Electro-Voice FR15-2 (1983)
A 94-pound two-way that promised the coverage of a component array in a single box you could hang from the ceiling.
Overview
Electro-Voice introduced the FR15-2 in September 1983. It was aimed at the sound-reinforcement installer who was tired of hanging a separate horn and woofer and then fighting the coverage mismatch between them. The company's own product literature called it a more economical and more aesthetically pleasing alternative to a separate horn-and-woofer system, which would cost more and require a more complicated installation. That's marketing copy, but the engineering claim underneath it is the interesting part.
The box is a two-way, full-range system. A 15-inch EVM-15L Series II woofer sits in a 4.3-cubic-foot optimally vented enclosure, and everything above the crossover goes to a compression driver on a 90° × 40° constant-directivity horn. The crossover point is 1500 Hz. The constant-directivity horn is the headline. A conventional horn narrows as frequency climbs, but this one is claimed to hold its rated 90-degree horizontal and 40-degree vertical beamwidth all the way up. That is what lets a single box behave like an array in a small auditorium or church. DB-Magazine (October 1983, p.45) described the FR15-2 in these terms - a two-way for reinforcement work where wide, controlled coverage and high efficiency are the priorities, with the constant-directivity horn maintaining its rated beamwidth to the highest frequencies for broad, uniform coverage.
The numbers back up the efficiency claim. EV rated it at 98 dB SPL with a 1-watt input measured at 1 meter on axis, which is sensitive enough that a modest amplifier gets loud. Long-term power handling is 200 watts, measured using shaped pink noise with a 6 dB crest factor. Frequency response is quoted as essentially flat from 50 to 15,000 Hz. The factory literature rounds sensitivity to "96/97 dB" in one place and states 98 dB in the product-news specification, so treat it as approximately 96-98 dB depending on which sheet you're reading. The cabinet measures 28⅜ × 31¼ × 16⅝ inches (h/w/d), though one manufacturer document lists the width as 31½ inches. It weighs 94 pounds, which makes the threaded T-nuts embedded in the cabinet for suspension a necessity more than a convenience. The enclosure is oak-grain vinyl with a detachable beige grille cloth, intended for indoor use. For constant-voltage distributed systems, an optional TK60 line-transformer kit replaces the normal direct input panel.
The suggested pro user net price was $665.
A modern buyer should be clear about what this is. It is not a studio monitor and was never sold as one. It's a reinforcement box, designed to throw intelligible speech and program material across a room with controlled pattern, not to flatter a mix. The oak-grain vinyl and beige grille are period-correct install aesthetics, not furniture-grade cabinetry. At 94 pounds with a 90° × 40° pattern, it works best flown or bracket-mounted rather than set on a shelf.
Collectors and installers chasing these today are usually after one of two things: the EVM-15L Series II woofer inside, a well-regarded driver in its own right, or a period-correct EV two-way for a vintage install or a small venue. The suspension hardware, meaning those embedded T-nuts and the eye-bolt rigging called out in the period installation sheets, is worth inspecting carefully on any used example. A 94-pound cabinet hanging overhead is only as good as its mounting points. The detachable grille and vinyl covering are the usual wear items.
It's a workhorse, not a legend, and it was priced and marketed as such. A 98 dB-sensitive two-way with a constant-directivity horn and a 15-inch EV woofer, for a few hundred dollars on the used market, is a lot of controlled coverage for the money. You do need somewhere safe to hang it.
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