At a tempting price, it offers versatile technology, clarity and power. The small PA has an overwhelming number of uses. Just the other day I went to an event where we were being shown around a factory, and an assistant from the company was carrying an active speaker with wheels and a (telescoping) handle, connected via Bluetooth to the microphone of the company president, who was chatting away to the whole group following him.
I've seen this same solution (with remote control and battery included) in the EK Audio catalog, specifically the M10PB08PB at 80 W and the M11PB12PC at 160 W. Today we're heading to the test bench with the M04PA12PB.
EK AUDIO M04PA12PB
Widening the range of this manufacturer's offerings that we're investigating today, we now turn to a “conventional” system of two active speakers to mount on stands. I received a perfectly packed box containing the following:
Two sturdy stands
Speakon cable
Fabric zippered stand bag
Remote control
1 active speaker + 1 EK Audio passive speaker
Handheld dynamic microphone
With no additional subwoofer, these speakers have to deliver a balanced and sufficient range of lows, mids and highs on their own. One is an active speaker, the one that plugs into the mains and holds the core elements of the system. The second is connected via Speakon to provide the right coverage in the room and widen the stereo image as needed.
One of the pair's key selling points is the rear panel. It contains a wide range of options for connecting sources. These include flash drives or USB devices for MP3 playback, an SD card slot and Bluetooth connection (which we tested easily, with instant success).
It has two channels with independent volume, with XLR and ¼" TRS jack inputs, and a third volume control for “line/MP3,” with RCA input and output. Finally, we find the master volume control, treble and bass (overall), and two LEDs (clip and power).
Worth noting is its top display, which controls the DIGITAL MEDIA PLAYER built into the active speaker (rear). There we set the MODE and can check the status of the MP3s and whether the Bluetooth connection is active or inactive. Just below the display are the buttons for Mode, Play, Stop, Loop/Random, next track and previous track.
Sound and Power
I have to say that right before this I'd been listening to the 1,200 W of the LA 1025, and the 200 + 200 W of this pair (M04PA12PB), at their modest 365 € price, sounded wonderful and had little to envy from the 1,165 € giant. Very reasonable definition, with round, easy-to-manage lows.
Conclusions
You can't expect miracles, but for 365 € for the whole pack, I sincerely believe it's a truly tempting offer. A minimal investment that will get us out of a jam in any situation where we need moderate amplification: speech, presentation, small gig, party and a long etc.
SPEC SHEET
Power 200 + 200 W
Active + passive two-way speaker, 12" woofer + tweeter
Two channels, two-band EQ
Wheels
Weight 8.3 + 10.2 kg
Price 365 €
Distributed by: Enrique Keller, S.A.
