Electro-voice SX80BE User Manual

Sx80

175-Watt Two-Way
Speaker System

• 8-inch woofer and DH2005 compres­sion driver for great sound and
reliable performance

• Constant-directivity 90° x 65° high­frequency horn with VariPath
geometry for uniform coverage

• Ring-Mode Decoupling (RMD
increased intelligibility

• 175-watt long-term rms power
capacity

• Molded-in attachment points allow for
use with brackets

• Available in paintable black (Sx80B) or
white (Sx80W)

™

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Description

The Electro-Voice Sx80 is a compact, two­way, high-efficiency, constant-directivity
speaker system for sound reinforcement and
monitoring. The small size, high sensitivity
and high power-handling capacity of
the Sx80 make it an excellent choice for use
in studios, clubs, bars, theaters or other
applications.

Through extensive use of computer-aided
design and modeling, Electro-Voice engi­neers have developed a state-of-the-art pro­fessional loudspeaker system.

The high-frequency section of the Sx80 uti­lizes a molded-in 90° x 65° constant-direc­tivity horn. This unique pattern contributes
to high intelligibility and aims the speakers
output where it is most useful. V ocals sound
natural yet "cut through" in reverberant,
noisy rooms. In addition, the coverage pat­tern is unusually uniform over it range of
operation. The horn's unique, VariPath
throat geometry helps direct driver output to
the corners of the room, to points of cover­age not described in the usual specifications
of horizontal and vertical coverage angles,
and to parts of the audience that typically do
not receive the strongest coverage.

TM

One of the many other unique features of the
Sx80 is the cabinet. Constructed of high­impact polystyrene it provides a stiff and
extremely durable enclosure. The cabinet
includes threaded inserts for the optional
Sx80MB U-bracket. It also has inserts for

installing with an OmniMount® Series 75
mounting system.

The Sx80’s high-frequency horn is driven by
the DH2005 one-inch throat, wide-band­width, titanium-diaphragm driver. This
driver uses a unique, convex-drive Time
Path™ phasing plug structure (U.S. Patent
#4,525,604) for smooth and extended high­frequency performance. The voice coil is
coupled to the diaphragm with EV’s exclu­sive Resonant Drive™ Technology . This in­creases and smooths the high-frequency re­sponse and reduces the amount of internal
equalization required for flat frequency re­sponse, which extends to 20,000 Hz.

A self-resetting high-frequency protection
circuit, EV’s PRO™ circuit, is included with
the Sx80 to prevent against accidental over­drive and improve system reliability. If the
input power to the high-frequency driver
exceeds the nominal rating, the protection
circuit is activated and reduces the power

delivered to the driver by 6 dB. The system
will remain in this mode of operation until
the input power is reduced to a safe level.

The low-frequency section of the Sx80 is a
203-mm (8-in.) direct radiating woofer in­stalled in an optimally-vented enclosure.
This results in exceptionally extended bass
response and high efficiency in a very small
cabinet.

Ring-Mode Decoupling (RMD™)
Technology

The Sx80 controls both acoustical and me­chanical ring modes to provide dramatically
increased intelligibility, using techniques
learned from the development of the
Electro-Voice X-array™ concert speakers.
There is much less coloration of the sound
from resonating sources, leaving only the in­tended sound to be heard by the audience.

High-Frequency Protection Circuit

The Sx80 crossover includes the Electro­Voice automatically resetting PRO™
for high-frequency driver protection. This
circuit permits short-term transients to pass,
but protects the tweeter from long-term
power extremes that would normally destroy
the tweeter.

circuit

Sx80 175- Watt T w o-Way Speaker System

Enclosure Construction

The Sx80 enclosure is contructed of very­durable High-impact polystyrene that is hard
to dent, scratch, or break. This enclosure
allows for molded in attachment points for
the optional Sx80MB mounting bracket
or for use with an OmniMount® Series
75 mounting system.

The enclosure is paintable to match any de­cor. It is recommended, however , that a small
area should be tested with the desired paint
in order to ensure that there are no adverse
effects and that the paint has sufficient ad­hesion. Care should be taken not to get paint
onto the woofer cone or into the horn throat.

Frequency Response

The combination of a 203-mm (8-inch)

Sx80 175-Watt Two-Way Speaker System

woofer, a wide-bandwidth high-frequency
driver and an equalized crossover results in
the wide and smooth overall response shown
in Figure 1. This response was measured at
1 meter (3.281 feet), using a 2.83-volt swept
sine-wave input in a full-space anechoic
chamber using the internal passive crossover.
No external equalization was used.

Figure 1 also shows the half-space measure­ment of the Sx80 loudspeaker. This curve
gives an indication of how the system will
respond when mounted on a wall, which is a
likely application. This response was also
measured at 1 meter (3.281 feet), using a

2.83-volt swept sine-wave input using the
internal passive crossover. No external
equalization was used.

