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[Liam Stears]

I do small mainly indoor live events for bands, currently running 2 elx118p's with 4 elx112p's ( 2 each side stacked on top of eachother on top of the subs) and finding the system as a whole a bit lackluster especially when it comes to vocals etc

The system does get pushed to its limit which isn't ideal especially as I'm bound to do more outdoor work and heat/overheating could become an issue

So I'd like to replace the tops with 2 decent tops (1 each side) that can give me a bit more headroom than the current setup. I'm not looking at going mad and spending too much (may very well buy used) but wondering what people would recommend as a good upgrade path?

Is there a decent set of EVs that'll match the looks of the subs but be powerful enough to give me more headroom without getting near to limits?

Interested in people's thoughts...

[Paul G. OBrien]

Is there a decent set of EVs that'll match the looks of the subs but be powerful enough to give me more headroom without getting near to limits?

Short answer is no because outside any single speaker rig will get pushed to it's limits. But that said the one non line array EV box that will get significantly louder than what you have and be a significant upgrade in terms of vocal projection is the QRX212. Yes that box outperforms the ETX12p which is also louder than the ELX12p but it's not a lot better with vocals, it's still just a single 12+1 box while the QRX is a dual 12 with a large format compression driver.

[Scott Holtzman]

Short answer is no because outside any single speaker rig will get pushed to it's limits. But that said the one non line array EV box that will get significantly louder than what you have and be a significant upgrade in terms of vocal projection is the QRX212. Yes that box outperforms the ETX12p which is also louder than the ELX12p but it's not a lot better with vocals, it's still just a single 12+1 box while the QRX is a dual 12 with a large format compression driver.

The QRx212/75 is a big step up as it also has a 3" horn.  Our QRx rig with QRX dual 18's rents for three times what a speaker on a stick rents for.  It is passive and needs an amp tank to rent with it.  4 Dual 18's and 4 tops is a substantial system.  The 75 degree horns can be carefully splayed if you need wider horizontal coverage.  The QRx subs have much great Xmax and power handling.  We are feeding them with a 3kw amp and another 3db would be nice.  You can use the Matrix in the M/X32 to cross them over (the PEQ settings are all over the web or I have them if you need them).  All in all the QRx is a huge upgrade if your clients are going to pay for more.


WRT the EV tops, stop stacking them.  That is going to cause destructive interference. 


An upgrade would be the Yamaha DZR315. Nice powered 3 way box.  Would give you another 4.5db of honest output.  They sound great too.  I am dumping my QSC 3 ways as we have fully depreciated them and we are shifting to all Yamaha for our SOS stuff.  The Yamaha subs are really nice too. 


If you go the Yammie path call Mike Pyle he will take care of you.

[Mike Caldwell]

Try stacking them so they are horn to horn.

RCF would be another to look at, they have models both in wood and plastic speakers
with large format high frequency drivers.

[John Schalk]

Is there a decent set of EVs that'll match the looks of the subs but be powerful enough to give me more headroom without getting near to limits?

Interested in people's thoughts...

Unfortunately, I don't think that EV currently offers a truly "pro" level powered speaker.  Across their powered lineup, they have chosen to use the same high frequency driver, the DH3-B, which has a 1.25" voice coil.  This compares with Yamaha, which uses a 2" device, and then to JBL, RCF, and others which offer a range of products that use 3" or 4" horns.  In general, the larger the voice coil used in the horn, the more power it can handle and thus the louder the speaker can play.  The loudest speaker in EV's powered lineup is probably the ETX-35P which is a three way design.  It still uses the DH3 on highs, but adds a 6.5" midrange to a 15" low frequency driver.  It weighs 84 lbs, so it's not an easy one person lift if that is also one of your requirements.

There is definitely value is using the same brand of tops and subs, but I think you're at a point where you may need to make a strategic change if you want to have a powered system that can be used for loud, outdoor events.

[Liam Stears]

Thank you all for the replys so far, it seems to me that longer term a cabinet with a much larger horn (3 or 4 inch) would prob be the way to go, we'll never be using this setup for massive outdoor events but being able to do 300-500 would be great

In the meantime I have what I have and by the sounds of it I'd prob be better off just running a single elx112p on each side for indoor events but I'm wondering if outdoor events it may be worth getting a couple of those T-bars that allow mounting 2 speakers on 1 stand, that way I could have 2 elx112p's on each side but have them tight together side by side to give more coverage? Thoughts?

