JBL EON 515XT

They have nice sound after adjustment of onboard equalizer and mixer. Nice speaker for the price. Have had eons for 18 years following the progression. Both speakers failed at the same time during a performance. According to a Maryland based JBL authorized repair facility the problem was identified as 4 shorted output fets in both speakers. Was told they were factory defective parts. Thankfully they were covered under warranty. I'm now hesitant to use these speakers as my primary PA's. I would not suggest these as anyone's main speakers unless they carry back up equipment like I do. Also the 2 factory authorized service centers (one in Pa. and one in Md.) I dealt with were not customer service friendly but that's another story.

I've been using them since May 2004. I also tested the RCF art 712 MKII and 715. The JBL sound is finer, less analytical... I also have a couple of RCF 710 ART MKII since October 2014.
I love their look, lightness, three handles to place them on stands... and, especially, their sound!
And the mini-mixer on the rear with two 1/4" jack inputs + 1 XLR input, with 3 knobs. It's simply perfect at the end of the evening with an MP3 player while you unmount!
These speakers go down pretty low (38 hz), lower than the RCF, which start at 50hz... And at this level, every hz counts. Personally, I work without subwoofer and it's quite all right for up to 100-150 persons in the venue.
Coupled with a BSS FCS 966 EQ it's like night and day ...
Unbeatable value for money today (17 November, 2014), the last ones available sell for about €489 a piece, when 2 years ago they went for almost €800 a piece...
I have tested the new 615 ... They provide less SPL (127 instead of 132), have a more rigid look and a useless bluetooth app... for €589, you'd better go for the last 515 xt eon. For €489 they are an awesome deal!

The cons: Rated at 625 W RMS and 900 W peak, but I think they yield only 450 to 500 w RMS, which is nevertheless more than enough. Be wary of the rated W, for example, on the RCF 710 MKII there's a sticker that states "650 w maximum power consumption" for a speaker rated at 700 W RMS and 1400 W peak... I think the RCF 710 art MKII actually yield 550/600 W and not the 700 W RMS published. I think that if they have a power consumption of 650 W max, they can't deliver more... Unless they can multiply the watts, like in the Bible. What's important is the SPL and JBL (515 xt) states and delivers 132 db, RCF states and also delivers 129 db (710 mk II))!!!

I'm not trying to offend anybody, but when low-end speaker manufacturers state 20-20000 hz (without stating at what level), fantastic 500W, 700W or even more output power, and all that for less than €250 per speaker, you ought to take a closer look into it... If I'm skeptical when RCF says its speakers consume 650 w max and deliver 700 W RMS, imagine with unknown brands!

I've been using them for one year, we also have the Eon 515, the XT are more powerful but with a lesser sound quality than the 515, which are more "balanced." The highs seem a bit shrill on the XT. They have a very interesting price, given their power and weight, however, from our eight Eon, 3 required after-sales service because they broke down after one year, still under warranty... After one month I didn't receive any information from the technical service regarding what might have caused them to break down. 40% of the units requiring technical service is a lot! And we are very careful with our gear, it could've been bad luck, but pay attention to the plastic, which is fragile and scratches easily. For the price, we would surely buy them again if they wouldn't breakdown.