New Gear Review: JBL Pro EON600 Series Portable Monitors

The JBL Pro EON600 Series of portable and self-powered two-way monitors use waveguide technology originally developed for their high-end studio monitors. There are three sizes: EON610, EON612 and EON615.

I tested the EON615 15-inch 2-way loudspeaker with 1,000 watts of power and found it to have tremendous headroom delivering loud and clean sound (max SPL of 127dB). The EON615 weighs 39-pounds with a case made of black polypropylene; it’s fitted with a 35-mm (mounting) pole socket, three M10 rigging points and four handles.

The EON615’s performance comes from its waveguide design that solves the inherent “beaming” of conventional speaker systems. Special fluting formed into the cabinet structure guides frequencies throughout a 90-degree horizontal pattern for uniform coverage and high intelligibility.

JBL engineers developed an iOS and Android app that pairs with the Bluetooth Smart Ready 4.0 in the EON615 for controlling master volume, adjusting a 5-band parametric EQ with the ability to save and recall user presets.

I used the rear panel controls to set the EQ preset according to placement—Main, Monitor, Sub or Speech speaker. There is a built-in preset Limiter to protect the drivers and two switchable mic/line inputs using two Neutrik Combo jacks. The JBL EON615 sells for $499 MSRP each.

jblpro.com/www/products/portable-market/eon600-series/eon615

Barry Rudolph is a recording engineer/mixer who has worked on over 30 gold and platinum records. He has recorded and/or mixed Lynyrd Skynyrd, Hall & Oates, Pat Benatar, Rod Stewart, the Corrs and more. Barry has his own futuristic music mixing facility and loves teaching audio engineering at Musician’s Institute, Hollywood, CA. He is a lifetime Grammy-voting member of NARAS and a contributing editor for Mix Magazine. barryrudolph.com