EVM-12L's + Which other speakers?

[edgecrusher]

I currently have 4 EVM-12L's in my Mesa Halfback cab (fully closed back BTW) and have been thinking about selling the top two and replacing them with something else that has that classic mojo that EVM's dont have. I love the full, clear tone of the EVM's, but they can be a bit sterile.

I'd like to have some V30's to record with, anyone ever tried them mixed with EVM's? I know the C90 + EVM combo is the most common, but I don't think I really dig C90's, they seem a bit bland. I have some Greenbacks in another cab, but they are too trebley with too much breakup for my tastes, plus I don't think they would blend well with EVM's.

Ideally I'd like to just buy a recto or roadster 2x12 cab and keep my 4x12 they way it is, but am trying to save $ for a new car. Plus the 4x12 is ungodly heavy with 4 EVM's in it. I'm even considering selling all 4 EVM's, but I'm afraid I might regret it.

I also have a Crate GT112SL cab which has a stock G12K-100 that I bought for $100, so I could try to find another one and put the K-100's in the Mesa cab, and an EVM in each of the 112's, but I dont need that many cabs, and the K-100 just don't record as well as the V30's.

What to do, what to do?

 

[dodger916]

I prefer the Eminence MS-12/EVM combination with my Mark IIs. The MS-12 has a smoother character than the EVM, with a mild mid-range bump and non-spikey highs.

 

[gonzo]

i had the old classic--- EV SRO's, in two cabinets, for years.

man, were they heavy!!

LOL

in a 4x12 cab, i had 2 of them, matched with a set of FANE speakers.

the FANE's sounded ok, but didn't hang with the EV's


then i got a pair of JBL's, in a fender twin.
sometimes i'd double up my cabs with just the speakers in the twin.

THAT sounded pretty good.

if you like that stout tone at volume, i'd say check a set of jbl's out, matched for the wattage.

 

[Boogiebabies]

Like dodger916, I feel the MS-12 EV-12 combo is superb. I run one each in a 2X12 and they blend perfectly.
It's a great mix on the high end and midrange.

 

[Paw]

I also have a Crate GT112SL cab which has a stock G12K-100 that I bought for $100, so I could try to find another one and put the K-100's in the Mesa cab, and an EVM in each of the 112's, but I dont need that many cabs, and the K-100 just don't record as well as the V30's.

I'm on the lookout for a new cab and I've been considering a combo of EVM12L's and G12K-100's as well. Can anyone vouch for this combo?

 

[edgecrusher]

I've run the 1x12 cab with the K-100 and the 4x12 with EVM's in stereo before and they both seemed almost too different, like each speaker needed it's own settings. The K-100 was in an open back cab though. I might have to try and swap one of the EVM's out of the Mesa cab and put in the K-100 and see how I like it.

 

[chipaudette]

I have a Mark IIC (upgraded to +) combo. It has an EVM in it. I also have a Mesa 1x12 Thiele (ie, closed back) cab that came with an EVM. I've spent a little time playing around with speakers, but sadly I only have a few different ones on hand. The only speakers I had to play with were EVM 12L, Jensen C12K, Celestion V30.

For my experiments, I tried each speaker in the open back combo , each in the closed back 1x12, and some (but not all) combinations of speakers in the open and closed back cabs at the same time. For venue and volume during my testing, I was playing in my living room...though with no one else in the house...

From my memory, here's what I found:

Open Back Only: The EVM was definitely my fave here. For me, this sounded THE BEST for lead work. They were totally made for each other. The cleans were really good, too, though very different (to my ear) from the standard fender sound. For that Fender kind of sound, the Jensen (of course, from my Fender) was good here. For any speaker, though, the open-back combo lacked a certain thump in the low end...especially for chugga-chugga stuff. But, even for non chugga-chugga, the open back cab lacked a certain deepness that is key for either clean or dirty playing. Frankly, I was surprised about feeling this way because I've always played open back cabs (Fender Deluxe Reverb, Roland JC-77). I'm totally used to the open-back sound. So I was surprised that I found that the Mesa IIC combo seems to lack a certain lowness. It just does. Given that, the EVM was the winner in the combo. Its mids and high mids just pair so well with the Mesa sound. Definitely.

Closed Back Only: Again, the EVM wins here if I'm only playing the Thiele by itself. The V30 is serviceable, but I have to turn up the presence to compensate. With either speaker, the closed-back by itself just sounds to congested. I guess I'm too much of a combo player. It does have good low-end thump, though. If I were forced to use just the closed-back Theile, I'd probably go with the EVM because I like the mids and upper mids on the lead work. The V30 has a less sweet mid and high-mid to my ear.

Open Back + Closed Back Together: Here's how I actually run most of the time. I have the EVM in the combo and the V30 in the closed back. The V30 in the closed back cab is less loud than the EVM in the open back cab. So, the addition of the closed back cab is a subtle effect...the open-back EVM really dominates the sound. But, the V30 in the closed back cab adds in the low-end thump that was missing. Clean or lead, this is the configuration I prefer. For the last year or so, I've liked it better than when I had the EVM in both positions. In the future, I suppose that opinion might change.


There are definitely other speakers that I would like to evaluate (like the G12T-75) in my setup. I do not claim that mine is the best setup. I'm just sharing my experience with three speakers that I happened to have on hand.

Chip

 

[edgecrusher]

Cool, thanks for the info man! I've actually never tried my halfback cab with the top part open, it's always been closed back. I'll have to see how I like it as an actual halfback.

Also, do they make the MS-12 anymore? Does Eminence make any other speaker that is similar? I'd like something that is similar to the EVM, just warmer with a little bit of give to it. Maybe some Swamp Thangs?

 

[dodger916]

Cool, thanks for the info man! I've actually never tried my halfback cab with the top part open, it's always been closed back. I'll have to see how I like it as an actual halfback.

Also, do they make the MS-12 anymore? Does Eminence make any other speaker that is similar? I'd like something that is similar to the EVM, just warmer with a little bit of give to it. Maybe some Swamp Thangs?

They don't make the MS-12 anymore, but you can find them online occasionally.

 

[markwayne]

Cool, thanks for the info man! I've actually never tried my halfback cab with the top part open, it's always been closed back. I'll have to see how I like it as an actual halfback.

Also, do they make the MS-12 anymore? Does Eminence make any other speaker that is similar? I'd like something that is similar to the EVM, just warmer with a little bit of give to it. Maybe some Swamp Thangs?

I will second mixing open and closed back cabs. It will also help with stage volume as the open back cab will let the sound bloom around you instead of focusing it like a laser wherever it's aimed.

My advice on mixing any speaker with an EVM 12L is to check the sensitivity ratings, think about a complimenting flavor rather than more of the same, and tweak at gig volume. I have my EVM's (in a closed back cab) paired with a 'Lil Texas (in open-back cab) and like the way the EVM's tame the bright Emi. (and I love the reduction in weight.) The EVM will be about 100 dB/watt. However, the frequency response of the EVM will not make it "feel" as loud as it appears on paper at low volume. At volume, however, the EVM will out shout a lot of other "loud" speakers.

 

[rvf263]

Thought I would resurrect this thread because I'm wanting to pair my EVM12L with another speaker.

I have questions though.

Does anyone know what the db rating is for the EVm12L 200w? I can't seem to find this info out.

How do you know which speaker will be a good match?

Has anyone tried pairing the EVM12L with:

- Eminence Red White & Blue?
- Eminence Legend G128?

Do you think it would work well with either of these spekaers?

Thanks