THE KICKER

The Audix D6 kick mic has got to be the most common kick mic I see on stages and a standard for the heavier rock styles with its aggressive low frequencies, scooped mids and added high frequencies. A modern, transformerless design, its low sensitivity (0.8mV/Pa) suits the application – it will take high levels and features a tight polar pattern to reduce ambient sound. A machined aluminium body makes it light and it’s relatively small so it will easily fit through the hole in the front skin for placement anywhere inside the kick drum.

The D6 looks like a kick mic but it’s soft, boomy and its mid-shy to talk into. Tapping the front of the mic gives you a fat boof sound. Put it inside or in front of a kick drum and it comes to life with full and punchy low frequencies that are powerful rather than big or particularly extended. The scooped mids give it a fat sound, while the exaggerated response above 2kHz pushes the beater crack to the front of the mix. The sound of rock.

i i CAPTAIN

Next up is an Audix i5, nominated for snare duties in the DP7 Micro kit. It’s a reasonably-priced general purpose dynamic instrument microphone featuring a  frequency response well-suited to snare with a fattening boost in the lower-mids, flattish midrange and prominent boost from 3kHz to 10kHz. The i5 is manufactured with a caste zinc alloy body and grille, and tips the scale at a lightish 248g.

The Audix i5 snare mic features a more standard sensitivity (1.6mV/Pa) and its much closer to a general-purpose mic than the specialist D6. The proximity effect is pronounced and it strongly rejects sound arriving from the sides and rear. As a snare mic its fat and round with a strong boost around 5kHz to help the snap cut through. It’s also suitable for percussion, horns or guitar cabs. Handling noise is a little high but it could prove to be a capable live vocal mic – it has a kind of radio sound with strong low-mids. The i5 is mounted on a stand by the MC1 nylon moulded clip that grips well but marks easily.

Both the D6 and the i5 feature versions of Audix’s VLM (Very Low Mass) capsule design that uses diaphragms made from their own proprietary material that is lighter than the commonly-used Mylar, so can it react faster for more accurate transients.

OVERHEADS

Overheads are captured by two Audix ADX51 condensers. These are a conventional electret design with a 14mm gold vapour (GV) diaphragm inside a brass body with recessed switches for the 10dB input pad and the 150Hz bass rolloff. The frequency response is tilted to emphasise the higher frequencies, giving it a slightly bright character well-suited to overheads or percussion. The ADX51s and the D6 use the smaller Audix DCLIP stand mount. It’s a simple but efficient design made from hard nylon. The mic snaps in and out from the top of the mount, a metal thumbscrew locks it in position.

MICRO MODELS

Tom mics on live stages are traditionally a tight-pattern dynamic with strong/emphasised low frequencies and high level handling. It seems contradictory to use small diaphragm condensers but here we are, they’re being pushed by several manufacturers and do offer some advantages over dynamics, depending on the application. Assuming they’re padded or can take the level, the small diaphragm condensers are fast and generally accurate with an honest off-axis response. The harder the rock, the more you need the explosive LF push and maximum isolation that dynamics deliver but lighter styles can benefit from the more open and natural sound of condensers. Jazz kits are a good example where dynamic mics on toms are too closed and lumpy, while condensers deliver a more open kit sound.

The three MicroD tom mics included in the DP7 Micro package are miniature condenser clip-on drum/percussion mics with a hyper-cardioid pattern and greater then 140dB SPL level handling.  Not quite as tight a pattern as the D2/D4 dynamics and without their prominent low-end boost, the MicroD’s deliver a more natural and detailed sound that won nods of approval from engineers visiting the Theatre Royal Castlemaine where I manage the sound. Only 34mm wide, they slip into the circular aluminium shockmount on top of the DViceMicro drum mounts and sit snugly insulated from the physical jolts they’d otherwise receive being attached to the drum rim.

