LOADING, UNLOADING, and transporting a P.A. system is one part of being a performing musician that most could live without. If you're a solo act or a member of a small group that puts mostly vocals through your system and you play in small venues, an all-in-one P.A. can often provide sufficient sound reinforcement with a minimum of lugging and hassling. A number of manufacturers offer such products (most notably the Fender Passport), and Peavey joins the fray with the Escort 2000.
The system consists of a pair of two-way speakers with stands, a powered mixer, a functional (though unspectacular) cardioid mic, and cables. Everything fits together into one portable unit that looks somewhat like a big piece of luggage. The speakers lock in on top of the mixer, and the mixer case has wheels at one end so you can move the system around easily. The whole thing weighs only 57 pounds, and you can set it up in less than five minutes.
MIX IT UP
The heart of the Escort is a 5-channel, 150W (75W per side) stereo powered mixer. XLR mic inputs (with 15V phantom power available) are on channels 1 through 4 along with ¼-inch mono instrument inputs on channels 1 through 3 and a stereo pair of ¼-inch inputs on channel 4. Channel five is a stereo input with RCA jacks. The mixer also has a stereo aux output with RCA jacks and two ¼-inch speaker outputs.
The individual channel controls are quite minimal. You get a 60 mm Gain fader, Bass and Treble EQ knobs, and a knob that controls the internal digital reverb. Conspicuously absent are pan pots, putting the Escort 2000's stereo capabilities largely in question by making the microphone and mono instrument inputs functionally mono.
For global tone adjustments, the Escort 2000 is equipped with a 5-band graphic equalizer that has sliders labeled Low, Low-Mid, Mid, High-Mid, and High (corresponding to 100 Hz, 350 Hz, 1 kHz, 3 kHz, and 8 kHz, respectively). Above each slider is an LED indicator that lights when feedback is present in that frequency. Peavey calls that feature the Feedback Locating System (FLS).
To operate the FLS system, set the faders to 0 and then increase a channel's gain or the master output gain until one or more LEDs lights up; then, cut those frequencies slightly until all the LEDs go out. (One can't help but wonder why sliders also let you boost the frequencies.) The manual recommends testing with only the mic signals present and before the show begins, as other signals (such as acoustic guitar) can make it difficult to tell which source is causing the LEDs to light.
One of the mixer's significant limitations is the lack of auxiliary sends for setting up a monitor mix. If you need stage monitoring, Peavey recommends using one speaker as a monitor and the other as the main speaker and adjusting the relative volumes with the left and right Master Volume faders. The drawback with that scenario is that the same mix will come out of both speakers, so there won't be any monitor “mix.” There's also the issue of having only one stage monitor and just one main speaker.
ESCORTED SOUNDS
I auditioned the Escort 2000 in several performance situations, and in each case I was pleasantly surprised by the sound quality. I tried it with vocals, my Takamine acoustic/electric (directly plugged in to a channel input and also using an L. R. Baggs Para Acoustic D.I.), and my pickup-equipped acoustic violin. In each instance, the sound from the Escort 2000 was excellent.
I also took the Escort 2000 to my semiregular blues and classic-rock jam session, a true trial-by-fire for any small P.A. Every channel was used: vocal mics into channels 1 and 2, a guitar amp mic into channel 3, and violin and acoustic guitar (using the Baggs Para Acoustic D.I.) into channel 4. For good measure, I also ran a stereo signal from a Line 6 Pod into channel 5, with a Fender Strat plugged into the Pod.
Setting the levels for a decent overall mix was a snap. We then jammed hard for two hours, pushing the volume on the sliders to 7 or 8 on each channel as well as the master. Despite having four channels in continuous operation and sometimes running all five, the Escort more than held its own. The vocals sounded smooth, the direct electric guitar had a solid bottom end, and the violin cut through the mix. The built-in digital reverb also proved quite useful. The only real drawback was the lack of a monitor send.
At a list price of $699 (you should be able to find it for considerably less in your local music store), the Escort 2000 is an attractive entry-level portable P.A. It sounds great, particularly for an all-in-one system. The lack of monitor sends could be a problem for gigging bands, but if I were an acoustic act trying to crack the local coffeehouse circuit, I'd give the Escort 2000 a serious look. I'd also consider it if I were playing in a band that needed an inexpensive rehearsal P.A. When you consider its small size, small price, and big sound, the Escort 2000 has lots to offer.
ESCORT 2000 SPECS
Audio Inputs (5) ¼" line (3 mono, 1 stereo pair); (4) XLR mic; (2) RCA
Audio Outputs (2) RCA aux
Speaker Outputs (2) ¼"
Power Amplifier 75W per side into 4Ω
Frequency Response 30 Hz-25 kHz (±3 dB measured at 1W)
Tone Controls bass 100 Hz (±10 dB); treble 10 kHz (±10 dB)
Graphic EQ 5-band: 100 Hz, 350 Hz, 1 kHz, 3 kHz, 8 kHz
Drivers 10" woofer, piezoelectric horn tweeter
Reverb digital
Dimensions 36.75" (W) × 14.50" (H) × 15.50" (D)
Weight 57 lb.
