EV ELV118 passive

[djtunes]

I was considering the EV ELX 118 as my next passive subs. I plan to power them with a QSC GX7 amp. Here's specs. to make it easy for anyone who wants to analyze things before giving input.I use Peavey PV118 subs right now powered by QSC GX5, and am hoping that the EVs will be louder, and better.

Peavey PV118:
Power - 800w peak
Max SPL 118dB
Sensitivity 95d (1 Watt/1 meter)
Link to data: http://www.peavey.com/assets/literat...00573840_4.pdf

EV ELX118:
Power - 1600 peak
Max SPL 134dB
Sensitivity 96dB
Link to data: http://www.electrovoice.com/product.php?id=1075

GX series GX5 and GX7 amp specs are here:
http://www.qscaudio.com/products/amp...ifications.php

I was also wondering if it would be not much difference in the sub if I just got the GX7 and kept the Peaveys, or if it would be a noticeable difference to get the EV sub using the GX7... or... get the EV sub and just keep the GX5 to power it and remain the same with the tops running off of my RMX1450.

If there are other choices that I have not considered, I'm all ears.

I'm just not hip to powered speakers. I'll just leave it at that.

I want to stay around $500 or less each for the subs. The EVs seem pretty light, and are a name I trust. Plus I use EV tops.

I really cant think of a better value in an amp for my needs since the QSC GX7 is 725w @ 16.5 lbs.

[Conanski]

I use Peavey PV118 subs right now powered by QSC GX5, and am hoping that the EVs will be louder, and better.

Peavey PV118:
Sensitivity 95d (1 Watt/1 meter)

EV ELX118:
Sensitivity 96dB

All the other specs asside.. since there is only 1db difference in sensitivity between boxes and you're using the same amplifier so there will only be 1db difference in max output which really isn't enough of a difference to be significant or even noticable. Now that says nothing about what these boxes sound like the ELX could go deeper or sound tighter but I don't know having never compared these two side by side, so this is only one factor in what should be many you consider with this upgrade.

I'm just not hip to powered speakers.

That's unfortunate because the powered speaker really is the pinacle of speaker technology, integration of the speaker, amplifier, and DSP processing in a single package delivers more and better sound with higher efficiency and vastly superior component protection than what can be accomplished with seperates, for example you're far more likely to blow the driver of a passive sub than an active, especially when it's being pushed towards the limits of it's performance envelope.

[digitalphantoms]

Roger,
If you applied the GX7 to the Peavey's you would get more output than the GX5, although I am not sure it would be terribly noticeable. You would probably just experience more headroom in many cases before clipping the amp.

As far as switching out the subs, I would say if you are hell bent on passive, and you want to upgrade, then yes the EV's could be an upgrade for you. In terms of sound, they are more efficient. Which means you are going to pull less from the wall to get the same output. (which is why I went to active cabinets.) Finding enough power to run my rig with out having an electrician come in was getting increasingly harder and harder. As Paul mentioned with active technology, you just get more output for the amps/wattage you pull from the wall in almost every scenario when comparing passive vs active. BUT, since this is not a debate on that, nor are we trying to convince you otherwise, I will get back to the main questions.

Other positives of switching out the subs - Peavey's are ugly IMO. EV's look sexy and new. Cabinets are virtually the same damn size and weight, so that is an equal, however I believe most of the PV118's have 1/4 inputs. 1/4 inputs suck IMO. Now, you could switch those over, but the panel on the back is ABS plastic and not very likely to take swapping out to speakon inputs well. I also believe the EV's to have a bit of a overall better sound as well.

So would it be an upgrade? yes, but is it worth the $$$??? I don't know. Really, to gain a bunch more output you really need to double up on the drivers. Either go to two double 18" cabinets or two single 18" cabinets. You could just use your money to buy another set of Peavey's and amp combo... That would get you substantially more output than switching everything out to the EV's and the GX7 amp.. Don't know if you have the room for that, but it's an option nevertheless.

[djtunes]

I appreciate all of that input.

