harmonizer Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 I noticed distorted sound from my Electrovoice zx-a1 during the last month. My initial guess was that I had blown its 8-inch main driver, and that I might have caused it by playing left hand bass with a weird synth bass patch during a recent rehearsal, when our bass player was absent. I ended up buying an Alto TS408 based on opinions shared from some of the people whose opinions I value in this forum, and the TS408 sounds a lot better than my zx-a1 had been sounding recently. My son opened up the zx-a1, discovered it was very easy to remove its amplifier "box", and detached the wires that sent signal to the 8-inch main driver. So he ran a test where he sent the output from the zx-a1 amplifier "box" to one of our Yamaha stage monitors, and he heard the same distortion we had been hearing from the zx-a1 before we opened it up. The conclusion is that it is the amplifier that is blown in the zx-a1, and not the speakers in the zx-a1. It just occurred to me that I have not tested the second input on the back of the zx-a1 since I started noticing the distortion. It is possible that I may have caused this by inserting the line-in TS cable into the back of the zx-a1 while it was powered on. I confess to impatience while multitasking. Has anyone every bought a replacement amplifier "box" for an Electrovoice zx-a1? I saw a listing on Amazon for one priced at $220 but the reviews made it seem very much a hit or miss product. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jose EB5AGV Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 Can't help directly, but perhaps sharing a recording of the distorted sound could help to diagnose it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reezekeys Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 Another non-helpful reply coming, sorry. I thought these speakers had limiting to protect from spikes or overloading their inputs? I would be a little nervous replacing the amp box with one different from what was originally specced for the speaker. Output power, impedances, input sensitivities, etc. can be different. I would think EV designs these boxes with matched components. My .02? Instead of taking a chance on a $220 amp box, spend another $30 for a second TS408! I know from experience with my two QSC K8s that playing left-hand bass at loud volumes is no problem at all with two 8" >1000W speakers. Go stereo young man - the sound of synth pads and strings, patches with reverb & chorus, etc. in stereo will make you happy! 🙂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coker Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 I have bought two replacement amplifiers when my ZXA1s started cutting out after warming up. They were rebuilt units from a Canadian company and worked fine. Very easy to replace. Quote CA93, MODX8, YC88, K8.2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harmonizer Posted March 28 Author Share Posted March 28 22 hours ago, Coker said: I have bought two replacement amplifiers when my ZXA1s started cutting out after warming up. They were rebuilt units from a Canadian company and worked fine. Very easy to replace. Can you please share who was the Canadian company and how you contacted them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coker Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 I’m pretty sure it was Taylor Electronic Services. I just called them up and talked about what I needed. Quote CA93, MODX8, YC88, K8.2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TommyRude Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 On 3/26/2024 at 5:47 PM, harmonizer said: It is possible that I may have caused this by inserting the line-in TS cable into the back of the zx-a1 while it was powered on. I confess to impatience while multitasking. Quote Some music I've recorded and played over the years with a few different bands Tommy Rude Soundcloud Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharlieLosGatos Posted Thursday at 05:35 PM Share Posted Thursday at 05:35 PM Member Cocker, Do you feel it was worth fixing the EV ZAX1? The amps are something like 2/3 the price of new. Mine have failed and I am weighing this versus buying something more reliable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coker Posted Thursday at 08:40 PM Share Posted Thursday at 08:40 PM At the time the new amplifiers didn’t cost as much, and others didn’t seem to be having the problem I was having. In the end, I ended up selling them anyway, because I wanted amps with more power. I did sell them for roughly what I paid for the replacement amplifiers, though. It might have made sense not to repair them and keep the, for studio monitors. Quote CA93, MODX8, YC88, K8.2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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