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JBL Eon 515 (Active Speaker)

djvisiondjvision Posts: 3
edited December 2010 in PA General Discussion
Ok I'm new to the forum and I'm new to sound tweaking, processing and DBX. I've been DJ'ing for 15+ years and currently DJ'ing Full Time doing Mobile Events mainly weddings, quinces & sweet 16s. The # of guests are usually around 60 to 150. I have purchased the JBL Eon 515 and they sound great. A DJ friend of mine referred me to DBX and he purchased the PX unit. Says it sounds great so I figured I would test it out too. I ended up purchasing the dbx pa+. I haven't tested it out in Live Performance yet, but tested it out at home and was mainly testing out the response from playing a song with a lot of bass to hear if there was a difference with or without the unit. I really didn't notice much difference with the subharmonic on. The one thing I did notice was when I got on the mic with the sub harmonic on I sounded too bassy almost darth vaderish.

so i have some questions.

#1 Do I really need the dbx pa+? Would I have been better off with nothing or maybe the PX instead? I am only using just 1 pair of the eon 515's.
(I will use a sub woofer on occasion but majority its just my pair of self powered jbl 515s) I definitely want to get the most bang for my buck and also don't want to spend money on an item I'm really not going to benefit from so your honest help is greatly appreciated!

#2 Does the crossover function work on a full range pair of speakers like the one I have.

#3 when I balance a room with RTA Mic do I want to flatten the pink noise and change it or do I want to flatten the pink noise and keep the setting flat? If I change the setting lets say from flat to a preset like DJ or Live band for example wouldnt the equalizer need to be adjusted at every song because since I'm dj'ing I can go from Sinatra Fly me to the moon to BEP Boom Boom Pow?

#4 what if I enter a room I set up and don't have time to rta mic the room? Is there a generic setting or do I just bypass the dbx and run from my dj system to the speakers?

#5 What height do I set the RTA mic on the stand? Consider speakers are usually on tripods, but what If I have them on the floor

#6 If I add a sub can I still configure properly by connecting my tops to the DBX and running a speaker cable sending the signal from my top to the sub? Or do i HAVE to connect the sub directly to the DBX?

#7Subharmonic makes my mic sound boomy what are your suggestions should I not use it or at what setting should I put the subharmonic at %100 and lower the Khz or vice versa. Also if I just have my tops should I add the 36 to 56khz level at all or keep it at o?


#8 forgive my lack of knowledge but what is the purpose of the compressor? at what setting should I have it at and same for the over easy?


#9 limiter is for when my volume goes too loud it would stop the Db from reaching that point? at what setting should I have it at and same for the over easy?


Thank you for taking the time to read and appreciate some feedback to my questions thank you so much!!!

Comments

  • GadgetGadget Posts: 4,915
    Hi.

    I have never met a system that when I was done...didn't sound much better to :shock: :shock: :shock: Holy crap I can't believe it's the same system! Generally , the better the product the less real help they need.. but every speaker needs something...
    #1 Do I really need the dbx pa+? Would I have been better off with nothing or maybe the PX instead? I am only using just 1 pair of the eon 515's.
    (I will use a sub woofer on occasion but majority its just my pair of self powered jbl 515s) I definitely want to get the most bang for my buck and also don't want to spend money on an item I'm really not going to benefit from so your honest help is greatly appreciated!

    Well, I DO NOT like the sub synth, and the only way I would use it is on an aux fed sub system, and then only as an effect... because you have PEQ's and things that will do more to enhance the low frequencies... if you want to that is...
    One of the things that REALLY bugs me is speaker spec's...Now JBL "CLAIMS" the 515 is "3dB" down @ 42 hz :roll:

    Now, if you go here:
    http://www.jblpro.com/catalog/support/g ... docid=1190
    you will see that the frequency response is listed as 42-18k (flat position)... then if you scroll down to the on axis response curve it's pretty clear the the majority of the plot (like 99%) is above the 95dB line....so, 3dB down lets look at 50hz... it is about 92-94 dB... that's 6-8dB down right there... further 42hz looks well over 15 dB down...and lets not even go to the "18khz" 3dB down...

    So my point is, if you want more low end... place a PEQ on the low end of the speaker spectrum and boost it...I would recommend a PEQ placed about 50-60hz with a Q of about 2.0, vary the boost to get the desired amount of bass enhancement... BUT, you need to add a HPF first (another reason the Driverack is a great addition to any system) to protect the woofer...and I'd recommend NO more than the 3dB down point for the HPF ... and that's 42hz...
    #2 Does the crossover function work on a full range pair of speakers like the one I have.

    Yes! The Driverack has no idea if it's a powered speaker, or amp and passive speaker... and will work with either equally as well.
    #3 when I balance a room with RTA Mic do I want to flatten the pink noise and change it or do I want to flatten the pink noise and keep the setting flat? If I change the setting lets say from flat to a preset like DJ or Live band for example wouldnt the equalizer need to be adjusted at every song because since I'm dj'ing I can go from Sinatra Fly me to the moon to BEP Boom Boom Pow?

    I have NO idea what your getting at here... so lets make this clear... you CAN NOT equalize a room! You can TRY and equalize the speaker with respect to the room..but your far better off using creative speaker placement, and aiming, to minimize the interaction with the hard surfaces of the room... THEN equalize the speakers to minimize the remaining interaction...

    Now, congrats on picking the DRPA+ over the PX.. it's auto EQ algorithm are light years ahead of the PX... Even if the mic is just "Oh hey DUDE that looks like a really cool place to put the mic" :mrgreen: BTW, place the mic strait out from one of the speakers (with the other one OFF) 25 feet or so...ON THE FLOOR!!! aimed at the speaker.

    See my posts in the FAQ section regarding getting a FLAT preset, and using it to compare what the room is doing to the sound.
    #4 what if I enter a room I set up and don't have time to rta mic the room? Is there a generic setting or do I just bypass the dbx and run from my dj system to the speakers?

    Use the aforementioned FLAT preset...
    #5 What height do I set the RTA mic on the stand? Consider speakers are usually on tripods, but what If I have them on the floor

    When you read the "Start here" and "FAQ" sections... you'll find that placing the mic on a stand causes bounce reflection paths (millions of them) and WILL screw up the auto eq...(but the DRPA+ will even sound decent if you do this BAD thing)
    #6 If I add a sub can I still configure properly by connecting my tops to the DBX and running a speaker cable sending the signal from my top to the sub? Or do i HAVE to connect the sub directly to the DBX?

    You can add a sub very easily, but it will require a cable from the DRPA+ to the tops and to the subs, NOT through the tops...you will need to set up a stereo 3 way xover(stereo tops and mono subs) or stereo 4 way xover(stereo tops and stereo subs)
    #7Subharmonic makes my mic sound boomy what are your suggestions should I not use it or at what setting should I put the subharmonic at %100 and lower the Khz or vice versa. Also if I just have my tops should I add the 36 to 56khz level at all or keep it at o?

    Already answered...skip the sub synth unless running aux fed subs...
    #8 forgive my lack of knowledge but what is the purpose of the compressor? at what setting should I have it at and same for the over easy?

    For a DJ .. NOTHING...the music is already HEAVILY compressed...
    #9 limiter is for when my volume goes too loud it would stop the Db from reaching that point? at what setting should I have it at and same for the over easy?

    Read the "start hear" thread...
    viewtopic.php?f=61&t=959
    and see what is written there...

    Gadget
  • djvisiondjvision Posts: 3
    I was reading so much on the information you have on the links and your reply I didn't take time to say THANK YOU! I appreciate you taking the time to reply and for the information you provide! Have a great day!
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