JBL PRX635 review
I've been recently looking for an affordable solution to improving my rig's overall sound quality. I'm currently running 2 Danley TH-118 horn-loaded subs with 2 Electro-voice ZXa5 active 2-way tops. Although the ZXa5's are perhaps the loudest active cabinets I've heard to date, I felt that they have a hard time keeping up with my Danleys especially when the subs are clustered. I recently did a gig for Agnes Scott College with over 700 in attendance and I had the EV's on the edge of comfort as far as volume goes. I also find that the EV's get a little raspy in the mids when they're pushed at high volume. I have yet to hear any other manufacturers 2-way match the ZXa5's in sheer output and sound quality but felt to achieve clarity at higher volumes, a 3-way top was in order.
I researched and debated between passive and active cabinets. I like the fact that management and monitoring of passive tops can be achieved with my amp rack placed near me while mixing + the fact of NOT having to place speakers near a power outlet (as with actives). The downside of passive boxes were the need to bi-amp in order to get the best overall sound quality. I also had a hard time finding dual-driver and horn or 3-way cabinets that were pole-mountable. I was really leaning toward the EV QRX212/75's but not pole mountable. I liked the RCF 4Pro6001-A's but too heavy and not pole mountable. I listened to the Yorkville U15PB. It was pole-mountable with excellent sound quality but it wasn't quite loud enough and was far too heavy. A good option was the JTR Triple 12x's. They are 3-way cabinets, 74 lbs, have a good reputation with sound quality and pole mountable but the brand is not as well known, there are no local places to hear them, plus they seem to switch up models with upgrades and higher specs every year which would irritate me. I also was close to choosing the QSC KW153 or the Mackie HD1531. Both were compared to my ZXa5 and although they had a better overall sound, especially the HD1531, they were both too heavy weighing in at 87 and 96 lbs respectively.
I finally decided on the JBL PRX635. None of my local vendors had them in stock but I happened up on a pair at my local Sam Ash. I brought in my ZXa5 and personal sound-quality CD to do some comparative listening and here's what I found:
Sound quality = JBL PRX635 (The 3-way design gives a better overall sound in comparison to the 2-way ZXa5. With all tracks being played with no equalization, the EV has more of a mid-range presence but a little too much when playing the music at loud volumes. The EV's highs are nice and tingly at lower to normal volume levels; more so than the JBL, which is an advantage for EV. The PRX's starts to shine and its mids and highs sound smoother at higher volume levels whereas the ZXa5's seem excessively bright. The lows and bass kicks reach deeper and more solid on the PRX being +-3dB at 53Hz and I wasn't even running them in deep mode. I played 2Pac's "Violent" and my EV's gave a air'ish buzzing sound from the back side of the cabinet on the lowest of bass-frequency notes whereas the JBL's just reproduced the low frequency as it was intended. The EV's are in no way slouches when it comes to bass from a 2-way cabinet but in comparison to the 3-way, it was no contest. Another song I used was "Frankenstein" - Edgar Winter Group. I looped the breakdown section of this song that has a heavy percussive and kickdrum section. You can really hear the separation of the snares and cymbals on the 3-way PRX as compared the 2-way ZXa5. The ZXa5 sounded a little thin on the kick sections in comparison to the PRX. I did the same looping method on a couple of Steely Dan and George Benson tracks. With my EV's at higher volumes, I hear harshness of the artist's vocals especially when snares hit at the same time, whereas the JBL's sound a lot smoother without all the harshness).
Loudness = EV ZXa5 (The EV ZXa5's are very loud especially considering they're plastic smaller-sized enclosures + only 50 lbs. This loudness doesn't necessarily equate to the best sound as they can get harsh depending on the type of music you're playing. I have yet to hear any other 2-way active speaker come near the EV in sheer output and overall sound quality. I'm sure there are plenty out there but not less than $1500. For the JBL, I found I had to turn the input level gain to nearly max sensitivity as well as add +3dB on my DSP to equal out the sound level between the two tops. With both tops at the same volume level and the JBL at nearly clipping, the EV sounded more harsh and overly bright as mentioned earlier. The JBL's low end and bass kick had more impact, was fuller and more controlled than the EV's. The EV had more room to get even louder but I'm not sure I'd necessarily want to).
Weight = EV ZXa5 (The EV ZXa5's weigh in at 50 lbs and the JBL PRX635's are 60 lbs. I pole-mounted the JBL's on my K&M speaker stand and they sit at a very nice height level. With the speakers being taller, you should run the stands with the legs spread out as far as possible. I didn't notice any leaning with the speaker on top of the stand and I gave it a nudge and noticed no top-heavy swaying. It seemed very stable).
