I have been using the Yamaha S950 with a Roland BA330 STEREO PA and let me tell you for smaller gigs & NH's etc,...
IMO it's one of the best STEREO combinations you can perform with. The BA330's versatility is amazing...it's like a KB players "Swiss Army Knife"......last nights big gig I put it up on a pole & coupled it with my Powered Mackie as a Sub monitor on the floor also with great results. It has good EFX also.

Sigh ... Donny, Donny

Tortoise & the Hare come to mind eh?

Hi Donny- I've been using the BA 330 and my Tyros 2 on most of my NH gigs too. I can't say I'm quite as enamored with the sound as you but it's "good enough" and very practical. My Bose Compacts get much better results for me... but I do like the effects, and multi channel mixer on the BA 330. I use the BA 330 on my NH gigs becuase I ussually do those gigs right after my day job and very little to time to set up...

I'm really currious about those new Mackies with the built mixer and effects. Have you heard them?

What is it that you don't like about the sound on the BA330....I was the opposite never liked my BOSE L1 or Compacts...the BA330 is a quick good sounding Amp in STEREO...it's the music you run thru it that counts, I have a great sound, music & Vocals coming thru the S950 ....the BA330 just amplifies the goodness. ...If it were up to me I'd bring my Two powered Mackies everywhere like I do on Big gigs and for Dj'ing also which I love. ...but for a 1hr gig it ain't practical when you gotta get in & out fast!

I had an opportunity to try the BA330 when it first became available to a local music store. The falloff was horrendous, and after checking the specs I discovered that it was just a 5-watt amp, with 30-watts of peak power, but the peak was in a very narrow bandwith. Look at the specifications: DC 12 V: Dry Battery (LR6 (AA) type) x 8 or AC Adaptor, 410 mA. Do the math! Wattage calculator That's just 4.92-watts.

I'll stick with the Bose L1 Compact(s). And, my setup time is less than 10 minutes, and that's if I'm taking my time. If I'm in a hurry, setup is just 7 minutes at most.

For the larger jobs, up to 250 or more in the audience, I use a pair of Bose L1 Compacts. The sound is incredible and the audiences love it as much as I do.

Cheers,

Gary

Gary, your math still doesn't add up correctly

You told me the battery life wouldn't last a minute..every time I use it for more than 10 hours...I smile at your expert calculations..

I have done large rooms you would dream about with just a BA330..

BTW: we are talking about Roland specs..they are fairly accurate..not like many other companies..the BA330 is stereo amps ..15 watts a side...and yields 109 decibels...Now calculate those numbers ..

I have both amps and would take one or the other at anytime, but for some reason I prefer the Compact. I get compliments on both amps, but moreso the Compact over the 330. They each provide different positives. I used both of them chained together last Sunday and almost blew myself off the stage. The BA-330 has raw power; the Compact has an encompassing sound. Don't fight - enjoy what you use!

Amen

Fran, you really need to learn Ohm' Law. That's why I posted the link to the calculator - it makes it a lot easier for those with little or no electronics expertise. Maybe you should take the time to learn a bit about those AA batteries as well.

Primary (non-rechargeable) zinc–carbon (dry cell) AA batteries have around 400–900 milliamp-hours capacity, with measured capacity highly dependent on test conditions, duty cycle, and cut-off voltage. Zinc–carbon batteries are usually marketed as "general purpose" batteries. Zinc-chloride batteries store around 1000 to 1500 mAh are often sold as "heavy duty" or "super heavy duty". Alkaline batteries from 1700 mAh to 3000 mAh cost a little more than zinc-chloride batteries, but last proportionally longer.

Now, look at the specs, Fran. The TOTAL current draw is 410-mA, which at 12-volts-DC translates to 4.92-watts - THAT'S IT! Did you take the time to use the calculator? Did you happen to notice that in the spec sheet put out by Roland they never mentioned wattage?

If you use the calculator and input the figures for AA batteries, which in this case is a series connection, you're not going to get a lot of wattage before the battery voltage falls below a usable level, and that's if you use the best batteries available.

Sorry Caass, sometimes I get a bit upset when someone makes totally irrational statements about electronic gear then try to back it up with crapola.

I need to get away from this place for a while,

Gary

I just find the Bose Compact smoother sounding and much more powerfull. But I'm glad a have the BA 330 too. Perfect for low volume in and out gigs. With the effects, and four channels, lite weight, what's not to love?

Come on Gary..when you are wrong ..you are wrong...
Everything I stated is 100 percent fact...I proved it over and over..How can you dispute the batteries (rechargable) last over 10 hours...far more than the minute at most you said it would..

