Breaking out of my comfort zone of reviewing controllers, the chaps at Pro Mobile called me a couple of months ago and asked me to review something a little… bigger. Being a lover of new toys, I agreed – and then forgot about it. Cut to two weeks ago, I get a call from my storage landlord to say a pallet has arrived for me. Pulling into the carpark, I’m confronted with a DJ’s wet dream: a massive pair of subs and a pair of tops in their dedicated travel blankets.

Other than a pallet being slightly more annoying to move than subs without wheels, I decided to decant said wooden transportation device and do the typical boys-with-toys thing and plug them all in – immediately. But before I discuss my thoughts, I think I should share a little bumpf about my approach to sound on gigs.

My work is more than just mobile DJ-style for weddings, funerals and Bar Mitzvahs. I do lots of corporate work, and also get asked to sort out the sound for ceremony musicians and drinks receptions. So, primarily I like my tools to be as versatile as possible. I also like them to survive the knocks and bumps of gigging life. Only then, once those requirements are met, will I think about budget. Max, my business partner of nearly a decade, is basically my budget control and stops my purchases from sending us under on a monthly basis! So, I thought it would also be ideal to send them on the road with him, to see if I could persuade Max to take yet another financial leap.

There are many ways of skinning a cat when it comes to audio reinforcement for gigs. Whilst lots of people like to go down the portable array/stick systems route for aesthetics, ease of transport, and back-saving reasons, sonically speaking a pair of decent mid-tops and a pair of subs to thump thump thump away is an unbeatable combo. I only need to mention tunes like Robin S’s ‘Show me Love’, Darude’s ‘Sandstorm’ and Gat Decor’s ‘Passion’ – a deduced sub-pole-top system blows the delicate sticks out the water when it comes to audio performance.

I’ve had the pleasure of using the previous versions of these speakers (let’s call them the G1s) on ‘plug and play’ jobs for friends of mine, who owned dozens of these in their hire stock. They liked them for their DSP and connection options, and the very favourable price tag. Obviously other people liked them too – according to EV’s website, they’ve sold over a million ZLX boxes since their release. So, big boots to fill…
It’s nice to learn the G2s are available at a more than reasonable price. The subs I was sent, the EKX-18SPs, have been out for some time too, and these are also reasonably priced. EV claims the G2 series is louder, with a higher SPL output, and has a wider frequency response.

Whilst statistically it’s only a 1dB increase, and the frequency response is only a minor increase on the bottom end, the sharper tops are definitely evident on the G2. This really does come in handy when you’re faced with a packed room and/or a marquee, the latter of which soaks up all of the high-frequency in those beautiful ivory swags (*shakes fist at all sound dampening furnishings!*).

These improvements to the output and frequency response are probably a result of the new and improved amp module, proudly bearing a ‘powered by Dynacord’ slogan – the company famous for making heavy-duty amplifiers and mixers for the commercial and performance sectors.

The amplifiers are 1000W Class-D, which are then paired to a mixer panel consisting of two XLR-jack combo sockets, a Hi-Z TRS input, and a Bluetooth button. The ZLX G2 can facilitate a three-way mix – if we count Bluetooth as the third channel for backing tracks etc.

Now, the G1 series had a pretty feature-packed digital menu. But the G2 takes this to another level. We can control phantom power, automatic feedback suppression, ducking, compression, and delays, all from inside the box. This means ceremonies and vocal work can be easily done without the need for a mixer.
In the menu you’ll also find five different modes or voices: Music, Live, Club, Speech and FRFR (full range flat response). The FRFR is a great addition, as we often get musicians wanting to control their sound from pedals or loopers, and with this you don’t necessarily need to EQ from the box end. Just set that to the natural setting, then mix from the point you feel comfortable. You also have high-pass filters, so mics are easier to EQ too.

If the menu sounds dizzying, you’d be right – it can be. But thankfully there’s the EV-designed QuickSmart mobile app, which you can download on both iOS and Android. Using the app, you can link six speakers from the ZLX G2 range (regardless of size) and control all their settings. Or you can stereo link a pair of ZLX G2 speakers via Bluetooth to get true stereo.

Other handy features are the built-in angles of the cab. Being able to use it as a wedge monitor is handy, but the vertical ‘slight tilt’ angle is also a nice touch, allowing for a natural 20-odd degree backwards once the cab is vertical – great for situations when you might be on a stage and unable to use stands, or when you’re double-stacking subs. A pole mount is there as standard, for tripods and sub-poles.

Since the ZLX12 G2s have been in my careful hands, I’ve used them in three very different environments.Here are my summaries:

1) Guitarist and vocalist for a lunch event in Liverpool Street. The venue was an open piazza with food trucks and about 200 people, with an area approximately 80m x 80m.
Vocals were smooth and refined, and we used the FRFR setting to control the effects and reverbs with the musician’s own equipment. All in all, I’d give the speaker 9/10 for this use.

2) Garden party for a friend’s daughter. Just some light background music and a bit of Spotify playlist sharing between the kids. The marquee was 10m x 4m. We used the Bluetooth function for the whole day and night – and the new Bluetooth is a vast improvement on the previous version! For this, I’d rate the G2 10/10.

3) DJ at corporate party on South Bank using both the ZLX12 G2 and a pair of the EKX-18SPs.
The room was a good 15m wide x 45m long, with low ceilings. The client had 350 delegates, so we really pushed the system hard – the subs were blinking big LIMIT signs for the last hour, but there was very little audible distortion.

The tops handled it well, all things considered! I did notice at this point the amp module is very exposed, and it started to attract dust, which was little worrying. In this combo with 350 people, I’d give the speaker 7/10. But I do think it was a big ask to deliver for that many people with such a low ceiling height.

All in all, I think it comes down to price. At this sort of money, it’s really hard to find an active 12” speaker with this level of technical features, app control and build quality. If I was picky, I’d prefer a more sealed enclosure, but the three-year warranty is also great assurance.

If you have some dosh from the wedding season and are about to spend £3,000 on a pair of ‘portable active column arrays’ – or whatever you like to call them! Maybe head to your local dealer and give these a try first. For the money, the ZLX12 G2 is certainly hard to beat.