The main reasons for still liking passives is because of the ease of set up when running wires to a far corner etc. I might be stuck in my paradigm. The biggest reason is back up. With 2 amps right in the rack I have the option of just switching to a daisy chain config. if I lose an amp. With actives, I lose a speaker and I'll need another $1000 piece of gear in the van to return to adequate room coverage.

I'm not trying to get a HUGE increase in loudness. I really want to improve the fidelity and cleanness of my set up. Like I said, most of my events are medium or small wedding receptions. My Peaveys, I'll admit, do not hit very tight. Plenty of boom, and bass, but not a lot of tight kick. Sometimes a little too muddy at low volume.

I'm also considering getting a single QSC KW118, and saving for a second one down the road. I think just this one sub would get me through most of my weddings, and small parties.

[Conanski]

The main reasons for still liking passives is because of the ease of set up when running wires to a far corner etc. I might be stuck in my paradigm. The biggest reason is back up. With 2 amps right in the rack I have the option of just switching to a daisy chain config. if I lose an amp. With actives, I lose a speaker and I'll need another $1000 piece of gear in the van to return to adequate room coverage..

Yep good points there, I wouldn't dream of dismissing passive speakers an obsolete... I used some at the events this past weekend partly because they are so easy to use.

I'm not trying to get a HUGE increase in loudness. I really want to improve the fidelity and cleanness of my set up. Like I said, most of my events are medium or small wedding receptions. My Peaveys, I'll admit, do not hit very tight. Plenty of boom, and bass, but not a lot of tight kick. Sometimes a little too muddy at low volume.

I'm also considering getting a single QSC KW118, and saving for a second one down the road. I think just this one sub would get me through most of my weddings, and small parties.

In that way I think you'll get the upgrade you want, those PVs are definitely entry level while the KWs and ELXs definitely are not, so you certainly should see a marked inprovement in sound quality even if you don't push them any louder.

[NickyB]

Just a couple of things to remember ..... 1- A higher powered amp will have the ability to deliver a "clean" signal to your sub which will sound better overall. 2- No matter how much power you pour to that Peavey sub, you'll still only get to the max SPL before it blows the voice coil. One db isn't much of a gain but there is a tremendous difference in the max SPL which is where bass peaks occur. 3- The EV is lighter weight so it'll save your lower back.

When you need more bass, it's easier on your system to add another sub and run them side-by-side for an additional 3db gain from acoustic coupling. This is why most sound contractors will recommend two sub cabinets for every top cabinet and at least a 3:1 amp power ratio (i.e. for every 200w on the tops, you should have 600w on the subs). By all means, get 8 ohm cabinets because when you start building a modular system, you'll find many amps can handle 4 ohm parallel connected loads but there aren't many that can handle 2 ohm loads comfortably. I personally favor modularity. In my "younger" days, I ran four EV SX-300's (2/side) with a QSC PLX-3002 and six EV T-181 subs from another pair of PLX-3402's (bridged). I eventually went BIGGER with four T-251 tops off a PLX-3002 and four MTL-1X dual 18" subs using four PLX-3402's .... finding power was a P.I.T.A in most schools.

[djtunes]

OK thanks Nicky, just when I had almost convinced myself that the active QSC sub is what I want, you start telling me about passives again.

[BillESC]

I prefer the EV sound over most other lines. What ever you decide to do, let me offer a quote.

[NickyB]

Tunes -

You''ve just got to decide which way you want to go and what your market really is. I've found through experience that doing weddings, reunions and private parties that a powered speaker system with or without subs, sets up faster and offers more convenience. On the downside, you need not only signal to each cabinet but also AC power. For a much larger systems, like you'd need for school dances, proms and outdoor gigs, I find that passive systems require only a signal to each cabinet. There are less AC power lines to connect but you do need a hefty feed to your console and power rack. Working with 8 ohm cabinets gives you more flexibility for setups .... like two tops standalone, two tops/one sub, two tops/two subs, two tops/four subs, four tops/four subs etc. None of these combinations ever takes you below 4 ohms using 8 ohm cabinets and most decent amps will handle those loads without distortion or overheating. My take is to let the majority of your gig types make your decision and fit your tools to the jobs at hand.