Laney CD630M & CX12

Laney are best known for their guitar amplifiers, but their compact PA systems are also good value and tend to be designed for the kind of application previously described. The system reviewed here comprises the CD630M 300W (into 4Ω) mixer amp and a pair of CX12 passive speakers, although note that neither come with speaker leads, so you’ll need to buy your own cables. As these are available separately, you can opt to use either component as part of a different system. I’d describe the CD630M as an old-school-type mixer/amp, where all the controls are rotary and are located on a vertical front panel set into a vinyl-covered wooden sleeve. Judging by the weight and the in-built fan cooling, the power amp is almost certainly of traditional design, as opposed to Class D, and the amp operates only in mono with the ability to feed two speakers (with a combined impedance of not less than 4Ω) via a pair of jacks. An IEC mains inlet and power switch is fitted to the rear panel, where you’ll also find a global phantom power switch. A frequency response of 20Hz to 20kHz (-3dB) is quoted for the power amplifier and mixer.

Weighing 11kg and measuring 471 x 264 x 174mm, the CD630M is easy to carry by means of its top strap handle, and is ergonomically arranged for table-top operation. Metal corners protect the case, which is also fitted with rubber feet, while the front panel is sensibly recessed to afford some protection to the controls. No cover is included. Unlike early PA mixer/amps, this one benefits from digital effects technology and includes a selection of 16 preset reverbs, delays and modulation effects. Should your requirements be more modest, check out the four-channel CD480M and the five-channel CD516M, both of which have simpler EQs and smaller power amplifiers.

The power amp is fed by six mic/line channels, each of which has a three-band EQ, a gain control, monitor send and effects send. All the control knobs are colour coded according to function. A rotary switch in the effects section selects the effects preset, with the amount of effect added to each input determined by the effects send control. The line input is on a quarter-inch jack for the connection of keyboards or other electronic sound sources. A particularly nice touch is the built-in limiter, which helps to avoid the power amplifier being driven into clipping. This offers a useful degree of protection to the connected speakers, especially the tweeters. A peak LED in the master section shows when you’re running out of headroom, so for the best results you should set the overall level so that this is only flashing for the occasional peak.

Two controls in the master effects section determine how much of the effect is added back into the main mix and how much into the monitor mix, the latter being available at line level on a front-panel output jack. Two pairs of phonos provide a recording input and output, and in addition to the front-panel effects bypass button, there’s also a footswitch jack to allow the effects to be bypassed during performance using an optional on/off footswitch.

For the main mix, there’s an overall level control, a monitor output level control, and an aux input level control. A seven-band graphic equaliser provides the means to process the main output, and while seven bands is way too coarse for serious feedback control, it is a welcome addition to help balance the PA’s tonality with the characteristics of the room. There are also jacks for aux in, which also has its own level control, and effects out, in case you prefer to use an external effects processor. For larger venues, a main mix output jack is provided, which can be used to feed additional active speaker systems or passive speakers with separate amplifiers.

This model uses a port-loaded, 12-inch bass/mid driver assisted by a one-inch, horn-loaded compression driver. As is usual with this type of cabinet design, the horn flare is moulded into the cabinet, while a metal grille protects the 12-inch driver. These speakers have a nominal music rating of 400W or 200W RMS, and have a very respectable 96dB/W@1m efficiency rating. Their impedance is 8Ω and the frequency response is quoted as 60Hz to 18kHz.

As for the speakers, they are capable of a reasonably loud and clear delivery, but like most budget plastic-box systems, the cases tend to be rather under-damped, which can lend them a slightly boxy quality, especially when pushed hard. Pulling back on the lower-mid EQ improves this, however, and the general consensus, after using the system at a pub-sized venue with both a duo and a small band, was that it achieved a quite respectable vocal sound that was both smooth and intelligible with the absolute minimum of fuss. It was also very easy to set up because of its light weight and clear control layout, so while there may be more sophisticated mixer amps on offer, few are so straightforward. All the basics are covered — the ability to set up a single monitor mix to feed an active monitor, and enough in the effects section to add a bit of interest to an otherwise dry vocal sound.

You can plug a CD or MP3 player into the phono inputs during your breaks if you need background music, so the only limitation in this respect is that all playback will be in mono. In my view, the power rating is about right for a system of this size too, because in smaller venues the constraints of staying within the feedback gain threshold usually impose an SPL limit before the power rating of the PA components do.