JBL EON G2 circa 2010

To many ads? Support ODJT and see no ads!
H

Handinon

DJ Extraordinaire
Oct 1, 2014
1,954
3,287
77
Search here at ODJT for these brings up zero results, so just for informational purposes, anyone have experience with them?

Seems the EON 10 G2 and the EON 15 G2 were early JBL powered speakers with, IMHO, some very innovative features - the main one being an aluminum front panel with the amplifier heat sinks actually being in the speaker ports, so the woofer pumped air across them.* However, the overall cabinet shape is very unusual, and seems to have very small volume vs the driver size (poor bass response?) - current EON's look completely different. The advertised amplifier power was also rather low - but this could be due to it being a more "real' rating compared to what's done today. Were they just too "weird"?

*Patent issue? Peavey has a lot of Patents on this stuff.
 
Last edited:
The original EON basically created the market for portable powered PA speakers. Their goal was to get the most sound out of a box weighing less than 40 lbs. I had several friends on the design team. The first EON hit the weight goal but was in a gray cabinet and only had 185 watts of amplification (if I recall correctly). They sold like hot cakes. Mackie then introduced the SRM-450 that advertised 400 watts. It came in a darker and more conventional looking cabinet and was definitely louder. It also weighed more (51 lbs). It soon surpassed the sales of the first generation EON. This proved that the 40 lb weight goal was not critical to market success. However, the SRM-450 had an Achilles's heel. It's heat sink was half the size of what it should have been. It would go into thermal shutdown on occasion and got a bad rap for this. Other players jumped on the bandwagon before JBL responded with the G2. The EON G2 matched the SRM-450s advertised power and came in at 46 lbs but it maintained its unconventional looking cabinet. By now many others were gaining market share. The EON G3 came out at an amazing 33 lbs but once again JBL chose an odd looking cabinet. While everyone was trying to copy the SRM-450 success (and while Mackie corporate was internally blowing up), QSC was able to change the game again with the K series. It offered more power and features in a smaller size. The K series went on to become the most widely sold powered speaker (over a million sold, would you like fries with that?).
 
  • Like
Reactions: Scott Hanna, Jeff Romard, MIXMASTERMACHOM and 2 others
Sawdust, Thank You very much, exactly what I was looking for! Great history!! I find the G and G2 so interesting because of their shape - "form follows function".
It must have taken great courage at JBL to buck the market and do that.
 
They must have fixed the SRM-450 when they moved production to China. I ran those things for 6-10 hours in direct summer sun many a time with no thermaling.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MIXMASTERMACHOM
steve149 said:
They must have fixed the SRM-450 when they moved production to China. I ran those things for 6-10 hours in direct summer sun many a time with no thermaling.
Click to expand...
There are three versions of the SRM-450 that I am aware of. The original was designed to shut down at 113.5 degrees if I recall correctly. The amp designer told me he originally specified a heat sink twice the size but the industrial designer(s) rejected the larger heat sink for aesthetic reasons. The early generations of powered speakers did not use class D amps. These days almost all powered speakers use class D designs and the extra efficiency negates the need for large heat sinks. II don't think V1 had any class D amps. V2 had a class D woofer amp and I think V3 uses two class D amps. Of course, manufacturers make engineering changes during the course of manufacturing that aren't always communicated to end users. Mackie could have done this with the V1s.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ittigger and steve149
Sawdust 123 where would place the Yamaha DSR 115 tops we use. Hoe good do you think they are and what are your thoughts on them?
 
What has always amazed me about Yamaha is how diversified they are. Musical instruments, electronics, motorcycles, outboard motors, snow skis, on and on - and all their stuff is some of the best you can get. What does a Concert Grand piano and a Grand Prix racing motorcycle have in common? I heard they even grow their own trees for their pianos!!

While I'm not a lover of 15" two-ways, I would assume the DSR 115's are excellent - just like everything else they make.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: ittigger
Sometimes you get to put speakers on a stand and other times it's impossible. When I played in Ashanti's Tavern there was no room for speaker stands. You just had enough room to fit your setup in there.
 
ittigger said:
If you can fit a speaker, then you can fit a speaker stand.
Click to expand...
Wrong! The place was so small that there was a makeshift dance floor which was right by the DJs setup. So if you put stands up there have been no room for people to dance with people possibly getting hurt because someone bumped into one of the stands causing the speaker to fall.
 
If there's no room for a stand, then there's no room for a speaker (which is larger than a stand / pole). If there's no room for a speaker, then there's no music - unless you're singing. In what world is a pole bigger than a speaker?

I swear - you can't make this crap up.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Jeff Romard
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back