I decided recently to buy a small gigging rig of Active PA speaker and microphone with a budget of £500. The speaker would have to be light enough to transport easily - be carried into classrooms, halls, cafes, workshop areas, lugged up and down stairs, etc. I didn't want to be faffing around getting it to sound good. It would have to sound loud and punchy with a mic plugged straight in - no mixer, no EQ - just mic and PA. A tall order, but never being one to turn down a challenge, I called up my friends at Absolute Music in Poole and had them line up for me the battlers:

The Battlers

JBL EON 315 (£449)	RCF ART 310A (£409)	MACKIE SRM350 MkII (£303)	DB Technologies BASIC 400 (£359)

The rules were simple. In Round 1, the cabinets would go head to head with a single SM58 microphone. Then in Round 2, the two finalists battle it out using two different microphones:

Shure SM58 (£101)	Sennheiser E845 (£97)

ROUND 1: JBL vs RCF

We plugged in the SM58 and off we went with some serious beatboxing, keeping close eye on the bass and top-end. First up was the JBL against the RCF. The JBL was pumping (benefitting from a 15-inch cone and a little bass-boost button on the back). The RCFs sounded okay - nice and clear. However, the JBL refused to drop in price, and couldn't quite come in under budget. Also, the cabinet (to my mind) just looked a bit too weird. The RCF seemed to have better clarity and an edge. A tough battle, but the RCF just made it through.

Winner: RCF ART 310A

ROUND 1: Mackie vs DB

The Mackies performed well - I worried about the fact that the mic/line button was sticking out rather than recessed as this could cause major problems if it got accidentally bumped, but it didn't. It sounded impressive. But then it all went wrong for the DB - within seconds it seemed to have blown up. There was no top-end and the bass sounded flabby. An embarrassed member of staff had to carry it away. Therefore it was immediately knocked out by the Mackie.

Winner: Mackie SRM350 MkII

ROUND 2: RCF vs Mackie

The Mackie came in slightly lighter than the RCF, both in terms of weight and size of dent in the pocket. Despite this, it felt like a more solid build. With the SM58 they both sounded pretty similar. It looked like the Mackie was going to win. Then we switched microphone to the Sennheiser E845 - a mic that delivers a bit more bass. Both cabinets responded to the E845 and the beatboxing started to sound a whole lot better. The RCF sounded great - delivering a low punch that got you in the guts but still retaining clarity. By comparison the Mackie sounded a bit middy or nasally and lacked oomph. Switching back and forth, it was clear which combo sounded better. There was no comparison!

Winner: RCF ART 310A with Sennheiser E845.

Summary

That night, I took my new purchases into a school hall with 200 children and adults. I noticed that the RCF was light and the carrying handle on the top was comfortable (how come Mackie could never get that right?) But could the RCF kick out enough to fill the space? It performed brilliantly. I simply plugged in, cranked up the gain and I was away. I wasn't even aware of the rig - it was transparent. There was just enough bottom end to make it sound great. Superb.

Active PA speakers are the way to go but it is important to match the microphone to the speaker - especially if you, like me, are going to plug in without using a mixer or any EQ. I am happy with my purchases - and with a nice little discount, and a good quality 9m mic cable with Neutrik connectors thrown in, I had plenty of change in my pocket from my £500.