Review: Electro-Voice ETX Powered Loudspeakers
Getting bored with the current crop of powered portable speakers? EV’s ETX range will update those expectations.
By Mark Woods
21 August 2014
The current wave of portable powered speakers have seen good service — in fact, they’re everywhere now — but Electro-Voice reckons it’s time to update expectations for this hotly-contested, prosumer class. It’s all about value, and $1500, give or take, seems to be the comfort zone. By combining components from its high-end products with some clever design, and powerful DSP, EV’s ETX range may well be the new wave in the next set of portable speakers.
The range consists of three full-range two-way boxes: the ETX-10P with a 10-inch LF driver; the ETX-12P with a 12-inch driver; and the ETX-15P with a 15-inch. A single full-range three-way speaker — the ETX-35P — has a 15-inch LF driver and 6.5-inch mid-range driver. All of these use EV’s DH3-B 1.25-inch titanium compression driver for HF reproduction. Two sub-woofers are offered: the ETX-15SP and ETX-18SP that use 15-inch and 18-inch LF drivers respectively. The drivers themselves are from EV’s industrial-strength EVF installation range.
So far, pretty normal. It’s the arrangement of these drivers behind the grille that really makes the difference. The two-way cabinets have been designed so the front of the horn flare hangs over the top of the LF driver. This means the horn waveguide can be quite large (for better pattern control) and the gap that’s created cleverly carves out a bass port. The diaphragms for the drivers are as close to each other as possible and physically aligned for phase coherence.
SCREENING TALENT
Advances in both driver and cabinet design have been matched by improvements in DSP and how it’s accessed. In the ETX range, FIR-Drive digital filtering is given the credit for removing non-linearities in the driver’s response. It means — in concert with the phase response attributed to the physical design — they sound great straight out of the box and allows the designers to shape the response to optimise performance for different speaker placements and applications.
A big feature of the ETX range, and one I expect will become standard issue, is the screen for accessing DSP functions. It’s a good size, easy to see, with a big clear master volume display in the centre, all controlled by a push-button rotary controller — pretty simple. The master level control will turn the speakers down to off, or provide up to 10dB of gain. And if you hit the rotary controller too hard it goes all the way up to… well, I won’t give it away, but it’s heartening to know a sense of humour can be part of speaker design.
Practical control options within the DSP include preset function modes for Music, Live and Speech, as well as settings that optimise the speaker’s response in different physical locations. General settings include up to one second of delay and options for using the boxes with subs, including a variable HPF so they can be used with any old subs… or specific settings for matching the ETX full-range speakers with specific ETX subs. The three-band semi-parametric EQ section is down the list and correctly labelled Room EQ. If the Function and Location settings are correct for your purpose then you really shouldn’t need any more EQ.
The screen display is dominated by the master volume level, surrounded by some handy information. I appreciated the input level meter, with overload indication, for each channel. The reminders on the screen about selected Location presets and sub/HPF choices are also helpful, but an indication of which Function is selected is missing, as is an indication of any EQ being used. Both of these can have a big effect on the sound coming out of the speaker and it would be better if these were displayed, especially because the ETX speakers power up on the same settings they were powered down with. It’s worth being aware of this as there are enough options for the inexperienced to get confused… and it will store any weird or experimental settings. On several occasions I found the Reset Factory Defaults option was the quickest way to get back to the start.
Traditionally, powered boxes have erred on the side of simplicity. But as sound quality improves, the more users appreciate finer control over the sound — as long as they’re still easy to use for professionals in a hurry, or school gym teachers nominated to get the PA going. Despite the relative complexity of the control options, you don’t need to use the screen at all to get the ETX speakers working. Plug a mic into one of the two input sockets, raise the gain for that channel and it works. The factory default settings are normal with the virtual master gain starting at 0dB. The simple menus combined with one-knob turn/push navigation make the DSP easy to drive and it’s refreshing not having to deal with those little switches that litter the back panel of last decade’s powered speakers.
