JBL PRX ONE Powered Column PA Speaker Reviews

The JBL PRX One speakers are the best new thing I have bought for my dj rig in a long time. They are replacing some aging QSC's, and I couldn't be more pleased! The sound is fantastic, from the highest highs to the lowest lows. They haven't let me down yet, and the weight and space savings can't be beat. Buy some today!

I can't say enough good things about these speakers. I purchased two and, the amount of clear sound that comes through them is amazing! They are exceptionally simple to operate (I knew NOTHING about this kind of stuff) but LOTS of customizable options. The BT has zero latency so, I can pair it with my laptop and projector and have a great outdoor movie experience. I used them for a ceremony as well and, everyone was impressed with the sound.
Derek Spaulding set me up with everything I needed and, I would suggest talking to him if you know as little as I did!
Side note, spend the extra money for the rolling transporter cover - I absolutely LOVE it! (Derek's recommendation).

Excellent speaker, amazing.
Works fabulous. I love it

I just got this new JBL PRX One, and I haven't had alot of time to play around with it yet, but so far I am blown away by the sound clarity and performance of this small unit. You could definitely DJ small venues with one of these. I bought it mainly for smaller acoustic gigs, and so far it sounds amazing but I have alot of learning to do with it, so I'm sure it will only get better sounding as I tweek things. I also love to just hook up my phone and jam it around the house and the bass SLAMS! It's mind blowing for a 12" subwoofer honestly! I would HIGHLY recommend this!

System arrived exactly on time and in perfect condition. Unit is light and rugged. Very well built. Sound is clean and powerful. System is easy to break down and reassemble and easy to transport. PA system is generous and allows for full mics and instruments which makes setting up in small space easy.

I would complain about the lack of a full owner's manual. The quick start instructions are woefully inadequate. It took hours to finally familiarize myself enough to get the system up and running. I certainly recommend JBL or even Sweetwater consider making an instructions upgrade.

Randy Cottrell

The set up was very simple. I had sound coming out in just a few minutes. The mixer worked great. The controls for effects are easy to manage. Crystal clear sound in a portable package. I sound better than ever. The bluetooth feature allows me to play music during my break.

Love this new sound system! Makes it so much easier to bring to a gig. Set up time in less than 15 minutes adding a mixer and one XLR chord to unit. The real treat is when you turn it on, great clarity of sound from the bottom to the top. I'm set now to do any solo gig inside or outside! May get another for bigger venues.

Thank You, Sweetwater.com,
Happy Customer John D Buchanan

I'm so glad I made the decision to get this system. The sound is unbelievable!
Once I GOT IT UP AND RUNNING It is a breeze to work. Back in the House! Nack in Business DJing again.

The JBL PRX ONE is everything that we were looking for in our classroom sound system. It covers a big open space with awesome sound quality. Richard and the Sweetwater team did a great job communicating and making sure everything was done in a timely manner and went above and beyond. Recommend to everyone!

I just received and set up my JBL PRX One. The sub base is easy to carry yet is substantial. The tower feels securely attached. I turned it on, and after a moment's confusion about how high to set the master volume, I had sound. Just like a regular mixer, the master volume needs to be up at 0. I attached a mic in channel 1, an LR Baggs DI box on channel 2, a beatbuddy in channel 3, and an Ipad on channel 7. I set up the channels via the app on my ipad. Every setting was easy to find, and I was playing guitar and singing quickly. My first impression is that the highs and mid are crystal clear, and the lows feel punchy and precise. I added some reverb and chorus to the mic and guitar. The effects sounded nice. I know there are many more settings to explore. Overall, this PA sounds really nice. As always, Sweetwater's selection, shipping, and customer service shined. I like that I have had the same sales engineer, Patrick Lantz, for 10 years. I chose this unit over the Bose Pro 16 or Pro 32 because of price, reviews, and the 7 channels available on the JBL.

I bought 2 of these along with the Zoom Live Trak L20R-channel mixer....Having these components makes for a great set up....
First - these PRX 1s have lots of juice and really great features for a single player setup or a band - with 2 it's exponential, much more than 2xs the functionality.

Couple this with Live Trak this is awesome, set up Stereo or Mono, You have some feed to the left, some to the right and some central....Here is an example: Have Lead vocals channel as central (both left and right), Lead guitar to the right side, Keys to left....IF you have the money this is worth the investment..