MOUNTING A CHALLENGE

The DViceMicro hoop-mounted drum mounts are great. It’s a challenge to design a mount with an adjustable gooseneck that will fit universally and is easy to attach and detach. Rubber mounts that stretch over the rim are the most common but seem crude compared to the Audix approach that uses a spring-loaded lower clasp and a fixed top clasp. You get the technique of placing the lower clasp under the rim and stretching the mount up until the top clasp slips over the top rim of the hoop after a couple of goes. Only once did I meet a drum kit that had top skins that blocked the space under the rim but it still had enough grip in the spring to hold tight. Once mounted, it’s easy to adjust the gooseneck to the preferred position.

Some drummers don’t like microphones mounted directly onto their drums at all, and I understand that if it’s a 300g dynamic mic plus mount hanging off the rims – I use stands to avoid the issue unless I’ve checked with the drummer. But the 47g MicroD toms mics offer a good compromise. They shouldn’t affect the drum balance or tone and they’re more convenient than mics on stands, specially in small touring situations where space and weight are important.

MICRO MANAGING

I took the MicroD kit on a small-ish tour where the acts ranged from mid-level pop bands to a loud rock band (Queenie), and the MicroD kit proved versatile and fuss-free. Touring is tiring and could be why after a couple of shows I started using a MicroD on snare as well as the rack and floor toms. The MicroDs sound similar to the brightish ADX51 overhead mics and don’t have the boosted lows of the i5 but they’re still punchy when placed close to the snare skin and have a pleasingly detailed presence.

The Audix DP7 Micro kit is ideal for pop/rock drums but versatile enough to be suitable for softer styles where detail is more important than punch or there is an emphasis on percussion instruments. Audix mics are reasonably priced anyway and purchasing them in a kit offers great value for a set of co-ordinated application-specific microphones. I think sound mixers generally buy mics one-at-a-time but kits make sense for production companies, venues and educational settings looking for a one-purchase solution.

FAMILIARISATION TOUR

Using the DM3 for the first time requires less familiarisation than most and there are plenty of helpful features. This is when you notice the mixer’s TF series lineage: the one-knob EQ and compression functions, the presets and scenes. For those not familiar with the TF series, the consoles have a library with preset scenes for typical music/speech applications that give new users (or operators in a hurry) a helpful pre-patched starting point. Naming the channels on the DM3 with the virtual keyboard is simple and includes the choice of different languages. Channel colours are limited to eight and there’s not many instrument icons, there’s no tuba icon, for example (yes, I mixed a band with a tuba, and felt mildly dudded).

The 8+1 physical channels have the usual Sel/Cue/Mute buttons, while everything else you need is on the screen. Touching a box or an edit icon takes you there and activates the one-touch knob ready to tweak the level or main parameter. Touching again opens up more functions and options. Channel processing starts with a four-band parametric EQ, with separate HPF. The RTA integrated into the EQ section is not overbearing like some, and can be switched off, or switched to display a piano keyboard for reference. There are two dynamics processors, nominally set as a gate and as a compressor. GainFinder is a visual gain-setting helper. Each channel can be delayed. A multi-band compressor and de-esser are noticeable by their absence, perhaps being saved for an update.

ONE TOUCH, ONE ENCODER

When I first met Yamaha’s QuickPro Presets and One-Touch EQ/Compressor functions on the TF Series I thought they were gimmicky but after using them I came to appreciate how they are another control option rather than simply a shortcut for newbs. A library of QuickPro Presets gives typical EQ/comp settings for a long list of commonly used mics and DIs. The One-Knob function continuously varies how much of the suggested EQ or Comp settings get applied to the channel. The One-Touch EQ preset for an SM58, for instance, gives you increasing amounts of a simultaneous boost to the high-mid vocal range and reduction in the low-mids. The One-Touch compressor simultaneously adjusts the threshold; increases gain reduction; and raises the channel output level as more is applied. The settings make sense and it’s fun to audition the presets but in use I found I was often only wanting to change one parameter at a time and reverting to manual drive.

EFFECTS & SENDS

Notably, there are only two effects. That’s okay by me – a reverb and a delay is enough for a 16-channel show. The effects include three versions each of Yamaha’s REV HD and REV R3 reverbs from the TF series, among a total of 18 different types of effects to choose from.