Ergonomics = JBL PRX635 (The JBL's have a smartly designed bass port that doubles as a handle, plus, 2 handles on both sides of the enclosure. They are actually easier to carry than the EV's due to them having only one carry handle... very ingenious EV. The look of the JBL PRX series is very nice especially sitting on top of my subs. They look uniform together with both having dura-liner type finishes as I think presentation is important. When sitting on top of my subs, the top of the JBL PRX635 reaches at least 6'5". I have no complaints and like the look of the EV ZXa5's. They have a tuxedo-like appearance to me and photographers don't shy away from them when taking pictures at wedding gigs).
Build quality = TIE (I actually prefer the JBL's due to it's dura-liner type wood finish as opposed to the EV poly-plastic enclosure. The EV's are definitely the best plastic speaker I've heard but wood enclosures generally have better sound quality and tone. The grills on the JBL's seem pretty sturdy and not very likely to dent if bumped. I will say I noticed the JBL's amps got pretty warm when playing them. I had both speakers at loud (not clipping) volumes for a good hour. The EV's amps was just about as warm as well so the amp temps may be a moot point).
Features = TIE (The PRX has a bass boost and a mic/line button. The bass boost takes you down another 3Hz +-3dB. This can be very useful when you're wanting to run your JBL's without a sub. One thing the JBL's lack is a HPF. Most active tops I've seen let you high-pass the tops at the push of a button usually at 100Hz or higher. I guess JBL is counting on people buying their PRX subs which have high-pass output XLR ports to handle this. I'll be counting on my EV DC-One processor to handle the HPF of my tops. The EV's have a HPF at 100Hz but somebody at EV forgot to put the limit light on the cabinets).
Price = JBL PRX635 (I got these on a Black Friday 20% off sale so that's $799 each. The EV's were nearly $1400 each).
Note: I also recently compared the JBL PRX615 to the QSC KW152. I felt they were on par as far as tonal quality at nominal volumes with a slight edge going to the QSC but the PRX615 outshines the KW152 when pushed to clipping levels. The QSC seemed to wanna break up and squash certain portions of the sound whereas the JBL held the track and notes together nicely without heavy degradation in sound. This sound comparison was done for only few minutes. JBL seems to have put in a well-designed limiter in their PRX series units, they made them SUPER light weight and they finally did away with those orange logos. I'm happy with my purchase and would definitely consider the other PRX600 series tops if needed.
I researched and debated between passive and active cabinets. I like the fact that management and monitoring of passive tops can be achieved with my amp rack placed near me while mixing + the fact of NOT having to place speakers near a power outlet (as with actives). The downside of passive boxes were the need to bi-amp in order to get the best overall sound quality. I also had a hard time finding dual-driver and horn or 3-way cabinets that were pole-mountable. I was really leaning toward the EV QRX212/75's but not pole mountable. I liked the RCF 4Pro6001-A's but too heavy and not pole mountable. I listened to the Yorkville U15PB. It was pole-mountable with excellent sound quality but it wasn't quite loud enough and was far too heavy. A good option was the JTR Triple 12x's. They are 3-way cabinets, 74 lbs, have a good reputation with sound quality and pole mountable but the brand is not as well known, there are no local places to hear them, plus they seem to switch up models with upgrades and higher specs every year which would irritate me. I also was close to choosing the QSC KW153 or the Mackie HD1531. Both were compared to my ZXa5 and although they had a better overall sound, especially the HD1531, they were both too heavy weighing in at 87 and 96 lbs respectively.
I finally decided on the JBL PRX635. None of my local vendors had them in stock but I happened up on a pair at my local Sam Ash. I brought in my ZXa5 and personal sound-quality CD to do some comparative listening and here's what I found:
Sound quality = JBL PRX635 (The 3-way design gives a better overall sound in comparison to the 2-way ZXa5. With all tracks being played with no equalization, the EV has more of a mid-range presence but a little too much when playing the music at loud volumes. The EV's highs are nice and tingly at lower to normal volume levels; more so than the JBL, which is an advantage for EV. The PRX's starts to shine and its mids and highs sound smoother at higher volume levels whereas the ZXa5's seem excessively bright. The lows and bass kicks reach deeper and more solid on the PRX being +-3dB at 53Hz and I wasn't even running them in deep mode. I played 2Pac's "Violent" and my EV's gave a air'ish buzzing sound from the back side of the cabinet on the lowest of bass-frequency notes whereas the JBL's just reproduced the low frequency as it was intended. The EV's are in no way slouches when it comes to bass from a 2-way cabinet but in comparison to the 3-way, it was no contest. Another song I used was "Frankenstein" - Edgar Winter Group. I looped the breakdown section of this song that has a heavy percussive and kickdrum section. You can really hear the separation of the snares and cymbals on the 3-way PRX as compared the 2-way ZXa5. The ZXa5 sounded a little thin on the kick sections in comparison to the PRX. I did the same looping method on a couple of Steely Dan and George Benson tracks. With my EV's at higher volumes, I hear harshness of the artist's vocals especially when snares hit at the same time, whereas the JBL's sound a lot smoother without all the harshness).