I've done sound for our trio as well as small festivals for many years, several with other "stick" PA systems. With this PA, we can do sound for a trio with 2 electric guitars, harmonica and keys as well as 3 vocals while controlling the sound from my performance chair. We no longer need to drag 2 guitar amps, mains, monitors, stands!!

I highly recommend it.

My only wish - real documentation on the apple Bluetooth PA control application. It has been a discovery process with little help from the PDF docs I've found.

Very new to performing but after a fairly extensive review of comparable systems, I settled on the PRX ONE. What appealed to me in particular, was the ability to quickly generate great sound without being an audio expert (using the presets provided). There's more than enough volume and the sound is crystal clear. I also liked the ability to control the PRX ONE via an app and that firmware can be updated. My expectation here is that over time, both the unit's performance and the app itself will be improved and enhanced. To date, very pleased with this purchase.

I am a former Bose l1 Model II w/ T8S mixer. Sold the Bose l1 but kept the T8S mixer so I could use with PRX One.
The PRX is as loud or louder than the Bose and has all the tone you could possibly need with its on board effects (DSP) and 7 channel mixer that has graphic eq, this line array rivals and exceeds the Bose (three input mixer with limited DSP).
The on-board effect and DSP are matched in a very easy to use App, adjustments made through the app are done instantly in real time!
Ground thumping low end with lush mid-range and clear and transparent highs. The JBL PRX ONE sounds great!

Oh I almost forgot it's 1/2 the price of a Bose L1 Pro32 without the T8S.

I'm using it for meetings to amplify multiple presenters with video and music. I like the anti feedback system. It has great sound and decent power.
I'm going to buy another to add more fill to the room. They are easy to link together and control from the app.

I just got my PRX One yesterday and can't stop playing with it. I had been looking at several of the Bose systems but couldn't decide between the L1 pro 8 or 16. Then JBL dropped the PRX one.
I love the sound of this speaker system. It is crystal clear, solidly built ( tower feels solid enough) and loud as heck. The bass is deep and rich.
There was no instruction manual with the unit. I thought the learning curve was a bit steep but doable. The app is not as intuitive as I would have hoped and is a little clunky but can do a lot for you once you dig in.
I don't know how you can do better in this price range.
Homerun JBL

I just received one of these and it is REALLY impressive. The sound quality is excellent but the KILLER feature is the app. It is super easy to use but VERY powerful. Check out the videos on my youTube channel for tips and tricks on how I am using it.

I had written a 4 star review anonymously and can't seem to edit it now, so I'm writing this in order to change some incorrect information and increase my rating to 4.5. Below is the pertinent text from my 4 star rating but I was wrong about the need to re-pair Bluetooth connection every time the system powers up. I must have just been impatient. I now find that if you power up the system and open the mobile control app (JBL Pro Connect) it reconnects automatically for control to my tablet after a short wait. Also reconnects to my phone for audio without intervention. So now the only reason I knocked off half a star is about the Pass Thru function I describe below.

I haven't done many gigs with this yet, but I really like almost everything about it and I got great feedback the few times I gigged with it. Great sound, very powerful, tons of capability, generous channel count, great onboard effects, very portable (although that sub is surprisingly beefy and weighty). I wouldn't necessarily believe all the reviews that say the interface on the unit and the mobile app are clumsy or non-intuitive. I think the mobile app is perfectly intuitive and full-featured (check out some youtube videos on the mobile app and decide for yourself). I do prefer using the mobile app versus the menus on the unit itself. Clicking through drill-down menus on the unit itself seems like a compromise that was needed in order to fit the 7-channel mixer and features onto the unit but it is not as easy as using the mobile app.

Also, I really like the subsynth effect! Can provide a nice bass quality while playing acoustic guitar or even an octave-like vocal effect!

The only reason I knocked off half a star:

I wish the pass-thru (mix-out) feature could have 2 modes, one as a monitor/aux out and the other for extending to another main speaker or sub. Although the pass-thru has it's own volume control, it is also affected by the main level, so if you want to use it like I do to feed a monitor, the monitor volume will change with the main volume level, so you have to then compensate with the pass-thru volume. I get why it's set up that way if you want to use pass-thru for second column or another sub, but would be nice if it could work in a monitor mode as well (maybe a feature could be added with firmware change?).

Overall I'm thrilled with it though!

