But i set out to mount the sound set on the back. I needed a sturdy rucksack or something else to serve as a basis. I decided that a baby carrier (with a metal racking) would be the best for my purposes. I bought a second hand baby carrier (Hema Rugdrager) and took it apart so i was left with only the backside. Sorry for the baby

The Ingredients

• 1 Megavox or any sound set (35 mm hole)
• 1 baby carrier
• 35 mm tubing
• 1 extra 12V lead-gel batterij
• wiring, switch + plugs
• nuts & bolts and metal plates
• two creative hands and lots of tools

Creating the contraption
The Megavox has a standard speaker mount hole of 35 mm, so i needed a tube of 35 mm to mount on the baby carrier. I found this in a local vacuum cleaner shop. They sell tubing of 35 mm width and 500mm long. I bought 2 pieces that fitted together and attached it to the baby carrier. Since the tubing would need to hold the weight of the megavox (6.9 kg incl battery) i made sure it was connected securely. The bottom end rests on the baby carrier and is secured by a bolt. The upper part was fixed with one large bolt and a metal screw. The tube was fixed in a slight angle compared to the baby carrier. In that way the weight will be properly balanced when the sound set is mounted on top. (Something that proved to be very necessary!).

On the bottom of the baby carrier i fixed a metal plate. On top of this “platform” will be the battery compartment mounted. The Megavox has an internal battery, but i decided to take it out to decrease the weight and to stabilize the contraption. I’m adding also a 2nd battery to increase the playing time, and this battery does not fit in the megavox. The weight of both batteries (3+ kg) will be a counterweight to the megavox on top. From some scrap metal i made a metal housing for the batteries and mounted a battery switch. Electric wiring was put inside the tube up to the megavox. Here you can see the wires from the tube and from the megavox. I did not drill a hole in the megavox. When the screws from the metal battery retainer are removed (see our battery replacement article) you can use these holes for the wiring.

I removed the internal battery from the megavox. To keep all the wires original and intact i connected the extra wire to the internal battery wire as you can see from the photos. This extra wire leads outside of the megavox and has a plug to connect to the carrier down to the battery compartment. Since i did not change any of the original wiring i can charge both batteries simply by using the battery switch. When i don’t use the carrier i can reinstall the internal battery and remove the extra wiring easily to restore it. In that way i don’t mess with the 6-year warranty that comes with the megavox.

The first time i put on the carrier i still had the internal battery inside the megavox. It was very unstable and i tended to tumble over with the megavox. Since the megavox is mounted on the tube using only the speaker stand mount hole i was afraid that it might pop out. So i secured the megavox with a big bolt. For this i needed to drill a hole in the base of the megavox. This is the only adjustment i had to make. I don’t think it will void the warranty.

After the first try i decided to take the internal battery out. With the batteries on the bottom of the carrier the contraption was more stable. The carrier needs to be strapped tightly around the waists and upper back to improve the stability. The whole weight will be held by the waists, as it should, so your back will be spared. After tightening it to my back i tried it again. It has quite some weight but i think it will OK. Although it looks quite silly i think it will serve its purpose on queensday. I don’t think this is suited for a smaller harinam! The megavox might also be too loud for that. We don’t want the police to stop us!

Field tests @ Queensday harinam
During Queensday i had the opportunity to test my contraption. As you can see from the photos the contraption worked very well. I discovered a design flaw. The battery switch is mounted on the outside of the casing. So a few smart people pushed the switch to turn the sound off. So next time i will remove the switch or cover it properly. Secondly some drunk guy try to stop me during harinam. He grabbed the contraption by the metal tubing. I must say that he could have easily pulled me down to the street since the contraption is already heavy (around 12 kg). So better not be around angry and drunk people

I walked around with this thing for 3-4 hours and it was a heavy toll on my back. Be sure to share the burden and ask others to also carry it around for some time. The following three days i had some serious back problems.  But then again, i am quite a thin guy.

And also be sure to wear earplugs!!!! The megavox is very close to your poor ears..

If the internal battery is getting older and the capacity has decreased you could change it. The battery inside the megavox has the following specs according to Anchor : 12 V 5.4 Amp (Leoch DJW-12). But when i opened the megavox there was a different battery inside : PowerSonic PSH-1255F2-FR, 12 V 6.0 Amp (www.power-sonic.com). The dimensions are the same with 90x70x102 mm (HxWxD).