If the on-board effects aren’t enough or you’d like to use your fave recording plugins instead you can download VST Rack Elements that hosts Send/Return VST plugins.

The boxes in the Send section flip the faders to the six mix buses or matrix send levels. The mix busses (generally foldback) can also be accessed via Send From boxes on the input channels and the send level adjusted by the knob. The Mix Out channels get the same processing as the input channels less the separate HPF, but with the addition of a 31-band GEQ (limited to 15 bands at one time) that can be flipped onto the faders or controlled from the screen.

There are six fader layers on the DM3. The first two are the 16 input channels, the third is FX/MON channels, the fourth is the outputs. Layers 5 & 6 are custom layers you can populate on the fly and I used these a lot. Throwing the channels you need to ride onto one layer saves a lot of thinking. Below the Layer buttons reside six user-defined buttons that allow control of your choice of functions including Mute Groups, FX mutes, tap for delay and meter peak-hold. If the DM3 is used as a recording interface the user-defined buttons can control the transport functions of the host DAW.

GOTH BANJO MUSIC HALL

I’ve been using the DM3 for around three months by the time I put pen to paper for this review. It’s been a handy. It can be anything from a nifty problem-solver to a fully-featured FOH or foldback mixer. The first time I took it out, I was using a 32-channel analogue system for the 2023 Maldon Gothic Festival and over the weekend the DM3 got used for recording the live acts, playing backing tracks, BGM between acts, and as an on-stage sub-mixer for a magic act.

The Guildford Banjo Jamboree is one my favourite annual events and I wanted to use the DM3 as FOH mixer in the Public Hall for the Friday bush dance and the main Saturday concerts. Starting from a Preset scene and tweaking it to suit the event was an easy way to get going and I was soon running all 16 channels in the house plus five sends of foldback. Running the PA subs from a mix out gave me good control of EQ and dynamics, plus delay, and saved packing a separate crossover.

The DM3 looked a little out of place at the traditional bush dance. People kept asking if I could watch TV on it, but I was happy with the sound in the room and found mixing quite enjoyable. The channel and output EQ options are precise and you get what you expect from them. The comps are normal – they do what they’re asked – perhaps without the character of favourite analogue devices (the high-end Rivage range has simulations of those) but they work. The FX are limited in number but they’re excellent quality. The physical faders are real but not very smooth, not like analogue faders. It’s more of a digital console issue rather than Yamaha’s, and could be a cost thing, but they’re noticeably notchy.

I also supply a system for the old gold-rush era Guildford Music Hall across the road. The guys mixing in there over the weekend noticed that I’d ‘gone digital’ in the main room. They had no complaints about the sound but were mighty relieved that I’d supplied a 16-channel analogue desk for them to use in the Music Hall. It might be different for the new kids but there are a lot of amateur/casual/senior mixers out there who freeze when they see digital consoles… even a nice friendly one like the DM3.

I make a simple recording of the concerts every year, usually onto a Zoom recorder from the mixing desk. Recording onto the DM3’s USB drive was easier, the recording/naming routine is foolproof, and the recorded sound quality is very good, although I’d prefer the recordings to be pre master bus EQ, or switchable, to avoid printing the house EQ. Something for a firmware update perhaps.

GOING PLACES

The Whole Loddon Love Tour saw the DM3 on a run of shows in flood-affected towns in the Loddon region of Victoria. Some were outdoor shows but others were small pubs with no dedicated FOH mix position. The 24-channel analogue desk and effects/drive racks I otherwise would have taken would have been hard to squeeze in. These small rooms made a good case for an iPad mixer but the DM3 was a better solution for me – it’s not wireless but it’s more precise to operate and it will fit in any space.

An outdoor school concert I do every year is a good test of how a digital console performs in daylight. One year I recall having children holding cardboard sheets above the console to try and create some shade because I couldn’t see the screen at all. That was under a gazebo too, it’s glary out here. The DM3 passed the test, with the brightness up full, I could see the screen quite well, and it’s got dark/light background screen modes with separate intensities for screen and panel, plus two custom banks to store your preferences.

