Pyle-Pro PPHP103MU Powered PA Speaker Review

Howdy!

I have plenty of big and powerful PA equipment, but it is expensive and is not exactly the kind of stuff I want to be loaning out or letting out of my sight. Recently I got a few Pyle-Pro PPHP103MU powered PA speakers, and for the money they seem to be pretty capable and easy to use.

You may remember Pyle as the company that made those mediocre yet big, thumpy, and cheap car speakers back in the 1980s. Well, it turns out that nowadays they crank out mediocre yet amazingly low priced pro audio equipment that is generally good enough to get the job done.

The Pyle speakers we are looking at today are reasonably-sized and easy enough to tote around. They have blow-molded ABS plastic cabinets that measure around 12 x 22 x 15 inches, and they only weigh about 22 pounds each. There are also handles molded into the sides and top that make it a little easier to hoist them onto speaker stands, and there is a 35mm socket in the bottom of the cabinet. Also, they are shaped so that the speakers can be laid on their side to use as floor monitors.

These are powered speakers, so there is no external amplification needed, but how much power they actually put out is kind of a mystery. Pyle rates them at 800 watts peak / 400 watts RMS, and Amazon rates them at 600 watts peak / 300 watts RMS. I am more inclined to believe the lower numbers, as these things are not deafeningly loud. This power is routed through a 10-inch woofer and a 1-inch titanium driver tweeter. Depending where you look, the frequency spec number are almost as murky, with lows down to either 40 or 45 Hz and highs up to 20kHz, with a crossover at 2.0 kHz.

There is plenty of stuff going on around the back side of these speakers, and a casual user could easily get away without having to use a separate mixing board. There is a channel with an XLR input and a ¼-inch jack, and another with an XLR and RCA inputs. Both of these have their own level controls, but no dedicated EQ or gain knobs. Master controls are treble and bass cut knobs, and a master volume knob. There is also a ¼-inch line out for your other speaker, a power switch, the 110V/220V selector switch, and an IEC power cable socket.

Then there is a completely separate third channel for all kinds of electrical junk. There is a 1/8-inch input jack, an SD card slot and a USB port with an LCD display and controls so that MP3 files can be played back. This channel has its own level control, too. The USB port acts as a charger port, and it is possible to use this unit to record your performance directly onto a flash drive or SD card as a .wav file. I have not tried that feature, so I do not know how well that actually works.

But the rest of the features on the Pyle PPHP103MU speakers work fine. They are light and easy to set-up, and I was able to (over the phone) walk a friend through getting everything plugged in and it worked fine when she was done. They have reasonable power output, and a pair of these would do fine for karaoke or a small house party. Anything more than that (big room or loud band), and the these cabs would have to strain to keep up. The XLR inputs do not seem to have phantom power, so condenser mics will be a no-go here.

They seem to have about the same build quality as all of the other plastic entry-level speakers on the market, so they should be durable enough for casual use, but you would not want to take them on tour. I have loaned them out a few times and they came back no worse for wear, so that is a good sign.

The best thing about the Pyle-Pro PPHP103MU powered PA speakers is that they are dirt cheap. They have a list price of $420.99, and nobody on the internet is charging more than $150 each for them. At that price, if you get a dozen gigs or parties out of them you have gotten more than your money’s worth.

Mahalo!

Pyle Pyle-Pro PCT40 Cable Tester Review

Howdy!

I got a box full of stuff to try out a while back inside was a Pyle Pyle-Pro PCT40 cable tester. This was a stroke of luck, as I gave my Nady cable tester to a friend in need, and I had a box of cables that were suspect, as they had previously given me trouble on various gigs.

You may remember Pyle as the company that made those mediocre yet big, thumpy, and cheap car speakers back in the 1980s. Well, it turns out that nowadays they crank out mediocre yet amazingly low priced pro audio equipment that is generally good enough to get the job done. This tester is definitely of this ilk.

There is nothing like having a channel go dead while you are running a show. At least a few times a year I have mic channel go out in the middle of the action. I always have spare on hand, so I swap out the XLR cable and microphone (praying it is not the snake), so I swap out both components post haste to keep the show going.

Later on I test the mic and usually find out it is fine (especially the Shures, they never go bad), so I throw the cable into the bad box and figure I will get to it later. I used to scoff at cable testers because I have a pretty strong electronics background and have a really nice digital multimeter so I can test things out myself without needing to have another piece of equipment. In theory this is nice, but I hadn’t gotten around to checking these cables, had I?

