Putting the Spotlight on our Techs
Jay S
Tech Specialist for over 14 years.
I have been gigging for over 30 years and still love every minute of it! My first drum set was a set of pots and pans at the age of 4. I have since upgraded. I also play guitar, bass guitar, keyboards and do live sound for local bands.
" I could envision walking into a gig with everything I need in one trip..."
The Fender PD150 is the smaller sized brother to the PD250. The smaller size and lighter weight make it perfect for a coffee house gig or for a business presentation. This is a very nice all in one PA system.
The first thing I noticed when I unpacked it was the size and weight. The PD150 weighs a mere 28 lbs. I could comfortably carry the PA in one hand and my acoustic case in the other hand. I could envision walking into a gig with everything I need in one trip.
The PD150 is very easy to setup and operate. Everything needed to get you up and running is included in the package, 2 speaker cables, a microphone and microphone cable are standard accessories. Just release the speakers from the powered mixer, hookup the speaker cables and mic cables and your ready to go. There is a 1 3/8" stand adapter on each speaker for mounting on a speaker stand. The control knobs are large and easy to use. One nice feature is the V.I.P ( Vocal Input Priority) this feature when engaged will lower the volume of the music being played so you can speak over the music and be heard. This is a great feature for people using this in a meeting or for making announcements over a music bed.
This PA system really sounded good, I was impressed with the sound that the 6 1/2" speakers and the full range tweeters reproduced. I can see this being used in coffee houses, rehearsal rooms, meeting rooms, outdoor weddings ( this will run off of an optional battery pack) and parties. I ran my guitar direct to one input added a little digital reverb to that and my vocals and was ready to go. I liked the reverb. It really filled out the mix both on the guitar and the vocals. If reverb is not enough effects for you there is an AUX send and return on the PD150.
Like I've said, I am impressed with the PD150. It is lightweight, functional and fun to use. I wouldn't mind having one just for rehearsals and practice at home, it will store very easily in a closet or corner of the music room when not in use.
Ryan
Tech Specialist for over 14 years.
Multi-instrumentalist and drummer, I've been making and playing music since 9 years old. I've played in bands, developed skills to fix numerous types of instruments, done my fair share of live sound as well as recorded numerous projects. I consider myself to be very knowledgeable in both technical and business aspects of the industry thanks to my experience in the field as an active musician and my work here at American Musical Supply.
"it was obvious that the PD150 was built to perform..."
OK, well the setup is great...everything is self-contained. Upon the initial setup, I connected the iPod to it in order to check out the speakers’ frequency response and was pleasantly surprised to find that they sounded amazing. They have plenty of bass and outstanding detail and clarity. I mean, I was only planning to use this system to amplify vocals in the rehearsal space but it was obvious that the PD150 was built to perform…and it definitely did. The rehearsal sounded better than it has for some time. The vocals were clear and loud but did not feed back which I found surprising since I didn’t notice a feedback suppression circuit on the unit.
I have only 2 complaints about the system. 1: The speakers were not designed to be used as wedge-type stage vocal monitors. 2: There was not independent bass and treble controls per channel. Ultimately, a tone control knob affected the sound of the channel. However, the master section did have bass and treble control. My overall impression of this system is a good one. It packs more volume than you would expect and it sounds great. Nice work Fender!
Joe N
Tech Specialist for over 6 months.
I have been playing guitar and performing for 25 years. Specifically as a performing and studio musician in the Nashville area for the last 15 years. Currently I am writing and recording on personal projects.
"I strummed my first chord and immediately knew I had something special..."
At first, when I was asked to demo the Fender Passport PD150 Portable PA System, and write an article I was less than thrilled. Of course, being a guitar player, I wanted to demo effect pedals or amps, nevertheless I took the PD150 home.
When I unpacked it, I was immediately impressed by its compact size and portability. The self-contained design (at 28 lbs. and 18" high) made it very easy to lift and carry. After about 5 minutes, I had everything hooked up and ready.
The first thing I did was plug in an acoustic guitar, added a little reverb, and set my volume at about 12:00. I strummed my first chord and immediately knew I had something special! The clarity and rich sound that emanated from the PD150 was fantastic!
After plugging in a vocal mic, I spent the next couple of hours enjoying the rich sound of my guitar and vocals. The best part... I was able to sit upstairs in my living room with the sunshine, rather than down in my dingy music room in the basement. Portability! Gotta love big sound in a small package.
Another nice thing about this and other Fender Passport PA systems is the feedback rejection feature. You can have the speakers behind you, so in essence, eliminating a monitor. This worked great, as I walked all around in front of the speakers waving a vocal mic.
Another feature of the passports is the VIP (Vocal Input Priority) located on channel #1, which will lower background music when you speak into the mic. I plugged in a CD player and tried this out. The level of background music is adjustable and does not return to full volume immediately. It takes about 5 seconds for the original volume to be restored, which is a great idea, if a speaker pauses for a few seconds.
Other features include pole mountable speakers, storage compartment for cables etc., and speaker cables included. All in all, I found the PD150 a great sounding, very functional, user-friendly PA system, and with several different Passport models in different sizes and with various features, there is a system for virtually every situation.