Now that I have your attention… You will love this post!
I am simply blown away after testing my new ZXA1 system out in the garage. I ordered two complete systems, main and sub for the left and main and sub for the right side of the stage, but one of the sub woofers is on back order. I will be using them for the very first time for a gig at the Pearl Country Club in Pearl City and expectations are satisfied with not only five stars, but maybe 10 stars.
I’m sharing my test results with you as I’m sure you found this post because you are looking for more information on the Electo-Voice ZXA1 speaker systems.
Question #1: Will one sub provide enough bass to make up for the one sub not here yet?
Powered with 800 Watts, only 19 lbs.
Answer most definitely. With the range setting on the mains and sub at 0 db. The system came alive with no LED bouncing on my mixer. Wow … that is impressive as sometimes at my gigs, running a 300 watt system, I would want to pump it up further, but my mixer is already red lining.
The EV manuals say that it would be better to have the speakers set at higher point of the range because then you wouldn’t be over driving the mixer and causing distortion. That is a testimonial to how quiet the amplifiers in the speakers are as less superior brands would may be introduce some noise. All right EV.
Question #2: How does the music mix as whole sound while using the sub woofer, but having
the main speakers set for full range then with it’s 100 hertz filter applied. The lows will only come out of the sub woofer when the main speaker’s 100 hertz filter is on? Answer: In MHO the mix sounds cleaner with the 100 hertz filter applied. Cleaner because I can hear the higher frequencies coming out of the main speakers nice and crisp. Know that mechanically, the low frequencies in the mains are coming from the 8″ speaker while the high frequencies are coming from it’s horn, two different sound sources so it means that the absence of low frequencies coming from the main speaker only makes for a clear road for the high frequencies to hit your ears and it is beautiful to listen to this EV system and adjust to sound like the sound system in your car or home. Full of punching lows (frequencies) , correctly adjusted mids and crisp highs…
I have heard a few DJ’s that need to walk out in front of their speakers as they are pushing 90db plus SPL (Sound Pressure Levels) They don’t realize how they are hurting the ears of the guests, especially the older generation with ears that cannot handle the mids around 2 Khz. It’s quite simple, Let’s feel the bass, hear the highs, and not get blown away by the mids.
In summary…. I am very pleased with my test results. The Electro Voice ZXA1 and ZXA1-Sub combination is highly recommended by me if you are looking for powerful, yet very light speakers to work with. The powered 800 watt ZXA1 main is about 19lbs and the ZXA1-Sub is only 46 lbs. Before purchasing this system, I looked at the Bose L1 series, however it’s not designed for a band application in my opinion.
A single sub or even no sub would work nicely for a duo or acoustic band. This Saturday I will be using the system with only (1) sub and I’ll come back to post and update letting you all know how it went.
If you run a DJ, I recommend getting two subs – You your funds are low, use your existing sub as well. You can even run four EV subs, two on each side. Wow… Let’s start an earth quake.
Two complete system will give you 3000 watts of power … Now that is cool.
The wireless microphones put out by Vocopro are very inexpensive. There is no other manufacturer out there that will give you eight wireless microphones for less than $700. I had noticed some noise issues that were related to the RF (Radio Frequency) operations of the microphones. I just completed my testing and have confirmed my suspicions. It’s after twelve midnight here in Hawaii so I will call it a night with more information to come…
Update July 3rd, 2012
As promised I have returned to add to this post my findings on RF issues related to the Vocopro UHF-880 wireless microphone system. Before I continue, let me say that I for one, is very much satisfied with the quality of sound and how this system is working as well as it is with eight microphone transmitters and eight receivers working in close proximity of each other, performing as well as they have. Especially note worthy is that the AA batteries (2) last very long. They are rated to last up to 12 hours.
You will know when the change the batteries as the red LED light on the microphone, comes on solid red when the batteries are weak.
Before going further you need to understand this next paragraph:
“Intermodulation interference occurs when two or more transmitters, transmitting at different frequencies, are coupled, resulting in the mixing of signals. This results in the presence of additional frequencies (intermodulation products) that are either sum or difference of the transmitted frequencies. If intermodulation products fall within the bandwidth of a receiver, intermodulation interference may occur.” Source:
Now the question is, which channels are impacted by the intermodudation issues with the Vocopro system?
Please note that managing your wireless microphones correctly will eliminate in noise issue resulting from intermodulation. Here are some simple rules.
1. All wireless mic channels should include a “mute” button so that you can turn it off when not being used. Any receiver whose transmitter is turned off will invite RF noise.
2. Have the performers turn on their microphones and leave them on, until they leave the stage. This way all the receivers will be locked in on their transmitter leaving no room for intermodualtion noise.
3. Sound man waits for all microphones to be “on” before un-muting the channels.
No mute buttons on your channels? Get a board that has them.
First let me tell you about my setup. Plugged in the receiver, installed both antennas on the system, opened the sql (squelch level) to highest sensitivity (fully CCW). It is the squelches job to squelch noise while a receiver is NOT picking up its transmitted microphone. Erroneous noises occur when the receivers squelch is breached and RF nose enters the radio. This noise ultimately reaches the loud speakers.
Always keep unused wireless channels muted!
While turning different microphones and watching the RF indication LED on each receiver, you can determine which combination of microphone being left on will cause issues to channels whose transmitters (microphones) are turned off.
Turning on different combinations of microphones will cause idle receivers to pickup noise. Channels 5 is the most impacted, followed by channel 8. Knowing this and following the simple rules above should keep you in the clear, enjoying your vocopro wireless microphones for years to come.
Sure the electronics for this system can be improved, eliminating all RF intermoduation issues. Then, perhaps these 8 wireless mics would cost us more than 4K dollars? Nah… I’ll continue to use my Vocopro mics… You can too, now that you know the plan.