Laney Audiohub Freestyle AH4x4 Portable PA Early Impressions

[necrome]

Thought I'd share how this new portable column PA is since I don't see much information on the forums! Laney came up with a new battery-powered portable PA system with 4 x 4" woofers (hence the name) and a high frequency tweeter that was barely marketed and only sold in the UK the last I knew.

Before the Laney AH4x4, I performed and busked almost daily with my Roland AC-33 over the last year and always found its volume to be lacking especially in larger spaces and was on the lookout for something that can be battery powered and more powerful with a further throw distance. A nice user on the forum by the ID 51_Relic vaguely mentioned this new portable PA in another thread which piqued my interest but sadly, none of the physical stores I went to in central London carried it and there was no way for me to try out the product. This led to me reluctantly spending 340 Pounds or so (price including the carrying case) hoping that it'd turn out well.

It's been about a month since I've gotten it and here are my thoughts about the PA, I may come back and add to these initial impressions when I use it more in the future:

The Laney AH4x4 is the only column portable battery-powered PA as far as I know and it kinda looks like the SoloAmp/Bose line array systems without the base. It runs either on direct power supply, 8xAA or 3x18650 protected high-power Lithium Ion batteries commonly used for tactical flashlights and vaping.

The AH4x4 is firstly, a lot louder than the Roland AC-33 at maximum volume - about 50-60% or so according to my ears and sounds good. The disclaimer being that I do not have any scientific devices or knowledge for measuring loudness! The tonal qualities do sound slightly coloured in my opinion, and seemingly a little less pleasant than what I was getting with the AC-33. I do however notice that more people were hearing me across a larger distance which is what I was looking for with this buy. It has two combo XLR/1/4" inputs with toggle-able delay/reverb settings (although both can only be set at the same FX levels), two 1/4" inputs without FX, an aux input and a Bluetooth connection. One thing to note is that the Bluetooth connection works a lot better with iDevices compared to Android ones in my testing.

There is a limited onboard EQ with a few modes. Flat, Bass-boosted, Mids-cut and Mid-boosted and I find that the default Flat mode sounds a bit thin on the low frequencies. The Bass-boosted option is what I typically go for but it does make the overall sound a tad unnatural, somewhat like Bose's portable Bluetooth speakers.

The PA can be oriented horizontally or vertically but thus far I've had it as a standing column running with the 8xAA batteries option. I could only get about 2 hours of good sound coming through it in normal operations (there is an Eco mode which is more battery efficient but sounds a lot thinner and worse). The batteries I use are Sanyo's rechargeable Eneloops and after about 2 hours the sound would start to distort due to a lack of juice from the AAs. I've only gotten the 3x18650 batteries in my mail today and hope the PA works much better with those!

It weighs 6.5kg, up from the 4.8kg of the AC-33, but still is manageable for me compared to an AER. It also comes with an optional carrying case that has a storage compartment which sadly looks very much unlike what the official images show it to be. The official images of the carrying case show a tough, sturdy hard-plastic form but what I received in the mail was made with typical thick guitar gig bag fabric with no instructions whatsoever on how it was to be used. The case does perform its function well enough but I was expecting something of a much higher quality from the pictures.

It is a pity that Laney seems to not be doing so well on the documentation and distribution side of things and they haven't been any help at all when I contacted them on various issues. All things considered, I am very happy with the quality of the AH4x4, it puts out a lot of volume and does it very well without breaking your back. It is also probably one of, if not the best option for battery-powered performances out there.

For the rest of the gear I use:
Tanglewood TW45NSE superfolk acoustic w/ LR Baggs Anthem Pro
Shure WH20XLR microphone through TC Helicon's Harmony Singer

Update: Sound test video is available below
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrjanHiKkqA

[dannyg1]

There's an interesting (but 22 min long) review of this on Youtibe:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwKwngg27HA

Which, after perusing, does seem to confirm your conclusion that it is a small, lightweight Roland killer (At least for the AC33/KC110 amps. Maybe not the Street Cube EX).

The question that comes first to my mind is, is this a Kustom PA50 or that other company that makes the same thing rebadged? A quick look at the PA50 says no (Horn tweeter, different driver set-up), so that's good.

Anybody remember what the other companies name is? I know that they produce a 4 speaker column with 100w (Supposedly).

This is an interesting box and it does show some promise but I'd like to hear someone test this in a louder ambient noise street setting or the subway before getting too excited about it.

