Electro Voice Evolve 50 line array VS LD Maui 28 G2

[Mischief]

Hi I have been trying to find a comparison of these two line array systems but am coming up pretty empty.

Please excuse the long post but here’s a few questions and thoughts I have etc.

For a number or reasons I’m ruling out the Bose system all together. But I have needs closer to the Bose LI2 not the compact. Also a single unit not a pair.

I’m leaning towards the Evolve 50 but I can save about $350 by getting the Maui if it’s pretty close. (Then I would put that towards a new XR12 Mixer).

From a design aspect it appears more drivers are more effective at working as an array. The Maui has more but seems like it will also be more affected by people standing or blocking the lower portion of the array since they run a lot further down towards the sub box then on the Evolve 50.

The Maui focuses it’s sound more tightly vertically 20degrees using 16 drivers vs the EV50 At 40 degrees with 3 of its slightly larger 8 drivers downward angled leaving only 5 directly ahead.

It would seem the tighter vertical focus would benefit not bouncing off the ceilings and floor for the majority of gigs where a single unit is sufficient. I would also suspect longer throw. But maybe less mid throws due to the driver size or there’s other things to consider?

The EV50 seams like it should have better bass with a 12” sub vs 2X8” of the Maui.

The EV50 is rated at 1000 watt but not sure if that’s RMS or peak as the Maui is 2000w peak and both are within 1db SPL so they are very close.


The EV50 has been getting rave reviews but
one video I watched seemed to show a lot of sound drop off over distance similar to a traditional top which has me a bit concerned. If I buy a mini line array I want it to act as much like a proper line array as possible. Since I’m not flying the rig on a stage I don’t see the need for a curve at the bottom of these mini line arrays. It’s fine if it does and does not negatively effect its throw too much.

Without comparing price which one is better suited for a solo to Duo acoustic/ singing performance? I also use a floor kick stomp box and at some point my wife may start playing bass with me but she would have a 12” supplement bass amp.


Thanks

[Andy Howell]

The Evolve reviews I have taken seriously are those that have been written by serious reviewers who have used them in the field. The all do seem to like it!

[Mischief]

Originally Posted by Andy Howell

The Evolve reviews I have taken seriously are those that have been written by serious reviewers who have used them in the field. The all do seem to like it!

I have no doubt it’s a great unit. I’m more interested to know how the Maui 28G2 compares to the Evolve for what we do? I have consistently seen the evolve 50 come out on top in comparison but none of those have included the Maui 28.

[The Kid!]

Originally Posted by Mischief

.


The EV50 seams like it should have better bass with a 12” sub vs 2X8” of the Maui.

Not necessarily.

That's 12" of surface area vs. 16" of surface area.

That said, there can be many potential factors that could sway things one way or another. Speaker efficiency, build and porting, headroom, etc.

[SpruceTop]

Actually, about 113 square inches of surface area for the 12 inch speaker vs about 100 square inches of surface area for two 8 inch speakers.

[Foss38]

I can speak of the Maui 11 G2... there are 3x6-1/2 sub woofers and find the bass to be tight and responsive. Not farty at all.

[Stratcat77]

Originally Posted by Foss38

I can speak of the Maui 11 G2... there are 3x6-1/2 sub woofers and find the bass to be tight and responsive. Not farty at all.

I agree. I use the Maui11G2 and love it for what I do which is primarily solo acoustic with vocal. I use two Maui11G2s when I play with my trio which add a bass player and another vocalist - sometimes also a percussionist. Sounds great.

For acoustic music, I like the sound of the three smaller sub speakers - nice and tight & punchy!

[Groberts]

I have not tried the Maui. No dealers local to give one a test drive. I own an Evolve 50 and use it for Solo acoustic shows. its dispersion and sweetness of tone are absolutely first rate. I simply cannot offer a comparison. But I LOVE the way it sounds and how it performs. A very classy, well designed product.

I will say however I am astonished the EV app is basic at best. It does not offer individual channel volume control. The app allows you to adjust overall master volume and Bass/Mid/treble. Period. I find that very surprising. But I have found it very easy to turn the knobs on each of the 2 channels on the subwoofer/amp module and once they are dialed in, I have not needed to change channel volumes during my shows. Not once. Still, it would be NICE to have the channel volumes available on the phone App.

[The Kid!]

Originally Posted by SpruceTop

Actually, about 113 square inches of surface area for the 12 inch speaker vs about 100 square inches of surface area for two 8 inch speakers.

I stand corrected!

How would one calculate that for future reference on other configurations? Is there a formula? I'm interested in the math aspect of this.

Say a 2X10 guitar cab vs 1X12. Thanks in advance.

[SpruceTop]

Originally Posted by The Kid!

I stand corrected!

How would one calculate that for future reference on other configurations? Is there a formula? I'm interested in the math aspect of this.

Say a 2X10 guitar cab vs 1X12. Thanks in advance.

Surface area of a circle is pi (3.14) times the radius squared. Thus:

2x10 speaker cab would be 3.14 x 5x5 (25) = 78.5 x 2 = 157 square inches.

1x12 inch speaker cab would be 3.14 x 6x6 (36) = 113.04 square inches

[The Kid!]

Originally Posted by SpruceTop

Surface area of a circle is pi (3.14) times the radius squared. Thus:

2x10 speaker cab would be 3.14 x 5x5 (25) = 78.5 x 2 = 157 square inches.

1x12 inch speaker cab would be 3.14 x 6x6 (36) = 113.04 square inches

Thank you!

[Takamaton83]

Originally Posted by Stratcat77

I agree. I use the Maui11G2 and love it for what I do which is primarily solo acoustic with vocal. I use two Maui11G2s when I play with my trio which add a bass player and another vocalist - sometimes also a percussionist. Sounds great.

For acoustic music, I like the sound of the three smaller sub speakers - nice and tight & punchy!

Do you run the kick drum through this setup at all? Or have you used an acoustic stomp box? And if so, how does it sound?
I’m a solo acoustic player that’s wondering if trading my two Yamaha MSR400 speakers for one of these will be comparable.

[Stratcat77]

Originally Posted by Takamaton83

Do you run the kick drum through this setup at all? Or have you used an acoustic stomp box? And if so, how does it sound?

I’m a solo acoustic player that’s wondering if trading my two Yamaha MSR400 speakers for one of these will be comparable.

I have run a electronic drum kit through my Maui system and was happy with it. It was not crazy loud, but for what I was doing it sounded good.

Here’s a clip with that set up:


https://youtu.be/2owODwvdLGE

[Chriscom]

Originally Posted by Stratcat77

I have run a electronic drum kit through my Maui system and was happy with it. It was not crazy loud, but for what I was doing it sounded good.

Here’s a clip with that set up:


https://youtu.be/2owODwvdLGE

Thanks for posting that clip. So is everything going through that one Maui? Two guitars, vocals, and the drum kit?

Nice performance by the way.

[John Bartus]

I have no experience with the Maui... but I’ve owned both the EV and the Bose L1 with the double bass bin. I no longer own the Bose. The EV is powerful, the dispersion is quite good, and the bottom end is so much better and has more headroom than the Bose. I now own 2, and I’ve used them both to play outdoor shows of 500 people with no problems at all.

You will likely want to budget for a small mixer as there are very minimal controls on the input channels (volume only). As always, YMMV!