I tried out JBL’s newest powered speaker, the PRX900 Series!

One thing that is absolutely necessary for livening up a live concert are the PA speakers because they convey the musicians’ passion through the loud and powerful high-quality sound.

For this issue, I am going to introduce the PRX900 Series, the latest powered speakers from the top brand in the speaker world, JBL.

I made a comparison of the PRX900 Series to the previously released EON700 Series.

Appearance and Input/Output Terminals

Left: PRX912, Right: EON712

The height is almost the same, although PRX912 is a little smaller.

The depth is also almost the same, but the PRX912 is shorter. Both have handles on the top, and both are designed to be easy to grip and carry.

They can also be used as floor monitors by turning them sideways, which provides excellent stability.

The rear panel differs in some areas on the EON700 Series.
The PRX900 Series has pass-through output jacks on input channels 1 and 2, allowing for greater system expandability. Channel 3 has a stereo mini output jack for smartphone and music player connections, which is not available on the EON700 Series.
*The PRX900 Series does not support Bluetooth music playback.

About High-Function DSP

Like the EON700 Series, the PRX900 Series is equipped with a color LCD display, and the MAIN/MENU knob can be used to change various settings on the speaker itself. Let’s also take a look at the screen of the app JBL Pro Connect.

DBX DriveRack Output

AFS stands for “Automatic Feedback Suppression,” and this function automatically suppresses feedback, which is a problem in PA applications because it is a noise that occurs when certain frequencies are looped from microphone to speaker to microphone. It is a nuisance that can not only spoil the lively mood of an event, but it can also damage speakers. A seasoned PA may be able to quickly adjust the EQ based on years of intuition, but this is not always the case. For the PX900 Series, I recommend keeping this feature turned on.
On the EQ screen, you can easily boost the low frequency range to add thickness to the sound by simply turning on the Bass Boost.
The Limiter is a processor that can protect speakers from momentary overload input or intentionally suppress the loudest notes in the master mix.

The 12-band parametric equalizer allows adjustment of center frequency (Frequency) and boost/cut (Gain) for each band, as well as band width (Width) for pinpoint or rough adjustment.

Pass Thru & Time Align

This screen allows you to adjust the sound output from the PRX900 speakers and the sound coming out of the MIX OUT. The presets displayed at the top of the screen can be used to easily recall the best settings, but by selecting Custom, you can also freely set each parameter.
I’m sure you have at least one time heard the echoing from distant speakers at large music events. The Delay function allows for adjusting the time difference between the speakers. For example, when connecting the MIX OUT to full-range speakers located behind the audience, this function delays the output from the speakers closer to the audience. Delay is also used when subwoofers are placed in front of the stage and full-range speakers are placed directly on the stage. In this configuration, the subwoofer connected to the MIX OUT is located closer to the audience, so delaying it slightly more than the full-range speakers allows the low and high frequencies to be perfectly matched and sound pleasant.

Setting

In the “Bluetooth Control Pairing” section of this screen, you can pair the PRX900 speakers with a smartphone or tablet and enable use of the dedicated JBL Pro Connect app.
*Bluetooth is a one-to-one communication, so the same speaker cannot be controlled by multiple devices.

Pairing is very easy.

1. On the speaker side, move the cursor to “BT Control Pairing” and press the MAIN/MENU knob.

2. Select “Setup” on the JBL Pro Connect screen and touch “Add Speakers”.

3. When you touch “Connect” on the speaker you wish to pair, the LCD display on the speaker will show “Pin number is XXXX/Do you want to connect?” Move the cursor to “Yes” and press the MAIN/MENU knob. When the display on the application screen changes to “Connected”, you are done.

G-Sensor

The PRX900 Series has a unique feature called the G-Sensor.
Automatic Position Detect optimizes tuning based on the main or monitor orientation.
When the speakers are used vertically, they automatically set to the “Main” setting. When they are in a horizontal position, the setting changes to “Monitor” for optimized EQ. Although no specific frequencies or boost/cut amounts are listed in the manual or on the JBL’s website product page, the bass sounded suppressed so the sound became clearer and easier to monitor when the speaker was turned sideways and went into the “Auto” setting. This is a convenient function that can be used for various applications on stage by simply changing the position.

Sound Characteristics

This is a story based on my personal feeling, but I was so impressed with the “good sound” of the EON700 Series when I tried them out at the time of their release, so I was excited to see how the PRX900 Series, which is a higher-end series, would differ. When I took turns comparing the sound, I found that there was indeed a difference: The PRX900 Series has more sound pressure and thickness to the core and contour of the low frequency range probably because the PRX900 speakers are heavier in weight and have a higher amplifier output power. The mid and high frequency ranges also have more of a push feel with less sound skipping and better sound extraction. Compared to the sound of the EON700 Series, the PRX900 Series is simply an upgrade in every way.

Sound House hurriedly prepared a comparison video of the JBL powered speakers, so please take the time to listen to them with headphones and compare.

What do you think?
The newly added PRX900 Series are powered speakers with high sound quality and high functionality that as is said in the description, “take professional portable PA performance to a new level” and “level up one or two ranks”. Check out the PRX900 Series, which will help your music event succeed with better sound!

For New PRX900 Series Owners

Please go to “Firmware Update” when pairing for the first time.
The procedure is as follows.

1. Touch “Firmware Update” on the “More” screen of the JBL Pro Connect.

2. Touch the firmware icon that is to the right of “Firmware Updated” to start the firmware update. The update will take a few minutes to reach 100%. Do not touch anything and please wait.

3. After reaching 100%, wait for a short while until the speaker automatically reboots to complete the update.

4. If the update is interrupted by closing the application or turning off the speaker during the update, the “Please Update” message will appear on the LCD display and the speaker will not be usable even if turned on again. Please turn on the speaker and launch the firmware screen in the application to resume updating until completion.