The world of portable PAs is unique in the live events industry, requiring highly specific solutions for performers, audio engineers, venues, promoters, and rental companies. Each application, despite surface similarities, often demands a distinct PA, making the search for the perfect system a challenging task.
In part one of this two-part series, Jay Cunningham, Retail Marketing Lead, EMEA for HARMAN Professional Solutions, shares his seasoned insight in supporting retail partners and mobile professionals in identifying the ideal portable PA system for every application. Special thanks to Dan Gumble, Head of Content for Headliner Magazine for his collaboration in developing this series.
Make Every Moment the ONE with our ONE range of portable PA solutions.
The most important considerations typically come down to understanding each customer’s unique needs, requirements, application, and budget. For instance, the audio requirements of a solo singer-songwriter or a corporate speaker are very different to that of a band performing regularly to crowds in excess of 500 people.
With a range of column and battery-powered speakers to suit every need, JBL developed the ONE Series that includes four premium solutions that have become some of JBL’s most popular systems. They include: EON ONE MK2, PRX ONE, EON ONE Compact and IRX ONE.
Audio performance has always been JBL’s cornerstone and each of these systems were designed to perform with best-in-class audio quality. Withstanding the rigors of the road and being extremely reliable are equally important. No matter how you transport your gear, portable PA systems cover a lot of distance, so their ability to endure hard knocks yet still deliver as if fresh out of the box is paramount.
A seven-year warranty on select products offers customers further peace of mind. When it comes to connections and configurations, several models are controllable via the powerful, free JBL Pro Connect app, available for iOS and Android, that offers enhanced levels of control and flexibility.
In this article, we’ll talk to the architects of these systems, dive into the details, and get expert insight into the EON ONE MK2 and the PRX ONE. Then in part two, we’ll explore and contrast the distinctive capabilities and possibilities of the EON ONE Compact and IRX One.
EON ONE MK2: Anywhere Portability that Checks All the Boxes
Tour the EON ONE MK2’s feature-set and usability in this product overview.
EON ONE MK2 is the perfect speaker for bridging the gap between small- and medium-sized venues. Its professional sound quality, and 5-channel digital mixer, combined with a compact, lightweight form factor, make it a favorite among educators, hospitality professionals, and rental companies. However maybe its most popular feature is the freedom it offers mobile professionals and presenters to setup anywhere, anytime with its incredibly capable battery-powered portability. It’s also easily carried with one hand and offers quick setup and wireless control, via the JBL Pro Connect app.
Brandon Knudsen, JBL Professional’s Senior Manager of Product Management for Portable PA talked specifically about EON ONE MK2’s acoustic performance design: “Acoustics are always the primary focus. With EON ONE MK2, we needed to ensure that the low-frequency response met our specifications. Our product management team met that goal without impacting how the speaker performs as you turn it up.”
Mr. Knudsen also shared his thoughts on EON ONE MK2’s user-friendly features, “It’s all about ease of use. Soundcraft mixer experts designed EON ONE MK2’s mixer to have a really natural, streamlined workflow. And, we include some really convenient functions like Soundcraft Easy Ducking, which is a go-to for presenters and fitness instructors.”
EON ONE MK2 has become a favorite for a variety of music and presentation scenarios and its also been popular with education users. Learning in both English and Vietnamese, Vietnam’s Bilingual Canadian International School (BCIS)‘s students enjoy a conducive environment supported by the latest technology.
EON ONE MK2’s triple-tier DSP allows Vietnam’s Bilingual Canadian International School to choose between beginner, intermediate or advanced controls to quickly find the ideal sound.
The school required a dynamic and easy-to-use sound solution that accommodated students and teacher’s various needs and they decided on EON ONE MK2. Users can choose between beginner, intermediate, or advanced controls for quickly finding the perfect sound for any experience level.
On campus, students can easily arrange multi-input musical performances using EON ONE MK2’s XLR combo or Hi-Z inputs and amplification supplied by a robust 1,500-watt peak amplifier. A BCIS spokesperson noted how equipping students with the best systems to fuel their passion for music and the arts is a “top priority for faculty and staff, and that the EON ONE MK2 is a finely designed product that checks all of the boxes”.
JBL PRX ONE: Next-Level Performance and Power
It doesn’t matter if you’re plugging in an acoustic guitar for open mic night or setting up an auditorium for theatrical productions, JBL’s three key hallmarks – great sound, extreme versatility, and maximum portability extend to the next-level, ultra capable PRX ONE system.
Check out this in-depth demo of PRX ONE features and benefits.
Upping the ante for portable and installed applications, PRX ONE comes with a seven-channel digital mixer, a full suite of professional DSP, Bluetooth functionality, and JBL Pro Connect app control to empower users with even more power and flexibility.
Brandon Knudsen explains how the system was designed from the ground up to support a variety of users: “For singer/songwriters, we added inputs and audio effects, so that they can travel with a powerful system that’s going to suit their needs but bring less gear along. You look for the best ways to streamline your setup because you begin to realize that your back is a finite resource. We knew that DJs typically weren’t going to use things like reverb and delay, but that giving them a powerful woofer package, the ability to really dial-in EQ, and adding niceties like automatic feedback suppression, would really resonate.”
Discover the Complete JBL Portable PA Lineup
When asked about how the JBL team preps PRX ONE and all JBL Portable PA speakers for life in the real world, Mr. Knudsen shared, “We put our speakers into our test chamber and hit them at max capacity for 100 hours, deliberately trying to break them. We go far outside typical use cases—we want to know what our users can get out of this PA even if they use it in all the wrong ways. When you’re building something, it’s important to know how to break it. Then we can put preventative measures in place, like a hard system limiter that doesn’t allow users to get there.”
For corporate, house-of-worship, and education presenters: “…we implemented very easy-to-use presets such as a compressor that will help keep your speaking volume at a nominal rate and a gate that will limit plosives…”
Mr. Knudsen also shared his thoughts on the need to support corporate, house-of-worship, and education presenters: “We know that people who use a PA for speech reproduction at a corporate event are often not necessarily audio-savvy. They want to plug in, turn on, and be done. So we implemented very easy-to-use presets such as a compressor that will help keep your speaking volume at a nominal rate and a gate that will limit plosives; the presets also compensate for things like smacking the microphone around in someone’s hand.”
Craig Lambrecht, Global Director of Portable PA Solution for JBL Pro and HARMAN Professional, wrapped up the discussion with thoughts on how the overall range is ready to support a variety of applications: “JBL portable PA products combine the best in acoustic engineering, quality components, and our wide range of experience in Soundcraft, dbx and Lexicon to provide exceptional value for smaller applications. We have always had a unique opportunity to leverage the many lessons learned from our flagship performance audio solutions that bring audio to the largest stadiums in the world. Our solutions reduce setup time, make you sound your best, and lessen the financial investment to be heard.”
Stay tuned for part two as we profile EON ONE Compact and IRX ONE, two of JBL portable PA’s most popular systems that are well regarded for combining a stellar audio experience with ease of portability and user-friendly features.
EXPLORE FURTHER
Check out our playlist of JBL Portable PA-focused videos, including five talented DJs who took the stage at our London Experience Center to explore the capabilities of our ONE systems for themselves.
Dive into our support resources to get complete details, specifications, and more:
- EON ONE MK2 Details and Specifications
- PRX ONE Details and Specifications
- Portable PA Solutions Portfolio
- Portable PA Videos
- Case Studies
- Training Resources
- Anytime Help Center
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