As a mobile DJ these have been a game changer. I have used them for Weddings, Campgrounds and School Events. They are easy to set up and they sound great. The App can be a little confusing but once you work through it you are good to go.

I have two of these and love them. It takes a little bit of time in understanding the user interface...having access to an iPad and the app is a must to take full advantage of these. Especially if trying to use the effects or troubleshooting issues that may be result of routing or internal muting that isn't readily obvious. That's probably my only critique.

While you can get away with using just these speakers as a solo act (vocals and guitar)...if using this in more of a band setting...I would use a mixer for ease and quick intuitive access as mixing from the onboard controls is cumbersome. It does have bluetooth capability, but I can't figure out how to play my iPhone through both speakers at the same time....it only pairs to one or the other speaker. I dont' think it's possible, so plugging your phone into the AUX jack might be the better way to go....or use a mixer with BT and feed the speakers from L and R main.

I am very happy with the way they sound, some people say they can't get a good sound out of them, but they probably just haven't accessed the EQ settings within the app...makes all the difference. Plenty of bass response for indoors...but for outdoors it would make more sense to add a dedicated Subwoofer (which I do)...this allows the PRX speakers to carry the mids and highs with ease, while the dedicated subwoofer takes on the power hogging bass frequencies.

It sounded very clear. But it just wasn't loud enough for me.

I recently bought one of these. I perform my music usually with an 8 pc band..horns and all, but sometimes I perform them with a 3 pc or a 5pc so I ordered this speaker for those smaller gigs to avoid hiring a sound crew. First I used it with an acoustic 3 pc and it worked great (although the learning curve to use it was hard for me) Then we had a 5 pc gig lined up and my sound guys could not make it. It was for a small club so I decided to just use this system. To my surprise it was totally sufficient. The only reason I am giving it 4 and not 5 starts is that in my opinion it is not novice sound guys user friendly. It was a bit frustrating to understand the menu, but once I got it somewhat working I was shocked how good it sounded. I ran 2 vocals a sax and bass drum through it. No monitors . Oh and my guitar player brought a marshal stack :-)

i got this to use for our accoustic version of our band to simplify things. I am pleased with the sound of it. it has decent volume. we use a behringer x air 16 for mixing the accoustic band which is a 4 pc. 2 accoustic guitars, accoustic bass,3 vocals and a cajon. it has a good full sound the 12" has enough bass for what we do...it is there and sounds good but not chest pounding....accoustic band remember..i have used the internal mixer for band practice a few times.....the gain structure in it is touchy and it comes on quick and the app is not all that. but overall i am happy with it

4.5 stars actually.
These are great. At low-medium volume (which is still pretty loud) they are every bit as good as my heavy PRX 12" and PRX sub.
However, I sometimes have gigs with a loud drummer and two electric guitars and their amps. The PRX One can't keep up in this situation. Mind you, I only have one but I'm not sure that buying a 2nd is worth it because this system's bass can be heard but not felt like my PRX 718.
These are lightweight and portable and perfect for 85% of my needs. However I can't get rid of the back-breakers… I just use them less.

Overall great sound. Acoustic guitar, keyboard and SM58 (microphones solid) sound great. Presets for EQ, Compression, Effects were well set starting points. Had a slight learning curve on onboard mixer controls. Needed help on wireless IPad control setup. Tech support helped update firmware for PRX 1 (not listed in instructions) then connection with IPad made. Some trouble with lag time on wireless control. Would try to raise volume with ipad 1 or 2 decibels, Unit would not respond, then jump 4 or 5 decibels. Used this one unit in place of 2 bose L1 for FOH. Used a bose L1 as monitor for on stage from PRX 1 line out. Software response improvements needed on wireless control.

First off, I have a love hate relationship with this speaker.
The good:
-Some of the best sound in it's class. It might be the best sounding.
-Very portable
-you could use it to DJ for a 100-200 person event. It's that loud.
-Decent low end, and really good highs
-Lots of inputs (if you can figure it out :)
-Lost of great features with compression, reverb etc (once again if you can figure it out)

The bad:
-Horrible app set up and I mean terrible
-Cannot mix on the fly(you will have to set your settings and not touch it again) I would use a small portable mixer if I were you because that is how bag the knobs are with regards to the sensitivity
-I use this for live sound and djing and i turned off all effects and set everything perfectly to where i wanted it and do not touch it
-Bluetooth connection issues. If you do get it to work and then update the firm wear you will lose all of your settings. I don't even use the bluetooth so if I have to connect to a phone I hard wire it but maybe a better connection is coming.
-Save your settings! You will lose everything you did like I said if not.