A seven-piece cover band at the local sports club was probably about as big as you could fit into the 16 inputs but did demonstrate how capable the DM3 is with heavily processed pop bands, where I think digital consoles do their best work. The channels were all loaded up with no signs of protest and it remained easy enough to operate with a band that needed lots of FX and fader-riding. Clear displays of everything going on helps, the Custom Fader layers minimise fader flying.

GROUP THERAPY

There are a few things the DM3 doesn’t have. No DCAs – although you can make groups from the omni mix outs and route them back to the main outs, and there’s also a Channel Link page to create groups of linked channels that can have parameters changed simultaneously. There’s no talkback mic so you use up a channel to talk to stage. No auto mic mixer for corporate events. No multiband comps or de-esser. None of that really matters, it’s not competing on quantity of functionality, it’s the functionality of the package that’s important here and by that measure it punches well beyond its weight.

Apps include the offline DM3 Editor, a good way to learn the desk before you use it or to pre-plan shows, that can be saved and loaded when needed. DM3 StageMix is the app for iPad-only remote control. MonitorMix is available for Android as well.

All Yamaha gear seems inherently reliable, they make a lot of machines you don’t want to fail in the middle of a high speed corner (or equivalent) so they make them to work and last. Yamaha pioneered the development of digital consoles and while I still occasionally see tech riders specifying ‘no LS9s’ its current range from the DM3 up, are all leading-edge premium consoles.

SLIDING INTO THE DM

Given the quality, both physical and fidelity, the Yamaha DM3 seems like a bargain to me. There are cheaper options with similar channel counts, especially iPad-control systems, but the combination of Yamaha quality in a modern compact console, with an excellent touchscreen and real faders is a level above.

Potential customers for the DM3 include small-medium sized bands/duos/DJs, streamers and home/project recording studios. Portable PAs, where size and weight are important. Venues that use less than 16 channels looking for a plug ’n’ play replacement for their ageing analogue mixer, or any sort of corporate/educational setting. I want one.

835 GOES DARK

The supplied MMD 835 mic capsule is excellent for general purpose use. Sennheiser recommends the EW-DX MKE 2/835-S set for professional users, presenters and educators rather than live stage vocals where one of the other more specialised capsules would offer better performance and/or tighter pickup patterns. The MMD 945 super-cardioid dynamic is twice the price of the MMD 835 but is great for loud stages. The top price cardioid and super-cardioid Neumann KK204/205 capsules would probably be the choice for gigs that require the highest possible fidelity.

Entry level or not, I was impressed with the sound of the MMD 835 capsule supplied with the MKE 2/ 835 Set and had no hesitation putting it straight to work at the recent Maldon Gothic Festival. A fun event celebrating the dark side of life, the all-black SKM handheld transmitter and equally black 835 capsule seemed fitting. I like a shiny mic for lead singers, not sure why, a bit of bling maybe, but black is discreet and professional.

Real Life were the headline act and singer Dave Sterry just replied ‘great’ when I asked how he liked the mic — that’s the best reaction from a performer. I liked its presence, I found it to be super clear with an in-your-face delivery that cut through the band noise and hall-y room sound, like the proverbial hot knife. Wireless systems can sound compressed, vague or distant but the EW-DX sounds fast and close – it’s a good capsule but I was also hearing the benefit of transmitting code rather than a waveshape.

I used the handheld transmitter/mic over the weekend and had nothing but praise for its sound, they had some unusual and noisy bands at the Gothic Festival but the monitor operator was happy with the easy level in the wedges. I can attest to the long battery life, one BA70 lasted from soundcheck until the end of the show, I’m used to changing them after soundcheck just to be sure — peace of mind and saving disposable batteries.

The mic clip is good… there’s an art to those things. The MZQ1 microphone clamp is softish to the touch but holds well and is pleasing on the insert and release. The SKM handheld transmitter is quite large which is only a problem if you try to insert it into a regular clip — something that can happen on a stage with multiple mics.

