JBL Eon One Compact - Experiences?

[rpjazzguitar]

I'm looking at the JBL Eon One Compact for use in a couple of situations. I wondered if anyone has experience with this unit.

1. The possibility that it might sound good guitar> ME70 pedalboard > JBL. It reportedly has 8 band EQ on the output and a few effects, including reverb, which is the only one I'm likely to use.

2. PA or monitor depending on the room. At least vocals and guitar through it. I wonder if it could handle keys in a small room.

I've tried the Bose S1, which sounded great in some situations. In others, I needed more EQ than it offers.

Also tried the Everse 8, which has plenty of EQ options, but didn't sound good to me.

Anybody in a position to compare the JBL to those two?

Thanks in advance!

[twtunes]

I have one, mainly for P.A. use and for my acoustic mandolin. It is very hi-fi/P.A. sounding, not satisfying to my ears for electric.

But it is a nice piece of kit. Using the JBL Pro Connect app, you can program each channel's EQ and effects, with 4 parametric bands on the channels plus treble/bass, and 7 bands plus treble/bass on the main out.

I've used it for a casual Brazilian roda, a folk dance on July 4, and a contra-dance rehearsal today. Battery is impressive, barely drained after a 4-hr dance.

The software is a bit cranky but I'm getting used to it. The notional correct app is shit, but the general-purpose Pro Connect app is useful, once you learn which icons do what.

[rpjazzguitar]

I have one, mainly for P.A. use and for my acoustic mandolin. It is very hi-fi/P.A. sounding, not satisfying to my ears for electric.

But it is a nice piece of kit. Using the JBL Pro Connect app, you can program each channel's EQ and effects, with 4 parametric bands on the channels plus treble/bass, and 7 bands plus treble/bass on the main out.

I've used it for a casual Brazilian roda, a folk dance on July 4, and a contra-dance rehearsal today. Battery is impressive, barely drained after a 4-hr dance.

The software is a bit cranky but I'm getting used to it. The notional correct app is shit, but the general-purpose Pro Connect app is useful, once you learn which icons do what.

Thank you for this information.

If I can ask, do you think there's a unit that will sound good for vocals without sounding too hi-fi/PA-like for electric guitar? Reportedly, the Henriksen Bud is good for both, although I don't understand how that works.

Can the EQ be used to dial out the hi-fi thing? I'm guessing not, or you'd have mentioned it.

What about the issue of feeding the JBL Eon One a processed signal? I'm thinking, for example, of guitar>ME70>DV Mark Little Jazz > JBL powered speaker. Or maybe a Joyo American box instead of the LJ.

More to carry, but it gives the option of monitoring with the LJ and you're then carrying a backup amp. Each one weighs less than 18 lbs so it's more inconvenient than hernia-inducing.

Thanks for the help thinking this through.

[twtunes]

The character of a cone loudspeaker is the forest of resonances shown in the response curves. If the system crosses into a horn well before that range of frequencies it is too smooth to have any color. That's the hi-fi thing.

I tried sending my electric axe with overdrive pedal in, and was not happy with the tone.

I've the opposite, using a vocal mic into an otherwise pleasing instrument rig. That's more pleasing, so Henriksen might be best for jazz guitar plus voice. Another option would be AER.

In my case, the value is for an acoustic instrument, and it is good for that.

[JazzNote]

Not answering your question, but still chiming in: after googling and comparing quite a few of the newer systems i went for a EV evolve 30m. I use it mainly for vocal & guitar duo, find the sound quite natural, the built in mixer efficient with good EQ possibilities (in channel and output strips). The remote control app works fine on iPhone and iPads. The only shortcoming is that for the voice only one of the built in reverbs sounds decent enough to my ears.

[rpjazzguitar]

Not answering your question, but still chiming in: after googling and comparing quite a few of the newer systems i went for a EV evolve 30m. I use it mainly for vocal & guitar duo, find the sound quite natural, the built in mixer efficient with good EQ possibilities (in channel and output strips). The remote control app works fine on iPhone and iPads. The only shortcoming is that for the voice only one of the built in reverbs sounds decent enough to my ears.

I've gone through the Bose L1 and a JBL model (the one with 7 inputs). Both sounded terrific, maybe the best "amp" I've used. More weight and more $$ than the Eon One.

I didn't play guitar through the L1, just sang. It was fantastic. Clear as a bell and sort of all around rather than projected directionally by a box, if that makes sense. I played guitar through the JBL line array unit (guitar>ME80>Little Jazz>JBL) and absolutely loved the sound. The honeymoon ended when I found out that it weighs about 60 lbs.

I've also read somewhere that it can create problems when used as a guitar amp -- something about the guitar projecting further than the other instruments in the band using conventional sound reinforcement. Of course, if the vocal and guitar are both in it, they project equally far and there's no problem.