Once again a love/hate with this speaker. As crazy as it sounds I might get a 2nd one, but like I said set the thing how you like and move on. I turned off all effects and do not even use any of it.

I had an old PRX (710's on top) PA with little powered Samson 15" subs that was getting older and the subs were not keeping up with the demand of a hard rockin' band (I mean, for what they are we got our money's worth out of them for sure)...

Looked around at all the options (Bose, Inspire - which I use at work - , EV - which a bunch of my buddies use - , etc... and the JBL's kept calling my name. My singer had just picked one PRX ONE up for his acoustic solo shows to replace his EON One MKII that he had been using for a while.

First the setup - Holy cow is setup fast and easy. I work in live sound and have spent more time hanging and stacking arrays than I'm proud to admit, so to have both speakers 'put together' and patched into my system in basically a minute is amazing. I tend to get to the venue before my band so I have time to setup the system before they get there and this makes that easy - sooo fast!

Next the controls - I run a console into the PRX One's, so I haven't even downloaded the app - I'll have to do firmware updates before our next show so I'm going to have to get the app, but do not plan on using the app ever. The onboard mixer is pretty robust, and while you COULD spend time digging through menus the basic modes are either the knobs control the gains (volumes - they work a bit differently than you'd think) OR the knobs control the different functions (Gain, Bass, Mid, Treble, Reverb, Delay, Chorus) for whichever channel is selected. In my opinion that really couldn't be easier. If I were using the unit standalone, I'm sure it might feel a bit more cumbersome trying to get to the deeper controls, but getting channels turned on/up and basic EQ/FX seem pretty straight-forward

Then there is the sound - It takes a bit of getting used to - because it's not a spike of high frequencies right beside your head (I used to have one of those PRX 710's up next to my head) and it seemed like it wasn't really all that loud, but when I stepped out front and got a little distance it was nicely clear and crisp and my fears were calmed... The CLIP light does seem to come on pretty early (waaaaaay before any actual distortion) but we are running everything direct (E-Drums, Bass, 2 guitars and 3 vocals). The subs also take a bit of mental adjustment - they sound much louder ON stage than they do out front, so I have to run it a little hotter than with the old system (which is fine for me, I'm the bass player). We are also on In-Ears, so a little more 'thump' on stage is not a bad thing!

I've used them for a jazz quartet outside for 200 people and that is about the limit for these. We weren't running them to distortion, but beyond that audience I'd safely say you'd need to add more speakers or a delay set. Mostly we use them for smaller venues either inside or outside and they perform well. Side- note and not specific to these speakers: I did add some small powered speakers on the stage as 'stage fills' and put a stereo mix of the instruments and just a touch of the vocals in them - this helps when people approach the band to make requests or want to join and sing with the band - the PRX One's were doing a great job covering the seating/audience area but on-stage the volume was so low, it was almost unnatural (again, we run everything direct/controlled). Once I added those (even just using a pair of Powerwerx/Kustom PA50's, which ended up being my preferred boxes for this purpose because of their size) stage-fills everything feels more gelled-together and if I need to pull an in-ear out to talk to someone I can still get a good 'on-stage' feeling at a completely reasonable volume!)

Transporting is easy, though the nylon on one of the covers is already ripping. My car has sooo much extra space now, these things BOTH/Together take up just a little more room than ONE of the powered subs I used to bring, and because the tops come in a nylon bag, you can slide them wherever you need to.

I'm still getting used to these, even though it's been months. I think I've also had a lot of 'stressful extras' thrown at me on most gigs (not related to the JBL's) so I'll keep analyzing them over some (hopefully) more run-of-the-mill gigs. I also plan on putting them against the EON MKII and Inspire 3000's (we have both of those in our inventory) soon and I'll do a comparison video! Photos are Kilgroov (band facing drummer), Second Echo (band inside venue) and Jazz Quartet outdoors

Mine arrived yesterday. Once I got it assembled and running, the first issue I encountered was related to listening position - standing vs seated. When standing, the top of the column is at the average persons head height. The audio was full range - rich lows through nice, airy, highs. As soon as I sat down, boom! - highs GONE instantly - leaving only lows through high mids. This is probably due to the unit's relatively narrow, vertical, look angle (30 deg). My test space is small and I could only get 10 ft away from the unit. At that distance some of the highs started to return. Perhaps further out the sound spectrum would expand more. That said, my impression is that this unit is not suited for intimate, sit-down venues. Better suited for events where folks will be up on their feet.

