EV ZXa5 problem again

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Gaffle said:
I'm a believer in good looking gear as well but I don't personally feel the ART 4 and 7 series are bad looking at all. They do have a Storm Trooper type look but the angles seem proportional and edgy + the logo is nice (unlike FBT's).
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Here is a sexy looking Speaker for you and durable as well. You can put it out in the Cold Winter outdoors and it will play, in the Texas Summer Sun from Noon til Sun goes down and it will play plus the profile on a stand is great. It does not have that vertical boxy look! http://worldwide.bose.com/pro/en_us/web/panaray_802_series3_loudspeaker/page.html My pair is still kicking after 35 years. That is what I call longevity. To be fair, I mainly use them for Mids and Highs in a Two or Three way configuration. Once in a while if I am playing in a house or for just Speech PA I will use them in Full Range. Their mids and highs have great clarity and natural sound.
 
I'm not sure many would call the 801 a "sexy" looking speaker .. "dowdy" maybe.

It sounds good, but attractiveness is not its strong-suit.
 
For some reason, I always did like the look of those Bose 801's. The name probably impresses lay persons more than anything. I don't see them as a serious PA speaker I'd choose though with their all-paper drivers, overly-wide directivity design and need for an external proprietary EQ device, but to each his own...

They've been around for a very long time so something has to right about their design.
 
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Gaffle said:
For some reason, I always did like the look of those Bose 801's. The name probably impresses lay persons more than anything. I don't see them as a serious PA speaker I'd choose though with their all-paper drivers, overly-wide directivity design and need for an external proprietary pEQ device, but to each his own...

They've been around for a very long time so something has to right about their design.
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They are 802s not 801s. The ones I have are older and designed differently with two open ports in the front. The 802s compared to standard boxes do have a much nicer profile when up in the air and are not as conspicuous as the regular vertical rectangle boxes. It is how it is used is what is important. Again, unless I am using it in Full Range which is rare, they only see Mids and Highs and that is where they excel in Clarity!
 
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thanks for your Input, sorry for the delay in response, I was travelling...My autogain in Serato is at the recommended value of 92db. I just dropped it to 91db now...
It seems like I'm going to be investing in a DSP. You are right, since I got the ZxA5..non of the 2-ways sound that good to me anymore...I sometimes have to match 2 of the QSC KW 112p with 1 zx15 to hear a paired balance output....
I do agree that its either I'm doing something wrong OR I was lucky to get a "nice lemon"

Gaffle said:
^^^ That's a good point.

Also, did you use Autogain on your TTM57 mixer within the Serato [setup]? (You should have been)
... If so, what dB level was yours set at? Anything 93dB and especially above is absolute distortion and all your tracks are playing in the red on the Serato output. I run Autogain and mine is set to 91dB. I play all types of genres.

I had a warranty covered coil failure early on when I first got my ZXa5's. I was running them w/o a sub and probably playing them too loud. The lack of limit light didn't help (thanks EV). That said... I am cognizant now of the limits of these tops and do have external DSP for limiting when I run my full sub and top setup (4 TH-118s and 2 ZXa5's).

Once you own a pair of ZXa5's, all other mid-level 2-way powered tops will seem like a step or two back. They don't get hardly as loud and the overall sound quality usually doesn't measure up as well. It takes a LOT of sub bass firepower to keep up with the ZXa5's too. I'd hate to see a bunch of potential user errors and ignorance blemish the reputation of a great Made in USA powered speaker.
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@MixmasterMac....I never set the vol @ 5 o'clock...I said 2-3 out of 5.../thanks for your input though, I will start putting them at 12 o clock...I do a lot of big events 350 -600 sitted...
and always run them with a pair of the Yorkville LS801P subs


MIXMASTERMACHOM said:
He even mentioned having the volume button at 5 o'clock. Big NO NO! That's pushing those tops way to hard. At that position I wonder why you didn't hear distortion. That's over working those tops. Do as I suggested and keep the volume button on the speakers at 12 o'clock and control the volume from the controller. That should solve the problem unless the room you're using the gear in is a big ballroom. Then that means you don't have enough speakers and you trying to make up for the lack of by raising the volume to unsafe levels. Hope that helps.

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I'll match my Yamaha DSR's to yours any day!
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Thanks to all for your inputs and suggestions are well taken.

I do agree with HoustonDJ that a DJ should know his equipments and should not need a limiter...for over 15years I've done that until I fell in love with the ZXa5's.
I intend to NOT drive them as much as I used to and when doing a big event...add additional speakers...my ELX 115P should be perfect for that...and if I'm in a bigger space maybe more...
I've come to agree that I was prolly driving them too hard...but the last hick-up...seems to be caused by a "power surge" I guess...
I just have to get them from EV....
I will keep you all updated with response from EV.
 
The ZX5's are well known for giving trouble. I think you are putting too much blame on yourself. EV's products are good but the latest China made stuff, ELX and the like are geared toward an entry level market. When you get your EV's back it will be hard to gain back a level of trust during each event. Im a Yorkville and RCF user and lover and to date I never had a speaker go down. I run a passive rig because I like having the choice of amp to match the type of speaker I plan to use.
 
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d2benz said:
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@MixmasterMac....I never set the vol @ 5 o'clock...I said 2-3 out of 5.../thanks for your input though, I will start putting them at 12 o clock...I do a lot of big events 350 -600 sitted...
and always run them with a pair of the Yorkville LS801P subs
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As an FYI, a pair of ZXA5s are woefully inadequate for 400+ people. For 600, you're at the point of typically having a pair of matched and properly splayed tops per side with sufficent subs for coverage. That could be a reason you blow them if they are being driven to a point not designed for.
 
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When I do 600 or more people in a proper size room I run the following, it gives me the ability to play loud, without stressing a single component:

6-8 TX1181 (18" subs)
4 TX1122 (12' tops) for some rooms a pair of TX1122 tops in the center and a pair of TX1152 (15" tops) on the corners
3 Q1212 amps
1 DCONE processor

I have found that taking the time to add more speakers and amps and try to tax the system less keeps you from killing drivers in your cabs.

Ray J.
 
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I agree with what others have said. You're not using enough speakers to do a gig with 600 people attending. Those Yorkville subs are dynamite but they can't carry all the sound. You're just not using enough tops and trying to push those EV's way too hard to cover the gig. I'm not sure if what I have to use would be good enough myself to use for a gig with 600 people. I have 2 Yamaha DSR 115 tops, 2 DSR 118 subs and 2 Yamaha S215 speakers. Powered by a QSC 2450 amp. The point being you shouldn't have to over work your gear at a gig.

Now let me suggest since you don't have a clip light on back of those speakers that you get a power meter. At least that's what I think it is. I think it's made by American DJ. I used to have one a long time ago. It's where it has 2 meter bars going across it that tells you how much out put you're running at. Once you see it running into red then that's where you want to be careful. It is supposed to go into the red. Just not too far. This way you can tell if you're pushing things too hard so you don't keep damaging your speakers. Good luck and I hope this helps.
 
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