A few questions:

How does it sound at the very top end volumes? Does it break up fairly gracefully?

How's the dynamic range sound with a whispery quiet to loud vocal? When you get loud can you feel it limiting?

It seems to sound fairly natural in the video. Does that hold up for you in long term use?

How's the reverb sound to you? Especially on the vocal.

Have you heard the Carvin S600b or the non-array Sunburst gear amps? Wonder how these choices would compare in real world use.

What'd you pay for this? Seems from the video that it's around $400-450. The Carvin is $650-720.

[dannyg1]

BTW, you can make a dedicated external battery pack for your amp, that'll run for as long as you build it large enough to run. Post a pic of the power connector and voltage spec for your AC supply/brick and we can advise.

Doing some more quick research, it seems that this product might be discontinued. There's no mention of it on the Laney site and I can't find the stand alone website I'd posted earlier this year.

[dannyg1]

This link appears to confirm my suspicion that the Laney is discontinued:

https://www.andertons.co.uk/p/AH-FRE...em-w-bluetooth

[Cuki79]

I think they do sell it

https://www.andertons.co.uk/p/AH4X4/...ery-powered-pa

it just does not have the "freestyle" name anymore.

Cuki

[necrome]

Originally Posted by dannyg1

How does it sound at the very top end volumes? Does it break up fairly gracefully?

After switching to the bigger, more powerful batteries. It has stopped distorting even at very high volumes. It still sound pretty true to the source when it goes loud. I haven't pushed it to the absolute absolute limit though due to the environments I play in (probably will get complaints)!

Originally Posted by dannyg1

How's the dynamic range sound with a whispery quiet to loud vocal? When you get loud can you feel it limiting?

During my 3-hour session today I tried playing in a wide dynamic range and the 4x4 handled it very well throughout. It definitely puts out more than enough volume for a subway. I do think that my LR Baggs Anthem Pro's signal isn't as hot as it can be because I do feel that even with the gain and volumes all maxxed out on my acoustic guitar, it does still sound a little soft in a wide open setting. But that isn't an issue with the PA.

Originally Posted by dannyg1

It seems to sound fairly natural in the video. Does that hold up for you in long term use?

I've found the sound fairly natural all things considered. The trebles do sound a little harsh so I had to take down the highs on the Anthem's onboard EQ. The flat preset on the EQ sounds good and true in a controlled/indoor setting but is less audible than the bass-boosted setting which is somewhat unnatural (but not bad) and more audible. The PA can definitely use a standard 3-band (preferably more) EQ instead of only dealing with presets - weird decision by Laney there...

Originally Posted by dannyg1

How's the reverb sound to you? Especially on the vocal.

The reverb on the unit is subtle, neutral sounding and unoffensive, which is great for a reverb. It sounds somewhat like a mid chamber reverb instead of a hall/cathedral type which is also my preference.

Originally Posted by dannyg1

Have you heard the Carvin S600b or the non-array Sunburst gear amps? Wonder how these choices would compare in real world use.

I've never heard of a Carvin because they are not available where I come from (Singapore) and the weight of the units were too much for me to do an import because I rely mostly on public transport! From what I've read about them though, I have a feeling the Carvins will almost definitely sound better for acoustic players. I do hear AERs pretty often in my country though and the 4x4 sounds very similar to them.

Originally Posted by dannyg1

What'd you pay for this? Seems from the video that it's around $400-450. The Carvin is $650-720.

Considering I paid about $430 USD for the Roland AC-33 w/ a gigbag, this amp is a step-up in audibility, functionality and throw-distance almost for the same price. But that comparison isn't exactly fair because the AC-33 is a very old design and Roland should definitely update that line with a better battery-powered column version. Looking at all the options that are available on the market, this is probably the best bang-for-buck portable/road system that is below 10kg. Considering it can be mounted on a speaker pole and extended to include multiple units, the versatility is pretty good too. The major competing products are probably Mackie's Freeplay, Roland's Cube Street EX - both of which don't sound great for acoustic guitars and the Roland AC-33 which I've extensively compared the AH4x4 to. To be really honest, the cheapskate Asian in me thinks that much of the price goes to the design of the device (the only one of its class). The 4x4 being made in China is probably going to mean that imitations with very similar qualities can be bought for $250 within a year or two. For what it is now, I am about 90% satisfied with the purchase and the price Laney is charging for it

[dannyg1]

Thanks for the rundown. When you say that it sounds like an AER, which model is the one you're most familiar with hearing?