LAV PERFORMANCE CRYPT-IC

The EW-DX SK bodypack transmitter is familiar to those who know Sennheiser wireless products. The metal body can take the rough treatment these bodypacks sometimes receive – they get sat on, bumped etc. Clips on either side release the battery cover and expose the hard off/on switch and menu buttons. On top is the antenna, recessed Sync button, input socket and a Mute switch that is smaller than the switch on the handheld transmitter but feels similar to use. Available with either a 3.5mm minijack or a three-pin microphone input connector means it can accommodate all Sennheiser clip-on and headset mics, instruments or Neumann miniature mics.

The EW-DX 835-S set comes with the ME-2 omni lavalier microphone from a range of five omni and cardioid lavs plus five headset mics. The ME-2 is a high quality condenser microphone ideally suited to theatrical applications where the mic has to be out of sight, if possible. I tested it with opera singer Issie Hart performing her Tales From the Crypt show. The make-up lady clipped the mic in her hair above her forehead, the semi-rigid cable used to connect the ME-2 and the tiny capsule is ideal for this placement. It’s not the ideal place to pick up a voice but it’s a common placement for live stage shows, and, for it to work, the mic has to be as accurate as possible all around. Issie has a powerful voice and that certainly helps but the EW-DX system made surprisingly easy work of this task with good vocal level available well before things became unstable, a testament to the linear response of the ME-2 microphone and the overall system.

The following week saw Our Carlson opening at the Theatre Royal and his unique ‘psycho poetry over backing track’ performance needed a wireless mic — prowling the stage, he would have got all tangled up with a cable. He’s also an act that benefits from clear diction to fully appreciate his less than subtle lyrics and the EW-DX MMD 835 kept up, it was good high and low – smooth on the sibilants plus noticeably resistant to popping and proximity build up.

LARGER FIT

Scalability is a feature of the EW-DX system and for large productions it can be expanded with Dante integration and ethernet ports. The network-enabled EM2 receiver can be controlled by the Sennheiser Control Cockpit or Sennheiser Wireless Systems manager software using the ethernet RJ45 connector. Sennheiser’s Smart Assist app uses Bluetooth LE to communicate with an Android or IOS device allowing remote access to most of the systems functions (due to be fully integrated this October) and a range of third-party monitoring and control apps are allowed. AES256 encryption secures the transmission. 

As well as the EM-2 rack receiver and the handheld/bodypack transmitters the EW-DX MKE 835 Set includes two BA70 rechargeable battery packs, an EW-DX power supply with a bag of international adapters, a rack mounting kit and four rubber feet. Not included is the L70 USB charging station or a soft case for the handheld transmitter.

EW-DX Evolution Wireless Digital Series combines simple, practical operation with the latest tech. All high quality gear, tough and well made at Sennheiser’s factory in Romania. The digital transmission is excellent, the system is flexible and expandable with a choice of great capsules. The Sennheiser EW-DX MKE 2/835-S set is priced for professional use and will perform well in demanding situations where a reliable, foolproof wireless system is a valuable thing.

SUB-STANTIAL

The Maui 28 G3 uses a single 12-inch sub, upgraded from the 2 x eight-inch drivers in the G2 Series and weighs in at a manageable 23.5kg. The Maui 11 G3 has 2 x eight-inch woofers, up from 2 x 6.5-inch for the G2 and is a little lighter at 20.5kg. The power amps, crossovers and processing are all built into the sub cabinets making for a neat and complete package. Power is up to 1030W RMS for the 28 G3 and 730W RMS for the 11 G3.

Sub output is close to omni-directional on its own but can also benefit from dispersion control if a second Maui sub is used. Placed besides the first and turned around to face backwards, with Cardioid mode selected by the switch on the control panel, the combined subs’ dispersion becomes cardioid, greatly reducing the amount of low frequencies behind the speakers and on the stage.

SETUP CONFIGURATION

These column systems offer several advantages over point source systems. Firstly, the ease of transport and setting up compared to point source speakers on stands or on poles above separate subs is significant in terms of time taken and expertise required. The Maui G3 speakers could not be easier to set up and require no prior knowledge beyond correctly identifying the input socket, and that’s made easier by both the current models of Maui 11 G3 and 28 G3 having deliberately limited connection options.

