The JBL EON One is a small but mighty PA system that delivers 112dB of clear sound that fills the room. It comes with a plethora of easy-to-use features that make it a great portable speaker. With 120 Watts of power and a 12-hour battery life, you can keep the music going for hours. Here is our JBL EON One Compact Review.
Features
One of the best features of this battery-powered speaker is its connectivity. It comes with an integrated four-channel digital mixer. The mixer has two XLR/1/4″ combo inputs, and both of them have phantom power, so you can use them to connect condenser mics or active DI box. The other connections are a dedicated 1/4″ input for any Hi-Z instruments, as well as a 3.5mm Aux and Bluetooth connection for streaming music from your portable devices.
The speaker also features convenient USB inputs, which can serve as charging stations for your devices. The outputs include a 1/4″ pass-through and a 3.5mm headphone if ever you need one.
Easy Controls
With the JBL EON One, you can easily control the EQ, volume, and reverb using the back-panel controls, which are LED-lit. There’s also a built-in ducker that enables you to switch back and forth between music playback and voice levels, which is great for instructors or presenters.
Bluetooth
Bluetooth connectivity allows you to steam and control the PA from your mobile device. While most speaker systems offer this, an extra-sweet feature on this one is that you can control the EQ on the auxiliary Bluetooth channel so that you can control your music playback.
EON Control App
The EON app, available for both iOS and Android, provides extra parameter controls and presets for the four-band EQ, along with the Lexicon and DBX effects like reverb, chorus and delay, and an eight-band output EQ. While all these are located on the back panel, the app gives you control from anywhere in the room.
Design and Portability
The JBL EON One is well-designed to be compact, lightweight, and easy to transport. It’s sturdy and easy to set up, as it’s mostly plug-and-play. The only setup difficulty seems to come when setting up the spacers at the base of the unit. They don’t slide together easily. Some users have used lubricant to get them into place.
Sound Performance
The JBL Eon One has a clear, rich sound that you can fine-tune to your liking using the bass and treble presets or other controls available through the app. Choose from the four bands of EQ for each of the input channels and the eight bands available for your mixed output.
The Delay and Chorus effects give you even more choices. The delay functions as an enhanced reverb feature and allows you to set the time and the level. The chorus feature enables you to set the speed and the level. Plus, for any of the three main input channels, you can select how much of the signal goes to the effects and set the level of return that goes to the main output.
As for the overall sound, the eight-inch woofer delivers like a champ. The low end goes down to 37.5 Hz, delivering deep, punchy bass for a PA system of this size. It sounds clear even at higher volumes and offers the highest volume in its class.
Considerations for Outdoor Use
The JBL Eon One is a compact PA system that does well indoors and for use during smaller events. In those situations, the volume is loud and clear. For outdoors, however, depending on the area you want to cover, you may find that the volume doesn’t carry as much as you need it to. For a large space or crow, you’ll probably need something with a larger subwoofer.
With this speaker, you can easily cater to audiences between 60 to 80 people outdoors, or 90 to 110 people indoors. But keep in mind that sound levels tend to decrease outdoors because sound reflections decrease, but even though the overall volume decrease, this system can still deliver good volume for venues between 60 to 80 people in outdoor events such as a wedding.
Battery Life
While the product description states that the swappable battery lasts for 12 hours, a more realistic number is six hours when used at high volume. Still, you’re getting reliable battery life. Charging time is under three hours, provided you are charging while the unit is off. Plus, you can get extra battery packs that can be swapped fast and easy without the need for any tools; that way, you can keep your event going. Another option is to run the PA system using the included AC cord.
Advantages
This PA system is genuinely compact, which makes it portable and easy to set up. Even the XLR cables have their storage spot inside the unit for transport. You don’t need to lug around an extra heavy stand to lift the unit onto a pole.
Another plus is that the mixer is an included component, which lends to the already excellent sound. Because of the sound quality, along with the abundance of connections, controls, and effects, you’re able to DJ just about any event with style. For the price, you can’t beat it.
We have written a post about the Best Portable PA Systems For Outdoor Events, check it out if you are shopping around for a portable, compact PA system that delivers excellent sound and features.
Disadvantages
As we mentioned above, an annoying factor to this system is the stickiness of the spacers, which don’t snap on and off as they should. The directions do not address this, and many users have taken to spraying them with lubricant to get them to move with less effort.
Also, while it has four inputs, the unit only has two outputs. We think that additional outputs would give the unit greater versatility.
Finally, keep in mind that the sound quality and volume are great, but only in its intended environment, which is indoors or for small to medium outdoor events. If you also play larger gigs, you may want to choose something else. Check our post about Tips for Choosing the Best Portable Pa System For Live Music.
What’s In the Box
Your PA system comes with everything you need to set up and go. The system is an all-in-one unit with a cable-free setup. It also comes with a standard IEC AC cable, a rechargeable lithium battery, and a standard manufacturer’s warranty.
Conclusion
Whatever you need a portable speaker system for, whether DJing, presenting at a conference, wedding event, or teaching, the JBL Eon One compact speaker system is a great choice, especially for the price. It may be small, but it delivers on sound. It works as well for speaking as it does for music playback and acoustic live performances.
Because it’s an all-in-one unit, there’s almost no setup time or messing around with cables. The app works well and gives you full control from your mobile device. Finally, the extra inputs let you hook up everything from a guitar and mic to external players.