Besides testing failed equipment, it is also nice to have something like this so I can go through all of my cables before I pack up for a gig, so I know I am not taking any bum equipment. Of course I carry spares, but why deal with the hassles of tracking down dead leads during the stress of a set-up.

The Pyle PCT40 gets the job done for me. It is a sturdy metal component, painted gaudy yellow with cheap-looking graphics on the front. It is a bit bigger than an effects pedal, measuring 8 x 3 by 5 inches, and it weighs 1 pound, 10 oiunces. There are outputs and inputs on the top and sides that allow you to test cables with the following ends: USB, RJ45, banana plugs, ¼-inch TRS, DIN (3, 5, & 8-pin), phono (RCA), Speakon and XLR (3 & 5-pin). This covers just about everything, and the addition of USB jacks is awesome!

This unit is fairly easy to use. A 9-volt battery (not included) powers it up, and there is no ON/OFF switch -- the unit powers ON as soon as a cable is plugged in. When you plug a cable into both sides of the PCT40, it passes a small amount of current through the cable, and if it comes out the other side ok, it will illuminate one of the LEDs. By turning the 8-position knob, a pair of LEDs will light up for however each conductor that is inside the cable. If an LED does not come ON, there is an open circuit. The ninth position is for testing the battery.

If you have a cable or circuit that you want to check that is not included on this unit, you can plug electrical test leads into the banana plug jacks and use this as a continuity checker.

I have been using this tester on the box of bad cables and they all tested bad, so there were no surprises and it seems to work. Learning how to use it was a breeze, and it seems to be holding up well. If any of the connectors on the box go bad, they look like they should be easy enough to service. The only hang-up I have is that the battery leads seem REALLY thin, so I think that will be the first thing to break.

The Pyle Pyle-Pro PCT40 cable tester gets the job done for me, and if you are interested in picking one up it will not break the bank. These have a list price of $91.99 and a street price of $32.99 through Amazon. That is pretty cheap, if you ask me!

Mahalo!

Pyle PDMIC58 Budget Microphone Review

Aloha!

I got a box full of stuff to try out a while back and was kind of surprised to find a dead-on knock-off of the Shure 58 microphone. This dynamic microphone is made by Pyle: the PDMIC58. Get it? They used the same last two numbers to try to confuse you…

You may remember Pyle as the company that made those mediocre yet big, thumpy, and cheap car speakers back in the 1980s. Well, it turns out that nowadays they crank out mediocre yet amazingly low priced pro audio equipment that is generally good enough to get the job done.

Well, it sure looks like an SM58, as it has the same barrel shape and copies its distinctive head and grill. But when you pluck it out of the box, the first impression is that it is quite a bit lighter than its doppelganger. It is not plastic, but is some sort of lighter alloy than Shure uses.

Pyle gives some specs on their website, but god only knows if they are accurate: “Frequency Response: 50HZ to 15kHz” and “-54db (+/-) 3db(0db=1v/pa @ 1khz).” If any of you get around to doing in-depth testing on one of these, let me know.

Does it sound like an SM58? Actually, it is really close, and for an outdoor gig with a crummy band you will never notice a difference. They are definitely usable. These are amazingly cheap microphones, yet they get the job done and they do have a place in my kind of snobby world. See, Shure mics cost about $100 each, and many times it is not worth the risk of putting them out there for the unwashed masses to grab.

You’ve seen it before. The drunk lady tries the Roger Daltrey microphone swing during karaoke, or the best man fumbles the mic while making announcements, or the mic stand gets kicked over as young bands are hustling while loading or unloading during a festival or party. And do you need high fidelity for any of these gigs? Most likely not.

The list price on the Pyle PDMIC58 is a ho-hum $39.99, but these things sell all day long for 12 bucks on Amazon, which is pretty much an unbeatable deal. For this you get the microphone and a terrible quality 15-foot XLR to ¼-inch cable that you will end up throwing away after trying to use it once. No stand clip or carry bag is included. I recommend picking a couple of these microphones up for situations where you are not going to want to put your good stuff on the line. Let me know what you think!

Mahalo!

Pyle PDMIC78 Microphone Review: The 10 Dollar Wonder

Aloha!

I got a box full of stuff to try out a while back and was slightly taken aback by one of the items inside – a dead-on knock-off of the Shure 57 microphone. This dynamic microphone is made by Pyle: the PDMIC78. Get it? They changed the model numbers so you do not think they are trying to pass it off as a real SM57…

You may remember Pyle as the company that made those mediocre yet big, thumpy, and cheap car speakers back in the 1980s. Well, it turns out that nowadays they crank out mediocre yet amazingly low priced pro audio equipment that is generally good enough to get the job done.

