Here at Noisegate we usually concern ourselves with creating content such as reviews, tutorials and first looks at fresh new products. As much as we enjoy creating this kind of content sometimes we yearn for something that is a bit more action-packed. We put together a crack team of investigative journalists and performed a real-world field test on JBL’s EON712 PA speaker.
We came up with a raft of tests to see if the EON712 could handle some real-life impacts and adverse environments. These tests were organised in ascending order of damage with the final drop test designed to completely destroy the speaker, but the results completely surprised us! Do not try this at home, we’re serious!
Check out our crazy EON712 test:
We had 2 parameters to determine if the EON712 had survived a test, it had to power on and pass audio through it. Here are the tests we conducted:
Car Boot Test
We dropped the EON712 out of a car boot to simulate it being dropped while loading in at a venue. It survived this test with flying colours.
Tripod Test
We mounted the EON712 on a tripod and pushed it over to simulate it being knocked over while mounted on a tripod at a gig. It did suffer some cosmetic damage and the front LED was pushed in but everything still functioned as normal.
Spill Test
We spilt some drink on the speaker to simulate it getting spilt on it during a show. It did get a little sticky and stunk like alcohol afterwards but still functioned as normal!
The Big Drop Test
We dropped the EON712 from a high height raised by a forklift, with the aim of destroying the speaker and finishing the video with a bang. We had assumed that a drop onto the hard concrete floor from 5 meters would destroy the speaker however you know what they say about assuming! To our surprise, the EON712 handled the drop from this height and still function normally!!
As it turns out, the EON712 is built extremely tough and ended up surviving all our tests including the one that was supposed to kill it. Due to its survival, we are preparing to send it up on the next SpaceX flight to drop it from low orbit to see if it survives!! Big thanks to JBL.
Check out the JBL EON700 range here:
