Customer Reviews

Yamaha STAGEPAS 300 Portable PA System

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I first auditioned the Stagepas300 several months ago, along with a friend, and we judged it relative to other portable PA's in the ~$500 - $1000 list price range. He immediately bought one, I soon did the same. We are both acoustic solo players/singers (since the late 1950's) who occasionally work with one or more other musicians doing mostly folk, old time, early country and bluegrass, and ragtime and country blues repertoire. Think acoustic music in small to perhaps 1,200 sq ft sized venues and you'll have an idea where this PA is a very strong contender and good value to boot. Other applications, especially those employing larger ensembles, electric instruments, or high decibel levels in large spaces deserve beefier gear in order not to disappoint.

The build quality is very good for an inexpensive portable PA (much more so than the rivals I kicked around a bit). I use only microphones but the XLR, ¼", and RCA input jacks all feel good. Onboard phantom power would have been much appreciated and its lack is one of the weaknesses of the Stagepas300. Others have derided the reverb effect, but I use only the lightest amount for enhancing vocal ambience and have no complaints. I've also acquired the pole mounting hardware for the speakers and the adapter for mounting the mixer on a mike stand--they're a bit pricey, but, all-in-all, the whole thing still cost me only around $500 and it looks and sounds great. If your needs increase, this set up is extremely easy to upgrade/expand without becoming at all obsolete.

More than anything else, the Stagepas300 sounds very good. Yamaha makes good mass market audio gear and the 300 has solid, smooth output. The electronics have a 20Hz-20kHz frequency response with reasonable specs; the speakers are rated at 55Hz-20kHz and if you use good quality microphones and cables this is probably what you get in terms of audible response. It's quite good, very little audible distortion at moderate volume levels and little hum or other noise--a very smooth and natural sounding output. There are limited hi and lo EQ abilities on all the input channels, but I'm pretty much into the `straight wire with gain' philosophy anyway. Just to round out the set up FYI. Bob uses two Shure 87a microphones, I use two CAD C-195s and two Astatic CTM 1000A dual capsule cardioids condenser mikes (when playing in a duo) and I can't really tell much difference in the output.

We're both very happy with our Stagepas300's. If your expectations are reasonable and this review resembles you, chances are that you too will be very happy playing and singing through this system.

So I bought this originally to do some small DJ/dance type things with an eye towards using it for live music.

For DJ'ing a small party (under 50 people or so) it does a pretty decent job -- the sound level gets fairly loud. There isn't a whole lot of deep bass but it sounds fairly natural and clean.

It makes a reasonable PA for a live discussion sort of activity with, say, two presenters and a third mic for people in the audience. I used it with a Shure SM-58 and got compliments on the sound quality. The amplifier module has a built-in fan that is fairly noisy. Don't set your mic down near the amplifier module even if it is turned down. You'll get electrical noise through the speakers.

It's not so usable for live music, and here's why. The mic inputs provide no phantom power, so I can't use them with anything other than dynamic mics such as the aforementioned SM-58. None of my condensers (such as a Rode NT-5 that I like to use for mic'ing an acoustic guitar) will work. I'd have to chain on a separate mixer with phantom power or something.

If you're going to sing with a band, you probably want some vocal processing. With this system you have a two-band EQ (low and high). That's it. There's no notch filter to reduce feedback, and no low cut filter to reduce rumble or mic handling noise. When you go to sing along with a guitar amplifier you'll miss the lack of compression and so mic technique becomes critical to maintain volume (although, to be fair, this is a problem with any powered mixer setups that don't provide channel strip options like compression).

The reverb effect, as has been mentioned elsewhere, is pretty horrible except when set very low.

If you try to put an electric bass through it you'll be disappointed. I have a line out on my Roland bass amp but through the PA, the fundamentals for the lower strings are pretty much nonexistent. You'll need a subwoofer. Unfortunately Yamaha does not seem to offer one that is really designed, powered, and priced to work with this system.

