New Array P.A. / Harbinger MLS900 - quick review

[TheShadowKnows]

I stumbled into my local G.C. today & saw the new Harbinger MLS900 array P.A.. Harbinger is G.C.'s 'house' brand for P.A. gear. I did an extensive review of the JBL Eon 1 vs Bose L1 Compact vs Harbinger MLS800 last year.

I didn't have time to try the MLS900 with an acoustic since G.C. was packed on a Sunday with the usual family crowds & the rocker wana B's cranking up the guitar amps. I did have a chance to bluetooth some commercial tracks to it as well as some Will Ackerman tracks. All of them sounded fantastic.

The unit is still running an 8" woofer like before but the top array of 6 / 2.75" speakers are now angled like a Bose L1 Compact. Wow! That made all the difference in the world for horizontal dispersion. While I was playing some familiar tunes (Steely Dan/Hey 19) I walked side to side & it had good 180 degree coverage. The sound quality at either side was about 90% of the in front sound. They really nailed it this time. The previous model had the speakers all facing front which gave it a narrower horizontal width. Angling the speakers truly does increase horizontal width. Thanks Bose!

The specs say 900 watts peak, class D amp. So let's figure 400 conservatively with that probably being split either 200w bass & 200w array, or maybe more to the bass & less to the array like JBL does it. I couldn't find any 'real' data on that just yet so we're guessing here.

There are some cosmetic differences between the 900 & the 800. The 900 front is rounded off plus the volume controls along with the bass & treble knobs are on the top. There's no master volume like the previous unit so the channel volume 'is' your master. The bass & treble don't really affect the volume but add the boom to the bottom & crispness to the top. For my test I had those up about 3/4's of the way. I tried it full blast & it was way too much bass & treble with the commercial music tracks.

At about 20 feet away with the treble & bass up about 3/4's of the way it sounded fantastic. Go here to read more about the unit: https://harbingerproaudio.com/mls900...ray-pa-system/

My personal collection of array p.a.'s are a JBL Eon 1 original flavor & a Bose S1 Pro. In the next day or two I'll be adding the Harbinger to my growing collection. Everyone needs a backup just in case, right?

Once I get the Harbinger home, I'll post a more detailed review of the unit & how it does with various pickup configured acoustics, so stay tuned!

UPDATE! I called Harbinger tech support & asked about the RMS power. The guy said it puts out 240 watts rms & that goes to both the 8" woofer & the array. It's not 2 separate power amps split between the lows & highs like JBL & Bose does.




On a side note: as of today, 11-25-18, G.C. has this unit at a screaming deal price of 4 Benjamins which is 33% off the normal price. I think this a Black Friday leftover deal & is good through Nov 28th. I seriously doubt they will offer it again at this price. I heard this just came out in October 2018. Since it's so new there could be not be many left out there because of the Black Friday sale & just stores only getting so many.

[SpruceTop]

Thanks, I'm looking forward to your more comprehensive review of the new Harbinger MLS900.

[Johnpeck1]

Please give us your review. I think the sale ends today!

[JackB1]

Would also love to hear about this one

[Johnpeck1]

@TheShadowKnows The crowds need answers!
Please let us know how it compares to your bose and eon one. This is less than 1/2 the price if those, so...

[SpruceTop]

The new Harbinger MLS900, currently at $399 per unit, sure makes a case for buying two--if they sound good and have reliability!

[kramster]

The sale is prolly ended.... not many reviews on it

[MikeBmusic]

Originally Posted by TheShadowKnows

UPDATE! I called Harbinger tech support & asked about the RMS power. The guy said it puts out 240 watts rms & that goes to both the 8" woofer & the array. It's not 2 separate power amps split between the lows & highs like JBL & Bose does.

[

That would certainly save them manufacturing cost. However, it means they are using a crossover for a powered signal (possible failure point and also something that 'eats' some of the output power) and have to use a component solution to balance bass vs treble.

[JackB1]

only downer about this system is no added effects...not even reverb.
you would need to add an external unit for effects. I can't imagine not adding at least reverb to voice and acoustic guitar.

[TheShadowKnows]

Yes, no verb, thus such a low price. I add a TC Elec. M350 verb for my guitar. Not sure how the crossover / mono power amp would effect it. I may have to call back Harbinger to double check what the was said. As I get more info I'll post it here.

I'll get the full review written up & here by the end of this week. Thanks for hanging in there.

[willysunday]

I'd like to know more about adding more inputs via an external mixer. I read it somewhere on a review of the PSL900 but can't find it. I just bought one and I know that I will want to share it with another voice & guitar. So I bought a Harbinger 8 channel mixer that was on sale. Hopefully I can make it happen. I need the mixer to replace a 4-channel Yamaha that I have. I'm in Florida and the yamaha is in Michigan. So eventually i will use the Yamaha on it.

Do i plug my mics and guitars into the mixer and then into the MSL900? any ideas?

bill

[leew3]

you got it right in your last sentence. line outs (R, L) of the mixer go to the line ins of the speaker.