Electro-Voice ZLX-12P Review

Stage monitors have been used for many years by music lovers all over the world, converting electrical signals into audio waves.

They allow more people to enjoy your music by amplifying the sound so that it submerges the entire room with the sound.

These types of speakers can range greatly in price and it can be difficult to find a budget-friendly option if you don’t know where to look. However, the Electro-Voice ZLX-12P might be the answer to all of your prayers.

This stage monitor comes with a number of interesting and exciting features while not breaking the bank too much.

In this review, we’ll be looking into the Electro-Voice ZLX-12P and whether it’s the best option for you.

What is a stage monitor and why do you need one? 

Stage monitors are pieces of equipment that any live musician needs when planning for their first performance in front of a large audience.

We all hope for a large audience or sold out tickets, right? But actually selling out your gig is more daunting than you first anticipate.

If you’re on stage and there is a crowd of people stretching out in front of you, you’re going to want to impress each and every one of them. You never know who could be there!

This means that you need to ensure that your music is on top form from the beginning to the end of the performance.

Stage monitors face you rather than the crowd and they allow you to hear what the audience is hearing. This will allow you to make sure that you sound as good as you feel and change anything that you’re not happy with.

In short, you’ll use the stage monitor to control your performance. Without a stage monitor, you might not be able to hear issues such as timing faux pas or untuned instruments.

While it’s uncommon for anything to go wrong in well planned out musical performances, you want the peace of mind that a stage monitor offers.

Electro-Voice Review

Electro-Voice ZLX-12P

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Specifications

Below we’ve added the specifications of this stage monitor so that you can get a better grasp of what to expect with this model.

Pair the specs with the features, listed below, and you’ll be able to get a good look into whether the Electro-Voice ZLX-12P will help or hinder your performances.

• Woofer: 12-inch, 1.5-inch titanium compression driver.
• Wattage: 1000W
• Amplifier: Class-D Audio
• Frequency: 50Hz to 20kHz
• Sound Pressure Level: max. 126 decibels
• Dimensions: 14 x 24 x 14 inches
• Weight: 34.3 pounds

Electro-Voice ZLX-12P Features

Now you know what you’d use the stage monitor for, let’s get right into the review.

There are some obvious features that you’ll want to consider when deciding whether the Electro-Voice ZLX-12P is the right choice for you, but we’ve also included a few considerations that you might not have thought of.

Sound Quality

The sound quality is without a doubt the most important factor to consider when looking for any new speaker. If the sound quality is subpar, it’s not going to be able to aid you in controlling your performance.

The Electro-Voice ZLX-12P, as a budget-friendly speaker, offers reasonable sound quality that will certainly help you during your performance.

 The Electro-Voice ZLX-12P really excels when it comes to the highs, as they are well delivered and balanced. The mids are also reputable, yet they’re not anything to write home about.

Your vocals will come out crisp and clear without becoming muddy, so singers will be able to hear exactly what they sound like.

Unfortunately, when you get to the lows is where the Electro-Voice ZLX-12P starts to fall apart. Bass notes won’t be as crisp as the highs and mids, but the tuning options that we’ll mention later can help you here to some extent.

The SPL that we mentioned in the specifications will be ideal for small venues.

Overall, if you’re looking for a speaker with impressive sound quality that doesn’t cost too much, the Electro-Voice ZLX-12P won’t disappoint when used in a small venue.

However, if your music depends heavily on the bass, you might want to consider a different speaker or purchasing a subwoofer to use alongside this stage monitor.

Portability

When looking for a stage monitor, you’re going to want to transport it all around for every performance.

Most venues have an impressive loudspeaker setup, but they don’t often offer stage machines for you to use. For this reason, you’ll need to bring your own.

The Electro-Voice ZLX-12P measures in at 14 x 24 x 14 inches and weighs only 34.4 pounds.

These specifications cater perfectly to the need for portability, making the Electro-Voice ZLX-12P a great option when you’re getting ready for back to back performances.

There are also strategically placed handles that fold out so you can easily transport your speaker from place to place.

Build Quality

Like with anything, you often get what you pay for when it comes to stage monitors.

As the Electro-Voice ZLX-12P is an affordably priced model, you might be concerned that the build quality will falter. However, we’re pleased to report that this is not apparent with this model of speaker.

The outer casing is made from high-quality plastic ensures that your stage monitor will be protected from accidental damage from moving it about so much.

If you’re hoping to play in multiple venues over a few days or weeks, you’ll be pleased to know that the Electro-Voice ZLX-12P is ready to go.

The interior mechanisms are also high-quality and reliable, which is a common theme found in Electro-Voice products. So, even if this stage monitor isn’t the right one for you, we recommend that you check out the rest of their ranges.

Tuning Options

The disadvantage of lesser quality low sound is slightly lessened by the fact that there are plenty of tuning options available with the Electro-Voice ZLX-12P.

The DSP can be controlled by a knob on the back of the stage monitor, and the LCD display shows you which settings you’re browsing through.

There are four modes with the Electro-Voice ZLX-12P, which are Music, Live, Speech, and Club. These four options are all tuned for their individual uses.

We’d consider Music to be the best option for the widest range of applications, but it depends on what you’re planning to use your speaker for.

 The Club option amps the low-end up and this is where the tuning options aid the bass in your music. If you perform electronic dance music regularly, the Club feature will be best for you.

You can also adjust where you’ll be positioning your stage monitor, whether it be on a Pole, Bracket, or Monitor. This is something that you don’t often think about when comparing different speakers, so we think that these tuning options are a great benefit for the Electro-Voice ZLX-12P.

Connectivity

The Electro-Voice ZLX-12P includes two line-in options, and they support XLR and TRS leads.

These allow you to connect the speaker with other speakers and microphones without any hassle. One more TRS input is included so that you can connect media devices to your speaker.

There are unfortunately no RCA connectivity options, so you are slightly limited with the equipment that you can pair the Electro-Voice ZLX-12P with. We would put this down to the budget-friendly price.

Design

The design of the Electro-Voice ZLX-12P is simple yet sleek.

The all-black casing ensures that the stage monitor will not take too much attention away from you during your performance.

As the stage monitor will be facing you for the entire duration of your performance, there is no reason for it to be designed any other way than basic.

There are rubber feet on the bottom of the machine that can help to keep the speaker stable during your performance. This is great if you don’t want to mount the stage monitor in every venue.

They will prevent the speaker from falling over and potentially breaking.

Summary

Overall, the Electro-Voice ZLX-12P is a reputable speaker that is ideal for musicians just starting out on their live performance journey.

The sound quality is impressive on all accounts besides the low-end, but the tuning modes can help you with this to some extent if you rely on bass notes.

You’ll want your stage monitor to be portable and durable, and the Electro-Voice ZLX-12P delivers on both accounts. It is made from high-quality plastic and doesn’t weigh too much, so carrying it from venue to venue won’t be a hassle.

For a budget-friendly speaker, we were impressed with how many tuning options there were to try out. The design is professional and elegant and there are even handles so you can easily transport it around.

The only issue that we found with the Electro-Voice ZLX-12P stage monitor is that there is a lack of connectivity options.

Having said that, as this is the only real qualm that we have with the Electro-Voice ZLX-12P stage monitor, we think that it is a great piece of equipment for any aspiring musician.