NAD: Jumped on the Evolve EV30M bandwagon - Updates with demo videos

[Chriscom]

Originally Posted by Methos1979

Anyone find anything non-EV labeled that works for a more sane price?

Here ya go! https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/...13#post7014713

[lkingston]

Originally Posted by Methos1979

Same with us. One thing I liked about it was that unlike the D6-58, the EV30M's volume and tone seem more linear. In other words, whereas the D6-58 (like the S1) seems to have a minimum sweet spot below which the amp does not perform well for really quiet venues (like some of the smaller assisted living facilities we play) the EV30M can be dialed way down and yet still give you a nice clean and clear tone. So whereas I thought the EV30M would only be used for the larger rooms, I think once I have it dialed in well that we will use it for just about everything we do.

I used to have both a Bose L1 Pro mk ii and a Bose L1 Compact. I noticed the same phenomenon with both of these as well: that the sound EQ curve remained constant from barely audible to very loud. In fact, the sound of the L1 Pro mk ii and the L1 Compact was almost the same until you went up to a certain volume.

I sold them both some time ago, but now I have both the EV 30M and 50M. I am noticing the same thing. That they sound about the same until you hit a pretty high volume level, and then the 50M pulls ahead.

I think that the even EQ curve at all volume levels is just a function of the column and subwoofer design. Just as the volume sweet spot of the D6-58 is a matter of combo amp design. When I tried the AER Compact 60, I noticed the same thing: that there was a volume sweet spot. I think that this is true of any combo amp design. Given this limitation, I feel that the D6-58 is as good as it gets.

I can certainly see using the 30M for both loud and soft gigs, as the form factor is as easy as using the D6-58 plus a speaker stand. That is my plan as well.

I am going to keep my D6-58 though, even though it will probably mostly be used in the living room. It is a very pretty cabinet that my wife doesn’t mind staying there. It sounds absolutely wonderful in that context, and it avoids me having to set up the 30M in the living room if I want to practice with amplification.

[Methos1979]

We played a gig today at a regular place that requires very little 'help' from amplification but needs some anyway. We have used the D6-58 several times here with mixed results. I've used it on a pole (better) and on the floor tilted back (meh) and while it was okay I was never super happy. I really wanted to use the EV30M today but being so new (got it yesterday) I didn't dare. I really need to spend more time with it to be more confident in its abilities and mine to get the most out of it.

So we took the D6-58 as usual. However, today for grins I just set it on a nearby, very stout wood coffee table, slightly tilted back (with the EAE tilt wedge), back behind us and to the left a bit angled in from a corner to the center of the large room. I had the volume down around 2 which is the bare minimum for any volume/tone at all (3 is the beginning of the sweet spot) and you know what? It sounded freaking great! Not only to the crowd but to us as well. Go figure

Not that it should have been any surprise but the D6-58 is an incredibly powerful and feature rich amplifier that, for me, isn't going nowhere. It will remain an active part of our arsenal for some time. Sometimes you just have to find the sweet spot of positioning - as much as volume - to get the optimum out of any amplifier. And that can change from day to day, gig to gig, and room to room. I'm sure it will be no different with the EV30M.

[nostatic]

Mine showed up today (despite saying "exception" on tracking). Did a quick test inside and it works as advertised, though I couldn't get audio to play over BT (I admit I also didn't try too hard). Have a bass gig in a few hours but a solo show tomorrow afternoon and the 30M will go out for that. I think I've got enough of a handle on the mixer/etc that it should be fine. I'll bring the Udo as an emergency panic backup. This gig is outdoors so curious to see how it does. I will say plugging the OM-28e MD direct into the high-Z jack sounded quite good. For the gig tomorrow I'll be using channels 1-2 taking a feed from the Play Acoustic.

[lkingston]

For some reason that I still don’t understand, I had a heck of a time with the Bluetooth audio pairing the first time.

The good news is that it was just that first time, and it’s been flawless since.

[Chriscom]

Originally Posted by lkingston

For some reason that I still don’t understand, I had a heck of a time with the Bluetooth audio pairing the first time.

The good news is that it was just that first time, and it’s been flawless since.

