Kustom Profile One Portable PA Reviews 
2 / 5 based on 1 reviewsAquired through a well-known Internet "Music Warehouse" type company for $299.99. I was looking for a small, easy to use PA for 2 acoustic electric guitars and vocal. I wanted an effects loop, and the ability to play a CD backing track or drum machine through the system with the guitars and vocals. This unit fit the bill and the price seemed very reasonable. The handfull of reviews I found on this unit were all favorable. I puchased the unit along with the Profile One speaker stands.
I really liked it for the first few times I used it. The sound quality was very clear and natural. The on-board effects were nice. It sounded much better than any of the popular brand 2 channel acoustic guitar amps I tried. I felt for the price I paid, and what I was using it for (jam-sessions with friends in small party settings), I got the perfect system. The matching Profile One stands are well made, and are a real nice compliment to the system. The system's small size, and ergonomic sleek design betray the big sound - and more importantly - quality sound that comes out of it. Quite impressive.
The first one of these PA's I ordered worked for a few gigs as described above, and then the master volume began functioning improperly. It was replaced with a second unit which had an improperly functioning effects control: Three of the effects were identical, so the unit was missing two it's settings. An apparent wiring defect from the factory. Really a shame...were it not for the lousy reliabilty, this unit would have been a real keeper.
Construction seemed OK...most of the hard plastic/vinyl feeling cases on these types of amps are really just a kind of "particle board" that is covered with a thin outer layer. The repair tech I spoke to likened the material more to compressed cardboard, and commented that this type of construction is low quality. He claimed that units with this typr of construction aren't very durable. On an interesting note, my unit's case was damaged during shipping, and the crack in it revealed an interior material not unlike what the technitian described. The layout of the unit was great, and the knobs and metal front, etc seemed to be of decent quality. If you were very careful not to drop the unit, and kept it in good condition, I,m sure you would be real happy with it's construction. I'm going to have to give it a thumbs down, however, in the quality of the circuitry.
A great little design (with a little reservation on the quality of the underlying material) in the small PA department. And while the thing is working, a truly good sound. Honestly, if I had tried just the first unit, I would have gone ahead and given it the benefit of the doubt. I'd have rated it at least a 4, and figured I just happened to get a lemon. But two of them having electronics problems? Nah, I'm sorry. It shined...and then it failed. This thing gets a 2 from me. What a shame.
MP rated this unit
on
2003-07-07.
