First impressions of the EV ZXA1

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rickryan.com

rickryan.com

Mac Daddy DJ
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Dec 9, 2009
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wimpy. It might make a decent ceremony rig by itself. If I put a sub with it, it sounds good. The top end is very crisp but the mids and low-mids are questionable, IMHO. The box is teeny-tiny and I do think it makes for a good backup plan. I'm using it tonight at a small-ish 16 and tomorrow at a large-ish wedding. Will have my Bose and the EV/sub side-by-side. Should have a good feel for it by the end of the weekend.
 
Make sure they are on fullrange and not with sub. Mine came from EV on the with sub setting. Take a ball point pen and poke the blue switch on the back of each speaker.

Hope that helps.
 
atomicfission92 said:
Make sure they are on fullrange and not with sub. Mine came from EV on the with sub setting. Take a ball point pen and poke the blue switch on the back of each speaker.

Hope that helps.
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Yea, I tried it both ways (the speaker, that is :sqbiggrin:). It was a bit weak.
 
Oh crap, just realized who's sponsoring this forum...........(shakes head).........did I mention how nice and compact this puppy is?

Seriously, my initial whining aside, I'm really interested to hear this thing when it's matched with a proper sub. A matched pair of subs with these on top might make for a good H.S. dance system.
 
I'm sure it makes as good a stand-alone cab as any 8 inch woofer equipped cabinet out there. While 8 inches may be more than respectable in some areas, for a full range, stand alone cabinet, it will be lacking in the bass department. That's just common sense guys. If you are going into a party where there will be dancing with just a pair of 8 inch full range cabs, you are delusional.
 
In my man cave, I have 8 3/4" studio monitors, and a 12" sub -- total 350 watts (solid state). That's plenty for me, in a 13' x 13' space.

As much as I respect the EV brand, that's not a system I would use at a gig for mains...

Probably make a good rig for ceremonies, or lounge/dinner stuff though, as they look like they're easy to setup, and I expect the quality is very high...
 
rickryan.com said:
Oh crap, just realized who's sponsoring this forum...........(shakes head).........did I mention how nice and compact this puppy is?

Seriously, my initial whining aside, I'm really interested to hear this thing when it's matched with a proper sub. A matched pair of subs with these on top might make for a good H.S. dance system.
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HA! No worries...we have nothing to hide. All opinions are welcome.

The ZXA-1 is a great little box considering the price / size / weight of it. But yeah...at the end of the day it is a 8" woofer so obviously you can only ask it to do so much. Smaller shows, delay/fill, ceremony system, acoustic bands, monitor for a small stage, or speech are all acceptable applications....just can't compare it to a ZXA-5 box and expect it to be the same. Unlike what some other manufacturers might want you to believe, loudspeakers ARE bound by the laws of physics...even ours.

Too many people ask too much from thier gear - find the right tool for the job and you will always be satisfied with the results!
 
DJ JohnThe1 said:
8" speakers are used as monitors as far as I know. I would never ever attempt to do a show with speakers that size. 2 15"s and 1 18" sub is my smallest rig.
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Bose uses 6.5" in their B1s. While there are plenty of folks here who take pot-shots at them, they do a very respectable job.
 
I am going to take a look at the SB122 (?) or the SB2A subs. They seem like the perfect match for the ZXa1's.

Like I said in my review post. They don't have chest pounding bass. But for the size of the speaker. They do a really good job. IMO
 
EV is truly top quality, but I guess the 8" speakers are not going to do it stand alone.
I almost bought these speakers to use for small gigs. I do quite a few weddings with 100 to 125 guests, all age ranges as with most weddings, I really do NOT always need thumping bass. I wanted these to work as I am getting a little older, muscles and back just do not work like they used to! These are very attractive at 19 lbs. I dreamed of taking them into gig from the back seat of my car. If you have to add sub/subs, then you may as well buy bigger heavier speakers.
I just wish I could afford the zxa5's
 
As always it boils down to application and anticipation.

Application - Having the right tool for the task at hand.

Anticipation - Hoping for more than can be reasonably expected.

Examples:

Application: You wouldn't use a 12 ounce ballpeen hammer to knock down the Berlin wall, when a 16 pound sledge hammer is called for.

Anticipation: Once had a client ask why his Mackie SRM 450's went into thermal protect. He was providing sound for a rave with over a thousand people in attendence.

