Afternoon All!

Further to our promotion to hire a pair of the EVOLVE50's for your event, we thought we'd share the reviews with you all!

Starting out with the first one we received... Many thanks Carl for the hire and for the review :)

Name: Carl Shipman
Company: CMS Roadshow
Date of Hire: 26th May

I recently had the privilege of being given the opportunity to road-test a pair of the EV Evolve 50 PA systems from Simply Sound and Lighting in Diss. My first impressions when picking the system up was that it was pretty small and very compact. It is a line array system that comprises of a powered subwoofer, with multiple inputs including Bluetooth, two different length spacer poles and the top array speaker. The system was supplied with transport bags and covers, making loading and unloading a complete breeze. This could well have been done in a single trip with a little fore planning, however that is my shortfall. One of the really nice touches with the Evolve 50 is the fact to link the top & sub cabinets is wire free. The spacer poles actually carry the signal thus making the set-up look very neat and tidy, not having to strap cables into place (other than the mains and signal from the desk) was a great touch.

The operation of the system couldn’t be easier, a single twist & push button/knob combo accesses the systems menu’s and settings. There is also a volume control for individual inputs should you wish to connect multiple sources to the system, particularly handy if not wanting to use an external mixer. I however had opted to use my Yamaha MG16XU and connected into the Evolve 50 using one of the 2 XLR inputs on each sub unit. The event called for 7-8 mics for singers/performers/karaoke, both corded & wireless, 2 stereo music sources and a baby grand piano also mic’d up.

I was providing PA/Disco/Karaoke at a charity event at Platform 12 in Norwich. The event “DRAGSTRAVAGANZA II” was as it sounds a night hosted by drag queens that performed live, there was also a section at the beginning and end of the night that was just me DJing, mixed amongst this were Karaoke sections. With this in mind I decided to choose the Evolve50’s LIVE setting, It made live vocals tighten up, still had plenty of bottom end and had a really nice crisp clear sound. Perfect for the event. Platform 12 isn’t the largest of venues and the layout wasn’t typical for this kind of event, it is however very nice and has a certain touch of class, but strategically placing the 2 EV Evolve 50’s covered what is essentially 2 rooms (knocked into one) perfectly.

One of the things I found really impressive is their ability to cope with karaoke singers standing pretty much right in front of them (there’s always that one who want’s to move around the whole venue (after seeing Robbie in concert) and isn’t aware of what feedback is) without causing any feedback at all.

The overall sound absolutely blew me away, deep, taught, pounding bass, tight mid range and crystal clear high ranges all perfectly audible at any volume. The event was very popular and as such the venue soon became pretty busy, lots of background noise from customers at the bar & talking in the background, however this was not an issue as the Evolve 50’s pack a punch almost unrivalled from a system so compact. Having used “full sized” subs and tops both active and passive for over 20 years I had doubts that this little system could come close to matching the frequency range of the larger systems I’ve used over the years, especially the mid range, which can sometimes get “muddy and dull”, but the absolute clarity the system offers was just absolutely mind blowing.

At the end of the night I had performers, venue staff and guests all asking about the system, some hadn’t even spotted the speakers as they were so compact. The venue’s owner was impressed and had assumed the speakers were much bigger and just hidden in the booth. One of the drag acts, The Squirrel Sisters, comprising of 2 international drag performers who have performed on cruise ships, in Grand Canaria and many prestigious venues around the UK, commented that it had the best sound they’d come across in years

The Evolve 50 is:
• Lightweight
• Easy to transport
• Simple to set-up
• Easy to adjust audio settings
• Flexible, height
• Loud, with excellent quality sound
• Stylish
• Rugged

I could literally go on and on. I have since listened to a similar Bose and LD Systems set-ups and they just don’t compare, the EV Evolve 50 quite simply completely outclasses them.