Members stunningbabe Posted February 4, 2007 Members Share Posted February 4, 2007 I heard a band yesterday using EAW 159z. Really nice. Smooth, rich, never harsh, nice bottom when used with the 2 subs (not sure what EAW models the subs are). I'm interested in the smaller 129z...2 way system with a single 12" and HF due to its smaller and lighter size...plus it'll be easier to fit a pair into my Dad's old Toyota sedan in which I use that to transport my sound system around. Can you gurus please give me your honest comments? Of course...if you HAVE had experience using this entry level EAW speakers even better. My application is always for 300-400 people in a hotel indoor ballroom. I use only 1 Yamaha Keyboard and 3 wireless mics. I already have a customized powered 12" 500w sub which I use always on stage. Can I use the 129z without buying an EAW processor? Who much difference is the sound quality without the processor? If it is minimal...then I can live with it. My current 12" speakers are driven full range and are NEVER fed into any crossover. I use the powered 12" sub just to add some 'body' to the 12". Works really nice. Please advise on these EAW 129z. Is there a better speaker at this price? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Johnw Posted February 4, 2007 Members Share Posted February 4, 2007 I happen to like the EAW FR series. I don't own any of them, though I have mixed on them a few times. I would use the EAW processor or invest in another DSP. You just won't get the best performance without the processor. If you invest in another DSP it will take some time come up with the settings. I myself would not buy the speakers without the EAW processor. Take Care,John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dboomer Posted February 4, 2007 Members Share Posted February 4, 2007 Really nice. Smooth, rich, never harsh That's what proper processing can do to even moderate quality speaker systems ... look at Meyer Sound and Klipsh( companies that have traditionally spent more time engineering "systems" than money spent on the highest quality drivers). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted February 4, 2007 Members Share Posted February 4, 2007 That's also what happens when a system is used properly, with a little skill and good choices in the building of a mix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members stunningbabe Posted February 5, 2007 Author Members Share Posted February 5, 2007 Meyer is moderate quality??? I thought they are one of the leading pro sound systems in the world? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gruvjack Posted February 5, 2007 Members Share Posted February 5, 2007 Meyer is moderate quality??? I thought they are one of the leading pro sound systems in the world? I believe Don's point is that proper processing should not be overlooked and drivers are NOT the be all end all factor in great sound...even a high end company like Meyer does not ignore that fact. There is nothing mediocre about Meyer...least of all the price tags BTW, if you are willing to give Yorkville products a try, there is a dealer in Ampang. Look up Azhal at Media Art Environment..he'll hook you up V. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BillESC Posted February 5, 2007 Members Share Posted February 5, 2007 An excellent alternative to the EAW cabinet that does not require an external processor is KV2's EX 12. You'll be hard pressed to find higher fidelity and SPL in the price range. www.kv2audio.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members stunningbabe Posted February 5, 2007 Author Members Share Posted February 5, 2007 BillESC....I've never heard of KV2. Pardon my ignorance..but how does the EX12 compares with a EAW 129z? BOth are 500w...12"...2 Way...except that the former is self powered. But self powered aside...how does the EX12 sound as compared to the 129z? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BillESC Posted February 5, 2007 Members Share Posted February 5, 2007 IMHO, you'd be hard pressed to tell their sound apart in a blind test. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members stunningbabe Posted February 5, 2007 Author Members Share Posted February 5, 2007 Wow...ok. What about the price then? granted that the EZ12 is powered... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMS Author Craig Vecchione Posted February 5, 2007 CMS Author Share Posted February 5, 2007 Really nice. Smooth, rich, never harshThat's what proper processing can do to even moderate quality speaker systems ... look at Meyer Sound and Klipsh( companies that have traditionally spent more time engineering "systems" than money spent on the highest quality drivers). Some irony in this though....BOSE has been roundly and soundly thrashed for putting an EQ system in front of their 901's. I guess what works in live sound doesn't necessarily get accepted so readily in the rarefied atmosphere of the audiophile. I generally like what I've head from EAW. Also some irony in how many like EAW and despise Mackie..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members stunningbabe Posted February 6, 2007 Author Members Share Posted February 6, 2007 I doubt there's a PERFECT speaker in this world. That's why the need for a processor...or eq compensation unit...right? Essentially the processor is STILL an eq unit...whatever name we call it, right?I mean...BOSE 901's do sound terrible without their processor...and it really IS an eq unit though they call it a 'processor'....and it has a built in active croosover too. But still...if speaker manufacturers like Meyer, EAW, NEXO etc... have to rely on eq units (or processors) to make their speakers sound good...isn't that the same as BOSE? I personally dont like BOSE at all...for your information. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BillESC Posted February 6, 2007 Members Share Posted February 6, 2007 IMHO, Processing is any change made to a system at unity. That said, some speakers give you nearly perfect original reproduction and others not so much. Some current 'Processing' is no more than a tweeking of the cabinet response while others reintroduce sub harmonics etc. My goal in life is to take a perfect system and try not to f*ck it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted February 6, 2007 Members Share Posted February 6, 2007 All higher end powered speakers tend to have processing, which includes filters (crossover and eq) and limiting (peak and integrating). It's part of the overall engineered design. Some of these parameters may vary a bit with frequency and levey as well. Speakers like Meyer do not rely on the processing to sound good, but use processing to take an already excellent sounding speaker and make it even better. The Bose eq was necessary due to the bandwidth of the single driver type speaker. Used for a totally different reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members stunningbabe Posted February 6, 2007 Author Members Share Posted February 6, 2007 agedhorse...that means ideally...there should be a processor of some sort?? I'm confused here. I heard many speakers that sound great without any processor. Cd player > Mixer > Power amp>Speakers. No eq...no compressor...no processor... nothing in between. Why is there the need for a processor? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dogoth Posted February 6, 2007 Members Share Posted February 6, 2007 I'm a big fan of EAW. I haven't heard the models that you mentioned but I'm really familiar with the KF series as well as the SM series. Most of what I use daily is EAW (and some JBL). Once you get above a certain price point I belive that a lot of people make great equipment. Mostly it's just picking the cabinet profile that suits your needs best. Didn't Meyers make an active processor in the early days that monitored current draw at the speaker and then compare it with the input signal to the amp? I dimmly remember something like that - I do remember they were really expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMS Author Craig Vecchione Posted February 6, 2007 CMS Author Share Posted February 6, 2007 agedhorse...that means ideally...there should be a processor of some sort??I'm confused here. I heard many speakers that sound great without any processor. Cd player > Mixer > Power amp>Speakers. No eq...no compressor...no processor... nothing in between.Why is there the need for a processor? What Andy is referring to is that the end result justifies the means to get there. If you've got a good driver, sometimes you can make it sound great by adding good processing in front of it. In the case of Meyer, they have a great driver, and also added processing to make it that much better. They felt that their R&D money would have greater return by going this route rather than trying to further improve the drivers. This does not imply that processing is needed to have a great-sounding speaker. It's just another means of getting there. Processing isn't "needed" per-se. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMS Author Craig Vecchione Posted February 6, 2007 CMS Author Share Posted February 6, 2007 The Bose eq was necessary due to the bandwidth of the single driver type speaker. Used for a totally different reason. Well, a different engineering reason, but the same overall reason..."how do I get good sound at the listener's ears". I just find it interesting that audiophiles reject this approach, but live sound engineers are fine with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted February 6, 2007 Members Share Posted February 6, 2007 The Meyer speakers sound really nice without processing, but processing adds even better control of parameters, especially for the compact and line array boxes. There's also a lot of protection involved. As far as my comments on the Bose, the reason for the processing there is to allow a single driver (type) system to exhibit adequate bandwidth by correcting for the very significant limitations the unprocessed box exhibits. Ever listen to a 901/2 without eq? Pretty unuseable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Kevin Mc Carthy Posted February 7, 2007 Members Share Posted February 7, 2007 Sorry I can't comment on the 129's as I've never heard them. I have however been using 159's for about two years for DJ and live sound applications. I like them a lot and get many compliments on the overall sound of the system. I chose the 15's just because I wanted to be able to use them without subs if I wanted and they sound very good that way. They have a very usable mid-range for a 15" speaker. The best way to find out if they're right for you is going out and listening though. Best of luck.Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Axisplayer Posted February 7, 2007 Members Share Posted February 7, 2007 I have used FR129z's for about 5 years. I have done a range of material from jazz to metal with them. They ALWAYS sound good to me. That said, they don't get required SPL for a lot of my shows, and they are not really efficent. I use JBL SR4733X generally, but everytime I set up that rig, I think to myself "I wish they sounded like my EAW's..." Generally a show with the baby EAW's starts with the band saying they are too small. Then we sound check and they are amazed. For an entry level speaker, they are very nice. I run a bridged RMX 1450 to each cab, which is about 900 watts into 8 ohms. I use a driverack with them, but EAW says the required processing for these cabs is already in the crossover, and no other processing is required. You can believe that statement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMS Author Craig Vecchione Posted February 7, 2007 CMS Author Share Posted February 7, 2007 What sort of comments are you seeking? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members stunningbabe Posted February 7, 2007 Author Members Share Posted February 7, 2007 I can only use 12" as I'm not as strong as guys. I sometimes have to lift the 12" speakers all by myself and put it a speaker stand. Not easy for a girl...but then...someone has to do it. Yes...there are some guys around to help me sometimes (not always though)...but often I find that I am the only person who arrives earlier than the others to set up. Also...15" can't fit into my old Toyota sedan. It's way too big for my car. Can't afford to buy a bigger car. Cars in Malaysia are the 3rd most expensive in the world! We pay like 7 times more than you guys for the same car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMS Author Craig Vecchione Posted February 7, 2007 CMS Author Share Posted February 7, 2007 Can't afford to buy a bigger car. Cars in Malaysia are the 3rd most expensive in the world! We pay like 7 times more than you guys for the same car. Is there a prohibitive import duty there? I can see a great opportunity to make a few bucks.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members stunningbabe Posted February 7, 2007 Author Members Share Posted February 7, 2007 Malaysia government imposes MORE THAN 300% tax on foreign cars! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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