Connections

The Sx80 is equipped with push-pin input
connectors. Care should be taken to ensure
that the correct polarity is observed when
connecting the Sx80. The push-pins are
marked with + for positive and - for nega­tive.

When Sx80s are connected in parallel, care
should be used to be sure that the impedance
does not become too low for the power am­plifier being used. The nominal impedance
of the Sx80 is 8 ohms.

Constant-Directivity Speaker System

The crossover frequency and speaker com­ponent geometries have been selected so that
the directional characteristics of the woofer
and constant-directivity high-frequency horn
match at the crossover frequency to create a
special system type, the constant-directivity
system. At higher frequencies the horizon­tal coverage pattern remains constant and the
vertical pattern smoothly transitions to a 90°
angle above 5,000 Hz. Response within the
90° x 65° rated coverage angle is uniform,
which means dependable audience coverage
without “hot spots” or dead zones at certain
frequencies. The 90° x 65° dispersion char­acteristic also helps avoid early reflections
from nearby floor or side-wall surfaces which
could degrade performance. The controlled
directivity of the high- and low-frequency
transducers also eliminates response irregu­larities caused by diffraction off nearby en­closure edges and, in combination with an
essentially flat on-axis frequency response,
produces a total acoustic power output that
is uniform with frequency.

Directivity

A unique feature of the Sx80 is the constant­directivity dispersion provided by the
90° x 65° horn. The polar response of the
system at selected one-third-octave band­widths is shown in Figure 2. These polar
responses were measured in a full-space
anechoic environment at 6.1 meters (20 feet)
using one-third-octave pink-noise inputs.
The frequencies selected are fully represen­tative of the polar response of the system.
Beamwidth of the system utilizing the com­plete one-third-octave polar data is shown
in Figure 3. Directivity factor, R
rectivity index, D

, are plotted in Figure 4.

i

and di-

Q,

Power-Handling Capacity

Electro-Voice components and systems are
manufactured to exacting standards, ensur­ing they will hold up, not only through the
most rigorous of power tests, but also
through continued use in arduous, real-life
conditions. The EIA Loudspeaker Power
Rating Full Range (ANSI/EIA RS-426-A

1980) uses a noise spectrum which mimics

typical music and tests the thermal and me­chanical capabilities of the components.
Electro-Voice will support relevant addi­tional standards as and when they become
available. Extreme, in-house power tests,
which push the performance boundaries of
the woofers, are also performed and passed
to ensure years of trouble-free service.

Specifically, the Sx80 passes ANSI/EIA
RS-426-A 1980 with the following values:

R

= 6.21 ohms (1.15 x RE)

SR

= woofer DCR = 5.4

R

E

= 175 watts

P

E(MAX)

Test voltage = 32.97 volts rms,

65.93 volts peak (+6dB)
The “peak” power-handling capacity of a
woofer is determined by the peak test volt­age amount. For the Sx80, a 65.93-volt peak
test voltage translates into 700-watts short­term peak power-handling capacity. This is
the equivalent of four times the “average”
power-handling capacity, and is a peak that
can be sustained for only a few milliseconds.
However, this sort of short duration peak is
very typical in speech and music. Provided
the amplifier can reproduce the signal accu­rately, without clipping, the woofer will also
perform accurately and reliably, even at these
levels.

Amplifier Power Recommendations

As noted in the Power-Handling Capacity
section, above, the Sx80 has a random-noise
power capacity of 175 watts long term (700
watts peak) per ANSI/EIA RS-426-A 1980.
The following guidelines will help relate this
to an appropriate power amplifier output
rating.

1. To use the Sx80 to full capacity, skilled

experts in sound system installation and
operation will obtain the best results if the
power amplifier is 2.0 to 4.0 times the
long-term average noise power rating of
the speaker system. For the Sx80 this is
350 to 700 watts.

The caution cannot be made strongly
enough, however , that this arrangement
is only for experts or those who can dis­cipline themselves against “pushing”
the system for ever-higher sound lev­els and who can avoid “accidents” such

2

Sx80 175- Watt T w o-Way Speaker System

as catastrophic feedback or dropped
microphones.

2. A more conservative, “normal” amplifier
size, which will produce audible results
nearly equal to those of the “expert” rec­ommendation, is 1.0 to 1.4 times the long­term average noise power rating of the
speaker. For the Sx80 this is 175 to 245
watts.

3. To be very conservative, one can use an
amplifier rated at 0.5 to 0.7 times the long­term average noise power rating of the
loudspeaker. For the Sx80 this is 87.5 to

122.5 watts.

Request P.A. Bible Addition No. Two
(“Power Handling Capacity”) for more back­ground on these recommendations.