Download the phone/tablet app and update the firmware first thing, otherwise the remote app won't work!

The gain staging approach for this unit is a bit different due to its volume based, automatic, mic/line level switching. Set channel volume at -100 (i.e. as low as it will go). Set master volume near unity (about -6). SLOWLY bring channel volumes up to desired mix and sound level. If they ask you to turn it down, turn down the master volume.

Volume wise - It scared my wife and my cats. It'll do ;-)

Sound quality is exactly what you would expect from JBL. However, it is difficult to get the volume you would expect from a system with this power without clipping. You can get significantly more volume from playing music through it (DJ use) than you can plugging in mics and instruments.

The mixer interface seems like JBL geared the use towards a beginner while trying to pack it with pro features. Ultimately, it left the interface unfriendly to either beginners or pros! Does work well after figured out, but there is a learning curve regardless of audio experience.

No separate gain and channel volume. This presents the largest issue. JBL tried to simplify by only having one master gain per channel instead of gain and volume. Because of this, if you decide to change the volume of any channel, your compressions and gate threshold settings need to be changed. Very odd choice for a company making gear primarily for professional use.

Overall the sound is great and my primary use is for a duo. Our presets are saved and typically only only need to adjust master volume and EQ from gig to gig, so the unit is still great for me. I'll stick with a separate mixer for larger groups.

First off yes they sound great with lots of
Factory sets and ones you can adjust. Lots
Of volume here no problem with that. The
App is not user friendly and tends to lock
You out especially if you're paring two of them.
As the instructions said for plugging and
XLR pass through into a Channel of the
Second amp, watch out for noise. They
Sound great with an Acoustic Guitar or
Electric no issues there. But it is trying
To get them to work together is where
The issues come up. App constantly
Kicks you out. Updating and Firmware
Did not help. These are just high powered
Priced speakers that work well alone.
Having a mic work through both units
Does not work so a mixer is needed
So they become stand alone Speakers
Controlled by an outboard mixer. Once
They get the app issue fixed
Should be ok, but lots of people on
Line are complaining about the app
Issues. No manual, no trouble shooting
Guide, then you have to down load the
Manual, really! Most electronic items
Have a manual and plenty of guidance
For trouble shooting. Wander where that is?
I did purchase two of them and they do
Have an amazing sound but just be aware
Of some issues controlling two of them
And the app if you need all that. One can
Work just fine and you can add external
Powered speakers to it or send the to
A mixer for recording.

I have always respected the JBL name, having owned multiple JBL passive speakers over many years. I have friends with BOSE and EV tower PA systems, and was ready to make a move to a more convenient, all in one type of PA, and ended up choosing the PRX One based on my sales engineer recommendation, and feature comparison. The sound and convenience were great, but when I took the step of utilizing the pro connect app, I was really disappointed. Let's just say it is not a seamless integration. I had set up for a gig and the app took over the PRX volume and the unit powered itself off and on, so we had to patch together another PA to make it through the set. They have updated the app, but I am returning my PRX and going with EV Evolve 50M for my future direction. Hope they get the tech sorted out, because it is a great sounding unit!

I perform as a solo artist and in Duo's and trios. I Play acoustic guitar and sing.

I wanted one of these systems for the sake of easy setup (built in Mixer) and to be able to have some mixing flexibility. All of the features are there and it certainly is priced well for the features it has.

First, The speakers sound pretty good. I have played through BOSE systems before but didn't really care for the sound. This is much more to my liking in terms of sound. So if I were rating this setup strictly on the premise of sound, I would give it a solid 5.

Unfortunately, The control with the JBL app and all of the wireless functionality is not reliable at all. I have the latest app version and did the firmware update and have Tried on both my Pixel 6 and my Ipad. The functionality between the app and the device is just not reliable. I won't speculate why this is. It is disappointing though. the features the mixer has are fantastic but just too much to try to control through the back of the device. I bought it because i wanted to leave the mixer home and now I find myself taking a mixer with me so I can have easier control of EQ and effects when I perform. As well, I have a hard time getting a steady stream of bluetooth music to it. It stutters and struggles and on most occasions, I couldn't even get my break music to play from my phone.

