EV30m or Bose Pro8?

[wweiss]

I see the EV30 is getting a lot of good reviews here. I have the EV30 and love it! Wondering how it compares with the Bose Pro8 or even Pro16. Price is very similar. I know the EV has better build quality and App, so I am mainly wondering about differences in Sound Quality.

[lkingston]

Following.

It would be good to hear from someone with experience with both units rather than just theoretical guesses.

[Methos1979]

I have been considering these two for quite some time although I have yet to pull the trigger on either. While I'm generally a huge fan of the 'Bose sound', after all my research - much of that reading and watching many posts here and on YouTube by AGF people on this very thread - I would almost certainly go with the EV30M for the full integrated mixer and more power. The only thing the Bose seems to have is slightly better horizontal dispersion. But I'll be sure to keep a close eye on this as well. To date I still have yet to find any venue/gig we're playing where the EAE D6-58 and/or any combo of the one or two Bose S1's I have aren't more than enough to get the job done. Still...

[wweiss]

Bose because of 180 degree spread has lower stage volume and less issues with feedback. Bose/EV sound is different. Bose has very smooth non fatiguing, Hifi mids. EV has a more traditional PA sound with a very clean crisp high end. EV with wooden bass cabinet will probably sound fuller. I have never A/B ed them next to each other but I know the Bose sound by owning the Pro32.

[YamahaGuy]

For sound quality, I'd have a few more players in the game, i.e. Turbosound IP2000 and Yamaha Stagepas 1K. I own the Stagepas. With an external mixer (when phantom power, or more channels are needed) it's fantastic! My church uses the IP2000 for FOH with a pair of 18" subs.

Based on the factory mixer and number of inputs, I'd go for the EV, but it only does 120° lateral dispersion.

If I wanted a balanced sound and didn't have to get real loud, I'd get the Bose.

Pros and cons to them all.

[lkingston]

The 120 degrees of sound dispersion doesn’t bother me at all in real life. I can hear off to the side (or even behind) the 30M just fine. If anything, I like the slight muting of the high frequencies when I am on stage with it. It is easy to control that with speaker placement by moving it forward or backward on the stage relative to your playing position.

I love the rugged construction, and the convenience of the built in mixer with the app control. I like the way you can control the master EQ and volume controls of several 30Ms simultaneously. I haven’t compared it directly to other options, but I did have the Bose L1 mkii for a number of years, and I think it compares favorably with the way I remember it sounding. Not the same coverage or low end on recorded full range music, but for acoustic music, very similar.

[JPH]

I don't have experience with the Bose Pro. I'd considered it briefly until I watched the videos like you mentioned. Lots of complaints about the stability of the tower attachments.

I did just purchase the EV30M recently. I have taken it out for a couple of gigs and I'm very happy with the sound. It's really sturdy and the onboard mixer makes it a great all in one solution in my opinion. The sub design is boxy and it's not comfortable to carry. I load in/out with a collapsable rock n roller cart, so the awkward design of the sub is not a big issue.

[Methos1979]

Originally Posted by JPH

I don't have experience with the Bose Pro. I'd considered it briefly until I watched the videos like you mentioned. Lots of complaints about the stability of the tower attachments.

I did just purchase the EV30M recently. I have taken it out for a couple of gigs and I'm very happy with the sound. It's really sturdy and the onboard mixer makes it a great all in one solution in my opinion. The sub design is boxy and it's not comfortable to carry. I load in/out with a collapsable rock n roller cart, so the awkward design of the sub is not a big issue.

This would be another consideration that I forgot to mention in my comments above with regard to likely going with the EV30M over the Pro8. I spent a fair amount of time in a GC playing around with both the EV30M and the Pro8 and although I do prefer the shape of the 'racetrack sub' and overall look of the Pro8, like many I found the pole connections and overall build quality seem to be better on the EV30M.

So while carrying the EV30M might be a little harder (I believe the EV30M is a bit heavier than the Pro8), like the above poster I too transport using a small folding dolly/cart these days so that would be a wash. And since I wouldn't have to lift the sub to place on a pole (like I do with my 30 pound EAE D6-58) that weight and somewhat more awkward shape would not be an issue during transport or setup/teardown.

[lkingston]

The 30M has enough channels for your duo. The wobble on the column joints of the Bose Pro 8 & 16 is terrible.

[wweiss]

EV App is on another level than Bose! I actually think the EV App is the best available right now.

[Stringmaster]

When I bought my 50M I had a 45 day approval period. I was planning to buy a Bose too (on approval), and only keep the one I liked best. But I liked the EV so much I nixed the Bose--for the reasons mentioned--robust construction, added channels and versatility built in, and easy to use and versatile app. I play mostly outdoor venues, and the dispersion is just fine. The other day I used it on a large outdoor patio, with a fairly busy 2 lane highway beyond the patio, and people across the highway could hear me and came over. And there were people sitting up front maybe 8-10 feet from the PA, and they were able to talk, and didn't complain about the volume.

[slewis]

Just have to say that the complaints about the wobbliness and etc. of the Bose Pro 8 tower segments are way overblown to me. They could go in/out a bit smoother but it seems to me to be a very minor issue. Either way, the choices we have these days with systems and technology like this are amazing!

[Peter Z]

I much prefer a horizontal dispersion of 120°. There’s almost always a wall very close to the speaker that bounces everything back to me. If the hi end of the reflections is not lowered, it will cause unpredictable feedback. The feedback frequency will change with every cm or inch of the mic position because of the short wavelength. Not easy to handle.

Also, 180° doesn’t mean less feedback per se. Feedback will occur if the SPL is too high at the mic position. The mic doesn’t know the dispersion pattern of the speaker.

Bose claims, that their speakers need less SPL on stage, because they are line arrays. The volume drop is less with such arrays. (3db instead of 6db with double distance). Line arrays usually have a horizontal dispersion of some 120°. Bose L speakers get extra 60° because they mount the little speakers in an angle.

So, little line arrays help to lower stage volume a tiny bit which helps feedback. Dispersion has nothing to do with it. Also, those little line arrays only work at high frequencies because they are so small. This is why many engineers call them column speakers.

I for myself love column speakers. I had lots of point source speakers and still have a few of them, but to me columns sound much much better. That might change when we add subs to point source speakers.

[jacf]

I’ve been holding back posting this exact same question… looking forward to the replies.

[meb]

I have been using a Pro8 for the last few months. It is easier to set up
than my L1m2 and sounds way better than my S1 Pro. I ruled out the 30M
because of the extra weight and digital mixer. The lgs salesperson
was so confused with the mixer, he could not even demo it for me.

I mostly use the T4s with the Pro8. Note that you get more headroom
by connecting to input #1 or #2 than using the TM interface. Using
input #3 as described in the manual has even less headroom and sounds wimpy to me. I have seen posters mention the Pro8 is not powerful
and have wondered what connection was used. This may close the power
gap between the 30M and Pro8.

A real plus for the Bose arrays is that I get much less ear fatigue using them
vs a K8.2 or similar.....not sure of 30M.

All-in-all, I am a pretty happy Pro8 user.