Sound vs. Reliability - Monitor speakers

[Jinkings]

I"m looking for a compact and relatively affordable monitor speaker for my keyboard rig. Most of the time I play with a Nord Stage 2 88, but also have a Deepmind 12, Model D and an Apple Mainstage rig.

The speakers I"m interested: Electro Voice Zx A1 and Yamaha Dbr 10

I don"t have the opportunity to compare them, but my research indicates that the Zx A1 has the sound I"m looking for....But I"m a little concern with the reliability of these speakers as attested by some owners.

Also beside the sound and size, The Yamaha DBR10 wins on almost everything:

Reliability (no complains), Dsp, 2 inputs, routable line out, handles, work on any voltage (bivolt?) and it"s a little cheaper.

So the question is what"s more important for you: Sound or Reliability.

I"m asking regarding those speakers but the question applies to any gear.

Thanks

[KuruPrionz]

The finest sounding speaker is worthless if it does not work.

 

If the Yamahas sound really good then trading a little bit better sound for potentially lower reliabitly does not seem like a good option.

[Jinkings]

Thanks for your input! Make sense

If other member could share their opinion on Sound vs. Reliability or even their experience with the Electro-Voice Zx-A1 and Yamaha Dbr10 I"ll appreciate

[JimboKeys]

Been using a pair of EV Zx-A1 for over 10 years, no problems. What are the reliability issues you've been hearing about ?

 

- Jimbo

[CEB]

Ditto. I"ve used a pair of ZX-A1s for a longtime.

 

Here"s my review from 2013 if you ever wondered what the C stands for.

 

https://www.keyboardmag.com/gear/powered-speakers-that-make-great-keyboard-amps

 

PS - they shut down if sound production accidentally sends phantom power to your rig. Happened over the years several times. No permanent effect. The speakers have never failed [KnockOnWood]

 

[CEB]

Reliability trumps everything. ( within reason it has to do the job )

[U.Honey]

 

Thanks for your input! Make sense

If other member could share their opinion on Sound vs. Reliability or even their experience with the Electro-Voice Zx-A1 and Yamaha Dbr10 I"ll appreciate

 

I have gigged with a pair of ZXA1"s for about 5 years. I"ve had situation where the speaker stops working about 2-3 times. The reason was always overheating. The speakers were in direct sunlight, they got really hot and did a thermal shutdown. Other than that I"ve had no issues with them.

 

I have no insights into the Yamaha Dbr10"s.

[raffkey]

I use one EV ZXA1 as a personal monitor. Had it for about 5 years. No issues..

[timwat]

It would be very difficult to convince me to purchase a monitor speaker I'm going use at every gig without hearing it in person first. The most reliable speaker in the world may end up annoying your ears on a very consistent basis LOL. So I would suggest you consider not purchasing either until you get a chance to demo them both. About the only exception I can think of to the "listen to it first" axiom would probably be the RCF TT08s (which I've never personally heard), because so many forum users here have confirmed their incredible reputation for pristine sound.

 

Now, that being said, I really dig my Yamaha DXR8s, which I've gigged for years ever since purchase. One wonderful thing about Yamaha DXRs is they have a 7 year warranty. I had one failure after gigging it in 105 degree heat direct sunlight (the Gilroy Garlic Festival) - and Yamaha replaced the internal amp no questions asked.

 

 

[allan_evett]

I've been using a Yamaha DXR 12 for 7 years, and it's been rock solid. A few years ago I picked up a Line 6 L2t, which is now my keyboard cabinet most of the time (The DXR 12 does band monitoring duty more frequently). No complaints about either cabinet.

 

Btw: Reliability first!

[Jinkings]

Been using a pair of EV Zx-A1 for over 10 years, no problems. What are the reliability issues you've been hearing about ?

 

- Jimbo

 

I read some negative review here on the forum and some retail reviews...something about the speaker stop working. Not sure if a blown amp or driver.

Great to see that you and others here had no trouble!

Ditto. I"ve used a pair of ZX-A1s for a longtime.

 

Here"s my review from 2013 if you ever wondered what the C stands for.

 

https://www.keyboardmag.com/gear/powered-speakers-that-make-great-keyboard-amps

 

PS - they shut down if sound production accidentally sends phantom power to your rig. Happened over the years several times. No permanent effect. The speakers have never failed [KnockOnWood]

 

Great article, CEB! Thanks

 

I use one EV ZXA1 as a personal monitor. Had it for about 5 years. No issues..