Service

In the unlikely event the Sx80 requires ser­vice, the woofer can be removed from the
front. The high-frequency driver can be re­moved by separating the front and the rear
halves of the enclosure and removing the bolt
that attaches the driver to the rear. A service
data sheet is available from Electro-Voice.

Suspending Sx80 Enclosures

WARNING: Suspending any object is po-
tentially dangerous and should be attempted
only by individuals who have a thorough
knowledge of the techniques and regulations
of rigging objects overhead. Electro-Voice
strongly recommends that the Sx80 be sus­pended taking into account all current na­tional, federal, state, and local regulations.
It is the responsibility of the installer to en­sure the Sx80 is safely installed in accor­dance with all such regulations. If the Sx80
is suspended, Electro-Voice strongly recom­mends that the system be inspected at least
once a year . If any sign of weakness or dam­age is detected, remedial action should be
taken immediately.

3

The Sx80 enclosure contains seven M6 in­serts and (see Figure 7) which are built into
the enclosure for the purpose of suspension.
These inserts can be used with either the
Sx80MB mounting bracket from Electro­Voice, or with an OmniMount

®

Series 75

mounting system..

Sx80MB

The Sx80MB is a universal U-bracket de­signed to allow the suspension of the Sx80
at any angle and orientation from the wall or
ceiling (See Figure 8). It uses M6 inserts on
the top and the bottom of the enclosure.
There is an extra M6 insert on the top of the
enclosure for a safety chain. Full instruc­tions are included in the Sx80MB engineer­ing data sheet.

OmniMount® Series 75

Four M6 threaded inserts and screws are lo­cated on the rear of the Sx80 for use with
the OmniMount

®

Series 75 support system.
A safety chain should be used to ensure safe
operation. Full instructions for the
OmniMount

®

Series 75 can be obtained

from:

OmniMount Systems Inc.
8201 South 48th Street
Phoenix, AZ 85022
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

Architects’ and Engineers’
Specifications

The loudspeaker shall consist of a 200-mm
(8.0-in.) low frequency transducer in a
vented, trapezoidal-shaped enclosure: a
DH2005 high-frequency compression driver
with a pure titanium diaphragm coupled to a
90° X 65° constant-directivity horn molded
into the front baffle of the enclosure. The
system will use a passive crossover-equal­ize network with protection for the high-fre­quency driver. The loudspeaker shall meet
the following performance criteria: fre­quency response of 65 to 20,000 Hz, -3 dB;
power handling of 175 watts long term and
700 watts short term, with a shaped random­noise input per ANSI/EIA RS-426-A 1980;
sensitivity of 92 dB SPL at 1 meter with a 1­watt, 300-2,000-Hz pink-noise input; 6-dB-

down horizontal coverage angle of 90° + 34°/

-27° in the 2,000- to 20,000-Hz range; 6-dB­down vertical coverage angle of 65° + 31°/

- 4° in the 2,000- to 20,000-Hz range; cross­over frequency of 2,200 Hz; nominal imped­ance of 8 ohms and minimum impedance of

7.2 ohms. Input connectors shall be push
pins. The enclosure shall be constructed of
high-impact polystyrene and fitted with a
powder-coated steel grille, and M6 and M5
threaded inserts for optional accessories.
Dimensions shall be 400 mm (15.75 in.) high
x 292 mm (11.5 in.) wide x 222 mm (8.75
in.) deep. Net weight shall be 7.3 kg (16 lb).

The system shall be capable of producing
average sound levels in excess of 114 dB
in the long term, and short-term peaks of
120 dB.

The loudspeaker system shall be the Elec­tro-Voice Sx80B (black) or Sx80W (white).

Uniform Limited Warranty

Electro-Voice products are guaranteed
against malfunction due to defects in mate­rials or workmanship for a specified period,
as noted in the individual product-line
statement(s) below, or in the individual prod­uct data sheet or owner’s manual, beginning
with the date of original purchase. If such
malfunction occurs during the specified pe­riod, the product will be repaired or replaced
(at our option) without charge. The product
will be returned to the customer prepaid.
Exclusions and Limitations: The Limited
W arranty does not apply to: (a) exterior fin­ish or appearance; (b) certain specific items
described in the individual product-line
statement(s) below, or in the individual prod­uct data sheet or owner’s manual; (c) mal­function resulting from use or operation of
the product other than as specified in the
product data sheet or owner’s manual; (d)
malfunction resulting from misuse or abuse
of the product; or (e) malfunction occurring
at any time after repairs have been made to
the product by anyone other than Electro­Voice Service or any of its authorized ser­vice representatives. Obtaining Warranty
Service: To obtain warranty service, a cus­tomer must deliver the product, prepaid, to
Electro-Voice Service or any of its autho­rized service representatives together with
proof of purchase of the product in the form

Sx80 175-Watt Two-Way Speaker System