Anchor created a nice guide to replace the battery yourself. You can visit their  blog or watch the slideshow.  I have listed the necessary steps below with photos.

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

Step 7

Step 7

Step 8

(Copyright Anchor Audio)

• Review Megavox Pro

Anchor HBM-60 Headband mic

The supplied headband microphone that comes with the Megavox Pro is not really sturdy and when you move a lot the microphone moves up and down. Secondly the whole headband construction is really flimpsy. So i set out to replace the headband mic.

The wireless receiver (WBM-6000) uses a 4-pin mini XLR male plug for the microphone input although only 3 wires are used to power the mic. I don’t know the reason why Anchor Audio uses a 4-pin plug, but this certainly limits the available headband microphones that can be connected. And also the wiring is different than most other plugs, so you need to be carefull.

So i went on internet and found this headband microphone from monacar that uses a 4-pin XLR plug. I could buy it from a local dealer in the Netherlands since Monacor does not sell to end customers. The price was 125 euro. When i received it by mail i tried it out for a quick test to see if it would work on the receiver. It didnt…. Be

Monacor HSE-130 Headband mic

carefull what you do here because when the wiring is different it could fry the microphone. So i needed to change the wiring of the 4-pin XLR plug on the headband mic. I e-mailed Anchor audio to find out the wiring schema of the WBM-6000 and also found the wiring schema of the Monacor mic (HSE-130) (see images). Then i resoldered the wires to the correct positions (see image below). Afterwards i tested the microphone and it worked!. I was really impressed by the sensitivity of the monacor mic compared to the supplied headband mic. It really picks up your voice more clearly and more loudly.

Here are some instructions with photos to show you how to do it:

Open the mini-XLR plug and locate the wiring of your HSE-130. It should be like this :

Wiring of the HSE-130 Headband mic on the Belt Pack

The wiring of the WBM-6000 Belt pack is different as you can see from this image:

Wiring of the WBM-Belt pack

So to get the HSE-130 working on the WBM-6000 belt pack we need to change the wiring:

HSE-130 -> WBM-6000

- The powersupply wire (on pin 4) needs to be soldered on pin 3

- The Audio in wire (on pin 3) needs to be soldered on pin 2

- The Mass (ground) wire (on pin 1&2) needs to be soldered on pin 1

Rewiring from HSE-130 -> WBM-6000

So with this guide i hope you can change your headband microphone for another type. I attached the wiring schema files for your conveinance:

• Manual of the Monacor TXS88HSE Wireless Belt Pack
• Wiring schema of the Anchor Audio WBM-6000 Wireless Belt pack

update (4 sep 2008) : Added pratical experience in the review
update (10 apr 2009) : Added photos and Competitors

Index

Conclusions
Introduction
Package content
Usage and Harinam
Strong and Weak points
Availability
Prices
References, Guides and Websites
Direct Competitors

Conclusions

This is an excellent, quality built portable sound system. It is loud, very loud and lasts almost 6 hours when the volume is turned halfway. Although the total weight (6.8kg) does get an issue when carrying it for a long time, it has a nice handle to hold it. The included shoulder strap can also be used, but when carried on the shoulder the sound is more clear for bystanders.

Because of its loudness you easily get feedback. So keeping distance from the microphone is essential. Turning the Megavox away solves this problem. During a harinam i found that the best position is at the back of the harinam group, with the speaker turned forwards (over the people heads). The wireless reception of the microphone is good with 25 meters. But when overhead powerlines (for trams) are present the reception will decrease.

The supplied headband microphone is of poor built quality and the sensitivity is low. I hope Anchor will improve this. I replaced the headband for a more dancing-proof microphone. Read here..

The battery life was amazing, although this might be expected from a 6 Amp battery. It charges in 8 hours, and it lasted for almost 6 hours (volume knob halfway). Your milage may vary of course, but you will get some nice harinam time.

The megavox is sold seperately and as part of a package including a megavox, wireless mic, and speaker stand. Different packages are available depending on retailers. Anchor Audio, the manufacturer of the Megavox is based in the US so availability is strong there. The Megavox Pro comes with a warranty of 6 years, which might come in handy some day !

So if you need to cater a big harinam group with good sound, this is the best system available. (read here an article about other portable sounds systems)

Introduction

The Megavox Pro is produced by Anchor Audio, a US based company, who do business with different dealers and government. They manufacture also other portable sound systems which are worth checking out. The megavox Pro comes in 2 flavors, with one or two wireless microphone receivers. Also the Megavox is often sold as part of a package containing the megavox, wireless mic and speaker stand. There are more options available if needed.

