Members hammondman Posted June 29, 2012 Members Share Posted June 29, 2012 Hi, I'm currently looking to upgrade my current pair of JBL EON 15G2's to use with live bands. I would like to be able to put a reasonable amount of kick, bass, 4x vocals, keys and guitar. I would also like to add trumpet and sax on occasions. I have been doing this quite successfully with my EON15G2's for a few years but would like more power, clarity and bass without having to use subs (if possible). The maximum weight I want to be carrying is around 20-22kg. I have tried the new JBL EON 515XT's but found that these didn't have as much bass extension as the older EON 15G2's (though on paper the are quoted to be the same). They also didn't cope as well at higher volumes of bass and suffered from a little port noise. I've been doing quite a bit of research and have shortlisted the following within my rough budget Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members camplg Posted June 29, 2012 Members Share Posted June 29, 2012 For 130+dbs I would recommend RCF TTA25s, next EV ZXA5s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members abzurd Posted June 29, 2012 Members Share Posted June 29, 2012 I would love to hear the ProMaxx 14a. HERE is a shootout of sorts where the ProMaxx's performed very well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Audiopyle Sound Posted June 29, 2012 Members Share Posted June 29, 2012 You won't hit 130 dB (thankfully) with any of the speakers you listed. I haven't heard the Promaxx, but have seen reviews that indicated it is not as loud as the Himaxx models. Between the Milan and the Yamaha I would choose the Yamaha. I don't know what EV pricing is like where you are but the ZXA5 would be a good choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted June 29, 2012 Members Share Posted June 29, 2012 130dB... how far away from the speaker??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members abzurd Posted June 29, 2012 Members Share Posted June 29, 2012 Interesting, in that shootout article the Promaxx was actually noted for output.... "the maximum levels reached is amazing considering the modest proportions of the box". While I know numbers aren't always apples to apples, it's the loudest of the 8 boxes in the test and is listed as louder than the EV ZXA5 by 2 dB. It was also given high marks for phase - "the phase response is perfect". The article wasn't all press release fluff. They listed pros and cons on every box and the FBT was the only box to have no "cons". They just said "no regrets". To be fair the EV's only knocks were high weight relative to the other boxes tested and the steep price tag. They liked both very much, but gave the edge to the FBT on price and weight versus performance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jwlussow Posted June 29, 2012 Members Share Posted June 29, 2012 OP, why not add subs? That will give you more control over the tops and give the low end some much needed "umph". I used to use the EON15G2. They are loud and a pretty decent box for the price but no way do they "really" handle bass and kick. Keep those and add a sub to see what you think. Full bands in rooms up to 250 at 130+ dbs? Keep the G2s and add subs. I don't see you achieving what you want any other way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members hammondman Posted June 29, 2012 Author Members Share Posted June 29, 2012 Thanks for the replies so far. The FBT 14a's are certainly very appealing! The EV ZXA5's are out of my budget unfortunately. Does anyone know how the FBT14a's compare to the Turbosound Milans or Yamaha DXR15s? There is a rough video of a very rough shootout between the FBT 14a's, RCF 725a's and the Turbosound Milans here :- Whilst this is by far not a particularly accurate test the FBT's seem to have more bass and clarity? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members hammondman Posted June 29, 2012 Author Members Share Posted June 29, 2012 OP, why not add subs? That will give you more control over the tops and give the low end some much needed "umph". I used to use the EON15G2. They are loud and a pretty decent box for the price but no way do they "really" handle bass and kick. Keep those and add a sub to see what you think.Full bands in rooms up to 250 at 130+ dbs? Keep the G2s and add subs. I don't see you achieving what you want any other way. I actually have the EON 518s subs already to go with my EON 15G2's but don't really want to have to carry subs around anymore. I'm not expecting ANY 2way speaker to produce as much bass as an 18inch sub but for what we've been doing my EON15 G2's have done amazingly well and kick and bass has sounded surprisingly good through these!For the majority of our gigs we only use the tops as these are for around 100-150 people. On a couple of occasions I found that my rig (with subs) was possibly not quite up to the job and we're hiring a pa company to do those gigs this year. Pretty much all of the other gigs have been borderline to needing a sub so I'm thinking a better pair of tops with higher SPL and better bass response would probably do us! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members abzurd Posted June 29, 2012 Members Share Posted June 29, 2012 Rereading your initial post..... If you're up for a bit more heft and "almost subs" performance, you may want to at least try and hear the JBL PRX635. If you're near an area with a chain music store there's a good chance they have them available to audition. I heard the 535's at an outdoor fundraiser used by a DJ at moderate volumes and they sounded impressive. Nice bass response and clear as a bell over a large area. As a 1 box FOH solution they'd fit well for a lot of bands. I wouldn't mind trying them myself actually just to satisfy my curiosity. At 3 feet tall and 60 lbs, it's a 2 man job, but they are stand mountable. And 60 lbs is pretty darn light all things considered and it won't break the bank either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members hammondman Posted June 29, 2012 Author Members Share Posted June 29, 2012 Thanks. I had considered these but they are too heavy and expensive. I do quite a bit of setting up myself and can have long walks and stairs to do so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted June 29, 2012 Members Share Posted June 29, 2012 and reasonably high volumes 130db+?Thanks Do you have any idea how loud this is, or how it's measured? This is the most important piece of information and misunderstanding this makes every other discussion point immaterial. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted June 29, 2012 Members Share Posted June 29, 2012 For 130+dbs I would recommend RCF TTA25s, next EV ZXA5s Where do you propose that this measurement is attainable? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members hammondman Posted June 29, 2012 Author Members Share Posted June 29, 2012 Do you have any idea how loud this is, or how it's measured?This is the most important piece of information and misunderstanding this makes every other discussion point immaterial. To be honest I going from the fact that my JBL EON 15G2's have a max SPL of 129db. On occasions I've had these turned up to around 75% and didn't want to try turning them up any more in case I damaged them. So really what I'm saying is something that's capable of going louder than these. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted June 29, 2012 Members Share Posted June 29, 2012 To be honest I going from the fact that my JBL EON 15G2's have a max SPL of 129db. On occasions I've had these turned up to around 75% and didn't want to try turning them up any more in case I damaged them. So really what I'm saying is something that's capable of going louder than these. That's a more useful requirement, because the number is generally a calculated value based on 1 M away from the speaker which isn't really useful in practical applications. Additionally, disperssion patterns as well as real world operation (think power compression) can skew this greatly. Both of these are (real world) improvements on the EON: (RCF TTA25s, EV ZXA5s) as is the QSC K-12, the PRX-612 or 615. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members hammondman Posted June 29, 2012 Author Members Share Posted June 29, 2012 Thanks. The EV ZXA5's are out of my budget and the QSC K12 are only 12 inch speakers so I wouldn't feel confident putting a lot of kick and bass through these at higher volumes.I've considered the JBL PRX615's but know people who say that the FBT's, Yamaha's and Turbosound speakers are better!? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members abzurd Posted June 29, 2012 Members Share Posted June 29, 2012 If you can't afford the PRX635 you can't afford the FBT Promaxx. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted June 30, 2012 Members Share Posted June 30, 2012 I would look at the PRX myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members camplg Posted June 30, 2012 Members Share Posted June 30, 2012 QSC has the KW152 and KW153 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members OneEng Posted June 30, 2012 Members Share Posted June 30, 2012 You should go to GC and give the Yamaha DXR15's and DSR115's a listen. These speakers have some serious bottom end for 15" speakers. camplg's suggestions area also good. Listen to these while you are there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted June 30, 2012 Members Share Posted June 30, 2012 But overall, the DXR is nowhere near the speaker that the DSR is performance-wise. I think the DSR, KW and PRX are all 3 very close. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Gaffle Posted July 1, 2012 Members Share Posted July 1, 2012 But overall, the DXR is nowhere near the speaker that the DSR is performance-wise.I think the DSR, KW and PRX are all 3 very close. Speaking of close, Yamaha did themselves a disservice by making their model names so similar. I still don't know the difference in the models (DXR vs. DSR). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted July 1, 2012 Members Share Posted July 1, 2012 Agreed. The DSR is a much more robust speaker like the PRX, the DXR is more like an EON. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Al Poulin Posted July 2, 2012 Members Share Posted July 2, 2012 I do agree the DSRs offer more performance than the DXRs, but please do not compare the DXRs to Eons. The DXRs sound much nicer than any Eon I've heard... (I haven't heard the newer XT? models however) Maybe the QSC Ks would be a better comparison? (they look like them and have very similar features) Al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted July 2, 2012 Members Share Posted July 2, 2012 I think the Eon is a reasonable comparison. Not identical but in the ballpark IMO. Nothing wrong with the Eons either for the intended market. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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