No crapola here...

R and R may be in order for you..

Hey guys why don't you both get a pair of QSC K-8 speakers and use those they blow all the stuff you guys are talking about away under 20lbs small in size and can do just about any room with 2 of them 1000 wt the best speaker on the market.

How do the wav k8 stack up against the Bose compacts?

So, how does the Roland BA330 stack up to the HK Nano's?

I'd say pretty darn close sound wise, ....
just a bit different in versatility & design. Both excellent for stereo applications for smaller gigs 25-95 pp. Both very easy to transport. BA330 has EFX also.

What is it that you don't like about the sound on the BA330.... ??????

Lots of good points but one really bad one

Great mixer, speaker layout, size, weight, stereo link, built well, BUT NO GUTS !!!!!! As I said before if they put in a good stereo class D amp and I would buy two tomorrow

Plenty of guts for small gigs....25 / 85 pp....if you need more....use something else.....that's why I carry two pa systems.

Wattage and Efficiency from HARMONY CENTRAL Website.
“So let's assume we have a speaker with a sensitivity of 90dB @ 1W / 1m and a power handling capacity of up to 100W. If we power that speaker with 1W of power, it will generate 90dB when measured at a distance of 1 meter. If we double that power to 2W, the SPL measurement will increase to 93dB. If we increase the power to 10W, then the SPL measurement will increase to 100dB, which is "twice the perceived loudness" when compared to 1W. So it actually takes ten times more power to give us a perceived doubling of volume level. Since this imaginary speaker is rated to safely handle up to 100W, we could double that volume level yet again, and in theory, hit up to 110dB SPL by increasing the power all the way up to 100W. One watt = 90dB. One hundred watts, or 100X more power = 110dB. That's a huge increase in power but only a "doubled double" (4X) increase in terms of perceived volume levels!
As you can see, it takes considerable increases in power - in the wattage of the amplifier - to "double" the perceived "volume". This is where speaker sensitivity / efficiency comes into the equation. If we replace that 90dB @ 1W / 1m speaker with a model that has a sensitivity of 100dB @ 1W / 1m, the numbers change dramatically. For starters, 1W of input power will give us 100dB SPL. Remember, the first speaker required 10W to achieve that same volume level! So by installing a more efficient speaker, we can get the same perceived volume level from a 1W amp as we could from a 10W amp that is coupled to a less efficient speaker. Again, this applies all the way up to the maximum power handling capacity of the speaker. Assuming our 100dB @ 1W / 1m speaker can also handle up to 100W, it can give us up to 120dB SPL; again, that's double the perceived "volume level" of the 90dB @ 1W / 1m 100W speaker's maximum level of 110dB SPL.
AMPLIFIER POWER PLUS SPEAKER EFFICIENCY AND POWER HANDLING = MAXIMUM VOLUME
So remember, while increasing the amplifier power can make you louder, increasing the speaker sensitivity will make more efficient use of the available power from any amplifier. This means it's impossible to make generalizations about the "loudness" of any amplifier based solely on its wattage. You simply must factor in the power handling capacity and sensitivity of the speakers in order to know "how loud" it will be capable of getting. If your 15W amp has a relatively inefficient speaker installed, but is still "almost" loud enough for your needs, you may not need a higher wattage amp - simply installing a more efficient speaker, such as the Electro-Voice EVM 12L in Fig. 2, may give you all the increase in volume you seek, without having to replace the entire amplifier. Similarly, you may not need a 100W amp; replacing the stock 95dB @ 1W / 1m speakers in your 50W amp with new speakers that are rated at 101dB @ 1W / 1m will more than make up the difference in terms of the "volume levels" you will be able to generate... it will actually be capable of "sounding louder" than that 100W amp will when it is running into the less efficient speakers”.
The above may help to explain Wattage and Efficiency.

I use my BA 330 at most of my dinner jobs 100 persons or under.

I sometimes use a single CM 30 for quiet events 50 people or under. It works particularly well with quiet nylon string guitar.

No volume problem at all.


Russ

The BA-330, like other similar Roland products, has amazing volume for its size, weight and price. I don't care if it's actually 3 watts, 30 or 300. All I know is it is/can be loud. Just as I cannot explain how or why the Bose Compact sounds the way it does, I can't tell you how Roland does it either. All I know for sure is that both of these amps do a very good job of filling a room of 100 people +/-.

I'm sure there are 20 or so other amps out there that can do the job to someone's satisfaction. I gave two positive opinions of two good amps. I hope my opinions were helpful to someone, as many of yours have been throughtout the years.

@Gary, I didn't understand why you were commenting to me. Did I say something wrong... or right?