Electro-Voice SX-300
A 300-watt, weather-resistant 12-inch two-way that Electro-Voice pitched as the answer to sound that merely "carries."
Overview
The SX-300 is a two-way full-range loudspeaker. It has a 12-inch woofer and a 1.25-inch DH3/2010A titanium compression driver on a 65° x 65° Constant Directivity waveguide. Electro-Voice's own literature rates it at 300 watts continuous and 1,200 watts peak, with a frequency range of 50 Hz to 20,000 Hz and an axial sensitivity of 99 dB (1 W at 1 m). Nominal impedance is 8 ohms, with a minimum of 5.0 ohms, and the crossover sits at 1,500 Hz. These are working-speaker numbers, not hi-fi parlor specs. High sensitivity and generous power handling, aimed at getting loud cleanly in a room full of people.
The headline technology was Ring-Mode Decoupling, which Electro-Voice marketed as "the acoustic miracle that expands resolution." That phrasing ran in trade-magazine advertisements in late 1997 and early 1998. EQ (December 1997, p.115), EQ (February 1998, p.101), EQ (March 1998, p.27), and Mix (April 1998, p.187) all carried the same copy inviting readers to ask a dealer for a demo. That is Electro-Voice's own advertising, not an independent verdict. The company's pitch was that RMD improves resolution and intelligibility. The design brief was clearly aimed at speech and vocal clarity in reinforcement work rather than audiophile listening.
The cabinet is a trapezoidal enclosure of high-impact polypropylene, available in black or white. It has rubber feet and mating sockets for stacking, integral handles, a pole socket, and suspension points. Input connections are Neutrik Speakon on the standard version, with a Phoenix connector on the PIX variant. The PIX version also adds a multi-tap transformer for 70 or 100-volt distributed systems. A weather-resistant version carries the same Sx300 performance with enhanced weather resistance, which is why the line turns up in installed outdoor and portable PA work as readily as on a stage. Electro-Voice's manual lists rigging accessories for flying the SX-300 singly or in arrays, including array kits for horizontal clusters of two or three systems. It warns that when flown at 90 degrees, eyebolts alone are not sufficient.
Collectors and working engineers tend to treat the SX-300 as a tool rather than a collectible. Its value is practical: a light, tough, high-output box that handles 1,200 watts peak and stays intelligible, with a polypropylene shell that shrugs off road use. The titanium compression driver is the part to check on a used example, and the Speakon connectors are the version most people want.
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