For all my musician friends out there, I wanted to take a few minutes to give you my impressions on the JBL EON 515 series powered speakers. I had been using the Yamaha EMX512sc with matching s115v speakers, and was extremely happy with that system - but the speakers were almost 70 pounds each and getting them up on the stands was always a risk!
When the EON came out at 450 Watts and only weighing 32.5 pounds, I had to check it out. It I could really cut the weight of my speakers in half AND not have to carry a separate amp, that would make my life a whole lot easier right? Read on...
Sound
Of course, you want is to sound great, and many musicians will tell you that you'll never get sound as good from a plastic cab as you will from plywood enclosures - and I agree. But, the EON's sound really darn good. Perhaps not quite as good as the s115v, but surely good enough that the 32 pounds I am saving on each speaker is well worth it. The main issue here is that I LOVE the EMX512sc mixer - it is so easy to use, has built in compression and effects which were hard to get used to being without. With the JBLs, you'll need to lay out some extra cash for EQ, compression, and whatever else you need to adjust the sound. I bought a Behringer two channel EQ and use my Vocalist live 4 pedal for compression on the vocals, which helps. But, I know with a better EQ and compression over the entire mix I'll get pretty close to what I had with the Yamaha set up eventually.
The EONs' 15 inch woofers handle the Bass of my Yamaha P250 piano without a hitch and are very full sounding, and have a very even frequency response. Highs are clear as a bell. There are three EQ settings on the boxes: Boost, Flat, and Low cut. I keep in on the flat setting for live performance and sometimes go to boost for program material, like my ipod. This adds a bit of bass and treble. I have had no feedback issues unless I am doing something really silly with my rack EQ :-)
Loudness
I have read many complaints that the EON 515 does not put out the amount of sound you'd expect for a pair of 450 watt amps, but this has not been a problem for me. Most of my gigs are less than 300 people and the EON's have been proven more than adequate. I do think, however, that when I add compression to my rack I will be able to crank the EONs to even higher limits. Right now, my piano without compression is so dynamic that I think a compressor will really help flatten out the mix and allow me to crank it even more. I'll update this post at that time.
Features
There are not a whole lot of features to items like this, but compared to the Mackie SRM450's and other active speakers, there are some very compelling features on the EON. The most important is the fact that each EON 515 has 3 inputs - two line level 1/4 inch and one combo XLR/Line - so you can use it as a dumbed down mixer. In fact, for smaller gigs I will simply bring a single EON, plug my Piano into the two line level jacks, and run my Guitar and mic through my Digitech Vocalist Live 4 and then into the XLR input on the EON. The XLR input allows you to select line level or mic level, which is good because the VL4 runs line level out on it's XLR jacks. This makes for a ridiculously portable system that is a piece of cake to set up and can easily handle a house party. And, you can use the mix/loop feature and an extra mic cable to connect a second (or 3rd and 4th) Eon to the first one; So the first Eon acts as the mixer, and the others are just powered slaves putting out whatever comes into the first.
Bling Factor and sturdiness
Do the look good? Absolutely - I think they are one of the coolest looking active speakers out there, and have very nice lines. Unfortunately, all that light plastic does not like to be scratched. I have only been using them for about 8 months and already they are getting scuffs and scratches, no matter how careful I am. My yamaha speakers look brand new after 4 years of abuse. But, to be honest that doesn't matter much to me - as long as they keep sounding good. They also have a little glowing JBL logo that you can turn off if you like - a nice touch if you want them to remain incognito in a dark room.
Portability
Unrivaled. At 32.5 pounds each, I can carry one in each hand no problem. I can also get them up on a very high stand without breaking a sweat.
Dislikes
- Buttons
One nitpicky item I have is that some of the settings, like the Line vs. Mic setting and the JBL logo are accessed by recessed buttons. You have to have a pen or some other small object to change them. These buttons do not seem as sturdy as the rest of the enclosure, so I am very careful with them. After 3 or 4 gigs running around asking for a pen to set the switch, I finally realized I can do it with a twist tie - so now I keep on on the speaker at all times - problem solved.
- External Effects / Mixer required
This is an issue with any active system - all of your effects are now external, so I had to build a rack - which is heavy and a big pain. the Yamaha EMX512sc was really light, and had everything I needed - even compression. You also need a mixer for anything more than you and your guitar, which I solved with an Alesis iMultimix 8 I got for 2229 at best buy. It works fine, but does not have the compression like the Yamaha mixers - I miss that.
- Power Cords
Again, another problem with all active is that they must be powered. Not a big deal for me,because I am a self contained solo act and my speakers don't need a huge spread, but I can see this being a problem in some venues.
- Price
These things are expensive (About $700 each), so if you don't need the mixer features and price is an issue. a pair Mackie SRM450v2 would probably be a better call - it would save you about $400, and sound is probably comparable.
Overall Rating
I give these babies two huge thumbs up, and would easily recommend one of these over the hideously expensive, over-marketed, and from what I've experienced terrible sounding Bose sound on a stick system. The EONs sound as good as any tupperware cabs I've ever heard and are so light, I'd hate to give them up. When I play gigs with just one EON and my guitar - set up takes me 10 minutes and it sounds great.
Until next time - remember to check me out at http://mikewestwood.com
