BIG THINGS DO COME IN SMALL PACKAGES

Well once in a while I get surprised by a product.  I do a lot of playing on the road using the iPad for a track playback device.  At every venue it seems there is a different way to connect the iPad to the house sound system so at times you were not sure what you were going to have. On a recent concert the sound company had an interesting box on the piano and this was the beginning of my discovery of the LSP-1.

IN THE BAG

The LSP-1 is such a marvelously simple idea.  It consists of a 3.5mm plug on a nice length of connection cable, this leads to a very well constructed metal housing providing a ground lift switch, volume control and a male XLR connector. DSAN also includes a nice carrying pouch which is helpful transporting and protecting the LSP-1.

This design makes it so convenient as you do not have the bulk of having to carry several things to accomplish a simple task.  Everything is packaged together simply and well executed.

The LSP-1 takes the stereo outputs of whatever device you have connected to it and sums them together into a balanced mic level mono output.  This serves me in almost all situations.  If you must have stereo output then DSAN has you covered as well with their LSP-2 which follows the same concept but as a two channel device with the added bonus of an on board USB audio interface.

A PERFECT FIT

What makes this device really work for me is that when I am on acoustic piano the LSP-1 sits very nicely to my far left on the end of the keyboard.  This positioning makes the on-board volume control easy to access.  This helps me to fade a track in or out as the case may be as relying on the iPad’s touchscreen to do this is very sensitive and prone to jumping around which you definitely do not want.

SMOOTH CONTROL

The choice of volume control knob is very nice as it gives you a nice grip to just sort of use the side of your finger or hand to make adjustments.  The nonskid bottom also helps to hold things down.

The LSP-1 also has a ground lift switch for those times you have a laptop or other computer device having some ground loop issues.

A lot of you may have a hard time getting excited about a small direct box.  If you are one of those who have had countless mishaps with trying to put a suitable connection together when working with not only iPads but laptops, netbooks, etc. your prayers have been answered.

SERVICE WITH A SMILE

There was a little concern at first with the choice of using a molded 3.5mm connector and in fact I did have an issue with that very thing on an earlier LSP-1 sample.  Not to worry though DSAN has a great support team and was there to help in getting a replacement.

A VERY SOUND SOLUTION

All in all the LSP-1 is an elegant solution for those seeking a no nonsense way to connect their iPads, Mp3 players, computers, laptops, etc. to a house sound system.  I do not go out the door on a concert without my LSP-1, neither should you.