We bought a Megavox Pro Basic Package (MEGA-BP) with the optional protective bag and that is what we will be using for this review. The wireless mic comes in 3 flavors (handheld, headband or lavelier). We chose for the headband mic because this is convenient during the harinam.

Package contents

• Megavox Pro 6000U1 (meaning with 1 wireless receiver)
• Speaker stand (SS-550)
• Headband microphone (HBM-TA4F)
• Wireless bodypack (WB-6000)
• Wired microphone (comes with every megavox Pro)
• Power supply (RC-6000)

• Protective bag (NL-Mega)

Megavox with protective cover bag

The unpacking was easy . The megavox was charged so could be used immediately. I tried the wireless microphone and with the first feedback still ringing in my ears i concluded that this baby is loud…

The built quality is very good. Some heavy duty plastic is used, and it looks like it can withstand a drop on the ground. The audio controls and inputs are situated on the back and are very easy the work with. I did not have to think about it or read the manual. Just switch on the megavox with the knob labeled “Wireless mic 1″. Switch on the wireless body pack and you are good to go.

The internal battery is not easily accessible. You have to remove the whole inner workings to reach it. This might void warranty so i did not try that. I still have to find out what kind of battery is used in this machine. Although not an option at the moment it would be nice if the battery was user-replaceable. (update : read our battery story here)

Megavox with customized protective cover bag

The protective bag that i ordered extra is needed for rainy conditions and it will protect your investment. But it will also cover the speaker, so the sound will be blocked. I would suggest to Anchor Audio to make the front of the bag open (with a mesh for example) so that the sound will go through. See the photo above where i made this adjustment myself.

Usage and Harinam

I used the megavox on our annual Queens day 2008 celebration in Amsterdam. We had a group of 75 devotees joining the harinam. I decided to put the volume a little before halfway the scale. People were putting there fingers in their ears if they came to close.. This thing is loud. During the harinam i turned the volume a little up, so it was halfway exactly. I used this setting for 6.5hrs until the battery finally gave up.

I experienced some problems with the wireless reception or the bodypack. The signal would stutter a lot and sometimes drop completely. I dont know if this is related to the bodypack. The distance between the megavox and bodypack was never more then 10 meter.I suspect the overhead powerlines for the local trams in Amsterdam to be the culprit. When the powerlines were not present the reception was good.

The supplied headband microphone (part HMB-TA4F ) was very unstable . So if you are jumping a lot, a better headband mic is recommended. (Read my article here to replace it)

The weight can become a problem after carrying it for more then 3 hrs. So make sure you have somebody to help you. I have walked around with the megavox on my shoulder the whole time. I had to shift it from one shoulder to the other when it was hurting too much. But all in all it was a nice austerity. But i recommend using earplugs if you have this thing next to your ears…

The battery was good for almost 6 hrs. Then the wireless connection would stutter too much and the voice will fail. A little later the system just turned off. The battery is unfortunately not user replaceable. It would be nice if Anchor Audio would make this possible. The battery is a standard led-geal battery, and should be easy to get from local “Radio Shacks”.

After the harinam i received many compliments about the soundsystem. When crossing a very noisy outside stage i was able to overpower them by putting the volume way up… The Christian booth still remember us.

Availability

The company that makes these Megavox systems (Anchor Audio) is based in California, US. So to buy it in the states is easy. But for the rest of the world it can be a problem. And when it is locally available, it will be expensive (especially when you are in a euro country). The dollar is so low these days compared to the euro that travelling to the US and buying the megavox yourself there to bring it back home is almost cheaper then buying it locally.  I recommend to get a good discount on the “normal” price. Some dealers are willing to do that.

In the US you have many online stores that sell Anchor audio products. In particular i would like to mention the Anchor Audio Club. They only sell Anchor products and seem to have reasonable prices (although i saw other online stores that sell cheaper).

In the rest of the world it can be difficult as i said before. Since i am based in The Netherlands i found a local dealer (Eurocase.nl). Although the prices on their website are high compared to the low dollar, you can work out some discount with them. They also offer service to Anchor products. After some digging around i could find more dealers in England and Germany. The dealer from Germany ships to Europe, so if you are living there this might be an option. You can work out some nice deals with this dealer.

