The troubadour life is tough enough without worrying about the P.A., so when you’ve got to provide your own, it’s always about getting the best sound from the most portable system. That was the design goal of JBL’s Eon One Compact Rechargeable P.A., and the venerable speaker manufacturer hit the bull’s-eye.
The diminutive Eon One Compact has four channels and ample connectivity with Bluetooth capability, plus a flexible digital mixer with onboard effects and EQ that’s remotely controllable via an Android or iOS device. GP gives it an Editors’ Pick, and this is why it’s worthy.
I’ve been taking the JBL Eon One Compact everywhere for the past couple of months, and it’s simply a joy to employ as a gig and rehearsal partner. Highlights of my time with it include a holiday hootenanny in downtown San Francisco, where the Eon One Compact made the usually difficult load-in and load-out a breeze.
We also went to Yosemite, where the P.A.’s bodacious bass kept the cabin bumpin’ and the bears at bay. We even used the Bluetooth feature to stream wilderness-appropriate tunes via Apple Music from an Eon Compact set up wedge-style in the back of the old Toyota. It was truly amazing to hear “The Trees” by Rush rocking pristinely among the redwoods.
The Eon One Compact delivers a true, full sound with plenty of presence and way more booty in the bottom end than one would expect from an eight-inch speaker. The tone is actually very well balanced from low to mid to high, not focused in middle range like a dedicated acoustic guitar amp.
You can dial that in on your guitar channel via the onboard EQ and save it as a custom preset in the free Compact Connect app. Vocals sound much better though the Compact Eon, and the JBL is also robust enough to handle a formidable lead singer with guitar accompaniment and a backing track.
The interface consists of five knobs and five buttons, but those old-school controls operate a digital mixer, so there is a slight learning curve. Press the channel select button multiple times to choose channels one through four. As you rotate the master volume, gain, treble, bass and reverb knobs clockwise, the circular green light surrounding each knob fills up to indicate each level.
The reverb sounds great and is user friendly for singer/songwriter gigs, while the app provides access to chorus and delay. Once you’ve got your tones together, switch into Mix mode, where the knobs all become channel gain controls. Find the best balance for the room, and you’re on.
The multipurpose housing design lets the Eon One Compact be oriented vertically, for the house, or horizontally, as a stage monitor, and the mixer display adjusts automatically.
A single unit has enough power to fill a small space, and for a bigger venue two Eon One Compacts can be connected either as a main (vertical) pair on stands, or in a main-plus-monitor configuration. JBL also engineered the speaker’s voicing to sound the same in vertical and horizontal orientation.
The JBL Eon One Compact is a nearly perfect all-in-one option for its price and power class. Having four channels is important, and the rechargeable battery is a huge boon, even for simply moving the speaker around the house or into the yard without worrying about power cords and outlets. The battery is easy to access, and a spare should become available around press time for $99.
The Compact’s housing feels sturdy, the controls are recessed for protection, and a single unit weighs less than 18 pounds and has a handy carrying handle. An optional backpack case is also available for $99. Ultimately, the Eon One Compact is a troubadour’s dream companion.
Specifications
Eon One Compact
CONTACT jblpro.com
PRICE $549 street
CHANNELS 4 (3 mic/instrument + 1 aux)
CONNECTIVITY 2 pre-amped combo XLR/¼” mic/ line inputs, ¼” hi-Z guitar input, 1/8” aux in, ¼” pass thru, 1/8” headphones out (mutes speaker), 2 USB 3.0 power ports
MODES 2 (channel or mix)
CONTROLS Knobs: global master volume. Gain/channel 1 volume, treble/channel 2 volume, bass/channel 3 volume, reverb/channel 4 volume. Buttons: channel select, mic/line, 48V phantom power (channel 1), ducking on/off, Bluetooth
EXTRAS Free JBL Compact Connect app (iOS/ Android) for remote control
POWER 150 watts, 112 dB max SPL. Operates on A/C power or rechargeable lithium-ion battery for up to 12 hours
SPEAKERS 8” woofer, 1” compression tweeter
WEIGHT 17.6 lbs
BUILT China
KUDOS Strong and clear sound. Portable, flexible and state of the art
CONCERNS Slight learning curve to using digital mixer and app
* This article was originally published here
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