Most starting musicians, artists, and DJs always have the same issue when it comes to finding a quality loudspeaker. For the longest time, it used to be that anything that wasn’t insanely expensive just wouldn’t work.
Thankfully, that’s not the case anymore.
Today, there are a few legitimate speaker brands out there that offer reasonable quality at a reasonable price.
Here, we’ll take a look at the EV ZLX12BT. This speaker isn’t as powerful or as capable as many of EV’s other products.
However, in exchange for that slight downgrade, they have put out some powered speakers that are the definition of affordability.
In this review, we’ll take a look at what the ZLX-12BT has to offer and see if it can live up to the legendary ZLX performance or if it’s just another shoddy speaker sold “at a bargain”.
Is the EV ZLX12BT a Good Speaker?
The EV ZLX12BT is a very decent speaker for the money! Simple as that. The speakers work great for DJ use and live performances. The EV ZLX12BT offers plenty of bells and whistles and the speaker’s overall stage sound is truly phenomenal.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Very Affordable Price Tag
- Comes With A Ton Of Tuning Options
- Very Sturdy Build
- Surprisingly Portable
- Has Incredible Mid And High-End Frequencies
Cons
- Low-End Frequency Range Could Use A Boost
First Impressions – The Physical Build
Ok, so first impressions right off the bat, I can’t say I’m a huge fan of what EV ZLX-12BT has done. Strictly from a design perspective, the stage monitors look like any run-of-the-mill set of speakers.
There is nothing special or unique about them, and, while that may not be a huge issue for you, for me, I’m always paying attention to a portable professional sound speaker that pushes the envelope in design and visuals.
That said, from a physical build standpoint, these guys easily have stolen my heart.
Whereas most affordably-priced speakers compromise on the material quality, the ZLX-12BT seems to have done the exact opposite.
Rather than throw some shoddy plastic together, they’ve instead implemented some incredibly firm and rigid plastic that, as a result, makes this portable loudspeaker feel much tougher and more durable than it would have otherwise.
The speakers also have a nice pair of handles that are fully integrated into the sides. This makes transport very easy.
The Specs
The EV ZLX-12BT comes with a 12-inch woofer and a 1.5-inch titanium compression tweeter driver. This helps with the higher-end frequencies, resulting in some pretty impressive amounts of clarity and precision.
The speakers also have a Class-D amp that can push out up to 1000 Watts. Its frequency response can range between around 50 Hz and up to 20kHz while in its default setting.
This can be changed based on the different EQ-related presets in tuning (more on that later).
Because the ZLX-12BT is quite portable, it comes in at around 34.3lbs., which is around 15.6kg. This makes it both super light as well as very easy to transport from place to place.
Looks like the days of lugging giant speakers are over! Now you can just throw them on a small trolley and you’re good to go.
In terms of volume control, the ZLX-12BT has a max SPL of 126dB. This is pretty darn loud and can blow out most smaller venues super easily. If you want to go beyond that, however, you’re going to need to bring in a good subwoofer to help out with the mid and larger-sized spaces.
Spec Breakdown
- Length: 24 inches (610mm)
- Width: 14 inches (356mm)
- Depth: 14 inches (356mm)
- Weight: 34.3 lbs. (15.6kg)
- Woofer Size: 12 inches
- Tweeter Size: 1.5 inches
- Power Wattage: 1000 Watts
- Max SPL: 126 dB
- Frequency Range: 37Hz – 20kHz
The Design
I touched on this a bit earlier, but, as far as the visuals and design go, there are other loudspeakers out there that look better. I would not go so far as to say that they look “bad” by any means, however, they just come across as kind of bland and forgettable.
They are the same all-black look that you can expect from standard speakers just about anywhere.
They do have a bit of character along with the front grille and along its angled edge, but even these fairly par for the course when it comes to good stage monitor loudspeakers.
Still, not all is bad.
They have rubberized feet at the bottom which adds an extra bit of stability while on the floor.
If you’re someone that doesn’t care for speaker aesthetics, then you’ll probably find a lot to like about their design.
They certainly aren’t “bad” at all.
Still, I can’t help but knock a half point off for a lack of creativity on an otherwise spotless speaker.
Taking A Deeper Look – Features & Sound Quality
We’ve managed to go over the ZLX-12BT’s physical build and structure as well as get a good first impression of what the stage monitors have going for them.
Now, let’s take a deeper look at some of the many features and options the speaker offers.
Sound Quality
The most important aspect of a sound speaker is the quality behind it. Well, not only does it perform like a champ in this regard, but it makes it seem so easy while doing it.
What It Gets Right
First things first, the highs and mids are definitely out of this world.
Both offer an incredibly crisp and fully-balanced sound while also offering clear and precise vocal notes, a dream for any singer out there.
The mids are just as incredible, as they are super smooth while having just enough color to be enjoyable while not quite enough to annoy the local audiophile.