I am hopeful that JBL will come out with a firmware update or App update that fixes some of these issues. Think JBL makes great consumer and pro audio products. This would be a 5 if the remote control feature worked.

The sound production from these speakers is incredible. For our shows, we tethered 2 of them together, and as a result have run into nothing but headaches with the support app that controls all functions. In short, the app is severely lacking in capability and access to various functions and controls. We are going to have to return the speakers in favor of something more manageable for our purposes. Without being able to fully control inputs and outputs, the system is essentially useless.

I've had this speaker for 6 month's now with the plans to purchase another to have a pair that would work off of each other, but after 6 month's I just get the feeling that JBL doesn't really care to make this a good product. I just had a show on Friday and due to a forced firmware update I was unable to use the already finicky and unfriendly remote software that is provided by JBL called PRO Connect. I don't think JBL knows what PRO is supposed to stand for. The software is only available for either a phone or pad and not for PC so if you run your show off a PC, you need you phone or pad as a second device. The forced firmware update killed my remote capability and there was no way around it. Due to this the sound had too much bass and I had no way to turn it down unless I went through the cumbersome console controls. To make it worse, I was able to finally install the firmware update only to find it kicked me out of my remote software all together with the console screen reading my software needed to be updated...AFTER THE UPDATE. Long story short...Don't buy JBL if you want to do things professionally. At least, don't waste your money on this thing.

INTRODUCTION

I was looking for simpler PA for my current latin jazz guitar/bass/percussion trio.

The JBL PRX ONE, with 4 mic inputs, 2 line inputs, and the AUX/Bluetooth input seemed like a sweet and simple solution for my working band. The built in AFS, compressors, limiters, and FX engine—at least on paper—seemed like the perfect solution.

Given that the JBL PRX ONE is fairly new, I did not find ANY detailed reviews, which gave me pause.

I was a little hesitant, due to the lack of any significant reviews anywhere of the JBL PRX ONE. But based on JBL's pedigree, the strong feature set of the PRX ONE, and Sweetwater's no B.S. support reputation, and an upcoming deadline, I decided to pull the trigger.

As always, Sweetwater's excellent sales and fulfillment was as expected, and I received a nifty box on my porch in 2 days via FedEx.

I popped open the box and found a neatly and efficiently packaged PRX ONE, with a 10-foot power cord, a Quick Start Guide, and a carrying case for the column portion of the system.


FIRST IMPRESSIONS

I first set the unit up in my studio live room. The physical set up is quick, easy, and self-explanatory—you really can't do this "wrong". The columns only fit one way to each other and the base unit.

The column sections and the tabs that connect them to each other and to the base unit are heavy plastic, and so, are given to a bit of flexing. If a drunken patron were to attempt to use it to lean on, the whole column would likely break off at the base, easily disabling your system with no way to repair it in the field.

Once assembled, I pushed the power button, and…nothing. Oh, you're supposed to press and HOLD the power button. OK, I suppose that is protection against accidental power on/off. And then we wait…for what seems to be about 15 seconds before the main menu appears on the base unit. There seems to be an awful lot going on during that bootup process.

OK, now, how do I pair with my phone via Bluetooth to get some tunes going? Hmm…. I fished through all the menus and finally, and the very BOTTOM, in the Settings menu are "BT Control" and "BT Audio". OK, so I paired the unit with my iPhone, and we had audio.

Indoors, the unit is quite loud, inescapable, and maybe even a little scary. The wide dispersion takes some getting used to. The JBL PRX ONE is capable of ear-splitting levels…when you are standing right next to it.


AUDIO QUALITY IMPRESSIONS: Clear, clean, somewhat forward highs and high mids (tamable with EQ), and punchy but not heavy bass. Maybe a little "wooly" in the low end, but again, likely fixable with a little EQ.

I figured: OK, let's break the unit in for a bit and see if anything changes. I fired up Bruno Mars "24K Magic" to test the slam and sub-bass, and entertained the neighbors for a short while. The missus was found to be tapping her feet happily--on the other side of the house.

So far, so good.


REMOTE CONTROL VIA BLUETOOTH/IOS

I did some initial testing at home with three IOS devices: An 11-inch iPad Pro (2nd gen), an iPad Mini (2021), and an iPhone 11 Pro Max. The results were the same regardless of device.

