Carvin PM5

This is a compact monitor that can be used in several configurations. I use it asa personal spot monitor mounted on a mic stand. It is a two way enclsure with a 5 inch speaker and a directional tweeter. 100 watts. They have both 1/4 inch and wire conections on the back. The case is moulded plastic and a steel speaker grill.

These speakers are very good for vocal monitoring. I use them as mains along with some small cabinets for quiet gigs in small bars. The highs are very natural and mids are strong. They are surprisingly powerful and clearly reach out to a pub sized space. They are a little weak on the bass end. (5 in woofer) Bass instruments need a little more but, for vocals or an acoustic guitar, they are very strong.

I didn't intend to use them as mains until I practiced with just the pm5 alone and realized how good it sounds. They are easy to set up and power and sound good. The only weakness in the design is that the metal grill is very easy to dent. My first one arrived from Carvin with a dent from shipping. But since it is only a cosmetic concern, I do not give it much weight. It would be nice if these had a grip or handle of some sort. I made a case to carry them around without them getting too beat up. There are a variety of positions to mount these speakers with optional brackets from Carvin.

These speakers perform very well. They cost less than half their competition and sound as good. A bandmate has a powered hotspot monitor that cost about 300 dollars and is also good, but not better than the carvin. I like the speaker to be passive because they weigh less and there are less wires in front of you as you perform. At high volume, I think they are better than the more popular personal monitor systems out there. Like I said, I use two or three of them as mains in small bars and they sound great for low volume gigs and you just walk in with a few shoe box sized speakers and a small mixer.