I think a user or two reported that on the Facebook Evolve forum.

[Methos1979]

Originally Posted by lkingston

For some reason that I still don’t understand, I had a heck of a time with the Bluetooth audio pairing the first time.

The good news is that it was just that first time, and it’s been flawless since.

I haven't tried that function yet but it leads to a question - the tablet I use to control the app is via Bluetooth connection, right? Will the unit connect to a second source vial Bluetooth for playing music? Or will it only play streamed music via the single connected Bluetooth source? Since most phones these days (mine included) do not have the 1/8" mini jack, going into that jack on the EV30M is not an option unless you get the dongle. Just thinking ahead to playing some background music during breaks at gigs.

[nostatic]

There are two different menu items on the 30M - one for BT control, the other for BT audio. I have the control working, have yet to get the audio working (was trying from the same iPhone). I'll fiddle a bit more with it today but for the gig I don't really need to play break music and have hardwired it to the phone for testing.

[Teleplucker]

I have been using the 30M and the 50M for about a year. The only negative thing I have to say about them is the 15 vdc phantom power is a terrible idea. My condensor mics will work but guitar preamps will not. Now I have to make sure I have spare 9 volt batteries in my bag.

If you ever have the need for more than 4 XLR channels the 50M is the way to go. on both the 30 and the 50 channels 5 and 6 are line level stereo channels so their usefulness is a little limited. With the 50M you can tie both mixers together.

We played background music for a large corp banquet a few months ago. I used the 2 50s and then took the aux out of each of those into the 30Ms that I had set up pretty far away. The app controlled all 4 speakers, the coverage and overall volume was excellent.

I am 98% satisfied with this product.

[nostatic]

ok, I got it to work. Here's what I did (no warranties implied or expressed):

1. open the EV app and connect to the 30M
2. test and make sure it works (for controls)
3. check iPhone BT settings screen - should show the 30M with a 4 digit ID code
4. press and hold the 7/8 button on the 30M - hold until it shows the ID code on the 30M screen
5. go back to the phone - at this point I expected the phone to ask me to pair but it doesn't as it is already paired. On the BT screen on the iPhone, tap the 30M entry (should indicate it is connected), and there should be an option to pick what type of device it is. Note: I didn't see this the first couple times I used the app.
6. tap the device type and pick speaker.
7. go back to the phone and pick a music app - should work.

Your key indicator is the "S" on the 30M screen - if it is blinking, it is trying to pair. I think that you have to pick the device type on the phone app to complete that handshake. Once it is paired the "S" is solid.

[lkingston]

Originally Posted by Teleplucker

I have been using the 30M and the 50M for about a year. The only negative thing I have to say about them is the 15 vdc phantom power is a terrible idea. My condensor mics will work but guitar preamps will not. Now I have to make sure I have spare 9 volt batteries in my bag.

I agree about the phantom power not being enough.

If you ever have the need for more than 4 XLR channels the 50M is the way to go. on both the 30 and the 50 channels 5 and 6 are line level stereo channels so their usefulness is a little limited. With the 50M you can tie both mixers together.

Yes, tying two 50Ms together with a single Ethernet cable is way cool. It is a digital connection which does both audio and control. Audio is 24 bits. Cheap unshielded cat 5 cable works fine.

We played background music for a large corp banquet a few months ago. I used the 2 50s and then took the aux out of each of those into the 30Ms that I had set up pretty far away. The app controlled all 4 speakers, the coverage and overall volume was excellent.

I’m guessing you used the built in time alignment delay on the 30Ms. Did you use long XLR cables or wireless for them?

Did you use stage monitors on that gig?

I am 98% satisfied with this product.

98% satisfied is about right for me as well. I would change a few things if I could (48v phantom power, more available gain on 5&6, sweepable mids on the EQ), but those are minor.

I have a pair of each as well and couldn’t be happier!

[Methos1979]

Yep! This worked - thanks!

I had a short session with it today before the sun kicked me off the deck. But I managed to figure out a few more things which I put in an update on the first post. I continue to be impressed.