What It Doesn’t
As is often the case when it comes to the cheaper and more cost-effective speakers out there, the one area that suffers the most (from a sound quality perspective) is the control low-end bass response.
Now, it would be lying to say that you don’t have “any” bass to play with, but it’d be equally dishonest to say that they are as tight and well put together as either the mids or the highs.
The good news is that the speakers do come with a ton of different tuning features to help reduce the severity here.
Still, if you want to truly have a strong bass that offers full reverb, you’re just going to have to break down and add a subwoofer.
Features Offered
Connection Options
From a connectivity standpoint, the EV ZLX-12BT comes with two line-in options available. Both options are combo jacks that will work for either XLR or TRS connection cables.
The channels each have a mic/line-in balance knob. The speakers can be daisy-chain connected with one another through the XLR output port.
The speaker also has an extra TRS input port that can be used for an AUX cable. This will help connect your speakers to any connecting media device, like a tablet or smartphone. Not only can this be used as straight playback outputs, but you can use it to play music from your device directly.
The speakers also come with a Bluetooth connection.
Unlike many other speakers in this price range, it not only has high-quality Bluetooth audio streaming as an option, but the process of pairing and connecting is super easy while the wireless audio streaming connection strength is surprisingly strong.
Tuning Options
The EV ZLX-12BT has an impressive number of tuning options available. I’ve said this a few times at this point, but this isn’t something you see in a lot of budget-friendly speaker setups.
Considering just how important tuning is to your overall sound enjoyment, I’m always making a point to check out whether a set of speakers have anything available.
In this case, the ZLX-12BT does have some things available. The back panel hosts a knob that functions both as volume control and onboard DSP control. These changes are readily seen via the speaker’s LCD screen.
The speaker has four different band EQ preset modes available.
These are all pretty good, easy setup, and are geared towards performers and musicians. It has a Music, Live, Speech, and Club preset option, all of which are fairly self-explanatory.
The “Music” preset is the standard default mode while the neutral “Live” preset works best at a live concert or venue events. The “Speech” preset is great for vocalists and singers, while the “Club” preset blows up the low-end bass so you can turn it up at a club or party event.
I found that each of the presets worked fairly well for their respective areas of focus. However, I did enjoy the fact that I could tweak them out even further to my customizable level.
They even let you store away five different settings as additional presets.
You are also able to determine which part of the speaker is given the most attention. The “Location” feature allows you to alter either the “Pole setting”, “Monitor setting”, or the ‘Bracket setting.”
This ensures that the low-end frequency response has reduced issues based on where the speaker is placed.
Final Thoughts – Is it Worth Your Time?
There are a lot of great budget-minded speakers out on the market today.
This isn’t like years ago when you only had the option between super expensive speakers that were amazing and super cheap speakers that were pretty much trash.
Today, there are more and more quality speakers coming out at reasonable prices.
However, even with that said, the EV ZLX12BT stands above a vast majority of them as a truly excellent option.
Not only is it competitively priced, but it also offers a number of amazing features not found even on some of the more expensive studio monitors.
The speaker is both durable and well-made, able to last for a long time with little wear or tear. In addition, it comes in a design format that many musicians and DJs will love.
In terms of its sound quality, at its price range, you’ll be hard-pressed to find anything that can compete with it. Yes, some options do sound better, but you’re going to be spending a lot more money on those as a result.
So, to answer the question, “Is the Electro-Voice ZLX-12BT worth your time?” I would say that 100% is worth your time, regardless of your finances or skill level.
Normally, I’d consider adding a caveat that, the EV ZLX-12BT would be worth your time so long as you weren’t well off.
But here’s the thing.
Even if you are a more seasoned producer, or do have the money for a better set, you really will have a hard time finding something with this much money-for-value.
I wouldn’t recommend these as your main speaker set if you’ve been around the block for a while. That said, if you already have your quality set of stage monitors, getting these as a viable backup only makes a ton of sense..
EV ZLX12BT: The Verdict
The EV ZLX-12BT, while not the cheapest set of speakers on the market today, is incredibly priced. More so than that, it truly sings for its supper with the plethora of different options and features included.
Things like the additional TRS input or the LCD screen are just a few of the impressive add-ons included in the ZLX-12BT. Things that other speakers at a similar price point simply do not add-in.
But besides all of the bells and whistles, the speaker’s compact size audio sound is truly phenomenal. While most budget speakers can always be a crapshoot on what’s good and what isn’t, the Electro-Voice brand has always been synonymous with true quality.
The ZLX-12BT isn’t going to compare with EV’s other brands, nor can it hope to beat any of the high-cost and high-priced speakers today.
That’s a given. However, if you’re willing to take a slight dip in quality along with a significant dip in price, the ZLX-12BT can be a legitimately great place to start.