Setting up: It appears that the PRX ONE requires a bit of "handshaking" to set up remote control on an IOS or Android device. Connection must be initiated via the base unit Settings menu. So at least that keeps most chuckleheads out of your system.


But once you have installed the JBL Pro Connect application on your IOS/Android device, the PRX ONE starts to show its weaknesses:

• The app is sluggish.
• The app UX is a dark yellow with very small text on a black background, which is difficult to see even in ideal conditions. Given my moderate visual impairment, the UX was very difficult to use.
• Some controls, such as compressors and the FX sends don't work at all via the app. (I used v0.0.9 on IOS.) If there is an "expert" mode to unlock all features, I couldn't find it. There is nothing about this in the downloadable user manual.
• Fine adjustments for faders, EQ, AFS, compression, or limiting is just about impossible with a finger. There is no way to select "fine" vs "coarse" adjustments, which means every adjustment via the app, regardless of the size of the device, is a ridiculously coarse one. One touch of a fader produces a +/- 10dB adjustment, MINIMUM. This is completely unacceptable for use by live musicians, especially while trying to play an instrument.
• The app looks NOTHING like a pro audio mixing application. The amount of drilling into menus, scrolling, and sluggishness/unresponsiveness is absurdly unacceptable. And the fact that version 0.0.9 is the production version of the app says that the absolute minimum effort and user testing was done before the app was shipped. (Note that it's not possible to use the JBL Pro Connect app in offline mode for testing, at least on IOS.)


FIRST GIG IMPRESSIONS

The stage area was on one end of an approximately 40 X 100-foot back yard, with chairs and open tents for approximately 50 people.

Given that the remote control capability was a complete bust, I opted to use a small outboard mixer to regain control of my mix, running into inputs 5/6 on the PRX ONE.

We set the PRX ONE up between the guitarist and the bass player, with the performers located about 3 feet behind the PRX ONE. On stage, the PRX ONE is loud, and we needed the volume to reach the other side of the yard, so we had the unit cranked to -3dB on the master volume (to save a little headroom) and unity gain on input channels 5/6.

Before long, the client came and asked us to TURN UP. He was pleased with the music and wanted it to be more in everyone's face. So we pretty much maxxed out the clean headroom, using compressors in the mixer, unity gain on the mixer master fader. I took a walk across the yard with the band playing, and was surprised at the great clarity and sound quality at closer distances (up to 50 feet away). But beyond 50 feet, the volume fell off significantly and was not sufficient to cover the entire yard (at a distance of 75-100 feet).

As we performed, we did enjoy the clarity of all the instruments on stage, with ample volume for a spirited performance. We did hear a slight bit of ringing, but never experienced feedback, even with the system turned almost all the way up.



PROS & CONS

PROS

The JBL PRX ONE delivers excellent sound quality at "polite" volumes over the 130-degree dispersion pattern, up to approximately 50 feet away. Beyond that, the impact falls off drastically.

The experience on stage for performers is enjoyable, with plenty of volume and clarity to assure a good performance.

There is significant bass output from this unit for acoustic acts, but adding a 5-string bass or cajon/kick drum would quickly overwhelm the system, pushing it into limiting.

CONS

Significant power-on delay, which is not confidence-inspiring.

Plastic non-locking physical connectors appear to be a likely point of failure.

Non-locking XLR inputs are not confidence inspiring.

The biggest cons are in remote control app (I only tested on IOS):

Difficult to use.

Difficult to see (labels are too dark and too small on all devices).

Controls are laggy and sometimes completely unresponsive.

Fine adjustments are impossible. A slight adjustment with your finger produces a 10 dB change--way too crude for real time adjustments, especially while performing with an instrument.

The UX design looks nothing like an audio mixing application. There is a ridiculous amount of unnecessary scrolling for a 7-channel mixer—on all sizes of IOS device.

Broken FX—no sends, no FX adjustments. Couldn't even test these.

Software is on v0.0.9…looks like not even a production release.



SUMMARY

Who this is for:
• Typical user case might be a solo guitarist/vocalist or keyboardist in a coffeehouse situation, small outdoor patio, or restaurant dinner music situation.
• Party music for 50-100 people
• Any situation that requires better than average coverage and clarity that requires only what I would call "polite" volume in an outdoor setting.
• Anyone who sets their mix and doesn't change it at all while performing.

