The gig's finally over. You're dead tired, your throat is killing you, it's 10 degrees outside, your car battery is almost dead-and you still have a hair-raising 20-mile drive home. But first you need to break down a ton of sound equipment.

Or do you?

Let's face it: the entertainment business isn't always dry ice, adoring fans, and fat checks. But you can take steps to reduce the potential adversity of any job, including gigging. Take your P.A., for instance. If you're in an acoustic duo, do you really need to schlepp around a bulky set of three-way speakers and a 1,000-watt power amp rack? Sure, it might sound great-but you probably won't care when you're waking up after your first hernia operation.

Thanks to Pignose-that longtime maker of diminutive boxes that produce substantial sounds-you can ease your nightly pain with the PA150WC PA To Go portable P.A. system. Okay, with 75 watts (at 4 ohms) you won't exactly be equipped for a date at Carnegie Hall. But if you're playing something akin to the back room of the Carnegie Deli (at least after lunch hour), you might be in business.

The big news here is that the PA To Go isn't big at all; it consists of a pair of portable two-way out-fronts featuring horn tweeters and 10-inch speakers (with built-in pole mounts and carry handles) and a compact, 4-channel powered head. With a combined weight of 65 pounds, the PA To Go will have you out the door and onto the interstate in the time it normally takes you to haul out one large speaker.

Controls/Inputs The master section of the powered head contains Bass, Mid, and Treble adjustment knobs, as well as controls for Master Volume and Master Reverb. Each of the four individual channels has controls for Volume, Tone (one knob is all you get-but remember, we're talking back-saving gear, so out go the extras), and Reverb, along with a pair of inputs: one for standard XLR microphone connections, and another for 11/44-inch Hi-Z connections. The power switch and status LED are also conveniently located on the face of the box.

The rear of the head sports two 11/44-inch jacks labeled Main In/Out for patching in external effects. In addition, there's a 11/44-inch Preamp In jack for connecting external sources such as CD and cassette players, but it takes only a mono feed, so you'll have to "Y" any stereo sources you use. A 11/44-inch Preamp Out jack allows you to send a signal from the mixer to an auxiliary power amp or monitor setup, but there are no individual monitor level controls for each channel, so the mix sent to Preamp Out mirrors what's going to the mains. A pair of 11/44-inch speaker jacks is also located on the back of the unit, and the package comes with a set of low-gauge speaker cables.

In the Basement, On the Job With only 75 watts and 4-ohm speakers out front, the PA To Go is obviously not designed to handle large rooms or perform in other demanding conditions. It should be fine for a small pop-rock combo running a pair of vocal microphones and a bass drum mic on low gain in a small club, but attempting to fill any significant space would cause the sound to break up-and miking amps or additional drums is out of the question. The PA To Go will easily accommodate most rehearsal or in-the-basement applications, or any other situations where neither high fidelity nor high volume is required.

After acknowledging its limitations, we tried the PA To Go under gentler circumstances: an acoustic guitar duo's performance in a small room. Setup took only seconds, as we chucked our speaker stands and simply placed the speakers on small tables about 25 feet apart. We used all four XLR inputs (two for vocals, two for guitars) by plugging in Shure SM57 and SM58 mics to ensure the highest possible fidelity.

With the master and individual gain controls set to unity gain, the system performed surprisingly well, especially during lower-volume fingerpicking segments. Attempts to push the PA To Go were met with some vocal breakup, but slightly backing off the volume remedied that problem. With its bare-bones equalization, the Pignose sound is not meant to be fussed over, so we set the midrange to flat and boosted bass and treble settings to about 2 o'clock. As we expected to find in a low-budget unit, the built-in reverb is a very weak link, so we ran totally dry. The guitar sound was satisfactory (even if the Martin D-28 sounded a little less authentic), and feedback was easily controlled.

The Lowdown The Pignose PA150WC PA To Go is a useful P.A. system for rehearsal applications, and can be used as a sound system in a small room. Despite its limited EQ ability, the system offers adequate sound reinforcement for solo performers, duos, and low-volume combos, particularly those playing jazz, folk, or light rock. Because it's a low-power unit, the PA To Go is not suitable for larger-or louder-configurations, but it offers maximum portability and reasonable fidelity at a respectable price.

Power 75 watts @ 4 ohms Channels 4 Inputs (4) XLR Low-Z microphone; (4) 11/44" Hi-Z; (1) 11/44" Preamp; (1) 11/44" Main (effects return) Outputs (2) 11/44" speaker; (1) 11/44" Preamp; (1) 11/44" Main (effects send) Dimensions: Mixer 20" (W) 5 9" (D) 5 6.5" (H) Speakers (each) 13" (W) 5 9" (D) 5 19" (H) Weight: Mixer 21 lbs. Speakers (each) 22 lbs.

Pignose PA150WC PA To Go $499

Overall Rating (1 through 5): 3.5

Pros: Very lightweight. Excellent practice/rehearsal system; good choice for beginners, solo performers, and smaller outfits. Very affordable.

Cons: Low power; average fidelity. Not a good choice for larger groups or louder rock applications.

Contact: Pignose Industries; tel. (323) 770-4444; fax (310) 538-9560; e-mail sales@pignoseamps.com; Web www.pignoseamps.com