# Thoughts on Alto P/A gear



## allthumbs56 (Jul 24, 2006)

I'm in the market for a small, lower-priced p/a/ setup for my acoustic duo/solo and came across the Alto brand at a local store. I'm looking at the ZMX122FX mixer and one TS110a speaker for starters. The prices matched current U.S prices $119 for the mixer and $249 for the speakers. They spec out very well and they seem to be reviewed quite well.

Anybody have any experience with the brand?


----------



## whywhyzed (Jan 28, 2008)

did one gig with the *ZMX164FXU *mixer I picked up on Tom Lee's boxing day sale. It seems like a quality unit for what I paid and it certainly did everything a mixer twice the price would do for our 4 pc band. I'd like a second 9 band EQ that could be used for monitors, so we could have a FOH EQ, and a monitor EQ on top of the 3 or 4 band pots. (Or a DJ "break" setting, then live music setting - which is really how I ended up using the 9 band - just for ipod) and I wish there was a better manual for it - still a few controls I cannot make any sense of and I haven't really used the onboard FX aside from just trying them for a couple of minutes. Time will tell for long term reliability, but it made no odd noises and I like that the case is made of steel, not plastic.


----------



## allthumbs56 (Jul 24, 2006)

Well I bit the bullet today and picked up an Alto ZMX122FX mixer and one TS110a powered speaker. Testing it out at home with my Gibson J-185 and a vocal mic and I have to say that I am real pleased so far. Very big bang-for-buck. The mixer has 4 xlrs as well as 2 stereo inputs - all with their own 3-band eq. Usable Alesis effects built in too. Great volume and spread from just the one speaker too. Wouldn't pump a bass through it but I think it'll support most 2 guitar/vocal situations and is easily expandable with another box - or retire the 10 to a monitor role and get the 12's for FOH.

119 bucks for the mixer and 249 for the speaker - pretty ridiculous ........ and the speakers are being endorsed by the TGP guys for their Kemper and Axe systems too!


----------



## Church-Audio (Sep 27, 2014)

It's really low level entry gear that is not user friendly when it comes to being able to repair it. What great entry level gear?? Yorkville sound. Works great they have a great warranty on there gear.


----------



## JCM50 (Oct 5, 2011)

Not worth the money - I had one for a short time. Tapco is much better.


----------



## fraser (Feb 24, 2007)

i once tried out an alto tube preamp.
was solid and sturdy- but rather noisy.
i was lucky that a local store was letting me take stuff home for a week before i bought anything.
i took that preamp back.
ended up going with a mackie mixing board-no tubes,
but 4 really nice sounding, noise free preamps.


----------



## allthumbs56 (Jul 24, 2006)

Time will tell. I'm not kidding myself - It was cheap ........... and I don't normally buy cheap. But spending a grand (and more) in support of a handful of solo gigs just wasn't in the cards.

In our band we use Yorkville Elite and Audiopro and I have gigged with QSC K12s & 15s as well as Line 6 and Bose and I think that the Alto gear that I picked up will do the job just as well - for my purposes anyway. 

We'll just have to see how well it lasts.


----------



## whywhyzed (Jan 28, 2008)

Church-Audio said:


> It's really low level entry gear that is not user friendly when it comes to being able to repair it. What great entry level gear?? Yorkville sound. Works great they have a great warranty on there gear.


but a pgm8 is $400, not $119 - different folks have different ideas of what entry level means I suppose, but you can't put a $400 thing in the ring with a $119 thing and say it's a fair fight. 
No one's going to repair a $119 mixer. You toss it. 
And Yorkville do have a great warranty, but that's not worth anything when something quits mid-gig. Might be good to have a $119 spare in the bag just in case.


----------



## jbealsmusic (Feb 12, 2014)

You really do get what you pay for in a lot of cases when it comes to pro audio gear. I tried a TS110a a while back when I was searching for an FRFR solution for a digital/direct rig. The Alto's are good products for the money, but nothing particularly noteworthy. I didn't find they could get loud enough to replace an amp when playing with a full band, but that depends on how loud the band practices. For an acoustic act, I'm sure it would be fine.


----------



## Church-Audio (Sep 27, 2014)

whywhyzed said:


> but a pgm8 is $400, not $119 - different folks have different ideas of what entry level means I suppose, but you can't put a $400 thing in the ring with a $119 thing and say it's a fair fight.
> No one's going to repair a $119 mixer. You toss it.
> And Yorkville do have a great warranty, but that's not worth anything when something quits mid-gig. Might be good to have a $119 spare in the bag just in case.


$400 should be entry level money imo you can't get entry level for $119 you just get disposable garbage no tech like me or anyone else I know is even willing to fix. And my many years experience as a sound engineer has taught spend the money or burn it. Because when you spend $119 for something like that you are wasting your money in the long run.


----------



## allthumbs56 (Jul 24, 2006)

Church-Audio said:


> $400 should be entry level money imo you can't get entry level for $119 you just get disposable garbage no tech like me or anyone else I know is even willing to fix. And my many years experience as a sound engineer has taught spend the money or burn it. Because when you spend $119 for something like that you are wasting your money in the long run.


As I said at the outset - I needed a "value solution" and I got one. So far it works great. If it fails - it fails. Honestly if the best argument for quality is how easy it is to fix, well, I'd rather not have it need fixing in the first place.


----------



## allthumbs56 (Jul 24, 2006)

Just an update, I picked up a second TS110a speaker and a pair of stands over the summer and have used this setup in several situations and it has worked out perfectly. In solo and duo situations we have put 2 vocals as well as acoustics, keys, and even bass guitar through these 10's and it's provided plenty of trouble-free service in small and mid-size rooms. The only thing I miss is a graphic eq for tuning to the room.

So far I'm out less than $700 for the whole sheee-bang.


----------

