Peavey Review: Escort 2000

History:

Purchase: I purchased this unit from Lanham Music in St. Joseph, MO to replace a Fender Passport 250 system. The purchase price was $529.00

What I Like About This Peavey Escort 2000: PROS: 150 watts stereo power 5 channels: 4 w/ XLR lo-z jacks and 1/4" hi-z phone jacks. Channels 1 - 3 are mono. Channel 4 actually has two phone jacks for a stereo signal. Channel 5 has two RCA jacks for stereo signal and a stereo/mono switch. All channels have 60mm faders for gain, a reverb knob and 2-band EQ. The master controls are two 60mm faders for right and left volume, and a 5-band graphic EQ. The unit includes 1 Peavey PVi microphone and cable. Speaker stands are included. The speakers are two cabinets which con- tain a 10" woofer and a 2"x3" horn tweeter. Two storage compartments are provided for microphones and cables. A larger compartment is provided for storage of the speaker stands and addi- tional cables. The speakers latch onto the top of the mixer so that the backs/sides of the speakers provide a cover and the whole unit is its own transport case. The unit also has on one side luggage type casters for ease in transporting it. This PA contains Peavey's proprietary FLS [Feedback Location System] circuitry in the master EQ section. This isolates potentially problematic frequencies where feedback could occur so the per- son operating the PA system can make the necessary EQ adjustments without having to go through the task of iso- lating the troublesome frequency man- ually.

What I Do NOT Like About The Peavey Escort 2000: CONS: This thing weighs over 55 pounds assem- bled. However, the weight is evenly distributed. No panning controls on individual channels.

Peavey Escort 2000 Quality Rating: The casing is made of heavy duty molded thermoplastic of the type used in SKB ATA approved instrument cases. Over the years I've come to expect high quality products from Peavey and this does not disappoint.

Review Summary: I have owned 4 different PA systems over the past 25 years. My first one was a Peavey. More recently, I had owned a Fender Passport and was disappointed by its lack of EQ controls. When I read about this new unit from Peavey I knew I would have to try one out. I ended up buying it. While it lacks panning controls, this is not critical since the unit is designed for smaller, club-type venues. However, if one uses stereo effects on an acoustic-electric guitar, running the signal through the right and left inputs on channel 5 provides the necessary separation to use the effects at their best. This is definitely a better buy than the comparably powered, yet featureless Fender Passport 150. This will probably be the last Peavey I ever buy and I mean that in a good sense because this is, for me, the Grail of PA systems for acoustic musicians who need a small self-contained unit. It sets up quickly and easily, yet packs up into a small amount of space and is protected from the elements when transporting from vehicle to venue and vice-versa.

Rating of this Peavey product: 5

This Peavey Escort 2000 PA Gear Review Submitted By: Dave

Review Date: 2001-10-08