There’s been much talk lately about the trend of commercial products crossing over into the residential market, enabling integrators to address both resimercial/light commercial and resi jobs. Toward that end, I had the opportunity to check out the Everse 8 self-powered speaker Electro-Voice (EV) recently introduced.

In this case, the loudspeaker can help integrators crack into the live performance sector as well as using it for several possible other applications.

Electro-Voice Everse 8 Features & Setup

The Everse 8 is an 8-inch, two-way speaker that incorporates a Dynacord 400-watt amplifier on board.

It’s small enough to be easily transportable, weighing under 17 pounds, with dimensions of just under 16 inches high x 11 inches wide x 11 inches deep.

Electro-Voice’s active speaker is weatherproof, with an IP rating of 43 without an optional weather jacket. You can get the Everse 8 in black or white to fit your aesthetic needs.

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You can plug the Everse 8 into electricity or use the built-in Lithium-Ion battery to get anywhere between 8 and 12 hours of run time between charges, according to the company – depending on how loud you crank it.

The company states the speaker is capable of hitting a maximum SPL of 121dB.

EV did their homework on this one. There’s an app available to remotely operate the unit, and it can stream Bluetooth sources using version 5.0.

I’m always cranky about wireless audio formats, but this incarnation purportedly can reach up to 800 feet or so from source to receiver. Your mileage may vary based on what the location attributes are; if you’ve got a whole bunch of people in between, you may want to relocate the source.

Placing the speaker up on a tripod will help, as will moving the source closer to the speaker. Note that during sound check, everything will be fine; it’s just when you get bodies between source and receiver that the issue appears.

EV offers a nifty Cordura style carry bag, and the speaker has a built-in handle on one end of it.

Electro-Voice Everse 8 Audio Applications

My mind kicked into overdrive as I thought of applications for the Everse 8. I could see it being used in an outdoor wedding, with the officiant using one of the Neutrik inputs for a wireless microphone, and the second Neutrik input connected to an acoustic guitar with a pickup.

Installers could put a playlist on a phone into the Bluetooth input or the 3.5mm stereo input. Since the Electro-Voice speaker has a tripod socket, integrators could place the speaker high enough to fire to the back row of a good-sized crowd.

If I were using an (optional) EV microphone, I could enlist the accessory wireless microphone tray and mount the receiving base on the Everse and drive the mic off the speaker battery.

The application possibilities are wide-ranging. I could see implementing the speaker as a:

• Busker’s system; the speaker is designed to tilt back on the ground and fire up toward the crowd.
• Great solution for a pontoon or houseboat. Clients could host a fun dance party outdoors with it.
• Stage monitor for a vocalist in a live sound application.
• Way of saving the lungs on a coach as he or she instructed their team or squad at practice.
• Method for fitness, Zumba, or yoga instructor for classes inside or out.
• Logical portable PA system for schools, civic groups, churches, politicians – basically anywhere you need to have a message heard by a gathered group of listeners.

Electro-Voice Everse 8 Performance & Conclusions

Let me say this right off the bat: the Everse 8 sounds terrific.

The Digital Signal Processing is impressive. In addition to having tone control, you can use the ducking feature so that background music plays until the microphone is spoken into, killing the music.

Phantom power for those using condenser microphones or external Direct Input boxes is built in. The speaker features Automatic Feedback Suppression to knock out annoying feedback in the event the microphone picks up the sound from the speaker. (Pro tip: always put the microphone behind the loudspeaker, if you can.)

When you’re using the Everse outdoors, I’d recommend putting the supplied input cover on over the control panel. Do that, and if you’re setting the speaker on the ground, position it so that the input panel is on the top of the speaker, rather than on the ground. That’ll protect your speaker from splashes and light rain. Using the optional rain jacket will increase protection somewhat.

Electro-Voice is a venerable name in the professional audio world. EV and Dynacord are siblings under the Bosch umbrella, and they offer a huge assortment of pro audio equipment. It’s clear that the designers of the Everse 8 used a lot of the ideas that their co-workers developed.

I tested the Everse 8 in several applications. For playback outside, this thing rocked as I played Big Twist and the Mellow Fellows’ live CD, “Bigger than Life.” This horn-driven soul ban sounds good loud, and the speaker didn’t break a sweat.

Billy Preston sounded great when I played the chestnut “Will It Go Round in Circles,” and Emmylou Harris’ “Red Dirt Girl” came through effortlessly.

For evaluating audio coverage, I set the speaker on the stage of a 300-seat auditorium and had a friend talk into a microphone. I was able to hear the Everse 8 easily anywhere in the hall as I walked up and down the rows of seats.

My takeaway: this speaker sounds excellent and there’s added value in its numerous potential use cases. Mention it to your customers. It’s going to impress them.

CE Pro Verdict

Pros

• Lots of sound in a small form factor
• Robust, weatherproof
• Depending on application, the onboard mixer works great
• Entertain a good-sized crowd with this alone; if you need more inputs, plug an external mixer into it
• Bluetooth playback capability for between sets
• Excellent run time on rechargeable battery or plug it into AC

Cons

• If you want thumping mega bass, get the 12-inch version

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