Originally Posted by nostatic

ok, I got it to work. Here's what I did (no warranties implied or expressed):

1. open the EV app and connect to the 30M
2. test and make sure it works (for controls)
3. check iPhone BT settings screen - should show the 30M with a 4 digit ID code
4. press and hold the 7/8 button on the 30M - hold until it shows the ID code on the 30M screen
5. go back to the phone - at this point I expected the phone to ask me to pair but it doesn't as it is already paired. On the BT screen on the iPhone, tap the 30M entry (should indicate it is connected), and there should be an option to pick what type of device it is. Note: I didn't see this the first couple times I used the app.
6. tap the device type and pick speaker.
7. go back to the phone and pick a music app - should work.

Your key indicator is the "S" on the 30M screen - if it is blinking, it is trying to pair. I think that you have to pick the device type on the phone app to complete that handshake. Once it is paired the "S" is solid.

[nostatic]

well, to quote Lilly Von Shtupp, "it's twue, it's twue, it's twue..."

First gig with the 30M today, solo hit outdoors at a wine bar. Guitar and vocal into my pedal board and then Play Acoustic. I have the Play fairly tweaked for the guitar and the last gig used the Udo and a K8. I didn't bother to test the 30M at home other than just plugging the guitar straight in and also playing some music streamed.

Set it up, positioned it a foot or two in front of me and about 6' to the left. I could hear myself fine, though I heard more bass than was coming out of the front (not unexpected). My wife usually gives me the sound check but she's out of town so I figured it was close to balanced given how I have the Play set up, so just rolled a bit of treble off the mic channel on the 30M as last time she said it was fairly bright and off I went.

Ended up doing 3.5 hours with one 10 min bio break. I wasn't pushing the 30M at all - was doing fairly low volume. Positive comments, and when I did take the guitar out front for a quick monitor it sounded awesome - have to say the Modern Deluxe with the Fishman Aura system sounds really good to my ear and how I play.

So 30M is a keeper. Zero issues, it is quick to set up and not a lot to carry. I think I actually can get away without the full pedal board - just the Play and maybe my Ego and ElCap. Next gig here will be indoors, I likely will try the short pole for that one. But only next step is to order the sub cover as it does really need that for transport as the sub has sharp corners that will get banged pretty quickly.

[Methos1979]

Great news on the first test run. I haven't ordered the short pole - yet. I'm on the fence. There are definitely smaller venues where the short pole would be more than enough since all in the audience are seated and not that far away. Where are people ordering the short pole from and how much does it cost?

One thing I noticed yesterday that I think I forgot to mention in update number two (will check after posting and add if I didn't) is that once I got the streaming music to work I walked out front and did my 180 side-to-side walk around test for spread. I was quite shocked to find that (unlike the D6-58) there was literally no drop off of the quality of the tone when walking side-to-side out to a full 180 degrees and even a bit beyond!

This test was done outside on my deck and since I live it the woods, there are no buildings or anything for the sound to be reflected on. Amazing coverage and excellent, even tone quality at a moderate volume. This removes yet another plus for the Bose Pro systems over the EV30M making it (in our case at least) even more so the clear winner in the choice between the two systems. I'm truly excited to start to use this in upcoming shows.

[Teleplucker]

Quote:
We played background music for a large corp banquet a few months ago. I used the 2 50s and then took the aux out of each of those into the 30Ms that I had set up pretty far away. The app controlled all 4 speakers, the coverage and overall volume was excellent.
I’m guessing you used the built in time alignment delay on the 30Ms. Did you use long XLR cables or wireless for them?

Did you use stage monitors on that gig?

I did not use the time alignment and we did not use stage monitors. We played all instrumental music ( Harp, harp guitar, cello and violin) the 50s were close enough to us that we could hear them. We were far enough away from the tables that the volume from folks talking was not an issue for us.
We have played cocktail hours at weddings where the crowd noise was so close and so loud that it makes hearing each other an issue.
I'm the "guy" in our group, I have to carry and operate all the sound equipment. I have no desire to add monitors to the mix. I have owned a couple of the "array" systems and one of the strengths is with proper placement you can lessen the need for monitors.