Strong and Weak Points

Strong points

• Loud! (for larger harinam and ratha yatra’s)
• Solid built quality
• Longer lasting battery (min. 6 hrs). Battery is a 6 Amp type
• Multiple wireless mic options
• Speaker stand (35 mm)
• 6 year warranty

Weak points

• Still heavy (6.9 kg)
• Very sensitive to feedback

Prices

Prices do change, so my current listing will be outdated over time. Also it is based on the retail prices and discounts are not considered (although you should try to get some). And the US prices are without sales tax

US-based (prices from anchoraudioclub.com)
$ 1116 : Megavox Pro Basic Package (megavox, wireless mic, bodypack, speaker stand)
$ 668 : Megavox Pro, 1 wireless receiver. (Without microphone)
$ 78 : Headband microphone
$ 240 : Body pack wireless sender.

Euro prices (from germany)
€ 1154 : Megavox Pro Basic Package

As you can see the European dealers are trying to make a lot of profit. So get a discount from them. Or buy a ticket to the states, buy a megavox, have some vacation, and still save money…

Direct Competitors

The megavox does not really have any competition by far. But the Megavox does not come cheap so if you are on a budget and do not really need such a powerful system you could consider the little brother of the Megavox, namely the Minivox Lite.

Minivox Lite

Minivox Lite
Manufacturer : Anchor Audio
Specs : download here
Brochure : download here
Price range : $ 350 – 450
A nifty small and supposedly powerful sound machine that should reach up to 50 people. It runs on 10 AA batteries for 12 hours. I don’t have any experience with the minivox and i could not find any reviews on the internet. If it has the quality of the Megavox Pro then this will be an excellent sound system. There are different packages available that include a wireless microphone.

Roland Cube Street

Roland Cube Street
Manufacturer : Roland
Brochure : download here
Price range : $ 200 – 280
The street cube is approximate the same size as the megavox, but it does not have a handle. You can attache a guitar strap to it of course. But this sound system is meant to be placed on the ground. I have seen street musicians using this quite often in the London subway. Our temple in Amsterdam is also using the Street cube and it works nicely. It runs on 6 AA batteries. It does not include a wireless microphone so you have to add that yourself (See that here). The Cube has 2 inputs available for Guitar/Instr and a XLR/Jack for Mic/Line inputs.

Monacor TXA-110 Portable Sound set

Monacor TXA-110
Manufacturer : Monacor
Manual : download here
Price range : 280 – 350 euro (with wireless receiver but not a wireless microphone!!!)
New nice looking sound set introduced in apr 2008. Only 4.2 kg. Looks nicely build and of easy use, although i don’t have experience with this thing. The battery (lead-gel) can be changed easily during harinam. Standard lead gel batteries should fit. Monacor also sells spare batteries but these are too expensive. The wireless microphone is optional, but the receiver is built into the machine. You get a nice carrying bag for free with this set. It will be sufficient for a smaller harinam groups.

Roland also sells the Cube Mobile (reviews) and the Micro Cube (reviews). I dont think these can be compared to the Megavox, but they might be an option to you.

References, Guides and Websites

Here are some references that i used and links to websites and other interesting info. I could not find any review of this Megavox, so i am the first!! Hope you like it

Websites

• Anchor Audio offcial website
• Megavox Pro Product Page
• Anchor Audio Club (authorized dealer)
• Dutch dealer of Anchor Audio
• German Anchor Audio dealer
• English Anchor dealer

Product manuals and more

• Megavox Pro Specifications
• Megavox Pro brochure
• Price list German Anchor Audio dealer (in german…)

Harinam

In the end i bought the Megavox Pro, and our harinam party was a great succes. This sound system is LOUD, and it lasted 6.5 hours. Next year i will need a spare because our harinam continued for 2.5 hours more…. . The megavox has a nice handle to hold it steady, but it is heavy… Ouch, my shoulder still hurts.  So here i present the systems that i considered.

What i wanted

• Not too heavy (less then 7 kg)
• Wireless receiver/microphone
• Battery life 3 hours or more (at high volume)

List of system that i considered buying

1. Megavox Pro
2. Monacor TXA-110
3. Mipro MA-101a
4. Chiayo Focus 500

List of systems that did not quite make it…

• Chiayo Smart 300 (too small for big audiences)
• mipro 705 (Heavy and expensive.)
• Monacor TXA-800 (too heavy)
• Monacor TXA-500 (too heavy)
• Pyle Pro PWMA600 (9 Volt batteries. Non standard)
• Crate Taxi TX15 (too heavy. Heard some negative remarks about battery life)
• Roland Cube Street
• Behringer EPA40 (too cheapy plastic)
• Minivox / Minivox Lite

1. Megavox Pro

Read our in-depth review

The Megavox is build with a Horn type speaker. This means that the sound is loud and clear. Good for speach, but less for singing, although it still sounds goods. The megavox is used for example on the New York Ratha Yatra and does a good job there. The Megavox can be used with a wireless microphone option. The battery lasts at least 6 hours (volume half way – and that is loud!!). The battery cannot be changed easily (without unscrewing the backside). You can connect upto 2 (wireless) microphones and other things like CD-players etc.