 

Great to see some happy zxA1 users... thanks Raffkey

 

[Jinkings]

It would be very difficult to convince me to purchase a monitor speaker I'm going use at every gig without hearing it in person first. The most reliable speaker in the world may end up annoying your ears on a very consistent basis LOL. So I would suggest you consider not purchasing either until you get a chance to demo them both. About the only exception I can think of to the "listen to it first" axiom would probably be the RCF TT08s (which I've never personally heard), because so many forum users here have confirmed their incredible reputation for pristine sound.

 

Now, that being said, I really dig my Yamaha DXR8s, which I've gigged for years ever since purchase. One wonderful thing about Yamaha DXRs is they have a 7 year warranty. I had one failure after gigging it in 105 degree heat direct sunlight (the Gilroy Garlic Festival) - and Yamaha replaced the internal amp no questions asked.

 

 

Hey Tim, I understand your point of view, but regarding monitor speaker even if I could try at some shop, It"s difficult to know if the sound would translate live.

Some speakers sound fine at the studio but don"t cut the mix well live....like the QSC K12 (as a keyboard monitor)

From what I read the Zx A1 has great clarity on the highs and don"t fight the other low mid frequencies of the stage

 

[Jinkings]

I nerver know if it"s a good idea to read internet reviews when buying gear....I can"t control myself. Because I don"t know If the problems regarding the Zx A1 are a minority. But with some happy users here I"m more comfortable to pick the Zx-A1

[woodtus]

I have had some issues with my Zx-A1"s when paired with my nord stage 2. For quite a while I had overheating problems - when the thermal cutoff happens you can"t use the speaker for like 5-10 minutes which is a disaster on the gig. After a while I realised that the nord ouput is rather low so the amps have to be turned up much more than they should be and it is this was casuing the overheating problem. Easily solved with a small mixer and this is really the fault of the nord stage 2 rather than the speakers. I also had a few issues with the mic inputs - the volume pots stick out and are easily damaged in transit. I also had a few times when the power got turned off suddenly which the speaker doesn"t seem to like very much, maybe it triggers the thermal cutout, not sure. Now I am careful about turning them off during breaks and making sure to keep the power supply good.

 

I always take 2 speakers to the gig now so if one goes down (not that it does, but I am a bit paranoid now) at least I can continue on. They do sound good though and have got me through 100"s of gigs.

[CowboyNQ]

So the question is what"s more important for you: Sound or Reliability.

I"m asking regarding those speakers but the question applies to any gear.

Thanks

If it can"t do both, I don"t gig with it.

 

[Reezekeys]

I have had some issues with my Zx-A1"s when paired with my nord stage 2. For quite a while I had overheating problems - when the thermal cutoff happens you can"t use the speaker for like 5-10 minutes which is a disaster on the gig. After a while I realised that the nord ouput is rather low so the amps have to be turned up much more than they should be and it is this was casuing the overheating problem. Easily solved with a small mixer and this is really the fault of the nord stage 2 rather than the speakers. I also had a few issues with the mic inputs - the volume pots stick out and are easily damaged in transit. I also had a few times when the power got turned off suddenly which the speaker doesn"t seem to like very much, maybe it triggers the thermal cutout, not sure. Now I am careful about turning them off during breaks and making sure to keep the power supply good.

 

I always take 2 speakers to the gig now so if one goes down (not that it does, but I am a bit paranoid now) at least I can continue on. They do sound good though and have got me through 100"s of gigs.

If you turn an amp's gain up to compensate for a lower input, you're making its output section work the same as if there were a hotter input signal with less gain â assuming the final acoustic volume levels are the same. Any amp design wizards want to set me straight on this? I'm happy to be told I'm wrong, and why â but that's what I've always thought.

 

All in all, your post is not exactly a ringing endorsement of these speakers. "Power turns off suddenly" and "I always take 2 speakers to the gig in case one goes down" does not inspire confidence. However, you're the one using them and if you're happy with the way things are that's all that counts.

 

I've had my original QSC K8s for ten years. I had one incident three years ago where an inductor's solder joint broke due to flexing. Turns out QSC added a zip tie to hold these down in later rev circuit boards. I managed to fix this myself with the help of the electronics gurus on this forum. Once you're out of warranty though, these kinds of things are not "fixed" since I'm pretty sure component-level repair is a rarity with these modular electronics; the entire amp board is swapped. QSC wanted a flat $300+ labor to repair my speaker. I paid $20 including shipping for the inductor I replaced. My point is not to start any "warz" over which brand PPA is better. I would certainly be looking at different brands if I were shopping today. I just recommended Alto TS308s to a community services organization I'll be teaching at soon. On paper they have an impressive price-to-features ratio and the Amazon reviews are pretty good.

 

[edit... I forgot about another K8 failure I had, an op-amp that went south on one of my two speakers. Doesn't affect me because I lose a mic/line input which I don't use anymore; the line-only input works fine. Someday I will fix this just for the experience of doing a board-level smd repair.]

