Motion Sound PRO145 Dual Rotor Combo Amp User Reviews at zZounds

"Very little weight - Huge rotary speaker experience" submitted June 15, 2007

By a customer from aol.com

Overall

Sound

Features

Ease of Use

Quality

Value

Manufacturer Support

The Wow Factor

Musical Background: Active, gigging, musician

Music Style: Classic rock, blues rock, and standards

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Sound: I own a B-3 and two Leslie 122's. I just can't face moving the real Leslie's around at 140 lb. I own the new Nord C1 Combo Organ and am playing it thru the Pro 145. The organ sounds nearly identical thru the Pro 145 as it does thru my 122- which I am able to use thanks to Nord's 11 pin rotary speaker (and an 11 pin to 6 pin adapter). There is a difference, however, owing to the large wood cabinet that is the 122. But, the parameters that are tweakable on the Pro 145 allow the player to adjust for that to a nearly infinite degree. Feature: Motion Sound supplies a stomp box but you can use any kind of pedal to change the rotary speeds. I actually like using a digital piano pedal to do that. The polarity is reversed so that the speaker rotates on slow until you step on the pedal;when you step on it, it speeds up and slows down when you take your foot off. Most players use the slow speed more than the fast - at least I do - and a reversed polarity pedal acutally works better to achieve this end. Ease of Use: The manual supplied with the unit goes over the features in detail but a few live gigs will bring it all into perspective. Especially important is the gain to volume ratio and the level at which you set your pre-amp mode. All of this gives you a virtually infinite number of possibilities for creating your "dream rotary speaker". Try doing that with a vintage 122! Quality: It seems to be very sturdily made but the belts on the rotors could be confused with linguine. From what I've read, however, they're not breaking left and right so maybe they're just a new generation of indestructible plastic. I'm hoping! Value: I think Pro 145 is fairly priced compared to every other alternative currently out there. Manufacturer Support: I have dealt with Motion Sound personally. I called to ask them about using another pedal besides the stomp box that comes with the unit. Not only did I speak to a real-live technical person but he was extremely friendly, extremely helpful, and I came away with a really good feeling about the company which, for me, is huge. The Wow Factor: The unit is "sexy" by virtue of it's compactness, bed-liner finish, power house ability in a small package, and nearly 360 degree, cloth -covered louvres that allow for true rotary speaker projection around the room. Overall: As I said above, if weight, transportabilty, and my two previous back surgeries, were not a factor I would probably use my vintage 122. But, because all of these are very much factors, I appreciate all that Motion Sound has done in conceiving the extremely portable Pro 145.

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"A very nice Leslie alternative" submitted August 27, 2007

By a customer from charter.net

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Features

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Quality

Value

The Wow Factor

Musical Background: pro musician

Music Style: R&B, Jazz, rock

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Sound: Sounds good but lacks the bottom end, possibly because it has a 12" speaker. I have hooked it up to a subwoofer to get the sound I want. Feature: Every feature i could ask for Ease of Use: Quite intuitive Quality: I had to adjust the horn speakers when I first turned it on. Shipping must have caused the problem but it gas been perfect since. Value: I would like to see this priced at $1500 or less. It's too close to the price of a Leslie 3300. Manufacturer Support: NA The Wow Factor: The size of the unit made me buy it because i didn't want to cart a 130 lb wooden Leslie amp. Overall: I am still wanting a leslie 3300 and may upgrade after I do an A/B test

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"The BEST leslie alternative" submitted April 26, 2006

By a customer from hotmail.com

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Musical Background: church musician

