Electro-Voice EVM-15B
A fifteen-inch bass driver with a sixteen-pound magnet and a rated 400 watts of continuous handling. It turned up in bass bins and in factory-tuned Thiele cabinets.
Overview
A sixteen-pound magnetic structure is the first thing anyone notices about the EVM-15B. Electro-Voice built the driver for low-frequency work, and that mass is a big part of it. It explains why this woofer shows up in so many bass rigs and sound-reinforcement bins decades after it left Buchanan, Michigan.
The EVM-15B belongs to the EVM Pro-Line Series. Electro-Voice's own literature is plain about it: the -15B and its sibling the EVM-15L are intended for general-purpose, low-frequency reproduction, with the -15L reserved for systems that also need response above 3.5 kHz. The -15B is the bass specialist of the pair. A used -15B is not the driver for a single speaker covering full range, but it is what you want underneath a horn or a dedicated midrange.
The power figures come first. The 15- and 18-inch Pro-Line models are rated at 400 watts continuous per EIA Standard RS-426A, with short-duration program peaks of up to 1,600 watts under the same test conditions. Recording-Engineer (October 1983, p.204) covered the line's launch and noted that the Pro-Line assemblies double the power-handling capacity of the earlier EVM Series II units. It credited heat-resistant materials, a low-mass edgewound flat-wire voice coil, and proprietary manufacturing techniques. Both the voice coil and the magnetic structure are vented to help dissipate heat in the coil area.
Electro-Voice also did the enclosure homework. The Pro-Line characteristics suit both vented (bass reflex) and horn loading, and the company published six optimally vented enclosures designed specifically for the new speakers. Low-frequency limits (3 dB down) span 38 to 83 Hz, and internal volumes run from 1.3 to 13.0 cubic feet. Electro-Voice, per that account, supplied the plans free on request.
The driver also shipped inside EV's own finished systems. The B115-M paired a single EVM-15B with an optimally vented enclosure, which EV's advertising described as producing the tight sound favored by jazz bassists and studio players. The B215-M used two EVM-15Bs for more carry in larger rooms or more low-end punch for rock. Both systems added EV's VMR vented midrange, controllable from the front panel. EV already did the tuning work on these, so they are a useful reference for anyone building a cabinet today.
Pricing at introduction put the EVM-15B at a pro-net of $220, alongside the -15L. The 12-inch models listed at $200 and the 18-inch at $330. DB-Magazine (July 1983, p.49) framed the Pro-Line Series as aimed at professional, extra-high-level, high-performance sound reinforcement, and the pricing reflects that positioning. Collectors should treat power ratings by generation rather than assuming every EVM-15B carries the same number.
A few notes for buyers. These are heavy, magnet-forward drivers, and the vented coil and magnet structure are the reason they survive high-level use. A used unit still needs a careful inspection of the coil and surround before anyone trusts it with a big amplifier. The driver's reputation rests on efficiency and durability rather than subtlety. It was built to move air in reinforcement and bass applications. EV's own enclosure designs are the safest starting point for tuning.
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