Any chance you might do a direct comparison between the two with your AER owner compatriots?

Do you sing as well as play through this Laney?

[NotValid]

Been looking at this model as it seems perfect for what i need it for. However the lack of a proper EQ has me waiting for a possible newer version or another competitor. I also dont like the fact there are ZERO reviews on the web other than this thread and the Andertons video. When something has been out this long and there are no reviews it cant be a good thing, can it? Just wish i could find one locally to try out as I am interested. Lack of reviews and EQ has me on the sidelines for now.

[Cuki79]

[QUOTE=NotValid;5148326]Been looking at this model as it seems perfect for what i need it for. However the lack of a proper EQ has me waiting for a possible newer version or another competitor. I also dont like the fact there are ZERO reviews on the web other than this thread and the Andertons video. When something has been out this long and there are no reviews it cant be a good thing, can it? Just wish i could find one locally to try out as I am interested. Lack of reviews and EQ has me on the sidelines for now.[/QUOTE

There is a review in soundonsound March 2017.

They report great vocal clarity, good power (117db spell max measured), real search and destroy anti feedback. Drawbacks are hum from PSu ground... Needs proper grounding and the unit can not charge the battery so you need to buy the battery charger extra.

[NotValid]

[QUOTE=Cuki79;5289811]

Originally Posted by NotValid

Been looking at this model as it seems perfect for what i need it for. However the lack of a proper EQ has me waiting for a possible newer version or another competitor. I also dont like the fact there are ZERO reviews on the web other than this thread and the Andertons video. When something has been out this long and there are no reviews it cant be a good thing, can it? Just wish i could find one locally to try out as I am interested. Lack of reviews and EQ has me on the sidelines for now.[/QUOTE

There is a review in soundonsound March 2017.

They report great vocal clarity, good power (117db spell max measured), real search and destroy anti feedback. Drawbacks are hum from PSu ground... Needs proper grounding and the unit can not charge the battery so you need to buy the battery charger extra.

Thanks Cuki, Now I'm checking out the Mackie Freeplay. I kind of ruled out the 4x4 because Thomann no longer carries it. Something tells me its to be discontinued or a new version is about to be released. It seems like the Mackie has more features with its app mixer, plus an 8 inch for more bass. Either way I still think these portable battery powered units need to grow up a bit and move from being a student toy gimmick to something more professional. Carvin is ahead of the pack with the S600b but its too much power for my needs.

[Cuki79]

[QUOTE=NotValid;5290724]

Originally Posted by Cuki79

Thomann no longer carries it.

I don't understand Thomann policy... Sometimes they stop selling some products after a very short period.

Mackie freepay had a very bad review on audiofanzine. The guy said that the voicesolo 150FX sounded louder and better.

The more I think about it, the more I think a good portable amp will have small speakers with a DSP treatment to "enhance" bass like The Aphex Big bottom or Maxx Bass. Because "real" bass needs energy. So bass enhancement via compression or harmonic generation and a bit of psychoacoustic is a better option for portable PA.

[Cuki79]

Did you experience ground noise or hum as reported in the soundonsound review?

Originally Posted by necrome

Thought I'd share how this new portable column PA is since I don't see much information on the forums! Laney came up with a new battery-powered portable PA system with 4 x 4" woofers (hence the name) and a high frequency tweeter that was barely marketed and only sold in the UK the last I knew.

Before the Laney AH4x4, I performed and busked almost daily with my Roland AC-33 over the last year and always found its volume to be lacking especially in larger spaces and was on the lookout for something that can be battery powered and more powerful with a further throw distance. A nice user on the forum by the ID 51_Relic vaguely mentioned this new portable PA in another thread which piqued my interest but sadly, none of the physical stores I went to in central London carried it and there was no way for me to try out the product. This led to me reluctantly spending 340 Pounds or so (price including the carrying case) hoping that it'd turn out well.

It's been about a month since I've gotten it and here are my thoughts about the PA, I may come back and add to these initial impressions when I use it more in the future:

The Laney AH4x4 is the only column portable battery-powered PA as far as I know and it kinda looks like the SoloAmp/Bose line array systems without the base. It runs either on direct power supply, 8xAA or 3x18650 protected high-power Lithium Ion batteries commonly used for tactical flashlights and vaping.