I bought the bag and I've carted it around a few times. It is pretty easy to set up and break down and the bag has room for a couple of mics and some cables. So that part is nice. Getting the amplifier module in and out of the speaker is a little fiddly and the little screws that hold it in place, and the foam that keeps it from rattling, are a bit fragile.

It doesn't come with a mic stand adapter for the amplifier module; it's a special order item from most stores. That's awkward. The module usually winds up sitting loose on a table or something; once it has a bunch of cables attached, it is a little vulnerable.

In retrospect I wish I had gotten something else; I'm not quite sure what. Maybe the 500-watt system, or maybe something else entirely. I will probably be trying to replace it in the near future.

I play guitar in a band that plays 60's vintage soul jazz (sax, keyboard, guitar, bass and drums). We play small venues. Strictly speaking, only I should be allowed to have an amp and everyone else should be playing acoustic "au naturel." Pure we ain't. At the same time, we are not a rock band.

As the "volunteer" sound man for the band, I wanted a PA that would supplement the amps we already have: one for keyboard, one for bass and one powered monitor that I use to hear myself play, along with everyone else (except the drums). The goal was to project a blended sound to the audience that would be biased towards the mid-range/high frequencies. No need for chest thumping bass. What bass we need comes through a dedicated bass amp, the keyboard amp and my monitor.

The Stagepas 300 worked perfectly in this role. Before the Stagepas, my bandmates had a lot of trouble hearing themselves. With the Stagepas, we were able to get a good, hi fidelity blend for both audience and band members at a reasonable level of volume. My bandmates were ecstatic!

As the default "roadie," I wanted a PA that would be easy to transport, set up and take down. I also wanted flexibility so that I could plug in an iPOD to do sound checks (via RCA connection cable) and have outputs that could go to the powered monitor with an independent volume control. Stagepas 300 totally nailed these requirements. Couldn't be easier to setup. I was ecstatic! In this area, it is great that Yamaha sells a rollaround "suitcase" custom made to transport the Stagepas 300.

I can see other applications for the system. I'm sure it would work well as a rehearsal PA if you wanted to jam to recorded music. In larger spaces, I also think it would work well as to drive a monitor system connected to a more high-powered PA that a larger space would probably require.

In sum, I'm completely satisfied...a hero to my bandmates and audiences alike.

I am very impressed with our SP 300 which our church has been using now for about 2 years. The reason for this review is to confirm how durable this system is. We have been taking the system back and forth from our meeting site to members homes and back nearly every week for about 2 years. The system is VERY rugged and durable. I accidentally dropped one of the speakers that had the control box from a height of about 24" (waist high) and it didn't even scratch it. I am not recommending this procedure, but wanted to relate that there was no damage... even a scratch on the speaker. We have never had an issue except maybe a little amp noise when we used an extension cable over 50'.

The control box is elementary without a lot of bells and whistles, but it was not designed to do so. At this price point you are getting a very good basic system with a few nice features. We especially like the line out feature that allows us to plug in a computer to record sermons and other events.

PROS: High quality speakers, robust performance, easy to use with simple controls. Ample inputs for mics with additional support for keyboards and external CD/Ipod/Whatever. Lightweight if you consider how durable they are.

CONS: Weak reverb function, sometimes some noise feedback from the amp. These two things are really a non-issue for me, just wanted to inform.

Recommend: Buy this if you want an inexpensive, yet durable and VERY reliable PA system. 300 Watts is a lot of power and would be good for most indoor and most small outdoor venues.

OPTIONAL: Stands for the speakers, a nice pull-case. Of course bring your own microphones, cables, Ipod device...

Yamaha also makes a 500 Watt system much like this with some additional inputs and functionality.

I've used this PA on many classical/jazz gigs with solo guitar, two guitars, and flute/guitar - both inside and outside.

