power module. The loop is in series and yes, faulty jacks can be a problem - your sound will cut out.

No line out which means your sound begins and ends with this unit. Checking the circuit board on the power module there are spaces for jack sockets that would provide this facility. I assume you would find these on higher spec models.

Few features but a simple and portable unit.

No complaints about the sound quality. It is quiet and doesn't mess-up the signal. It is certainly loud when it needs to be, though you really would need something more serious if you plan to go on the road. Could be tough if you need to play a stadium and you only have this.

Sound doesn't clip at high levels and the eq is effective over its limited parameter.

Easy to cart around, and a no fuss to set-up unit.

Could do with a line out. The effects loop is in series so when you plug a jack into the output socket, it cuts-out the signal going to the power stage. You need to feed it back in.

The balanced jack inputs a real surprise feature on an amp this low-spec.

I really like this amp! No kidding - I admit there is not much to it, but I keep pulling it out, it has so many uses. What you basically get is something that is dead easy to set up and get going.

The amp doesn't take up much space and it is easy to carry around. It is really tough and takes a knock or two without looking immediately rough (unlike a lot of equipment).

Two minor gripes: The jack sockets on the effects loop can become oxidised and this will stop the signal getting to the power stage. The first time it happens you will tear your hair out trying to find the fault. It is easy to fix - just take a short lead from the output jack and plug it straight into the in socket. Or have the sockets replaced with fresh ones. This is a problem common to all Carlsbro equipment from this period, and also effects other manufacturers who used jacks from the same supplier. The other gripe is that the volume and tone pots are held in place by non-standard nuts - so you need a special tool to undo them. Why this is so I have no idea - it doesn't appear on other Carlsbro equipment.

Overall though a good handy little amp.

The Carlsbro company is still in business but closed their factory in 2006 - everything now is made in China. They seem to be concentrating on the PA market though recently brought out a new range of guitar amps. Oh and they currently make the Stylophone. The other thing to say is that spare parts are no longer available though the technical guys can help out with schematics and general advice. Carlsbro now have a factory in China that makes their own speaker drivers, and the man in charge was the head of R&D at Celestion. Interesting eh? Got this from their website.

I am giving this amp a ten star rating because I paid nothing for it and for that I can't really complain.