EVM-15B - recone or replace?

[Ian McLaughlin]

I need to do something with the EVM-15B in my GK 115LB cabinet - the ported metal one from the late 80's.

I can get a recone kit on eBay or Amazon for under $100.

OR, I could drop a new speaker in, maybe even a neodymium magnet speaker to save on weight.

Suggestions are welcomed, looking for specific makes/models, thanks!

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[sissy kathy]

Used Electro Voice EvM 15B 15" Full Range Woofer pair.

 

[Ian McLaughlin]

Used Electro Voice EvM 15B 15" Full Range Woofer pair.

Thanks for the suggestion, that's a maybe. I don't really need a pair (of speakers).

 

[sissy kathy]

Thanks for the suggestion, that's a maybe. I don't really need a pair (of speakers).

Maybe not, but you could resell the second one and thereby reduce the cost of the one you keep.

 

[CayGee]

but don't attempt the recone project yourself. Take it or send it to a professional shop. I've been in the audio business since 1979, never tried doing a recone myself. Too much can go wrong.

 

[Ian McLaughlin]

but don't attempt the recone project yourself. Take it or send it to a professional shop. I've been in the audio business since 1979, never tried doing a recone myself. Too much can go wrong.

I've successfully reconed woofers on a pair of Advent 25th Anniversary speakers, the foam surrounds were disintegrated. It was easy! Maybe instrument speakers are different (?)

 

[sissy kathy]

but don't attempt the recone project yourself. Take it or send it to a professional shop. I've been in the audio business since 1979, never tried doing a recone myself. Too much can go wrong.

I've re-coned an A-L Voice of the Theater woofer. Nothing to it if you are careful and the replacement arrives undamaged.

 

[CayGee]

ok...but is this the first time out for Ian doing a recone? If so, please make sure that all of the components are there and of course take your time. The EVX-180b kit that I just bought didn't contain any glue - might want to check the kit out before buying.

 

[agedhorse]

There is a difference between a hack job recone and a professional recone. The difference in cost is very small, but the difference in quality and especially reliability is big.

 

[Cheez]

I loved mine. Had it 30+ years and reconed twice. This last time I went with a new eminence. Speakers just seem to be made better now.

 

[JimB52]

Replace with an eminence delta. Only a little more than the recone kit

 

[Bob_Ross]

If you like the sound of the EVM-15B it's definitely worth reconing, but (despite owning one for the past 30+ years) I've never been particularly enamored of the sound. If mine ever blows up again I'll look into replacing it with a modern driver.

 

[agedhorse]

Replace with an eminence delta. Only a little more than the recone kit

Delta isn't a great choice for bass, it's got an ok mid voicing but struggles in the low end. It also likely requires a different enclosure tuning.

 

[Rick James]

The Eminence 3015 weighs half what the EVM does, and it puts out as much sound as two EVMs.

 

[bassliner50]

I have successfully reconed 2 EVM 15B's, with reconing kits found on ebay $78 each. Take your time, read instructions, clean up residual of the old cone, and most importantly keep everything concentric when reassembling the new cone. Shims can help with that. These reconed speakers performed good as new for years and the process for me was informative and rewarding. Eventually I sold both EV's in Sunn Magna cabinets and replaced that rig with neodymium combos for the sake of my aging back.

 

[pbassnut]

This just in ...

For Sale - Electro Voice EVM 15B 15"woofer

 

[mikeswals]

Lots of people here on tb have used 3015's to replace old EVM15's.

 

[mikecd1]

The EVM was designed for the cab so I'd either replace or repair with the original. Unless you can model in a replacement that works well in that cab, I'd repair or replace with the same.

 

[Tim Skaggs]

Just my personal opinion, but I think the EV 15B is one of the best 15" speakers available for bass guitar use. It's not the speaker with the biggest x-max or the lowest resonant frequency, but it's well balanced over its range, and has the mids I want in my tone.

Also, if GK did the cabinet design around the speaker as I believe they would, it's the best speaker for your cabinet.

Re-cone, or replace with with another EV 15B.

 

[Bill Whitehurst]

I'm with Tim ^, if the cab was designed around that speaker, it will be hard to find anything else that works as well in it.
If you like the combination of great sensitivity and strong mids, the EVs are 'it'.
If you need light weight and massive XMAX and power handling keep moving.