Does anybody have JBL MRX PA speakers?

[Turdus]

I've got a pair of Yamaha Club 15's. Not bad at all, but I see that the MRX 15 is about 20 pounds lighter. Sounds pretty good to me at this point in my life.

These carry a price tag of about $750 each, and seem to be capable of a lot more wattage than the Yamahas... something like 800 vs 500.

If anybody has compared these 2, I'd like your opinion. Trying to decide if it's worth dumping the Yam's to get the JBLs. Also want to make sure that my QSC 1804 (600 rms per side) will be able to power the JBLs.

[zenmindbeginner]

I DJ'd an event where the house system was combined with my system. I have a pair of old JBL MR PA Speakers. I love em' 'cause they are made of actual high grade plywood and have selectable high frequency responses to match teh size of the room. The MRX speakers were combined with my speakers and I was not expecting them to have good midrange and highs but they did... they are featherlight and made of ABS I think.

They sounded great (handled 600 watts like nobody's business) and I just couldn't believe how light they were.

[Jimbilly]

My pro-audio buddy tells me that only the top-end JBLs are worth getting, he says nothing but good things about the new EV Live X series, I'd check those out if I were in the market, apparently those are the best value at this time, -so I hear.

I have some older powered Wharfedales, like the powered Mackies but they sound better, but those are not very common.

[Turdus]

Hey Jimbilly.... EV Live X - I have a pair of those. Mine are the non powered 1-12's. EV may have hit a home run with these. I have to emphasive "may". I've not used them in a live situation. However, for music reproduction they sound very good... as a matter of fact, they sound excellent. They are a bit light in the mids (smiley face EQ) which sounds good for music, but I'm not sure how they'll cut live for vocals. Against an older set of EVs, and the Yamaha clubs, it is very noticible. Also... they are not as loud as the other 2 sets of speakers I have. You have to turn up the volume quite a bit to match the others.

The next concern is the cabinet and grilles. The cabs seem very light. I would fear that a drop, from about waist up, could result in a pile of firewood. The grilles are very thin. Both of mine arrived new (double boxed) with dented grilles.. Ironically both in the exact same spot... left side, 6 inches up from the corner. Top Notch EV Customer Service sent out a new set pronto.

So.. excellent sounding speakers, with some issues EV may have to address.... stronger cabs, thicker grilles... time will tell.

For the JBLs your audio buddy must be referring to the SRX. They look great, but very expensive. The reason I was looking at the MRX, was that I was not interested in the 15" EV Live X based on the issues I listed above. The JBL MRX, while about 40 pounds each, look to be built very solidly. I was also looking at EV Tour X.... but, the weight on those is the same as the Yamaha clubs I already have.

I just looked at the ELX 112 Powered version manual, and it has a switch that the non powered does not:

NORMAL / BOOST

The NORMAL/BOOST switch controls the tone of the loudspeaker. NORMAL works best when the loudspeaker is used for vocal monitors or for speech. Boost works best for music playback and applications that require more bass and treble boost.

I'm going to assume that the non powered is permanently set in "boost" mode, and thus what I percieve as the smiley face EQ.

[Turdus]

Picked up a pair of the MRX512's. As much as I like the sound of the EV ELX112, I beleive the JBLs bring it even more. They should.. they are a lot more expensive. They are louder than the EVs at the same level from the power amp. The cabinets look/feel more rugged, and while apparently weighing about the same, the JBLs seem lighter.

I was able to use them last night in a challenging environment. Warehouse, with many inflatable moon bounces, and very high ceilings. I thought I was in for a lot of trouble, just attempting to get over the noise produced by the inflatables. The JBLs were loud, and clear, and sounded a lot better than I thought they would. Helps that I am using a high powered QSC amp.

Just my opinion, but I find the JBLs to be more sonically pleasing than the Club 115's. They are no slouch either. Now I'd like to get my hands on a pair of the JBL 15's.

[zenmindbeginner]

I told ya! My MRs have a sweet ass treble and midrange that bests most other passive cabinets it's size and the MRX sounded awesome combined into one huge P.A. I was only driving them with my Gigracs which I'll bet have much less headroom than your QSC set-up and they sounded killer. Congratulations on an awesome set of speakers Turdus.

[Turdus]

thanks Zen! I'll have another opportunity to ring these out on Sunday. more controlled environment, and less volume. Looking forward to it.

[sirDaniel]

small, light, CLEAR, powerful, #19

EV ZXA1. $399ea (powered)

[Turdus]

I was considering the ZX1 (non powered) for some smaller gigs. But, the power rating on those was something like 200 watts. I was afraid my amps might melt the speakers. I don't see myself as being one to go with powered speakers, ever. I am too redundant, and would have to buy a minimum of 3, just to have a backup.

Out of curiousity SirD... are the ZXA1's made in China? I'm wondering if EV has moved all production overseas.

[tomteriffic]

I'm back and forth between the MRX 515's and the new JBL EON 515XT's. Non-powered vs. powered and not much price difference. Our rig can handle either or both with a simple patch cord swap and a couple of extra power cords. We've been using some earlier generation EONs and I've been very impressed with their clarity, low distortion and just generally "refined" sound. But the older ones are a bit underpowered and tend to run out of gas when my wife's electro-kick whomps 'em. So some more power and power handling would be in order for the string of small-ish outdoor shows we play in the summer.

Our bassist owned the PA in the previous band he was in and between us, we have plenty of room for his main cabs to carry as backups. In fact his van is usually in a double-locked storage area, invisible to the street, so he usually leaves his PA gear in the van anyway.

[RCM78]

JBL just released passive PRX speakers. Might be worth a look.

[Turdus]

JBL just released passive PRX speakers. Might be worth a look.

I used the MrX512's yesterday, and have become a complete fanboi. These are 12" cabs. I did the same gig last year with two 12" cabs, and had to use a sub. Not this year with the MRX's. No sub needed.

That said, the passive PRX look to be an answer to the EV ELX. Suprisingly, they look similar. But the JBL may have the upper hand here... the specs show thicker cabs and grilles than the ELX... see my comments about the EV's above!!!!

I could not find any pricing on the passive PRX yet. This is going to get good if they are the same price as the ELX.

[sirDaniel]

Out of curiousity SirD... are the ZXA1's made in China? I'm wondering if EV has moved all production overseas.

not sure.

I use EV SXA250 powered wedges for everything. They are the bomb. NEVER needed a backup in 7 years pushing them VERY hard. Ever since getting the ZXA1, the SXA250 have been relegated to floor wedges. I haven't found a gig the ZXA1 couldn't carry. UNLESS you're pumping <100hZ into them strong. i.e. keyboard monitoring. If the gig is bigger then needed for a pair of ZXA1, then I would just add a sub (SBA760) underneith. I carry 1 around as my "announcing" rig for sporting events. 1 can carry a pool area 2 can cover a basketball game easily. Clearest speaker ever! Better get the words right.

Did I mention CHEAP??