We bought the megavox after some consideration. It is very expensive in Europe compared to the US (with this weak dollar). Read our review for details.
Anchor Audio website

2. Monacor TXA-110

New nice looking sound set introduced in apr 2008. Only 4.2 kg. Looks nicely build and of easy use, although i dont have experience with this thing. The battery (lead-gel) can be changed easily during harinam. Standard lead gel battery should fit. Monacor sells spare batteries but these are quite expensive. The wireless microphone is optional, but the receiver is built into the machine. You get a nice carrying bag for free with this set. I was seriously considering this system. It will be sufficient for a smaller harinam group. But since i needed a system for a big harinam group of 70+ devotees, i chose for the megavox.
Monacor website

3. Mipro MA-101a

Indeed does look a lot like the TXA-110, or is it the other way around ? Also peavey used to sell a portable PA that looks a lot like the mipro. Probably this thing is produced by some local Taiwanese? manufacturer and gets rebranded. Then why is the mipro so damn expensive ??? (found this online for $450. In the Netherlands this baby is 327 euro, excl mic)

This candidate was hard to get in Holland, and expensive compared to the Monacor TXA-110. so i dropped this in favor of the monacor.
Mipro Website

4. Chiayo Focus 500

I was considering this machine as it looked like it is decent quality and comes in a carryable bag with sound mesh. I dropped this in the end due to unavailability in Holland. The price i could find in Holland was 550 euro incl wireless microphone. This was a reasonable price, but since i couldnt buy it, i let it go. Also the audio controls (like volume) are on the back of this system. A bit clumsy when this system is strapped on your back. The battery is easily replaceable. A nice feature is that you can plug in a USB stick. The MP3 player will read the USB stick and play your music.. Cool..
Chiayo Website

The other systems that did not make it…

* Chiayo Smart 300

It looks nice and small, but i considered it too small. It has only 10  Watt, 4 inch speaker. That might not be enough for outside. Considering the battery type, it might run more then 6 hours depending on how loud you turn it.

* Mipro 705

Looks very sturdy and of a good built quality, but it is also very expensive. Without a microphone this thing costs 570 euro. It is also 10 kg because it has 2 batteries inside. This might be a good solution for inside the temple, or other gatherings. Not a harinam.

* Monacor TXA-800 and TXA-500

Although they have a nice trolley, so taking these systems is easy, they were too heavy to consider. I have some experience with a previous model (302) but i found the battery too limited in time and the volume too low. Also the square model without handle makes it difficult to ‘handle’.

* Pyle Pro PWMA600

Very cheap system ( $200 ) but limited to a handheld wireless microphone. The battery is a (non-standard) 9 V type. This means you cannot easily get a replacement, and the battery time is limited.

* Crate Taxi TX15

I was considering this guitar amp for a while because it runs on a big battery. This amp is heavy with 10 kg. But the local music store here warned of problems with the battery life (being shorter then 3 hours). So i dropped this option. This amp does not have a wireless microphone option.

* Roland Cube Street

A new model that Roland introduced in 2008. It runs on 6 AA batteries. It is rated as a 5W system and it should run for 15 hrs (Probably at low volume). I found this link where devotees have used this system together with a wireless microphone for their harinam.

* Behringer EPA40

I actually had this in my hands and it is what it is. A cheap plastic sound gadget. The battery can be replaced, and it carries a standard lead-gel battery, so finding a replacement/spare is easy. But no wireless option, and overal i wonder if the sound will be any good. I think not. Maybe it is suited for inside, or a very small inside harinam?

* Anchor Audio Minivox / Minivox Lite

Although i knew these systems were around i was focussing on the Megavox as it suited our requirements more. But it might be an option for a smaller harinam. If the sound is like the megavox, then i have good hopes for it. Unfortunately i dont have experience with this machine. Read here the introduction of the Minivox Lite