the box MA120 MKII Reviews

Good value stage monitor

Good value stage monitor. You will need to note that all the inputs and outputs are XLR - no jacks - and have the correct leads. This does mean that everything is balanced - which gives potential for better noise immunity. The one interesting feature is that the link output has its level controlled by the volume setting of the monitor and therefore we have to use this as the end monitor in the chain in our setup. Sound quality is good and our bass player even uses his as a practice amp/combo.

Excellent

I've used this model at an open mic under very harsh conditions, it's never missed a beat and performs better than most comparable, more expensive models. I was so impressed I bought my own and it's just a great but of kit. Very recommended.

Very sturdy

I've found this amp to be very sturdy with a very transparent sound . The eq consists on sturdy dials, its nice that you can actually feel the click between each sound setting. We've decided to get a second one of these for our backing singer

Fantastic

Tried this the first time on its own as a stand alone unit and was a fantastic sound and great bass

The box powered monitor

This is a very solidly made product with an exceptionally uncoloured sound.

The controls are accessible and well made. Because to the dense construction, it is quite heavy in relation to its size. The overall volume might not be enough for some applications.

Excellent value for money

This is a great 120w monitor. We've had 3 in the band for years, lots of gigs, lots of rigging and packing and they soldier on perfectly. They return a good balanced foldback with good bandwidth, they are easy to handle and set-up. I bought myself a spare one which i use with a mini mixer, which forms a perfect combo for rehearsals and small venue acoustic gigs. To sum it ....extremely useful, reliable, good sound and excellent value for money!

Solid

Great little box for small stage use. Easily loud enough. Good angle on the speaker, looks sleek and subtle. Also the optional mic input is useful if you need to use it for vocal reinforcement, which we have in a room of 50 or so people at tables, and it held up quite well.

Gut und günstig!

Wir haben den Amp seit etwa 6 Jahren ständig (d.h. mehrmals wöchentlich) in Gebrauch und er funktioniert immer noch tadellos. Teilweise läuft bei kleineren Gigs die komplette Band via Kleinmixer über den MKII - wo er als alleiniger Verstärker kleinere Säle mit ausreichend Lautstärke (unterhaltungsmusikmäßig) beschallen kann.

Der Monitor is robust und gut verarbeitet und hat trotz seiner (relativen) Kompaktheit einen guten Sound mit reichlich Bass und Höhen. Er kommt mit allem gut klar: Bass, Gesang, Piano und Gitarre. Am häufigsten benutzen wir ihn zuhause als Bassverstärker, weil er einen viel besseren Sound als die kleinen Bassverstärker hat und uns dabei das Rumschleppen der großen Verstärker erspart.

Kann man nur empfehlen!

Superb Monitor

This has been superb! Well made and it works fantastically. We bought 2 for our band and they are serving us very well. Superb value too. We always use an extension speaker too for convenience and to achieve the full power output.

I can't recommend this unit enough!

Excellent

Fantastic value for money. Simplistic to use and very good quality. Great sound projection. I would highly recommend this product. Billed quality for its price range is excellent. Adequate weight and easy to handle.

A workhouse

I use the POD X3 Pro guitar modelling processor and the MA120 (sometimes together with PA M 12 ECO) covers my needs for monitoring and/or amplifying on stage. I often also often use it as an combo under rehearsal complementing my POD X3 Pro.

I have even used it as PA in an outside area of approx. 250 square meters without any problems and with lot of power to spare, so it's very versatile.

On the cons side, the box is very heavy but it's probably hard to do it different and I also miss that it can send mic level output to for example the house mixers when that applies. The line level I/Os are XLR only and it would also be nice to have the balanced jacks there.

The sound is not HiFi and it's not supposed to be that either; it sounds perfect under live events and in rehearsal situations and that is what I'm using it for.

I give handling, features, sound and quality four stars, but the total is without doubt 5 strong stars when you involve the price into the picture. I can usually place all my ordinary gear on a hand truck with the MA 120 in the bottom and it is essential for making my live gear as versatile as it is now. I strongly recommend it.

Great monitor at a great price.

For the price this is the best monitor we have ever had. We've previously used monitors by Laney, Studiomaster and Carlsbro with similar sized speakers and similar output power and this holds its own against them all. We've had it over a year and a half and played 2 gigs a week at least and never had any trouble with it. It has good sound, the 3 band graphic eq is effective and its tough wearing as its been put in and out of a van every night. For bigger gigs we regularly power a 12" JBL wedge off it and it handles this fine and we also take a line out to an in-ear monitor and this too works fine. All in all a great monitor at a fantastic price which I can't recommend highly enough.

Useful monitor for not much money.