 

And... here is a year+ old thread with a few reports of ZXA failures, maybe this is what Jinkings was referring to: https://forums.musicplayer.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/2960113/Re_EV_ZXa1_Vs_QSC_CP8_powered_

[PianoMan51]

Factory repair costs are something we rarely discuss. As opposed to the QSC flat $300, I had my Fishman SoloAmp repaired last year for a flat $50 plus shipping.

[Reezekeys]

That's an out-of-warranty repair, I assume? And $50 covers anything at all, such as the entire amp module? Nice.

[PianoMan51]

That's an out-of-warranty repair, I assume? And $50 covers anything at all, such as the entire amp module? Nice.

Yep. This is how you want to be treated after purchasing a high quality product.

 

From a business/ marketing perspective this is basically repairing their products for free (minus a nuisance fee to discourage non-significant repair requests). The $50 covers their handling costs.

[Reezekeys]

I think it might also show their confidence that their products won't need to be repaired very often. I've never heard anything other than positive comments regarding their amps.

[MotiDave]

 

It would be very difficult to convince me to purchase a monitor speaker I'm going use at every gig without hearing it in person first. The most reliable speaker in the world may end up annoying your ears on a very consistent basis LOL. So I would suggest you consider not purchasing either until you get a chance to demo them both. About the only exception I can think of to the "listen to it first" axiom would probably be the RCF TT08s (which I've never personally heard), because so many forum users here have confirmed their incredible reputation for pristine sound.

 

Now, that being said, I really dig my Yamaha DXR8s, which I've gigged for years ever since purchase. One wonderful thing about Yamaha DXRs is they have a 7 year warranty. I had one failure after gigging it in 105 degree heat direct sunlight (the Gilroy Garlic Festival) - and Yamaha replaced the internal amp no questions asked.

I was going to recommend to OP if he can swing the price, DXR10 sounds lovely and has yamaha reliability and backing

[agitato]

I use the ev zxa1 for solo piano gigs and the yamaha dxr10 for 2 or 3 keyboard loud rock etc., band gigs.

[Delaware Dave]

I've been using my EV ELX112p for close to 6 years. Both guitar players in my band use 100 watt tube amps, their volume is insanely loud. To keep up my amp's input and output controls are both set at 3/4's or higher. The output coming out of my PPA is insanely loud. I would have expected it to have broken down by now but I have not had one single issue with it, not one. It's one hell of a reliable piece of gear and it sounds pretty good as well.

[Reezekeys]

Of course EV speakers are very well regarded. The only negative comments I've heard concern the low end guys made in China, which I believe is the model the OP was referring to.

 

Years ago I was in a wedding band that used small EV passive speakers - SX360s I believe. They were fantastic, very loud and clear for their size & weight.

 

I have to say that I'm a little confused with their product lines â I see five different 12" powered speakers! zxa, elx, zlx, ekx and etx!

[Jinkings]

For some reason this model Zx a1 is not for sale on some big retail in the US

[Jinkings]

 

And... here is a year+ old thread with a few reports of ZXA failures, maybe this is what Jinkings was referring to: https://forums.musicplayer.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/2960113/Re_EV_ZXa1_Vs_QSC_CP8_powered_

 

 

That"s exactly! Thanks!

[Jinkings]

I keep reading how good the zxA1 sounds...especially with Nord piano, but how unreliable it is. And the opposite with the Yamaha Dbr10: not a single problem, but sound too muffled.... looking for other options now. The Yamaha Dxr series and Qsc .2 are too expensive where I leave... Rcf 710 have a good deal here!

[harmonizer]

I have been using my zx-a1 as my keyboard monitor for about 5 years. It did stop playing once at an outdoor gig when it was exposed to direct sunlight on a hot day.

At that gig I subbed in my old KC-150 for the rest of that set. That KC-150 will survive the nuclear holocaust - like a cockroach. But its annoying sound is why I bought the zx-a1.

For the last set I used the zx-a1, with something shielding it from the direct sunlight.

 

I do not use the zx-a1 to make the sounds the audience hears, so I am never driving it to use its full volume.

 

It is true that Nord Stage and Electro output is at a lower line level that most other keyboards.

This may require that you put some sort of small mixer to boost the signal - if you want to get the maximum possible volume out of your zx-a1,

and you are using the zx-a1 as a PA speaker, to produce the noise that the audience hears.

This is not an issue for me, since the audience hears my keyboard sounds from the Front-of-Hall speakers from our band's PA,

with out PA getting a feed from the line out of my zx-a1.

 

I have a bad back, but the < 20 pound weight of the zx-a1 means I can carry it myself. Gotta love that.