On the back of the sub cabinets there are two XLR inputs, two XLR thru outputs and a Sub out. A single knob controls the Main (column) level and another controls the Sub level, that could be handy if the sub didn’t need to be so prominent (spoken word, for example) but I found they both wanted to stay on the same setting for a balanced overall sound.

The Sub out is for connecting follower subs. One button links the Bluetooth receiver and another switches the Sub cardioid mode. That’s all there is but that should be enough for DJs or bands that use their own mixer. There’s no option for mic level inputs but presenters could connect their wireless receivers.

EASY TO LIKE

The Maui G3s are easy to like. Music playback is a speciality and small- to medium-sized DJ gigs can be covered with one column system. You can use two and that enables stereo but the wide dispersion and line array throw means you don’t need two units in the way you might with a two-way horn-loaded cab.   If you are only using one column, the stereo input gets summed to mono so you won’t lose any content.

I used a single Maui 28 G3 with a DJ in a room with about 100 people and found I didn’t miss a second speaker at all. The Limit light was just flashing on peaks and the system sounded great with a full low end and a clear midrange that’s not harsh or overly bitey. The high frequencies from the tweeters add some pleasing sparkle although they tend to emphasise sibilants up close, and seem to fade before the mids and lows as you move away from the speakers. There are three different dispersions going on at the same time with the low, mids and highs all coming from different types of speakers but you don’t notice unless you try.

Next was an afternoon at the local footy club with the Maui 28 G3 in BGM mode. This was a bigger room and the club didn’t want it too loud but the level had to be halfway up to be heard over the convivial hubbub. It’s interesting how you could hear the music on the other side of the room but blokes were still holding a conversation right in front of the column.

BAND TEST

We had a youth event at the Theatre Royal on a Sunday afternoon and set up the Maui 28 G3 system in the courtyard outside. Live microphones are demanding compared to music playback, the peaks often sort gear out, and in the past I’ve found that to be a weakness of column systems — they don’t like to be hit hard with the abundance of low-mids you get from loud vocals, but the Maui 28 G3 had me re-thinking my preconceptions. The combination of high power, good quality drivers and the phase plugs deliver a sound that is surprisingly coherent and quite point-source-like if used as a main PA. The limit light comes on fairly easily if you’re watching it but you wouldn’t know from listening only, the DynX DSP does its thing transparently.

Performing in front of the column looks like a fun place to be, the sound is all around you and while It doesn’t have the sharp bite of point-source speakers, the column is clear, resistant to feedback and loud enough for most acts. Add some effects and it’s like you’re half on stage, half out the front.

I think I covered off most of the use-cases for this PA but that’s the advantage of a high quality portable column loudspeaker, you’ll find other applications as you go. Great for a music rehearsal room; events, such as wedding receptions (speeches one minute, DJ set the next); other hospitality settings…

VALUE PROP

The LD Maui G3 systems are competitively priced and offer good value given their performance. There are smaller/cheaper column systems that may work depending on the application but the Maui G3 systems are powerful enough for a whole band in a medium-sized room, without separate foldback, or a presentation in a big space.  Quality parts and solid design should make them reliable. They come with a two-year factory warranty. The LD Maui systems deliver all the advantages of a small line array in an efficient and modern design.

CONNECTIONS

The rear panel sports a new colour OLED screen. The layout is inviting — beside the screen there’s simply a large Main Volume/Menu Navigation knob and a Back button. Below the screen there are two combi input channels with gain knobs and individual XLR pass thru outputs. These thru outputs are a simple split of the input signal and don’t have any DSP processing. An Aux In third input accepts a 3.5mm stereo minijack plug. All three inputs have a signal/clip LED indicator for the channel level. An additional XLR Mix Out socket sends the post-DSP full-range, mixed output to another speaker (or mixing console if the PRX912 is being used as a keyboard mixer/monitor). The Sub preset includes a variable crossover function enabling the Mix Out to drive separate sub woofers without an external crossover. The Pass Thru and Time Align menu section allows both the PRX912 itself and the Mix Out outputs to be delayed up to 180ms for delay speaker use or fine tuning phase relationships.

