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

[Methos1979]

We (wife and I, acoustic duo) had been considering a column array 'stick system' for quite some time and have did a lot of research. The two contenders were the EV30M and the Bose Pro8. The EV30M was the obvious choice for our needs due mostly to the built-in mixer. While the Pro8 does have a few things we like better, the EV30M has more of what we need.

Thanks to lkingston for his heads up on the customer return units a ProAudio which dropped the price nearly $400 and made this purchase even better. Below is my NAD thread combining all the thoughts previously posted as well as a couple demo videos with a direct head-to-head comparison to the excellent EAE D6-58 amp which until now as been our go-to amp.

Update: The EV30M arrived today and I got it opened, assembled, plugged in and playing though it. It's obvious that there is a LOT to unpack here and a much more in depth NAD post with video demo will surface at some point in the next week or so but I really need to spend some time with it so for now I thought I'd just rattle off some early thoughts without much elaboration. They are:

- Solid and well built but still with some column wiggle although not as bad as the Bose ProXX series.
- Even slightly tighter column connection tolerances would have gone a long way. Magnets are a nice touch.
- This thing is LOUD, CLEAN and CLEAR. Not warm and soothing like the Bose. This is both good and bad.
- I'm going to need to play MUCH cleaner and not rely so much on adjacent string or thumb muting that low E.
- Not super intuitive but I figured out the basics and got a decent tone with my guitar and our mics after an hour.
- Presets are subtle at best and just used FLAT for most everything.
- Not even a cheap slip cover for the base unit, EV? Really? Lame. I can see soaking us for a nice case, but even Bose gave us a slip cover for the S1.
- App interface is pretty powerful once you figure it out.
- Pro Audio's 'customer return' seems like it's just a way to sell these well under MAP. No evidence anywhere of being a return. Factory packaging was ALL intact.
- 120 degrees of horizontal dispersion is great and likely all I'll ever need. Super-impressed at the sound quality off-center as compared to the EAE D6-58.
- Power, quality and dispersion will surely cover ANY gig we will likely ever do.

That's everything that comes to mind at this point. Like I said, lots to unpack here and I need to spend a serious amount of time dialing everything in and playing around with things but I can already see this is going to be a serious piece of kit that will serve us well. More to come. Stay tuned.

Update 2: I had another session today with the EV30M and I continue to be impressed. Here are the latest things I was able to figure out and/or do:

- I was able to finally figure out how to rename the presets - yay!
- I discovered that the presets will save having the Main and individual channels muted, which I like so I don't have to worry about accidentally turning on the unit and getting blown out.
- I figured out (with help from a post below) that you can run the unit with the EV app AND also connect separately with the same tablet or phone to channel 7/8 to stream music. So that was helpful.
- 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.
- I ended up moving my mic (usually at channel 4 in other mixers) to channel 2 which is usually where I have a second guitar. The reason I did this is because the Hi Z input is on channel 4 and I need that for my RainSong Nashville which has an Anthem StagePro with a significantly weaker signal than the Element StagePro on my Black Ice and I need that extra gain. So now I've got both guitars dialed in nice.
- I've also got both mics dialed in fairly well but I haven't as yet tweaked them with EQ so I know I can get even better tone. - I set the guitar presets to the 80Hz Low Cut instead of Flat.
- I got the slip cover case from Amazon and it is indeed the same one on Sweetwater (and other places) that is going for $141. The one I found on Amazon was 'only' $79. Still pricey but at least it is a nice, padded cover from EV.

NAD Update 3: Okay, so I've decided rather than reinventing the wheel, so to say, to just make this the official NAD post since most of the above covers what I would say anyway. So I'm just going to add the two videos that I created this morning plus a few some general thoughts comments.

First up, we decided to do an outside test of the EV30M compared with the EAE D6-58. These systems have some similarities but mostly are very different. The EV30M is much more powerful (1000 watts) vs the D6-58 (120 watts) and of course the EV30M is a stick system with a subwoofer base unit and 6 tweeters on the column while the D6-58 has four speakers packed into the cabinet including an 8" woofer, a 5.25" mid and two 1" tweeters. Both have powerful, built-in mixers with multiple inputs (8 for the EV30M, 6 for the D6-58). The EV30M needs to be plugged into an AC source while the D6-58 can run on AC or its internal rechargeable lithium battery.

Setup (and breakdown) of both systems is quick, easy and straightforward. For this test I put the D6-58 on a pole which is mostly how we used it anyway. So carrying and setup is about the same for both. I would say that neither of the mixers is easier or harder than the other as both require a little getting to know them to get the most out of them. The EV30M mixer gets an edge because it can be run completely from their decent app on a phone, computer or tablet. This makes tweaking sound from out front easy and ensures the best sound.