[JazzNote]

I played guitar through the JBL line array unit (guitar>ME80>Little Jazz>JBL) and absolutely loved the sound. The honeymoon ended when I found out that it weighs about 60 lbs.
I've also read somewhere that it can create problems when used as a guitar amp -- something about the guitar projecting further than the other instruments in the band using conventional sound reinforcement. Of course, if the vocal and guitar are both in it, they project equally far and there's no problem.

To carry 60lbs one needs a gig which pays enough to employ someone to carry it ;-). The evolve 30 bass unit weighs about 32lbs which is a little awkward to carry, but doable.

For my favorite guitar sound through the evolve 30m I use the super light mambo 8" with a isomax countrymen condenser mic in front, plugged into the PA. When using a UA dream65 plugged in, instead of the Mambo, i get a decent sound, but not as good. When using the dream65 i hear the switching of the TCditto in the speaker which is acceptable for a background gig, but no way for a concert.

[Bob_Ross]

It's been probably 20 or 25 years since I played guitar through a JBL Eon -- which means it almost certainly wasn't the exact same current "Eon One Compact" OP is asking about -- but fwiw I recall it being a bit nasal sounding, but louder than its size would suggest, and certainly quite versatile. For vocal monitoring it should be quite usable.

[rpjazzguitar]

To carry 60lbs one needs a gig which pays enough to employ someone to carry it ;-). The evolve 30 bass unit weighs about 32lbs which is a little awkward to carry, but doable.

For my favorite guitar sound through the evolve 30m I use the super light mambo 8" with a isomax countrymen condenser mic in front, plugged into the PA. .

I've also thought of mic'ing a small amp (I have the LJ) with a Sennheiser 609 (it's flat, so you can drape it from the handle) and going into the powered speaker that way. I like the way the LJ sounds for single notes, but not quite so much for chords. Definitely a good option.

Going out the LJ's XLR out also works pretty well for the sounds I use, although better with some PA's than others. In my limited experience doing that. When I go through my Mackie SRM350 it can sound pretty good. Through a venue's Stagepas 300, some thinning of the high notes. The last thing I posted in the Showcase section of this forum was done that way.

[SierraTango]

Not answering your question, but still chiming in: after googling and comparing quite a few of the newer systems i went for a EV evolve 30m. I use it mainly for vocal & guitar duo, find the sound quite natural, the built in mixer efficient with good EQ possibilities (in channel and output strips). The remote control app works fine on iPhone and iPads. The only shortcoming is that for the voice only one of the built in reverbs sounds decent enough to my ears.

+1 on the EV Evolve 30. I've been gigging with mine now for a couple of years. The Subwoofer/Amp/Mixer does weigh about 30 pounds, however with a small portable hand truck it's no problem. For most gigs I am using my Quilter Cub 30 lined out to the Evolve. I go straight into to Quilter from my 1990 Benedetto Cremona with a Bartolini floater. The Cub is 22 lbs, so my whole rig is like 50lbs....less than one Twin Reverb!

I tried a LJ on a gig and didn't care much for it. I also have a Evans JE200 that I use occasionally. It sounds better than the Quilter, but 38 lbs.

The Evolve 30 has covered everything from small intimate venues to fairly large outdoor festivals with ease. I love being able to control the mix on my phone. It's a guitar/trumpet/vocal duo and I mic the trumpet with a 609-great choice.
We get a lot of complements on our sound.

[ValerieK]

I have one that I use as a monitor or PA for various things. It's nowhere near as loud as the EV 30M or Everse8 but I do think that it sounds similar in quality and tone to the 30M, with the Everse8 having the volume of the 30M but less bass, and the JBL having the bass of the 30M but not the volume - I also have a 30M as my "big" PA option and use the JBL for a monitor.

I don't know that I would necessarily buy the JBL today, mostly because I am using it at max volume often and wishing for a bit more. This is playing small outdoor shows either with drums or backing tracks doing sort of soft pop rock and light fusion though, not jazz.

I run various digital modeling pedals through all of the above for electric guitar, nylon string guitar, and electric bass depending on the day. Bass is my new thing and it's making me feel like everything needs more power now... for just guitar and vocals you might like the JBL if it's loud enough for you.

I'm not sure if there are newer alternatives - it seems like there should be by now, the JBL is old by digital standards.

[JazzNote]

Going out the LJ's XLR out also works pretty well for the sounds I use, although better with some PA's than others. In my limited experience doing that. When I go through my Mackie SRM350 it can sound pretty good. Through a venue's Stagepas 300, some thinning of the high notes. The last thing I posted in the Showcase section of this forum was done that way.

I have also used the direct out of the mambo into different PA's and experienced the same as you - on some it sounded better than on others. But direct comparison between line out and miked sound resulted in both cases (Evolve 30 and FBT active speakers over a Soundcraft EFX8) which i did a 1:1 test in favoring the miked sound. The decisive factor was the audible tiny bit more warmth and smoothness of the miked sound compared to the direct out.