The AH4x4 is firstly, a lot louder than the Roland AC-33 at maximum volume - about 50-60% or so according to my ears and sounds good. The disclaimer being that I do not have any scientific devices or knowledge for measuring loudness! The tonal qualities do sound slightly coloured in my opinion, and seemingly a little less pleasant than what I was getting with the AC-33. I do however notice that more people were hearing me across a larger distance which is what I was looking for with this buy. It has two combo XLR/1/4" inputs with toggle-able delay/reverb settings (although both can only be set at the same FX levels), two 1/4" inputs without FX, an aux input and a Bluetooth connection. One thing to note is that the Bluetooth connection works a lot better with iDevices compared to Android ones in my testing.

There is a limited onboard EQ with a few modes. Flat, Bass-boosted, Mids-cut and Mid-boosted and I find that the default Flat mode sounds a bit thin on the low frequencies. The Bass-boosted option is what I typically go for but it does make the overall sound a tad unnatural, somewhat like Bose's portable Bluetooth speakers.

The PA can be oriented horizontally or vertically but thus far I've had it as a standing column running with the 8xAA batteries option. I could only get about 2 hours of good sound coming through it in normal operations (there is an Eco mode which is more battery efficient but sounds a lot thinner and worse). The batteries I use are Sanyo's rechargeable Eneloops and after about 2 hours the sound would start to distort due to a lack of juice from the AAs. I've only gotten the 3x18650 batteries in my mail today and hope the PA works much better with those!

It weighs 6.5kg, up from the 4.8kg of the AC-33, but still is manageable for me compared to an AER. It also comes with an optional carrying case that has a storage compartment which sadly looks very much unlike what the official images show it to be. The official images of the carrying case show a tough, sturdy hard-plastic form but what I received in the mail was made with typical thick guitar gig bag fabric with no instructions whatsoever on how it was to be used. The case does perform its function well enough but I was expecting something of a much higher quality from the pictures.

It is a pity that Laney seems to not be doing so well on the documentation and distribution side of things and they haven't been any help at all when I contacted them on various issues. All things considered, I am very happy with the quality of the AH4x4, it puts out a lot of volume and does it very well without breaking your back. It is also probably one of, if not the best option for battery-powered performances out there.

For the rest of the gear I use:
Tanglewood TW45NSE superfolk acoustic w/ LR Baggs Anthem Pro
Shure WH20XLR microphone through TC Helicon's Harmony Singer

[dannyg1]

[QUOTE=NotValid;5290724]

Originally Posted by Cuki79

Thanks Cuki, Now I'm checking out the Mackie Freeplay. I kind of ruled out the 4x4 because Thomann no longer carries it. Something tells me its to be discontinued or a new version is about to be released. It seems like the Mackie has more features with its app mixer, plus an 8 inch for more bass. Either way I still think these portable battery powered units need to grow up a bit and move from being a student toy gimmick to something more professional. Carvin is ahead of the pack with the S600b but its too much power for my needs.

If you're determined not to do an inverter/battery/charger combo then you probably ought to check out the Sunburst gear/Elite acoustics battery powered amps. They have four now with multiple channels and reverbs, as Elite Acoustics amps. If you don't need FX, then you can buy Sunburst Gear amps, which cost less.

http://eliteacoustics.com/prod_pro.html

http://sunburstgear.com/news.html

[Cuki79]

[QUOTE=dannyg1;5322150]

Originally Posted by NotValid

If you're determined not to do an inverter/battery/charger combo then you probably ought to check out the Sunburst gear/Elite acoustics battery powered amps. They have four now with multiple channels and reverbs, as Elite Acoustics amps. If you don't need FX, then you can buy Sunburst Gear amps, which cost less.

http://eliteacoustics.com/prod_pro.html

http://sunburstgear.com/news.html

Thanks which one are you using?

[Cuki79]

Hi everyone,

Here is a comparison between Schertler JAM150+ and Laney AH4x4

A Zoom H2 (gain at high) is positionned 2m (6.5 feet) from the amps. There is no normalization between the two amps sample, so you get to coupare the "loudness".



1) is the reference Jamman looper wav file.
2) The SR tech/ Schertler JAM 150+ amp
3) The Laney AH4x4 (2.5 times cheaper amp, works on battery)



The SR tech / Schertler JAM 150 settings


The Laney AH4x4 settings


That little thing does the job!