As far as the sound comparisons, while the D6-58 is no slouch, it just can't hold a candle to the EV30M for power, clarity, dispersion and throw. As you'll see (hear) in the following videos, the EV30M with its dedicated subwoofer on the bottom and 6 tweeters with vertical (actual) and horizontal (guide shaped) dispersion plus all that extra power makes for just way more and better overall tone. But again, we are comparing apples and oranges to a large degree here.

Anyway, we are very happy with the EV30M and we're ready to use it live very soon. We're on a two-week hiatus including a week-long beach vacation so we won't be testing it at live gigs for a few weeks but I don't expect any issues. I'm very comfortable already with the operation and having the mixer controls literally at my fingertips in front of me on the tablet means I can quickly dial in or out any issues that might pop up. I'll be sure to post a final update after a few gigs to report any challenges.

For the videos, the usual caveats apply: Listen on good speakers or headphones for best results. They were recorded on a Samsung Mobile phone so some auto-leveling is in play. Last, I live near a small airport so plane noise is usually present here and there. Also, sorry for the fingers drifting in front of the lens here and there but it's hard to walk about my yard with all of my wife's little rock gardens without face-planting. Not too high tech here, but would a Methos1979 video demo be any other way? No, of course not!

Video 1: Live playing comparison of EV30M and D6-58, directly in front, approximately 20 meters out.



Video 2: Streaming YouTube audio comparison 20 meters in front then sweeping 180 degrees side-to-side, comparisons at 10 to 30 meters.

[YamahaGuy]

Originally Posted by Methos1979

We (wife and I, acoustic duo) have been considering a column array 'stick system' for quite some time now and have done a lot of research. The two contenders were the EV30M and the Bose Pro8. The EV30M was the obvious choice for our needs due mostly to the built-in mixer. While the Pro8 does have a few things we like better, the EV30M has more of what we need.

There is no shortage of love for this system here on AGF and in many videos on YouTube (some by AGF'ers) as well. So now we'll get to see for ourselves if the hype holds up. We're just starting to book shows outside of the assisted living facilities we've been doing and there are more than a few where a system like the EV30M should be excellent with its power and throw.

Thanks to lkingston for his heads up on the customer return units a ProAudio which dropped the price nearly $400 and made this purchase even better. Stay tuned for the usual Methos1979 thorough review and demo post in the coming weeks!

Looking forward to your thoughts. I just bought an IP300 and love it so far. Gonna try it live tomorrow for the first time with my wife and I. Used it at practice with my band Wednesday and it cranked. Took the place of two Yamaha DXR10s and did great.

[Dudley]

I appreciate your reviews, Methos. Looking forward to your thoughts on the new system.

[Chriscom]

Really looking forward to your review, Methos, they're always thoughtful and informative. I love mine and look forward to gigging with it again.

One observation that popped up on the Facebook Evolve 50/30m/50m user group: Some 30m sticks have a very slight wobble--mine is one of them. It's nothing like what I've personally observed and seen online with the worst of the Bose Pro 16s. A solution is to slip in a thin strip of velcro on either side of the well, just a bit, overlapping to the top a little for easy entry. A couple users did so and are happy with it (one who had his 30m on a parade float!).

Edit: Most of my rehearsing at home must be done with headphones. The 30m doesn't have a headphone line out, and when I lost the need for an external mixer I also lost the headphone jack on my Bose T4S Tonematch. My initial solution was to take one of the two XLR outs (Monitor and Aux) into my Bugera AC60 and run my headphone out of the back of that, but that's a lot just to hear yourself practice. My Sweetwater rep put me on to this handy little device, and while I haven't tried it yet I'm sure it'll be perfect:

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/det...itor-amplifier

XLR on one side, 1/8 inch headphone jack on the other. I have an adapter for my 1/4 in. jack. Rechargeable AAA's are in my future.

Of course whatever EQ etc I do in phones won't match exactly what I need for live settings, but it's a decent baseline. And running my practice through the 30m instead of some other routes (my Boss VE-8 for instance, very nicely self-contained) keeps me familiarized with the 30m app. It works very effectively once you know your way around it, but many users find the user manual abysmal.

[Stringmaster]

Congratulations and welcome aboard! Looking forward to your review/walk through. When I was shopping I found that almost all of the reviews were geared towards DJ’s, and since the manual lacks detail I’ve had to figure out most of the features by experimenting. I’m sure there are things I’m missing!