It took me a long time to actually click on the 'add to cart' button for this one, wondering whether I should buy a dedicated monitor or just go with another (more versatile) set of moulded active speakers. In the end, I opted for this partly for budget reasons, partly because I felt the EQ would come in handy for keeping troublesome feedback at bay, and partly because by my calculations the SPL rating should allow it to cut through the noise of a fairly crowded pub so the singer could actually hear herself.

Since purchase it has gigged well over 100 times, mostly in the pub cover band setup, with mostly very good results.

Firstly, there are no complaints about the build quality. It feels quite solidly built, doesn't weigh too much for the size of it, and the knobs and controls all feel good too. All the controls and inputs are on the front panel, so it is easy to tweak when you are in the heat of the gig.

The sound quality is also good. There is no big bottom end off this unit - but then, we didn't buy it for that - but it is clear and clean as long as you watch the levels you send into it. And the overall sound level is where the only real problem I have with this unit is: As mentioned, I bought it partly based on the rated SPL (120dB SPL peak). I say only partially, as a peak reading like this doesn't have much meaning with real programme material going through it. I was hoping for a realistic 110dB average sound level, meaning we would still cut through a 90dB rowdy crowd with a few dB to spare - even removing 6dB for the distance from monitor to ear. Unfortunately in the louder pubs and clubs, this monitor does not cut through, and we often resort to propping it up on a flight cases, raising it off the ground by about 50cm just to be able to hear it. It is also times like this that you notice just how tight the pattern is that is produced by the small horn, and when things are tough on stage, unless the horn is pointing directly at your ear, you aren't going to hear much.

The EQ controls are most often all set with the top, middle and bottom set to their centre detent position, but if I need to tweak anything they are slightly on the gentle side (when is someone going to make a monitor like this with a graphic EQ in???), and you are not only affecting the frequency causing trouble, but a lot of the frequencies you need to hear! Having said that, the controls are better than not having them, and for the money, I don't think anyone could really complain too much!

In terms of reliability, this thing has been in and out of the van constantly, been rained on, drink spilled over it, etc., and still continues to work without issue.

So, I've spent quite a bit of time talking about the main problem I've had with this unit (mainly because everything else works as expected), so should YOU buy one? Well, if you play really busy, noisy Irish pubs like I do, then you probably need to weigh it up against something with a bit more oomph, BUT, you would probably need to spend at least double the amount that this costs to get something that might cut through the noise - pay attention to average SPL and the horn dispersion figures if that is the case, or alternatively check out in-ear monitoring (we did, and didn't like it - we couldn't interact with the audience). If you are a small PA company that needs a few cheap stage monitors for mid-sized gigs then you'd be surprised to find that these would probably do the job nicely, and when based in a theatre or somewhere where you have a listening audience, they might not sound quite as full-range or punchy as more expensive units, but I don't think anyone would complain.

Would I buy again? Maybe not for loud pub gigs, but I'd certainly have one or more for other situations.

Really good quality for the money

These monitors worked straight out of the box, mains in, signal in and away we go. Only three observations, firstly the units come with continental mains leads so you need to get UK leads or change the plugs. Secondly they have an additional "standby" button which is not documented in the manual, and it's function is not obvious. Thirdly they only have feet on one face so reversing them to get a different face angle is not possible. Apart from these minor points I'm really pleased and will be gigging them next weekend.

Cheap as chips and does exactly what it says on the box!

Great as vocal monitors of mini PA system. Have used a pair with keys to good effect for smaller gigs.

durable wedge

I have had one of these since 2009. Its done loads of gigs and taken a few knocks along the way but its been great. I've used it as a monitor but I've also done solo gigs just using the MA120. Its quite bulky and heavy but its reliable and quite versatile, having mic and line inputs and a basic eq on the speaker. It can handle a fair amount of bass as well. It does get quite hot though. All in all I'm very happy with it. I gave it 5 stars overall to reflect the fact that it has been so durable. I am of course taking into account the price as well, its good value for money

sounds good

Top notch monitor . I even use it as PA . Well worth Buying . I'd recommend it to any one

Very good for practicing, maybe a bit quiet for loud gigs.

As I have said this is a very good monitor if you are practicing at home, however in large rooms I find that it just isn't loud enough.

Still a very good monitor, sound quality and features are great, just wish it were louder!!

Great for a one man set up

I have gigged with this monitor both with a band and by myself. It works nicely when your by yourself but once you put a set of drums and a bass behind you the sound from the monitor is lost. Its well built and can produce a good on stage sound. Im sure the bigger sizes would cope well with a band

Hope thos helps

Monitor

I have been using this for 5 years with my band, it works perfectly but its the heaviest piece of kit!

We are still arguing over who carries it in from the van.

We needed it with an amp because our desk isnt powered.

I wont buy another for the weight reason, its a tricky thing to move around.

But it does the job and the sound is great off it.