5 Electro-Voice Products to Up Your Live Rig Game

Electro-Voice has been a leading innovator in pro audio for 96 years—a period throughout which they’ve continually designed solution-oriented gear for broadcast, public address, studio recording and live sound reinforcement.

In this article, we’ll look at five pieces of equipment that can level up—or establish from the ground up—your live sound system, from portable PAs and powered subs to stage monitors and wireless microphones. These top Electro-Voice picks cover some of the most common live sound needs and demonstrate how the right tools can make a rig more powerful, more flexible and a whole lot easier to manage.

Pictured: Electro-Voice Logo on EVOLVE 30M and EVERSE 12

Top 5 Pieces of Electro-Voice Live Sound Gear

Electro-Voice ELX200-18SP Subwoofer

What to Know:

• Great for small- to medium-sized venues

• 1,200W Class-D amplifier delivers up to 132dB SPL

• 40Hz–145Hz frequency range

Shop Now: Electro-Voice ELX200-18SP 18" 1200W Powered Subwoofer

The Electro-Voice ELX200-18SP subwoofer offers hard-hitting, dynamic bass for high-energy club sets. An 18" EV-designed speaker provides ample low-end extension, and it’s efficiently driven by a Class-D amp capable of outputting serious volume with minimal distortion.

You can choose from three preset playback modes (Music, Live, Club), fine-tune your sound with 3-band EQ, optimize your sub/top crossover settings, control input and master levels, and monitor your meters with integrated QuickSmartDSP—the brain of the ELX200-18SP. Plus, you can do it all wirelessly using the QuickSmart Mobile app over Bluetooth.    

Electro-Voice EVERSE 12 Battery-Powered Loudspeaker

What to Know:

• Up to 12 hours of battery life at moderate levels

• Two XLR/TRS inputs and stereo AUX/Bluetooth

• Extremely durable, weatherized enclosure

Shop Now: Electro-Voice EVERSE 12 12" 400W Weatherized Battery-Powered Loudspeaker with Bluetooth

The Electro-Voice EVERSE 12 sets the benchmark for battery-powered loudspeakers. This 12" portable PA’s diminutive footprint belies its heavyweight sonic punch: 400 watts, up to 126dB SPL, chest-thumping low-end reproduction (45Hz) and wide dispersion (100°x60°).

You’ll have access to an intuitive four-channel mixer, 7-band graphic equalizer, high-quality effects, playback modes and automated assistive features, such as feedback suppression and audio ducking. Designed with the gigging artist in mind, QuickSmartDSP makes dialing in, saving and recalling your sound easy, so you can focus on the performance—not the technical minutiae.

What’s more, using the QuickSmart Mobile app streamlines operation even further, while a built-in 12VDC port lets you top off your phone or tablet’s battery before a gig and then power a wireless microphone receiver for showtime.

Electro-Voice PXM-12MP Coaxial Monitor

What to Know:

• Floor wedge with two XLR/TRS combo jacks and a stereo RCA input

• 700W Class-D amplifier delivers up to 129dB SPL

• 55º upward angle with symmetrical 90º x 90º dispersion

Shop Now: Electro-Voice PXM-12MP 700W 12" Powered Coaxial Monitor

To perform your best, you need to be able to hear yourself, and the Electro-Voice PXM-12MP coaxial speaker offers a clear-cut way to do just that. Its acoustically optimized 55° angle ensures intelligibility no matter where you are onstage, whether you’re playing to the crowd with your foot on the speaker or taking in the vibe from the backline.

There are two MONITOR presets to quickly find your preferred EQ curve, as well as a GUITARCAB setting that emulates the sound of a 12" guitar or bass amp speaker. The fourth available playback mode is TRIPOD, for use when you’ve pole-mounted the PXM-12MP as a main speaker—each preset can then be refined with built-in 3-band EQ. Additional stage-ready QuickSmartDSP functions include high and low shelving, parametric midrange EQ for discernability and notch filtering to mitigate feedback.     

Electro-Voice RE3-ND76 Wireless Handheld Microphone Set

What to Know:

• ND76 microphone head has a frequency response of 30Hz–17kHz

• Cardioid polar pattern rejects off-axis sound

• 36MHz tuning bandwidth

Shop Now: Electro-Voice RE3 Wireless Handheld Set with ND76 Dynamic Cardioid Vocal Microphone

For singers and presenters who want a crisp, intelligible vocal mic without the hassle of cables, let us introduce you to the Electro-Voice RE3-ND76 wireless set. The system consists of an RE3-RX diversity receiver, RE3-HHT handheld transmitter and ND76 thread-on microphone capsule. The transmitter runs on two AA alkaline batteries or rechargeable NiMH cells, and there’s a vivid display that shows how much charge is left.

