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EV Powered Speakers for AP


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HI Guys,

 

I purchased one EV ZAX1 (8") to use with my Nord PIano 4, for jazz combo use, I am thinking about getting another one for stereo but was wondering if I should get a matching speaker or a different model with a larger woofer. On piano patches is the left generally where the base is, such that I could run that channel to a larger speaker. On the other hand, another speaker might not be well voice matched. Any advice here? Thanks.

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Are you playing solo or using this in a band? Do you need to avoid trespassing in the bass player's frequency domain, or do you need a totally full sound? My first response is to say get a second speaker just like you got. If you end up needing more bottom you can add a subwoofer later. However, for solo piano you will notice the difference if you step up to a 12" or even 15" speaker. I really like 12" speakers in a band context though many like 10's. The people who push 10's say they are less boomy and don't compete with the bass. I feel you can eq any of those problems away. 12's sound fuller and rounder on the bottom. My studio monitors are 8" and do just fine for home use. Don't think they would ever be enough for playing in a band.

This post edited for speling.

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With an 8' speaker, you might do just better pairing it with a good subwoofer and running in mono - vs doing the stereo 8"s. (Also depends on the size of the venues you plan on playing.)

 

For comparison, I have a pair of Alto 10"s that are still a bit lacking in low end when used either solo or in stereo. No such problem with my EV12"s, though.

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Although I do not own the EV ZAX1 (I have the ELX-112P) the reports on that speaker is that it's a great choice for acoustic piano. Given that I would go with purchasing a 2nd matching speaker. The 8" should be adequate to carry piano bass in a stereo situation. I have not read reports where the 8" is inadequate

57 Hammond B3; 69 Hammond L100P; 68 Leslie 122; Kurzweil Forte7 & PC3; M-Audio Code 61; Voce V5+; Neo Vent; EV ELX112P; GSI Gemini & Burn

Delaware Dave

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A second matching speaker, absolutely. And don't worry about bass! Two 8" powered speakers like the ZXA1 are fine for jazz. In general, speakers made for studio use probably won't work too well in a live gig setting so I wouldn't count on using that subwoofer. Try just the two 8" speakers first, at least. You can add a sub later if you really think you need to.

 

I can't say this enough - when you sit at a real acoustic piano and play it, how powerful are the bass frequencies really? I'm not talking about how low the frequencies of the bass strings go, I mean the actual spl of the bass register. You really think you need a sub to play a Nord on a jazz gig? I play jazz gigs, sometimes doing left-hand bass on my two 8" powered speakers and I have to cut bass frequencies â with rhodes patches especially but also acoustic piano.

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I have been using a pair of ZXA1s for years for jazz and they seem very realistic to me, with a nice flat response curve and little harmonic distortion. I do have to crank the bass down a little sometimes so as not to step on the bass player.
CA93, MODX8, YC88, K8.2
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Long time ZXA1 user. A pair move twice the air. I prefer a pair. I prefer them connected to the floor as a wedge. Two on the floor deliver really nice low end. ... but that is just general thoughts on the nature of speakers. They be good however you want to use them.

"It doesn't have to be difficult to be cool" - Mitch Towne

 

"A great musician can bring tears to your eyes!!!

So can a auto Mechanic." - Stokes Hunt

 

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Hi there,

 

While I don"t have EV speakers, my gigging speaker is a 8' Yamaha MSR-100. Unless you"re in a dense ensemble, 8"s are fine. And they are lighter for solo gigs too. Someday I want to upgrade to a stereo pair of 10"s, but 8"s are sufficient enough for many cases.

Yamaha: Motif XF8, MODX7, YS200, CVP-305, CLP-130, YPG-235, PSR-295, PSS-470 | Roland: Fantom 7, JV-1000

Kurzweil: PC3-76, PC4 (88) | Hammond: SK Pro 73 | Korg: Triton LE 76, N1R, X5DR | Emu: Proteus/1 | Casio: CT-370 | Novation: Launchkey 37 MK3 | Technics: WSA1R

Former: Emu Proformance Plus & Mo'Phatt, Korg Krome 61, Roland Fantom XR & JV-1010, Yamaha MX61, Behringer CAT

Assorted electric & acoustic guitars and electric basses | Roland TD-17 KVX | Alesis SamplePad Pro | Assorted organs, accordions, other instruments

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How to people recommend mounting these? When I arrive at a gig I prefer a quick setup without a lot of drawing attention to myself. Therefore I would rather not deal with tall PA stands if there is a tidier approach. Someone mentioned putting them on the floor - does that work? I saw in the manual that the speaker can be rotated internally which I assume is to do with how you mounting it. FYI I am now looking for one of these, in SF Bay area, just in case.
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It"s best to use them at ear level, so I have a couple of short speaker stands that fold up and fit in my gig case, which is a short keyboard bag that I use for the 2 stands, my keyboard stand, my bench, and my music stand. I raise them so that the tweeters are at my ear level when I play. And they are nice and light. The one issue I have with the ZXA1"s is that the pole mount hole is near the back, so the speakers can tip over if you raise them too high without an appropriate speaker stand.
CA93, MODX8, YC88, K8.2
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How to people recommend mounting these? When I arrive at a gig I prefer a quick setup without a lot of drawing attention to myself. Therefore I would rather not deal with tall PA stands if there is a tidier approach. Someone mentioned putting them on the floor - does that work? I saw in the manual that the speaker can be rotated internally which I assume is to do with how you mounting it. FYI I am now looking for one of these, in SF Bay area, just in case.

Depends. If you play through FOH and used as personal monitors then I like them on the floor. You can get better bottom end and tripod stands are a pain and kind of look junky on a stage. If the audience needs to hear them and with decent articulation then you need to elevate them. Tripod stands are probably your best bet.

 

If used just for personal monitoring then start on the floor and if you don"t like it then spend money on stands.

 

All my gigs are with large contracted FOH sound.

"It doesn't have to be difficult to be cool" - Mitch Towne

 

"A great musician can bring tears to your eyes!!!

So can a auto Mechanic." - Stokes Hunt

 

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Yikes.... just saw you use a Nord. Do you have a mixer? You should have one for the extra gain stage. The inputs are quiet on these EVs. And Nords used to have a reputation of having weak outputs? Regardless you should have another gain stage. The little cheap Yamahas are fairly clean.

 

PS - You play Jazz. Maybe you will be Okay. I still think the speakers sounds better with a mixer gain stage. You can raise the input and not have to turn the speaker up to hiss levels.

 

PPS - I don"t play jazz. I play loud shows for drunken masses.

"It doesn't have to be difficult to be cool" - Mitch Towne

 

"A great musician can bring tears to your eyes!!!

So can a auto Mechanic." - Stokes Hunt

 

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