[lkingston]

Originally Posted by Methos1979

We (wife and I, acoustic duo) have been considering a column array 'stick system' for quite some time now and have done a lot of research. The two contenders were the EV30M and the Bose Pro8. The EV30M was the obvious choice for our needs due mostly to the built-in mixer. While the Pro8 does have a few things we like better, the EV30M has more of what we need.

There is no shortage of love for this system here on AGF and in many videos on YouTube (some by AGF'ers) as well. So now we'll get to see for ourselves if the hype holds up. We're just starting to book shows outside of the assisted living facilities we've been doing and there are more than a few where a system like the EV30M should be excellent with its power and throw.

Thanks to lkingston for his heads up on the customer return units a ProAudio which dropped the price nearly $400 and made this purchase even better. Stay tuned for the usual Methos1979 thorough review and demo post in the coming weeks!

The price on 30M returns makes them a particularly good deal. I have two 30Ms which I bought as customer returns from them. The first one had some loose stitching on the backpack (which I had fixed at a shoe repair place). Other than that it looked like it had been opened, maybe tried, then sent back (likely because of the stitching issue). The second one had obviously never even been opened. This really is the way to get a 30M if you are looking for one.

[nostatic]

I’ve hopped on as well, if it gets here on Fri I’ll give it a quick shakedown late that night (bass gig that evening) then gig it Saturday. We’ll see if the old dog/new tricks thing works out.

[Chickee]

Originally Posted by Methos1979

We (wife and I, acoustic duo) have been considering a column array 'stick system' for quite some time now and have done a lot of research. The two contenders were the EV30M and the Bose Pro8. The EV30M was the obvious choice for our needs due mostly to the built-in mixer. While the Pro8 does have a few things we like better, the EV30M has more of what we need.

There is no shortage of love for this system here on AGF and in many videos on YouTube (some by AGF'ers) as well. So now we'll get to see for ourselves if the hype holds up. We're just starting to book shows outside of the assisted living facilities we've been doing and there are more than a few where a system like the EV30M should be excellent with its power and throw.

Thanks to lkingston for his heads up on the customer return units a ProAudio which dropped the price nearly $400 and made this purchase even better. Stay tuned for the usual Methos1979 thorough review and demo post in the coming weeks!

I’m really happy I didn’t just order those two Bose Sub 1’s yesterday! My guy at SWEETWATER is out till Tuesday, so I put my order on hold. Now I will wait to hear what you have to say about this EV30M stick setup! Thanks for the heads up, Scott.
frank d.

[jricc]

Cool, look forward to your review Scott.

[lkingston]

Here’s the thing. The 30M sounds wonderful. It has enough channels for a duo or a small group. If you look at the total PA setup: speakers, stands, mixer, effects, wires, monitors, etc., it is the simplest of any setup that can properly cover both the stage and the room.

[Methos1979]

It's here! Early thoughts posted up in the first post.

[lkingston]

Originally Posted by Methos1979

We (wife and I, acoustic duo) have been considering a column array 'stick system' for quite some time now and have done a lot of research. The two contenders were the EV30M and the Bose Pro8. The EV30M was the obvious choice for our needs due mostly to the built-in mixer. While the Pro8 does have a few things we like better, the EV30M has more of what we need.

There is no shortage of love for this system here on AGF and in many videos on YouTube (some by AGF'ers) as well. So now we'll get to see for ourselves if the hype holds up. We're just starting to book shows outside of the assisted living facilities we've been doing and there are more than a few where a system like the EV30M should be excellent with its power and throw.

Thanks to lkingston for his heads up on the customer return units a ProAudio which dropped the price nearly $400 and made this purchase even better. Stay tuned for the usual Methos1979 thorough review and demo post in the coming weeks!

Update:

- Presets are subtle at best and just used FLAT for most everything.

The presets that I find useful are the two hi pass ones: low cut 80HZ and low cut 120HZ.

- Not even a cheap slip cover for the base unit, EV? Really? Lame. I can see soaking us for a nice case, but even Bose gave us a slip cover for the S1.

Yeah, but at least this way you get a choice about whether to get the slip cover or the rolling case. At least the EV slip cover is padded. The included Bose slip cover is not.

- App interface is pretty powerful once you figure it out.

Yes, especially when you get into control of two of them!

- Pro Audio's 'customer return' seems like it's just a way to sell these well under MAP. No evidence anywhere of being a return. Factory packaging was ALL intact.

Yeah, I have no idea of how long it will last, but it is an incredible deal while it does!

