Electro-Voice Evolve 30M Portable Powered Column Loudspeaker System, Black, (F.01U.366.319)

Been gigging solo and with various trios now for over a decade, usually using onsite house PA systems in various states of disrepair, or cobbling together something that works for a small venue from my guitar amp, a mixer, and some powered studio speakers. Scored some Christmas gigs and decided to pull the trigger on this to take control of my own sound, and it may cost me some gigs, but after running with this setup for a couple of weeks, I’m not taking any gigs I can’t use this for sound. Once you hear what this can do, house PAs will be an eternal disappointment.First the setup/breakdown: So easy! Instead of starting by lugging an 80+ pound guitar amp on the first trip, and trying to get as much as possible in each successive trip, with the column components in the backpack, and carrying the subwoofer comfortably in one hand and your guitar in the other, maybe you have to make one more trip for cables, effect pedals, etc., but it’s two trips maximum, maybe one, because of how this unit sounds. And the combination XLR/TRS inputs are all “right there” not jam packed, but easily accessible and visually intuitive with the additional 1/8 in jack and RCA inputs. I’ve never had such an easy time setting up and tearing down from a gig, it’s damned near effortless.Second, how this unit sounds: Clarity, presence, whatever sound you try to produce, this speaker setup reproduces it with an accuracy that you almost have to hear to believe. This is in my front room, not in a concert hall, but it does it there too. The first song my trio ran through this unit, the consensus was we had never heard such a faithful amplification of our live sound. I haven’t actually run it at more than 50% capacity on volume and it is loud, but no distortion.Third, the tablet app: Once you’ve made this leap, from having to make adjustments at the mixing board, to roving the crowd with your tablet, finding the sweet spot for the mix you’ll never go back. There’s been a great deal of thought put into this app, and it’s an intuitive breeze to use on the fly without reading the manual. Just touch where you want to adjust, and it either moves the slider or gives you a sub menu. The app is so great, if I had to use the on board controls to achieve the same end, I’d take off a star in my review. It’s great that you can actually get there, but the access is cumbersome.The 30M series now also shares the ability of the 50M to pair with another sister column to give you true stereo, and a 16 channel mixer, all available on your tablet. Sadly, this means I now have to buy another column.But it’s the last PA system I’ll ever buy, and I will be in total control of my sound from here on in. Worth. Every. Penny.

Excellent, well thought out, easy to put together, sounds excellent

Shockingly great sound. Have used a few different friend’s PAs since I got this, and the sound of their PA’s with separate mixers and 2 speakers is poo poo in comparison. Super solid build quality. Fills both indoor and outdoor spaces. 14/10. Highly recommend.

I own more column array systems than any sane person should be allowed to ... so, I must be insane! I have a Bose L1 Compact, (2) JBL EON One, (1) JBL EON One Pro, (2) Fender Expo, (2) Mackie SRM Flex, (2) Samson Resound VX8.1, (2) TurboSound IP2000, and even a pair of Weltron TUBE-5. I think the reason I kept buying these column array systems is because, although each one had their strengths ... there was always something missing. But, my search is over! IMO, the Evolve 30m provides the cleanest sound of all the arrays I own. From the subwoofer lows ... to the mid-range vocals ... to the ride cymbal highs, these speakers hit all the marks for me. It's amazing the amount of bass you get from these 10" subs. The wooden enclosure definitely makes a difference. I bit the bullet and bought a pair. They are the most expensive arrays in my arsenal, but they are well-worth the price. They aren't that heavy, either. Set up is quick and easy. The array carry bag is well-built. I plan to control the pair from an external mixer, so I won't be using the onboard mixer (but, it's still nice to have, just in case)! I would say that my Samson VX8.1 and TurboSound IP2000 are the only arrays that surpass the Evolve 30m ... simply because they have 12" subs in them. The Samson is a fully wooden enclosure system (sub and array sections) which gives it a warm natural tone. The TurboSound has a wooden enclosure for the sub only, but has 16 mid-range drivers and a 1" tweeter in the array section. The Samson and TurboSound systems are heavier and larger than the Evolve 30m system ... so, I'll save them for the larger venues. For large and deep rooms, I could use the Evolves as back-fill / extension speakers by utilizing its DELAY feature! Overall, the Evolve 30m pair should be perfect for the 80% of my gigs; small to medium venues and audiences of up to 200. Very pleased with my purchase!

This was a great product. Great value for the product.

I was a little worried because this was $600 less than a brand new one, but it was new in the box. The box was damaged a little they did say that in the ad, but nothing wrong with the equipment.

This product is great when it works. However, every 15 to 20 minutes of operation it randomly shuts down. It's easy to fix; just turn it off and turn it back on. But you would think that a speaker system that cost well over $1000 would work. The unit also frequently produces a very loud crackling noise. I am usually able to stop that by applying electronic oil. Again, however, you would think that a brand new system costing over $1000 would work as advertised. I had bought insurance, so I returned it to them to fix. They said that it was fixed, but it still shuts off periodically. Conclusion: buyer beware. When it works, it's great, but it is unreliable at best.

I really liked the versatility of the built in digital mixer. Can go out in the crowd and make adjustments. Fast setup time and dual BT channels. I found stuff that wasn’t in the description. The negative is the size of the readout on the back of the speaker. The meter is especially cheesy. (Small for the quality of the rest of the unit).