Music Style: gospel

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Sound: Sounds EXACTLY like a real leslie speaker. Works great for gospel music. I'm not sure how well this speaker would work for rock organists, I haven't tried to push the overdrive yet. With the right tweaks, this puppy can sound just as good, if not better, than any leslie. I'm using a Roland VK-8 combo organ with this. The two together is a match made in heaven. I play a C3 connected to a Leslie 122 every week so I know what it's supposed to sound like. Feature: A footswitch pedal is included. There's 2 buttons, one for slow/fast and the other for stop. I think the most useful feature on here is the trimpots. They allow you to edit the speed parameters to your liking. Just be careful not to twist them too far and end up breaking them. I've already done that on two of them. Also the EQ's can come in handy. Ease of Use: Just plug everything in and turn it on. Changing the EQ's volume, etc, is all done through the front panel knobs. Editing the speed parameters can be a bit more difficult if you don't know what you're doing. My recommendating when changing the trimpots - first set up a chair and flashlight. Level it so that the flash light is shining directly into the trimpots. This will allow you to see which direction your screw driver needs to be positioned. My problem was I didn't do it this way to start out with and ended up scratching up the trimpots and even broke a couple of them. The manual is very clear about everything. Quality: I took a look inside and I'll admit, I wonder about these belts. They're pretty thin and seem like they could snap easily. However, I've yet to hear about anyone having to replace the belts on the Pro-145 yet, so I guess they're pretty durable to last this long. I'm not sure what they call the finish but its the stuff they use on alot of amp which is good if you're using this on the road. It can withstand all the bumps and scratches from moving it around. Value: Worth every single penny. I was looking for a good leslie alternative without having to deal with a simulator. I don't have enough space for a leslie speaker (even a short one) so this was the next logical alternative. Manufacturer Support: Motion Sound has excellent support. The guy that answers most of the question there is very helpful and knows what he's talking about. He doesn't give a "from the book" answer. The Wow Factor: I definately think is has a lot of "sex appeal". I can't get over how good this thing sounds. I can right good things about it all day but you'll never really know until you try it out for yourself. When I didn't have it, yes I still made good music, but the Pro-145 took it to the next level. Overall: I plan to keep this and my VK-8 for years and years. If you're looking for something smaller than a leslie but doesn't lose the quality of a leslie, this is it for you. I didn't have much space to work with and I didn't have the means of getting a leslie here, so it just worked out for me. If I ever lost it or should it be stolen, I would replace it in a heartbeat.

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"The BOMB" submitted August 27, 2003

By a customer from eichenlevinson.com

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Features

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Manufacturer Support

The Wow Factor

Music Style: Roots, jazz, funk and blues

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Sound: Sound quality is virtually indistinguishable from a Leslie 145, except that it is much louder, more controllable, although somewhat less 'warm.' It is really a 'must have' if you play organ. I have used it with a CX3--and it really brings out its strengths. With the Nord Electro 2, it just sounds so strong and greasy (or clean, if you want) that even a pro would might not be able to tell it from a B3 and Leslie. REMEMBER, with a CX3 and Nord Electro, you must shut down all internal Leslie simulation. Also, you want to minimize (or eliminate) all built in 'overdrive.' The preamp section of the Motion Sound has a 12AX7 tube with gain control to create 'real' overdrive..so ditch any simulated overdrive or amp modeling on your keyboard. Feature: Complete control over all relevant sound contouring parameters. Quality: Super solid roadworthy construction. Value: Expensive, but worth it. No comparable product on the market, unless you consider a Motion Sound KBR-M, which sounds great, but not as loud, and not as strong in the lower rotor section. Manufacturer Support: Service quality is unknown--no problems yet which needed service or inquiry. The Wow Factor: You MUST have it. Overall: Well, there will never be a need to replace it. How long did you own a Leslie 145 or 122 before you felt it was 'outdated?' If the answer is 'never,' the you will know what I mean.

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"Here is the real scoop. Used almost two years" submitted February 12, 2005

By a customer from yahoo.com

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Features

Quality

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The Wow Factor

Musical Background: Active Musician

Music Style: Contemporary Christian, Jazz, Blues, Classic Rock

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Feature: The built in mics are great. I run one upper rotor mic and the lower rotor mic through a small Mackie mixer and send that mix to the main mix console. I mute the mics, or hit the stop switch, in-between songs because they do pick up some moving air noise. The controls are great for tailoring the sound. The tube lets me add warmth and growl if needed. The finish (truck-bed material) is just about indistructable. Brilliant move! Quality: My unit was one of the first off the assembly line (May 2003). There have been no problems with the unit itself. It works flawlessly. However, I did have to replace one of the switches (fast/slow) on the switch unit. I stomp on the fast/slow controls like a banshee! Because they outsource the manufacture of the switch box, Motion Sound does NOT sell the switches independently

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Motion Sound PRO145 Dual Rotor Keyboard Combo Amplifier

User Ratings

"Very little weight - Huge rotary speaker experience" submitted June 15, 2007

"A very nice Leslie alternative" submitted August 27, 2007

"The BEST leslie alternative" submitted April 26, 2006

"The BOMB" submitted August 27, 2003

"Here is the real scoop. Used almost two years" submitted February 12, 2005