The speakers are set up to be driven from a mixing/DJ desk. The Channel and Master gain knobs are calibrated with 0dB (line level) max and there’s no mic/line switch or 48V phantom power. If you must plug a microphone directly into the speaker, pressing the Main/Menu knob gets you to the Gain settings for the two input channels and the opportunity to add up to 32dB of gain. The JBL PRX912s are largely plug ’n’ play and sound fine flat but there’s a range of EQ presets, a customisable 12-band EQ and a Bass Boost (3dB@80Hz) on hand. Limiting comes courtesy of dbx and goes from its Overeasy soft-knee-style compression through to Brickwall mode for system protection. 

EFFICIENT & EASY

In use, my first impression was the efficiency and easy volume, they seem to lift up a lot for any given increase in gain. The PRX sound quality is different to the EON range – less hi-fi and more of a focused, mid-forward monitor sound. The frequency response is flat across the mids while the low frequencies are quite subdued (-3dB point is at 65Hz) until you push them. The Bass Boost and EQ/presets will fill out the low end if needed but to realise their full potential on the dancefloor, separate subs will be needed.

As FOH speakers in small to medium venues the PRX912s run noticeably louder and harder than the EONs. Their strength is in their powerful mid-range and high frequencies —both new drivers contribute but the larger diaphragm in the 2408H-2 1.5-inch tweeter, in particular, seems effortless at medium and higher levels. Once I’d heard them, I was confident I could use a pair for a local football club function with a DJ and a few hundred in the audience. I was using suitable subs but I still wouldn’t have done it with a pair of EONs, the room was too big, and that’s the difference — a pair of 12-inch EONs <may> have worked but I knew the PRX12s <would>.

Setting up was made easier by having the Sub preset to drive my subs from the Mix Out, rather than taking a crossover — very handy. They sound right flat but presets are worth exploring, especially for music playback. They’re subtle and I chose the DJ preset for this event. I was happy when I set it up and heard it. The DJ had it cranked up after dinner with no problems apart from repeated requests for ‘Eye of the Tiger’ and ‘We Are The Champions’.

INTO THE FOLD 

The PRX912s also make excellent foldback wedges, aided by an on-board G-sensor that automatically changes (reduces) the LF response when the speaker is laid on its side. The mid-range projection and clarity are what makes them work well as vocal monitors but they’ve got the power handling and depth to get a decent amount of kick drum and bass as well. I used them for long-time Melbourne supergroup Checkerboard Lounge: one for guitarist Shannon Bourne and another for singer/drummer Carl Pannuzo, and they got their vocals clear above the band despite a firm stage volume. You can tell a lot about wedges from the band’s reaction, if their reaction is ‘yeah, great’ without me needing to explore full volume or apply excess EQ, then I like them. I left the AFS (Automatic Feedback Suppression) switched in — you can hear it working if you look for it when testing but I don’t think I got near it during the show.

US grunge band Mudhoney sold out the Theatre Royal and they were loud. Dan Peters is a cracking drummer and his playing sets the level on stage. The band’s mixer, Bob de Wit, doesn’t use hi-hat or overhead mics and I could still hear them clearly. Full-volume rock sorts out speakers. I placed in the PRX912s as Mark Arm’s vocal monitors, and I knew it would be a trial by fire. They sounded good to me. Bob gave them a good listen, tweaking with his ipad at the vocal position before soundcheck, and had to agree. We ran them with no EQ (again) and had a happy singer — PRX made it seem easy.

Bluetooth 5.0 is included. Built-in wi-fi enables the JBL Pro Connect mobile app to control up to 10 speakers from a range of JBL models from different series with a smartphone or tablet. When paired, BT Control give access to volumes and some more precise EQ than the presets provide.

PRO BUILD

The JBL PRX Series are pro quality speakers. The EONs are good, these are better, and even at twice the price they’re still good value for venues, bands/DJs and hire companies looking for more performance than the entry level models. The build quality is high and they come with a seven-year warranty.  Powerful, versatile and practical.