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EVM-15*...200W vs 400W. some questions(Mesa related)

#21
7e_3.jpg

this is what my speaker looks like. This pic is from Ebay, but looks the same as mine. Can anyone tell if it's a Series II or Pro-line?
 
#24
Benjamin Strange said:
The rating will have to do with the magnet structure, not the cone. Reconing will not make a speaker have more or less power.
Click to expand...

Ummm........no.......

The magnet structure has very little to do with a speaker's wattage rating. It basically comes down to how much heat the voice coil can withstand. The only way magnet structure affects voice coil temperature is by the ventilation (or lack of ventilation) that the structure allows. More ventilation dissipates more heat, resulting in higher wattage capability, but this is a pretty small influence compared to the design and materials used in the voice coil. And since a recone includes a new voice coil, using a different recone kit will usually change the wattage rating.

Of course, a badly designed magnet structure that doesn't allow for decent ventilation will reduce power handling, but any woofer designed for high wattage is going to have a vent, typically a hole right in the middle of the magnet. That's really about the only option there is for providing airflow to the voice coil while maintaining a good magnetic field for the voice coil to do it's thing in.

If you recone an EV speaker with a 400 watt kit, that 400 watt kit has a voice coil capapble of handling 400 watts; you now have a 400 watt speaker.

Magnet structure does have a lot to do with many other characteristics of a speaker, but wattage rating......not so much......
 
#25
Corwin81 said:
this is what my speaker looks like. This pic is from Ebay, but looks the same as mine. Can anyone tell if it's a Series II or Pro-line?
Click to expand...

Ask an EV approved reconer, visual ID from a "similar" picture probably isn't gonna get it. :cool: They might be able to work off a date code ID on the cone, but if not, maybe they'll have something else for you to go on.

Try emailing these guys, I've had good dealings with them in the past: Link Removed

FWIW, I've used my 200 watt EVs for many years with 400+ watt amps, with no problems at all. I've always figured I'd eventually recone 'em as 400 watters, but I really can't justify that while they're still working fine.
 
#26
Corwin81 said:
anyone know if that speaker is a Series II or Pro-line just from looking at the magnet?
I don't want to risk blowing the speaker if I run it along with my 4X10 with a bridged QSC RMX-850.
Click to expand...

Looks just like my Pro-Lines (400 watt), but I don't know that the 200 watters used a different frame/magnet.

Power handling capability has little to do with the magnet (see above).

You said it has a gold EV logo on the dust cap? Probably a 400 watt speaker. I had one of my 15B's reconed, and it had that logo on the new dust cap.

All this said..........the difference between a 200 and a 400 watt speaker is really not all that much. It may seem like it should be quite a difference, but it's really not. In terms of loudness, you could tell the difference in volume between hearing a note at 200 and 400 watts, but it would just be a noticeble difference; contrary to what seems to make sense, it would not be twice as loud; not even close to it.

So, if you're in danger of blowing a 200 watt speaker, you're pretty close to blowing a 400 watt speaker as well.

Simple rules to follow........

Do not allow your power amp to clip. Red LED's and farty noises mean turn it down, now. An occasional clip is not going to cook your speaker, but constant clipping certainly will.

And if your speakers are not sounding right, if they are sounding rough around the edges, unclear, etc. don't continue to push them. Turn it down. Most speakers will start getting some distortion long before they are actually hit with more wattage than they can handle, so keep your ears open.

And finally.......if both your cabs are the same impedence, with that amp, there is practically no way that you could blow that 15 even if it is only a 200 watt speaker. As long as you don't drive it into heavy clipping, your amp is only going to produce about 850 watts max (that's bridged into a 4 ohm load). This means that each cabinet could see 425 watts max; the thing is, there is no way that you can push your amp to run that near it's limit without clipping. It's just the nature of electric bass. The peaks when you pluck a string are a LOT higher than the sustained note that follows just a few milliseconds later. If you are anywhere near hitting your speakers with the full wattage of that amp, you are going to be seeing lots of red LED's and hearing lots of farty noises.

To put it basically - the average power that a speaker recieves is mostly what will blow it, and the average power that a bass player uses is a whole lot lower than the peak power you need for clean bass. So, with your speakers and amp, as long as your peaks are clean, you're fine.
 
#27
ev 15 l's were 200 watts even the 90's versions were the same 200 watts speaker with a added venting system on the back of the magnet to give it a higher tempature handling (watts for the new guys) the cone and voice coils all the same. you have to really abuse a evm 15L 200 watt speaker to get it to blow, I have a b215m cab with my svt vr all tube amp and you can't blow the speakers or even get them to fart out best bass cab ever made. don't blow your money on new bass cabs ol,d ev bass cabs are the best ever find one and try it you will then hear for yourself
 
#32
The L does stand for Lead and the B does stand for Bass. The EVMs that most are familiar with are the series II from the 80s - 90s. The original cones were as described earlier...15B had a smooth cone, the 15L had a ribbed cone. Copy from the original data sheets say that "the 15L's frequency response is specifically tailored for lead guitar performance." This does not mean it doesn't sound good or work well in a bass cab.
 

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