Well, it sure looks like an SM57, as it has the same barrel shape and copies its distinctive head and grill. But when you pluck it out of the box, the first impression is that it is quite a bit lighter than its doppelganger. It is not plastic, but is some sort of lighter alloy than Shure uses. Another difference is that there is no transformer in this microphone, so that cuts down on the weight too.

Pyle gives some specs on their website, but god only knows if they are accurate: “Frequency Response: 50HZ to 15kHz” and “-54db (+/-) 3db(0db=1v/pa @ 1khz).” If any of you get around to doing in-depth testing on one of these, let me know. I can tell you that this thing is wired out of phase with Shure mics, so you will want to rewire this thing if you are running the real things on the stage at the same time. And while you are rewiring stuff, you might as well put some normal gauge wire in there, as they really cheaped out on the guts of these things.

Does it sound like an SM57? Not really, but it is actually not bad either. It has a little lower output (no transformer, remember?), and the sound is a bit more boomy on the low end and ringy on the top end. They scooped the crap out of these things as the midrange is a bit lacking. There is definitely a proximity effect with these , but it lessens predictably with distance. They are definitely usable.

These are amazingly cheap microphones, yet they get the job done and they do have a place in my kind of snobby world. See, Shure mics cost about $100 each, and many times it is not worth the risk of putting them out there for the unwashed masses to grab.

You’ve seen it before. The drunk lady tries the Roger Daltrey microphone swing during karaoke, or the best man fumbles the mic while making announcements, or the mic stand gets kicked over as young bands are hustling while loading or unloading during a festival or party. And do you need high fidelity for any of these gigs? Most likely not.

The list price on the Pyle PDMIC78 is a ho-hum $37.99, but these things sell all day long for 10 bucks on Amazon, which is pretty much an unbeatable deal. For this you get the microphone and a terrible quality 15-foot XLR to ¼-inch cable that you will end up throwing away after trying to use it once. No stand clip or carry bag is included. I recommend picking a couple of these microphones up for situations where you are not going to want to put your good stuff on the line. Let me know what you think!

Mahalo!

Pyle PDC22 Dual Direct Box Review

Howdy!

Over the past few years I have done plenty of reviews on direct boxes, with prices ranging from 20 bucks to hundreds of dollars, but the bottom line is that if you plan on plugging your bass or guitar directly into a PA system you are going to need some sort of direct box. Today we are looking at one that just came into Rex and the Bass, and it is one of the better values out there, the Pyle PDC22. This one is a bit different, as it is a dual box that allows two instruments (or one stereo instrument) to be plugged in at the same time.

You may remember Pyle as the company that made those mediocre yet big and thumpy car speakers back in the 1980s. Well, it turns out that nowadays they crank out mediocre yet amazingly low priced pro audio equipment that is generally good enough to get the job done.

The PDC22 is a really handy thing to have around. As this is a passive unit, it is best used on instruments with an onboard preamp (active electronics), and if you have a passive bass, you may want to consider an active direct box

This unit is a bit bigger than your regular DI box, but it is not too huge, measuring approximately 5.5” x 4.75” x 1.5”. It weighs in around a pound and it has a real solid feel to it with a rugged steel chassis. These are made in China, if that makes a difference to you.

This is not a terribly complicated piece of equipment, with two 1/4-inch high impedance input and throughput jacks, two balanced XLR outs, ground lift switches, and 0/-20/-40 dB attenuation switches. That is all, folks!

This DI box is easy to hook up, just plug into the ¼-inch inputs, hook up XLR cables to the outs and run them to the mixing board. If you want you can use the ¼-inch outs to send the signal to your onstage amps/monitors too. If the signals are too hot, the attenuator switches can cut the signals down to more normal levels.

The Pyle PDC22 DI works well, and I do not notice any degradation in tone, although I do hear a slight drop in level. I have even used this unit a few times when I did not really need to so that I could use the ground lift to get rid of some extra signal noise. There is not much to it, but it does everything it is supposed to without any drama. I wish I could say that about more products from Pyle.

Best of all, the Pyle PDC22 dual direct box is dirt cheap. It has a list price of $46.99 and as Amazon price of $19.23, and this includes Pyle’s 1-year warranty. For this price I recommend picking one up and tossing it into your road case, because it really could be handy to have one around.

Mahalo!