The ZXA1 is an exceptional product for what it is. The only time it would let you down is if it is used for the wrong application or your anticipation is too great. It's an EV afterall.
 
mikeyg said:
EV is truly top quality, but I guess the 8" speakers are not going to do it stand alone.
I almost bought these speakers to use for small gigs. I do quite a few weddings with 100 to 125 guests, all age ranges as with most weddings, I really do NOT always need thumping bass. I wanted these to work as I am getting a little older, muscles and back just do not work like they used to! These are very attractive at 19 lbs. I dreamed of taking them into gig from the back seat of my car. If you have to add sub/subs, then you may as well buy bigger heavier speakers.
I just wish I could afford the zxa5's
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It's crow-eating time. Friggin WOW! I paired the Z with a 15" sub, powered by a QSC GX5 amp. Set the crossover at about 130hz and left the full range on the Z. I dearly love my Bose L1 rig but I have to say this thing really gave it a run for its money. Probably even better. I'm stoked to try it out tomorrow night but as of now, I'm planning to go get a better crossover and order another 15" to put in my 2nd cabinet. In a bi-amp situation, that teeny-little speaker does the job, and then some.
 
BillESC said:
As always it boils down to application and anticipation.

Application - Having the right tool for the task at hand.

Anticipation - Hoping for more than can be reasonably expected.

Examples:

Application: You wouldn't use a 12 ounce ballpeen hammer to knock down the Berlin wall, when a 16 pound sledge hammer is called for.

Anticipation: Once had a client ask why his Mackie SRM 450's went into thermal protect. He was providing sound for a rave with over a thousand people in attendence.

The ZXA1 is an exceptional product for what it is. The only time it would let you down is if it is used for the wrong application or your anticipation is too great. It's an EV afterall.
Click to expand...

I fully agree with all of this. I am now looking at the QSC K10 Again, I realize this is not going to handle 150+ crowds and again, another factor is how the hall is set up. However, for most of my applications, 100 to 125 people, small dance floors, close proximity to the guests tables, wedding crowd, etc. I think the 10" will most likely be a little better for those applications. When I have to do larger applications, I can add the Ksub.

Thanks
 
The ZX1 (I don't have the actives) handles everything from 100 hertz up pretty well which will clean up your mid bass a bit as well, allow the sub to handle everything from 100 hertz down! Still not enough for gigs over 50 in my opinion!
 
Mikey, I still think you'd be selling your clients short. There is NO WAY you can cover a 100-125 person wedding (where dancing is to take place) with a pair of tens. Sure, we'd all like to but it ain't going to happen. For a party where absolutely NO BASS is required on the dance floor, such as a 50th anniversary, maybe... Get yourself a lightweight set of 12's and you'll be set for those 150 and less events.

At 39.5 pounds and double the bass of my FBT MaxX 4a's, this is what you need:

http://www.fbtusa.net/FBTHIMaxx40awebpg.html

They are hard to touch for a stand-alone cab. We are talking 500 watts RMS to the woofer and 150 RMS to the horn, if we rate it as PEAK like QSC, we are talking a 2600 watt cabinet! That is 2 1/2 times the power of the K series and a pound and a half lighter! The 40a goes down to 45 Hz @ -5 dB which provides plenty of bass.

To be fair, I do like the flexibility of the input panel on the K series.
 
maestro said:
Mikey, I still think you'd be selling your clients short. There is NO WAY you can cover a 100-125 person wedding (where dancing is to take place) with a pair of tens. Sure, we'd all like to but it ain't going to happen. For a party where absolutely NO BASS is required on the dance floor, such as a 50th anniversary, maybe... Get yourself a lightweight set of 12's and you'll be set for those 150 and less events.

At 39.5 pounds and double the bass of my FBT MaxX 4a's, this is what you need:

http://www.fbtusa.net/FBTHIMaxx40awebpg.html

They are hard to touch for a stand-alone cab. We are talking 500 watts RMS to the woofer and 150 RMS to the horn, if we rate it as PEAK like QSC, we are talking a 2600 watt cabinet! That is 2 1/2 times the power of the K series and a pound and a half lighter! The 40a goes down to 45 Hz @ -5 dB which provides plenty of bass.

To be fair, I do like the flexibility of the input panel on the K series.
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Steve,

I am a proud owner of the FBT's and I love them. However.... they are so loud and so good on the bass, I find them overkill for smaller crowds like 100 to 125 guests. As previously noted, I do NOT do teen dances and never will. Most of my guests do not want pounding bass. The FBT's sound great and frankly, I have done events with 200 guests and they don't even break a sweat. If you missed my original intentions, I am looking to add another set up. Smaller, lighter and more appropriate for up to 125 guest events. I happened to listen to a demo today of the QSC K8's and the K10's and wow they really do sound really nice for small speakers. I think either one would be great editions to my FBT Hi Maxx 40A's. And... Steve, I might add, you are absolutely right about the FBT speakers, they are really nice!
Thanks for your input.
 
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