Even if you’ve never used a wireless unit before, you can get up and running at the touch of two buttons—Scan and Sync—which, together, find an open frequency and make sure the receiver and transmitter are communicating with each other. Signal transmission is stable and secure, so you never have to worry about dropouts, and there’s really no compromise to fidelity over a traditional XLR microphone.       

Electro-Voice EVOLVE 30M G2 Portable Column Array

What to Know:

• 1,200W Class-D amplifier delivers up to 132dB SPL

• Six 2.8" neodymium drivers and 10" sub cover a 40Hz–20KHz frequency range

• Wirelessly controllable via QuickSmart mobile app

One of my favorite Electro-Voice products on the list, the EVOLVE 30M G2 column array packs so much functionality into its portable, easily deployable frame. Thanks to its upgraded amplifier, the maximum SPL has been given a boost to 125dB over its first-gen predecessor. It also has bolstered DSP features, giving you more effects combinations, music ducking and switchable 48V phantom power. You get four mic/line inputs, a dedicated Hi-Z input on channel 4, a stereo pair of mic/line or RCA inputs on channels 5/6, and Bluetooth on 7/8—which is enough for several musicians or presenters to plug in and do their thing.

QuickSmartDSP makes another appearance, of course, offering four playback material presets (Music, Live, Speech, Club), simple 3-band EQ and expanded 7-band graphic EQ, plus level control and metering. There is also an array of onboard effects settings, including reverb, delay, chorus and flanger, for polished, professional mixes. See our exclusive interview with EV’s product manager for a deeper dive into the second generation of EVOLVE models.

Let Your Voice Be Heard

Electro-Voice gear removes a lot of the guesswork when it comes to building out a live sound rig. Between onboard DSP, portable designs, practical I/O and powerful, high-fidelity sonics, EV helps musicians, presenters and other performers set up faster and sound better under a variety of conditions.

The products we’ve featured here solve different problems: deeper bass, clearer monitoring, easier wireless vocals, portable full-range coverage and go-anywhere, battery-powered sound. Ultimately, what’s best for you comes down to the room, the gig and the rest of your rig.

For more help finding the right Electro-Voice setup, stop by your local Guitar Center store to handle and hear it in person, or connect with one of our Gear Advisers for personalized recommendations from the comfort of your home.

Pictured: Electro-Voice EVERSE 12 Control Panel

People Also Ask …

What is QuickSmart DSP?

QuickSmartDSP is a built-in digital signal processing system designed by Electro-Voice’s sibling brand, Dynacord. It offers metering and lets you adjust key parameters, like playback presets, levels, EQ and crossover options, depending on the speaker model.

In practical terms, it makes set up easier and gives performers or audio techs more control without needing a complicated external processor. QuickSmartDSP runs from the speaker itself as well as from the accompanying mobile app.

What is the QuickSmart Mobile app?

The Electro-Voice QuickSmart Mobile app lets you control and monitor compatible Bluetooth-equipped EV portable loudspeakers from your mobile device. All of the essential settings you can operate from the speaker itself can be accessed through the app, which makes dialing the system in much easier when you can actually do it from the audience’s perspective. QuickSmart Mobile can simultaneously run up to six compatible EV speakers, too.

Pictured: Electro-Voice PXM-12MP Control Panel

Does Electro-Voice make microphones?

Yes. Electro-Voice makes microphones for live performance, broadcast and studio recording. Its microphone lineup includes dynamic and condenser models, plus wireless systems with handheld, lavalier, headset and instrument options.

One of their most famous designs is the ever-popular Electric-Voice RE20, known for its smooth, flattering frequency response that makes it a favorite for voiceover, broadcast and streaming. It’s also frequently deployed in the studio to record bass amps, kick drums, floor toms, brass and more.

What is Electro-Voice best known for?

Electro-Voice is best known for professional audio gear, including loudspeakers, PA systems, microphones, stage monitors and installed sound solutions. The brand has a long history in live sound and is popular with musicians, DJs, venues, houses of worship, schools and production teams that need reliable, great-sounding audio equipment.