Also in longer terms would I be best getting a pair of 15"s or save the cash and get a pair of 12's as I'll always be running a pair of 18 subs anyway, ev's for now but depending where I go with tops I would prob get the matching subs later down the line...

[Paul G. OBrien]

In the meantime I have what I have and by the sounds of it I'd prob be better off just running a single elx112p on each side for indoor events but I'm wondering if outdoor events it may be worth getting a couple of those T-bars that allow mounting 2 speakers on 1 stand, that way I could have 2 elx112p's on each side but have them tight together side by side to give more coverage? Thoughts?

I have a set of t bars but have only used them once. I noticed that even with just 2 small 12" boxes on it there was considerable weight and lateral strain on a sub pole.. enough to discourage me from doing it again. This should be safer on a tripod stand though. Horizontally arrayed point source boxes should be splayed to minimize coverage overlap but that may or may not correspond to the what results with the enclosures tight against one another, many times the fronts still need to be spaced apart some. Have a read through this article. https://www.prosoundweb.com/loudspeaker-arrays-ideas-data-solutions-in-solving-horizontal-coverage-problems/2/

Also in longer terms would I be best getting a pair of 15"s or save the cash and get a pair of 12's as I'll always be running a pair of 18 subs anyway, ev's for now but depending where I go with tops I would prob get the matching subs later down the line...

15's only if you go with a 3-way box but note that these are usually too large to pole mount and often don't even come with a pole socket.

[Caleb Dueck]

Also in longer terms would I be best getting a pair of 15"s or save the cash and get a pair of 12's as I'll always be running a pair of 18 subs anyway, ev's for now but depending where I go with tops I would prob get the matching subs later down the line...

A couple thoughts - don't get hung up with keeping subs and tops in the same brand.  While the processing (crossovers/delay/phase traces) typically makes them easier to deploy, what happens too often is you end up compromising one, typically the subwoofers, just to have the false "benefit" of a uniform brand.  If you mix brands, you will need SmaartLive (which you want anyway, and learn how to use the Magnitude, Impulse, and Phase traces) to align them. 

12" instead of 15" - is a good rule of thumb, but it's not universal, especially with brands that have HF horns that are large and powerful enough to crossover at lower frequencies.  IE, RCF. 

SPL headroom is your friend.  Too much - just turn down a bit.  Too little - compromised sound from being buried in the limiters, or even damaged components. 

As others have mentioned, EV has shifted toward more of an MI brand than Pro, especially for self-powered speakers.  I'd look at RCF, or for a real step up - passive (Danley, TW Audio, even the QRx mentioned above is pro-ish). 

[Matt Graumann]

I do small mainly indoor live events for bands, currently running 2 elx118p's with 4 elx112p's ( 2 each side stacked on top of eachother on top of the subs) and finding the system as a whole a bit lackluster especially when it comes to vocals etc

The system does get pushed to its limit which isn't ideal especially as I'm bound to do more outdoor work and heat/overheating could become an issue

So I'd like to replace the tops with 2 decent tops (1 each side) that can give me a bit more headroom than the current setup. I'm not looking at going mad and spending too much (may very well buy used) but wondering what people would recommend as a good upgrade path?

Is there a decent set of EVs that'll match the looks of the subs but be powerful enough to give me more headroom without getting near to limits?

Interested in people's thoughts...

If you have any interest in JBL passive gear (you'll need some great amps to power them), check out the Marketplace forum, 4th post down, by Bob Kidd...I don't know where either of you live, though...

Outdoors, passive has a much less chance of overheating, since you can hopefully put your amp rack in the shade.

Selling off my JBL 725s, some 728s, 835s and 828s

725s $1k each
728s $1500 each
835s $1250 each
828s $1600 each

[Noah D Mitchell]

An upgrade would be the Yamaha DZR315...

I can vouch for this. We are using two of these in very rough settings in Southern Africa - they get absolutely abused every week. Every event (outdoors in rural areas, inside schools, on trailers during parades) the SOP is just to keep the limiter lights off. And for almost three years they have been champs. No issues, and sound great enough that people who visit from out of country *always* ask what they are so they can get some when they go home.


The built-in DSP is used as a simple high pass.


We have managed to lose the knobs for the input gains, and scratch some of the Tolex. Not bad for the incredible abuse they put up with.

[ProSoundWeb Community]