The good - its very rugged and even with some mild abuse, its always performed great. Its also relatively lightweight and easy to carry. Many times I don't even use the 2nd speaker. Both classical and archtop (jazz) guitars can sound great through this PA.

The bad - the reverb is really awful - even a mediocre digital reverb would be OK, but this sounds like a weird slap-back echo. I'm not sure why they decided to use this type of "reverb" in the PA. It also doesn't have phantom power - I've only used dynamic mics in live settings, but it would be nice to have options.

However, the negatives are minor. The important thing is that its reliable, easy to carry/set-up and sounds good. It delivers on all three. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this PA.

I bought this little pa from Musicians friend for 450 bucks (B-Stock) but I couldn't find any thing to make it b stock. It sound great for small speakers. Has plenty of volume for my use. One drawback is the lack of phantom power but I have adapters for that. I also bought the case to carry the system in and it too is of very high quality. I bought speaker stands too and they are very heavy duty as well. This is the perfect solution for me because I perform small venues. If I do a larger room I will use it for monitor. I have seen that the price has gone up in the last couple of weeks so good luck finding it for less that 500 dollars, but even at 600 it would be a good deal.

The Yamaha Stagepas 300 is an amazing product. My friend bought one a couple years ago and we used his all the time. He used it in his band, at parties, and for pick nicks. They are very mobile. There are two mounting screws in the bottom of both speakers which are great for mounting speakers on tripods and what-not. You receive two 15' cables that are 1/4" plug for each speaker. There is cable storage in the back of one speaker and the EQ fits in the back of the other one. These speakers are really great sound quality. They are very loud and high quality. The bass in them is really nice as well, sounds amazing raised up on stands. No phantom power for the microphones (Stagepas 500 has 10 channels and phantom power). Has both high and low tone control as well as individual channel volume control. I love these speakers and went all out getting a pair of nice stands to mount the speakers on and the quality goes even higher as it better fills the room with sound. My friends come over and we always bring the speakers out and play music, watch movies, or play video games using the speakers. Material is a good quality material for the EQ and speakers.

I recommend these speakers and the Stagepas 500 as well(previous use experience).

I bought one of these to use for a monthly Open Mic event that I host. It had two problems (more on these below), and I eventually chose not to use it. I am currently using a standalone mixer (the excellent Yamaha MG82cx, connected to Behringer powered speakers).

Yamaha MG82CX 8 Input Stereo Mixer with Digital Effects
Behringer EurOlive B215XL 1000-Watt 2-Way Pa Speaker System with 15 Woofer And 1.75 Titanium Compression Driver (Black)

This set up is not too much more expensive, and has much better reverb, built-in compression and can handle more volume. I *wish*
I could use the Stagepas though, because it would save me some back pain - it's much more portable than my system.

I still use the Stagepas at home though, for small impromptu jam sessions, when I don't want to lug in the big speakers from
the garage.

So what were the problems with the Stagepas? First of all, the reason the speakers are so lightweight is because the amplification
happens on the mixing console. This means the mixing console generates a lot of heat, so it's built with a cooling fan. On my unit,
that cooling fan was LOUD. Listeners in the audience didn't really notice it, but poor sensitive me, sitting at the mixing console,
noticed it, and found it quite distracting. This was the main problem.

The on-board reverb sounds like a great feature, but it's really a terrible sounding cheap digital reverb, and I pretty much avoid
using it. I found the on-board effects on the Yamaha MG82cx to be much better sounding (it has about 8 different reverbs).

So, to sum up:

PROS: Very portable. Not too expensive.
CONS: Loud fan on the mixer, useless reverb.

Less than a year old, one output to speakers failed in mid-gig. Got a Y-connector (speakers are mono). Second output failed in middle of next gig. Furious.

used to be that yamaha made a decent mid priced PA, but by the plastic construction and sound of these PA speakers they are obviously cutting lots of corners. i thought i might be able to use these for small coffee house shows and for rehearsal but they can't even compete with small guitar amp. oh well, as they say "you get what you pay for"