- 120 degrees of horizontal dispersion is great and likely all I'll ever need. Super-impressed at the sound quality off-center as compared to the EAE D6-58.

I hear a little tapering off of the high frequencies off to the side of the speaker, but that isn’t necessarily bad. It is very easy to sing and play with. Just be aware that you should move in front to check the highs when you EQ.

On the other positive side, that tapering off of high frequencies is easier on the ears when you are playing loud enough to have to put the column beside rather than behind you. I really don’t see the 120 degree dispersion as a negative.

- Power, quality and dispersion will surely cover ANY gig we will likely ever do.

You probably would want more at one of those outdoor stages where people put up folding chairs and where there are food trucks.

But yeah, it will handle almost any of the actual small establishment gigs that we all do.

That's everything that comes to mind at this point. Like I said, lots to unpack here and I need to spend a serious amount of time dialing everything in and playing around with things but I can already see this is going to be a serious piece of kit that will serve us well. More to come. Stay tuned.

I’m looking forward to your more in depth report!

[Chriscom]

Originally Posted by Methos1979

- Solid and well built but still with some column wiggle although not as bad as the Bose ProXX series.

I'll repeat this point since there's so much 30m content here at the moment and you may choose to mention it in your video review: I have the same, milder wiggle, but two folks on the Facebook Evolve forum recommended adding a bit of Velco strip to both inner sides of the well, lapping over a little at the on the horizontal plane to ease insertion. This essentially eliminates the wiggle. Others on the forum report no wiggle at all, and that's either less-sensitive people or manufacturing variability.

[Methos1979]

Originally Posted by lkingston

The presets that I find useful are the two hi pass ones: low cut 80HZ and low cut 120HZ.

I agree with this. When I mentioned the issue of needing to 'play more accurately' with regard to the low E, one way of mitigating this was using one of these filters.

Originally Posted by lkingston

Yeah, but at least this way you get a choice about whether to get the slip cover or the rolling case. At least the EV slip cover is padded. The included Bose slip cover is not.

I was looking at both of these online last night. I'm glad to hear the slip cover is padded since the going price is a ridiculous $141. I'm not sure which way I'll go. I currently have a little cart that carries my stuff into gigs so I don't need th rolling cart but it might be nice to have the greater protection. Anyone find anything non-EV labeled that works for a more sane price?

Originally Posted by lkingston

Yes, especially when you get into control of two of them!

I can only imagine since it's doubtful we'll ever add a second. But it's certainly a nice feature.

Originally Posted by lkingston

Yeah, I have no idea of how long it will last, but it is an incredible deal while it does!

It really is a great deal (thanks again for the heads up!). At this price point I can see no reason whatsoever to go with the Bose Pro.

Originally Posted by lkingston

I hear a little tapering off of the high frequencies off to the side of the speaker, but that isn’t necessarily bad. It is very easy to sing and play with. Just be aware that you should move in front to check the highs when you EQ.

Agreed. I was talking more about farther out front from an audience perspective but I agree about playing next to it, a slight tapering of the highs.

Originally Posted by lkingston

On the other positive side, that tapering off of high frequencies is easier on the ears when you are playing loud enough to have to put the column beside rather than behind you. I really don’t see the 120 degree dispersion as a negative.

Agree here as well. I was thinking that one of the 'plusses' of the Bose's 180 degree dispersion would now be a negative for me when playing at higher volumes. While great for some venues, for the vast majority it would be overkill and at high volumes would be a negative both for performer and feedback issues.

Originally Posted by lkingston

You probably would want more at one of those outdoor stages where people put up folding chairs and where there are food trucks.

I'd just use the D6-58 and/or one or both of the S1's in this instance.

Originally Posted by lkingston

But yeah, it will handle almost any of the actual small establishment gigs that we all do.

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.

Originally Posted by lkingston

I’m looking forward to your more in depth report!

We've got a gig today that we'll use the D6-58 again at but probably this weekend I'll be really delving into the EV30M and maybe recording my demo which I'll post at the top.

[Methos1979]

Originally Posted by Chriscom

I'll repeat this point since there's so much 30m content here at the moment and you may choose to mention it in your video review: I have the same, milder wiggle, but two folks on the Facebook Evolve forum recommended adding a bit of Velco strip to both inner sides of the well, lapping over a little at the on the horizontal plane to ease insertion. This essentially eliminates the wiggle. Others on the forum report no wiggle at all, and that's either less-sensitive people or manufacturing variability.

This is an excellent tip! I just might try this since it would be a simple, inexpensive and easily reversible fix. Thanks! I have subscribed to the FB EV group page but not spent much time delving into it yet.