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jonathan18

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#165652 16-Feb-2015 14:02
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Hey there,

My father runs a community group that meets regularly, with different speakers presenting each session. Most of the attendees are retired, and with some of the presenters being softly spoken many attendees struggle to hear what's being said. So... he's after a basic PA system to provide some amplification of the presenter. Requirements:

* portable
* comes with a wireless lapel microphone
* simple to use
* good sound (in terms of amplifying the human voice - not for quality music reproduction!)
* affordable (no more than a few hundred, ideally under $300)

It doesn't need to have all bells and whistles like bluetooth connection, and doesn't have to include battery power, though the inclusion of additional inputs (wired mics, 3.5mm and/or RCAs) would be useful. It doesn't also need to be particularly powerful, as it's about increasing the speaker's reach and clarity in a moderately-sized room, not filling a large hall with music.

Can anyone here recommend a model, brand or even source of such a product?

A quick search today revealed the following; only the first of these really meets the price criteria (but it's so low I'd be worried about the quality!):

http://www.jaycar.co.nz/productView.asp?ID=AM4075&form=CAT2&SUBCATID=1020#4

http://www.jaycar.co.nz/productView.asp?ID=CS2510&form=CAT2&SUBCATID=1020#4

http://www.surplustronics.co.nz/products/6314-portable-abs-active-pa-speaker-qr10pa-10-inch

Any thoughts, ideas and recommendations much appreciated.

EDIT: I saw this on One Day today http://www.1-day.co.nz/products/AADAAN4RM?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=Email - how easy would it be for me to purchase an after-market wireless lapel mic and adjust it to work with this unit?

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trig42
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  #1240047 16-Feb-2015 14:16
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I think the wireless mic alone would set you back your budget (and then some maybe).

The quality of the speech is going to come down to the quality of the microphone - you will get what you pay for, and if you get a cheap mic, it won't be worth the time and money.

There are plenty of little portable PA speakers around (you'd be better finding one on a stand so it is at least at ear level, and above leg level) that come with a corded microphone. Cordless IME needs to be good quality (and priced to match) to be any good, otherwise they sound like mud, and keep cutting out.



t0ny
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  #1240048 16-Feb-2015 14:18
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Check out Surplustronics. They usually have small PA systems that dont cost too much

ubergeeknz
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jonathan18

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  #1240068 16-Feb-2015 14:46
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ubergeeknz: why not : https://www.1-day.co.nz/products/AADAAN4RM?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=Email



Yeah, that's the one I link to at the bottom of my initial post (added in as an edit), and getting the One Day email was what jogged my memory about researching this for him!

The only disadvantage is that this doesn't have a lapel mic, but given the comments above that the quality (and sound) of cheap wireless mics is usually poor, then perhaps the best bang for buck would be this $100 system plus an acceptable entry-level wired microphone. May need to get a microphone stand though... Thoughts?

JonnyCam
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  #1240071 16-Feb-2015 14:52
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jonathan18:
ubergeeknz: why not : https://www.1-day.co.nz/products/AADAAN4RM?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=Email



Yeah, that's the one I link to at the bottom of my initial post (added in as an edit), and getting the One Day email was what jogged my memory about researching this for him!

The only disadvantage is that this doesn't have a lapel mic, but given the comments above that the quality (and sound) of cheap wireless mics is usually poor, then perhaps the best bang for buck would be this $100 system plus an acceptable entry-level wired microphone. May need to get a microphone stand though... Thoughts?


Could you use an android or iphone with headset plugged in as the microphone, as the device is bluetooth capable?



ubergeeknz
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  #1240100 16-Feb-2015 15:17
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jonathan18:
ubergeeknz: why not : https://www.1-day.co.nz/products/AADAAN4RM?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=Email



Yeah, that's the one I link to at the bottom of my initial post (added in as an edit), and getting the One Day email was what jogged my memory about researching this for him!

The only disadvantage is that this doesn't have a lapel mic, but given the comments above that the quality (and sound) of cheap wireless mics is usually poor, then perhaps the best bang for buck would be this $100 system plus an acceptable entry-level wired microphone. May need to get a microphone stand though... Thoughts?


I think that'd be the way to go.  You may be able to pick up a decent wireless mic set second hand?

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