Nord User Forum

I drove an hour each way to hear some EV ZXA1 powered speakers, to compare them alongside my Yamaha Stagepas 300 PA. The speakers are a similar size, but the EVs are lighter, louder, and the sound is much much better. The Yamahas are a little honky, boxy, but the EVs were much better. I did a side by side comparison of a wav file recorded from my NP88 last night.

But I could not buy the EVs because the hiss was too loud. There is no hiss from my Stagepas. It would not be a problem for most gigs, but sometimes I am in very quiet settings and the hiss was so noticeable as to deter me from purchasing.

Has anyone else found this? The pair I looked at were ex-demo, but still sold with full EV warranty so they weren't ex hire or anything like that.

I'd love to know if anyone else has experienced the super loud hiss from these active speakers, compared to the total lack of hiss from the Yamahas (which technically are passive, the little mixer/amp is freestanding. Not sure if that makes a difference.

Thanks for your information

With hiss you mean that buzz you hear when no signals are running through the speakers??

Did you test one speaker or two? If one, did you use both inputs or only one input?

Yes, the hiss is background, independent of inputs and even the gain settings. Power on = hiss. I just can't believe they all do that, so I'm hoping a brand new pair will be whisper quiet. But I need confirmation. Thanks

Ok, thanks for that clarification.
One of my bandmembers has the ZXa1. I'll ask him tonight if he is noticing that hiss. The ZXa1's are also on my wishlist.

Thanks, I'd love to hear what he says when he uses them in a quiet room.

I understand that this EV makes a "shhhhhhh" (wind / blow).
You may try the QSC (K8 or K10), I think they are quieter, I use one at home in a quiet environment.

@frantzkb: btw, when using the QSCs at home do you notice the fan?? Is it always on or only when it gets hot (cause the EVs are seemingly fanless)

Very important point I forgot to mention Johannes ... There is a fan in the QSC, and the fan is louder than any "hiss" / "shhhh".
It's a on demand fan. It starts when you switch on the speaker, then it stops and starts again after a delay, if there is an input signal, then stops, after a delay without input signal.
The reason why I forgot is because ... I disconnected it (very easy to do).
The K8 or K10 do not ask a lot to this amplifier bloc which is common to other QSC products, it's never hot, and not very warm (class D amplifier for tweeter and bass).
That was an obvious choice / action for me, but I do not (cannot) encourage to do this (warranty is lost) unless you really know what you are doing.

Thanks Johannes

Thanks. I had a look in EV's website but couldn't find any dB stats for the power on hiss.

I just can't believe they're designed to be as noisy as the ones I demo'd. I mean, it was a very noticeable hiss. I couldn't find anything else on google about "zxa1 hiss" so I'm slightly at a loss.

It is the same for instance with a FBT Jolly 8 and up, or a Wharfedale Titan 12, or a ART 310.
That makes a difference between hifi / near field monitors / sono / stage / stadium.
I think a class D amplifier, makes a nice difference on those high efficiency speakers.
A good converter (AD,DA) helps, a DSP too, IMO.