NEED TO KNOW
Electro-Voice ETX
Powered Loudspeakers
Traditionally, powered boxes have erred on the side of simplicity. But as sound quality improves, the more users appreciate finer control
POWERFUL RANGE
In use, I found the ETX speakers to be versatile and powerful. Driving the drivers is a 2kW Class D amp. That’s a lot of power considering the current breed of powered speakers was proud to boast 1kW. The controlled frequency response, even coverage and high power made a good initial impression. The horn might sound a bit bright first thing in the morning but it won’t by the end of the soundcheck and it’s particularly smooth across the 1-4kHz high-mid range. The slightly exaggerated response above 6kHz is a little tizzy up close but gives some good sparkle for live shows. The low mids sit nicely without boxiness or bark — out the front anyway. As usual for this type of speaker the low-mids are quite prominent coming off the back of the cabinet. The LF response varies according to the model and the Location preset. The ETX-10P is somewhat bass shy with not much energy below 100Hz. The bigger and heavier ETX-12P is a lot fuller. The three, single-woofer full-range models can all be used as floor monitors and selecting the Monitor pre-set in the Location menu rolls off the bottom end to remove unwanted LF energy and helps avoid coupling with the stage.
The difference in LF response between the different full-range models is less noticeable when you add one of the subs. The subs have the same overall build quality, steel grille and good looks as the full-range boxes. The screen is the same, the amp inside is 1800W… and they transform the speakers into ground-shaking beasties. The sound from the subs is punchy and well-controlled. The response is nice and even between 40-160Hz and they stay tidy at high levels. Instantly you’ve got a PA, and even one full-range speaker plus one sub per side would make a neat little front-of-house system for the right-sized act or venue.
BIG SUB OPTIONS
In another spin-off from EV’s high-end concert systems, if you have two or more subs per side they can be stacked for a cardioid pattern (rather than the natural omni pattern) by pointing one backwards and selecting Cardioid in the subwoofer options. The DSP takes care of the technicals. EV claims this can provide up to an impressive 30dB rejection at the rear of the stack and is intended to reduce the amount of bass on stage or behind the speakers.
The only practical problem with the subs is the size; they are efficiently designed but they’re still a lot bigger than the full-range boxes, especially with their wheels on. For bands or self-contained acts, using subs is another level of commitment compared to turning up with a couple of powered boxes on stands. One ETX-15SP sub can be packed into the back of a wagon by one person if he’s feeling fit but you’d need a van at least to move a whole PA. The (removable) wheels located on the back of the cabinets are professional 100mm roadcase strength items that would be right at home being wheeled down a ramp out of the back of a truck (rolling the 15SP into the Theatre Royal made me think of Martin Phillishaves) so maybe the subs are best left for super-keen bands, production companies or installations.
This brings me to the ETX-15P full-range speaker. They’d be used as part of a PA or installation because they’re louder and punchier, but they can work for mobile acts too. I have a pair of 15-inch speakers I don’t always use because they are a little awkward to carry and a little precarious on a cheap stand, but if you’re mixing a whole band you can get a bit of deep bass and kick out of them. With 12-inch boxes or smaller, you can’t get as much low-end as having a sub, but it’s often enough and they will fit in a wagon with all your other gear.
IN ACTION: NOLL & STONEFIELD
Shannon Noll at the Theatre Royal was a good chance to try some of the ETX boxes on the stage. I used an ETX-10P on top of an ETX-15SP as a drum monitor and it kicked butt. No EQ, plenty of fat kick, easy vocal level… and you could hear it clearly half-way down the room. For powered speakers they have a good long throw. At the same show I gave Shannon one ETX-12P for foldback. It’s a good test; I’ve done his sound before and know he likes it fairly loud. It sounded like there was plenty of clear volume when I was setting it up for the soundcheck but I did notice the rather narrow horizontal coverage. Dedicated floor monitors with a wider coverage or speakers with a rotatable horn would be better in this regard. Also the 40 degree recline is a tad low, 43 degrees seems standard, so I had to chock it up for Shannon. That said, it certainly worked. Up loud it needed a couple of spots of EQ but got the big thumbs up at soundcheck and didn’t get changed through the night.
The week after that was a pub gig with thin rockers Stonefield. The ETX-12P was great as drumfill on the small stage with good punch from the kick, a strong vocal level and not a hint of feedback. The ETX-10P was just as good at the centre vocal position. This was a loud rock show; these speakers work.
The EV ETX range raises the standard for this class of speaker by offering quality components with clever design, more power and more control. High-level sound at a mid-level price. Top of the class.
Bought a set of four ETX-12P’s… absolutely love the sound out them… absolutely hate the white noise. When I plugged these in, I couldn’t believe how loud the hiss was. I thought I had a wide open channel or noisy preamp somewhere. But this is how the speakers sound. I contacted two retailers who took a listen to their 12P’s in store, and they likewise found them to be not only twice as loud as the QSC’s at 0db, but also hissing at a wider bandwidth. It’s more like white noise than a hiss. In a quiet room, you can hear these things all the way to the back with nothing plugged into them. What is EV thinking?