Loudness = EV ZXa5 (The EV ZXa5's are very loud especially considering they're plastic smaller-sized enclosures + only 50 lbs. This loudness doesn't necessarily equate to the best sound as they can get harsh depending on the type of music you're playing. I have yet to hear any other 2-way active speaker come near the EV in sheer output and overall sound quality. I'm sure there are plenty out there but not less than $1500. For the JBL, I found I had to turn the input level gain to nearly max sensitivity as well as add +3dB on my DSP to equal out the sound level between the two tops. With both tops at the same volume level and the JBL at nearly clipping, the EV sounded more harsh and overly bright as mentioned earlier. The JBL's low end and bass kick had more impact, was fuller and more controlled than the EV's. The EV had more room to get even louder but I'm not sure I'd necessarily want to).
Weight = EV ZXa5 (The EV ZXa5's weigh in at 50 lbs and the JBL PRX635's are 60 lbs. I pole-mounted the JBL's on my K&M speaker stand and they sit at a very nice height level. With the speakers being taller, you should run the stands with the legs spread out as far as possible. I didn't notice any leaning with the speaker on top of the stand and I gave it a nudge and noticed no top-heavy swaying. It seemed very stable).
Ergonomics = JBL PRX635 (The JBL's have a smartly designed bass port that doubles as a handle, plus, 2 handles on both sides of the enclosure. They are actually easier to carry than the EV's due to them having only one carry handle... very ingenious EV. The look of the JBL PRX series is very nice especially sitting on top of my subs. They look uniform together with both having dura-liner type finishes as I think presentation is important. When sitting on top of my subs, the top of the JBL PRX635 reaches at least 6'5". I have no complaints and like the look of the EV ZXa5's. They have a tuxedo-like appearance to me and photographers don't shy away from them when taking pictures at wedding gigs).
Build quality = TIE (I actually prefer the JBL's due to it's dura-liner type wood finish as opposed to the EV poly-plastic enclosure. The EV's are definitely the best plastic speaker I've heard but wood enclosures generally have better sound quality and tone. The grills on the JBL's seem pretty sturdy and not very likely to dent if bumped. I will say I noticed the JBL's amps got pretty warm when playing them. I had both speakers at loud (not clipping) volumes for a good hour. The EV's amps was just about as warm as well so the amp temps may be a moot point).
Features = TIE (The PRX has a bass boost and a mic/line button. The bass boost takes you down another 3Hz +-3dB. This can be very useful when you're wanting to run your JBL's without a sub. One thing the JBL's lack is a HPF. Most active tops I've seen let you high-pass the tops at the push of a button usually at 100Hz or higher. I guess JBL is counting on people buying their PRX subs which have high-pass output XLR ports to handle this. I'll be counting on my EV DC-One processor to handle the HPF of my tops. The EV's have a HPF at 100Hz but somebody at EV forgot to put the limit light on the cabinets).
Price = JBL PRX635 (I got these on a Black Friday 20% off sale so that's $799 each. The EV's were nearly $1400 each).
Note: I also recently compared the JBL PRX615 to the QSC KW152. I felt they were on par as far as tonal quality at nominal volumes with a slight edge going to the QSC but the PRX615 outshines the KW152 when pushed to clipping levels. The QSC seemed to wanna break up and squash certain portions of the sound whereas the JBL held the track and notes together nicely without heavy degradation in sound. This sound comparison was done for only few minutes. JBL seems to have put in a well-designed limiter in their PRX series units, they made them SUPER light weight and they finally did away with those orange logos. I'm happy with my purchase and would definitely consider the other PRX600 series tops if needed.
Reggie, Nice review and a good looking set-up. I have the 612's & 615's and am considering the 635's. I am very happy with them to date. Also very happy with the lost orange marquee.
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Awesomeness! Killer system... thorough review!
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Take a look at the Turbosound TQ445DP, expensive but like the danleys you pay for quality
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