Fender PD150 Passport Deluxe

Compact, all-in-one, suitcase-style stereo personal PA, 75 watts per side. Designed as a "main" setup, primarily useful for solo acoustic (or duo in a pinch) and "general" spoken PA applications. Fender also curiously recommends it for "fire/rescue" use. Let's hope they pull the people out of the burning building first, then look for an electrical outlet after...

Enclosure is a "luggage-style" plastic.

It's stereo, which is a feature not every PA in this price / power class offers.

150 watts (75w per side) with basic 2-band shelving EQ, volume, gain, and digital reverb controls.

Inputs are XLR/phone (x3) and a 4th stereo/mono input for either a keyboard, CD player, or mixer (for adding a sub-mix as a workaround if more inputs are needed.)

Speakers are 1x 5.5" woofer, 2x 2.75" per side.

This is the PD version, with the speaker upgrade (which I believe was developed in conjunction w/ Bose) and for solo work, it's a surprisingly capable system. Coverage is good. I use mine on a couple of stands. There's a nice secure mounting hole molded into each speaker enclosure.

The sound is relatively hi-fi for a PA. It is possible to cause the woofers to "fart" if you're a mic eater, but if you employ the right mic and good technique (figure 2" minimum from the grille of a Shure SM58 as a commonly-known reference point) you will get a clear, accurate representation of what you're doing. The lows from a keyboard might prove to be problematic, but intelligibility is good for both vocals and acoustic guitar. Watch your bass eq; if you're a hard strummer or have a deep voice, then back off the bass to about halfway. You could also put a preamp/compressor (an ART Tube PAC is a good and inexpensive match) in front of one or more of the inputs, to limit peaks.

My favorite vocal mic for this setup is the Heil Sound PR20, because of its smooth overall response, and its relative lack of proximity effect. An SM58 will also sound fine. Bright mics may sound harsh. For mic'ing instruments without onboard pickups, I use and recommend the AKG C1000. This mic has good off-axis rejection, accurate response, and is rare for a condenser in that it can be run from an internal 9v battery. The PD150 has no provision for phantom powering condensers, so if you use something other than the C1000, then plan to employ a separate preamp to get the signal up to snuff.

The reverb isn't bad -- you'll only want a pich of it so that the room reflections don't combine with your revebed signal to turn the words to mush.

Speaker Design: The product literature says that because of the dispersion pattern, it's possible to actually have the speakers behind you without causing feedback, thereby "eliminating the need for separate monitor speakers." Well, yes and no. At moderate volumes this will indeed work. If you're using them outside, or at the higher end of their power range, then you may experience feeback, particularly through your instrument mic if you're using one. Still, in most situations the design works as advertised, and use of a tighter-pattern mic such as a hypercardioid might serve to eliminate feedback at higher volumes. Keep the speakers at less than about 10 degrees behind if you're using a standard cardioid.

Portability: The whole thing locks together in 3 sections to form a package about the same size and weight as a medium-sized suitcase. This means that you can take it to a gig in a Miata. I have a bad back, but at 28 pounds, I can lift the PD150 with one arm, palm facing up, from a seated position -- it doesn't get more portable than that. Even the cables and mics can be stored internally in the molded cubby holes, so you can unload your vehicle and load-in at the venue in one trip. The beauty of that becomes apparent when when you're in a city and need to park 3 blocks away.

The first time I used the PD150 it had arrived by UPS only the day before. I had not even had an opportunity to audition it. Other than having read the manual through a couple of times, I had no idea what to expect.

It took only 15 minutes from my arrival time to have it mounted on its stands, wired-up, and ready to play. I made 2 or 3 control adjustments and proceeded to play for 75-100 people. I specifically asked afterward what they's thought about the sound quality going out to them, and got universally positive comments about clarity, balance between guitar and voice, etc. So: Despite the fact that I have since experimented with adding outboard gear to the signal chain, this thing is 100% capable of doing the entire job by itself, and sounding good, using only what comes in the box.

I own a lot of Fender stuff, and often find myself frustrated that they get a lot of their products "almost right" -- somehow managing to create something basically good which nonetheless requires modification before it's just right. The PD150 bucks that trend; it's very well thought-out. Even the compromises are sensible, and err in the direction of simplicity.

If you need more inputs, then updrade to one of the 250-series or try a sub-mixer into the stereo line input.

For small solo acoustic, this is a very nicely designed package for reasonable dough.