Who is this NOT for:
• Anyone who needs full control of their mix via a remote control solution—the app, as-is, is not functional for most real-world real-time mixing requirements.
• A full band with drums.
• A larger gathering (more than 100 people).
• Any bands with a 5-string bass.
• Any situation that requires above average volume and slam from the PA.

If JBL were to completely re-write the remote app to be an actual professional tool, I would give the PRX ONE serious consideration. With a major overhaul of the app software (or opening the API to third party developers), this product would be KILLER for bands like mine. A 5-minute setup with a mixer snapshot would be FANTASTIC.

But as it is, I cannot recommend this product.

Sadly, I will be returning the unit and continuing my quest for a simple, powerful, and easy to use column PA solution.

I must say I have always been a fan of Jbl until I meet Ev! I own the Ev's 50 in white. I wanted them in black as well but they were out of stock. I ran across the Prx ones and looked at the reviews. The reviews were decent. First I will tell you the features that enticed me about the Prx one. I like that it had one top speakers than the ev50, more input ports, 2000watts vs 1000 with the ev50. It was lighter in weight and and cheaper. They also had it in stock in black! Score win win, so I thought. My Ev's sound was si sick straight out the box! The prx one, wont even play straight out the box. The sound is good at low volumes or small intimate spaces. Still not as rich or as loud as the ev50's. I don't know if I got a bad pair or what but this speakers suck! I expect more for spending $ for two spakers. Please don't waste you money on these! Or id you want you can buy mine at a discounted rate! You've been warned!

Bummed. That's about all I can say. I wanted a simple, compact, all in one solution for practicing, playing solo gigs, and small outdoor worship leading. I researched for a month, even talked with my Sweetwater rep about what I wanted to do before pulling the trigger.

The controls are mounted at the back, with the knob labels right side up as viewed from the back. At home, I need to put it in a corner near the wall, where, you guessed it, I can't really read the knob labels. Not that it matters, they don't do what they say they are unless you are in the correct "mode".

Functions are accessed and identified on a tiny screen. I have to use reading glasses to see things small and up close, and even then you have to drill through too many menu's to do anything. It's really easy to think you're turning up the volume on a channel, when you're actually screwing with the tone, and really easy to think you're adjusting the tone, but you're screwing with the volume. Forget asking someone to help you, without the owners manual, no one can just jump up and tweak a setting.

I supposed if I used it more often, the controls might make sense, but as a casual infrequent user, I wish it was a good old fashioned mixing board. I wind up pulling out my laptop and reading through the online owners manual every time I use it.

The bluetooth connection has to be paired every time, again, via a drill down menu.

In the end, I will wind up setting two channels completely neutral, and using my old mixing board.

If you don't care about bass. Than this product is adequate. If you think this product will have any type of bass reverberation your going to be disappointed as I was. It's loud and crisp but there's no balls in the bass category. I'm telling it like it is and I'm very disappointed w it.

This thing is total garbage. I've had it for 7 months and it's already failed me. I had to stop mid-performance because it died, and cancel upcoming shows because I can't fix the issue. It crackles and then sounds like there's nothing but bass, and after being on for about 30 minutes, the main knob won't work. I am so disappointed in this thing.

Brand new JBL PRX ONE arrived safely and well packed. Set it up per the manual ... paired both audio and controls. Yes, that's right ... you have to pair this speaker twice. First thing I noticed was how harsh the top end was. Then when we attempted to adjust the EQ we could not access them from the app. The mixer sliders on the app would work intermittently even with the iPhone right on top of the speaker. After several weeks of living hell with this speaker I made a detailed video and sent it off to Sweetwater. Tech support finally wound up turning me over to JBL tech support. JBL had me do a firmware update from 5.04 to 5.09. I had already updated the firmware once to 5.04 to try and resolve the bugs in the app. After the 5.09 update the speaker would no longer pair with my iPhone. JBL could not help any further other than a hollow promise that some update will be coming some day. Yeah ... not good enough. JBL admitted they were aware of the issues so why did they ship the product? I should be getting paid good money for beta testing their product! How did this design flaw even get past their QC department? I won't be buying JBL anytime soon. EV appears to have a much better reputation. I would recommend avoiding the JBL PRX ONE unless you don't need the Bluetooth capability. This should not be that hard to deliver a quality product!