I've never done any direct comparisons. The LX's handled more power than the EV's, and that's why I got them. JBL is all over the place in my neck of the woods so I hear them all the time. I'm not their biggest fan, but they are popular. I like the EV stuff better than JBL. LX vs JRX is a tough call. I've always heard bad things about JBL's breaking down with heavy use though. I haven't put the Wharfes though a ton of punishment yet though, but there is a rental house in my area that uses them when they're hired to do live sound and they swear by them. They are real clear, but the highs are a bit much for my taste, and I usually bring them down between the mixer and the crossover.
If it's down to JBL vs LX it should be a matter of how much power you need. The LX's are a bit louder than anything else in it's price range. You DON'T want to just turn down the power amp to keep the volume down. Underpowering speakers is really where you really run into problems. Unless you're putting 800W-1000W into each side, I'd go with the JBLs and use a power amp that they recomend.
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Ok, I was half way through typing that when I went out for a smoke to mull this over a little more. Take the above for what it's worth.
Here is a side by side assessment of the JBLs and Wharfedales from my experience. I also included EV Eliminators for anybody else who is reading.
Ease of use:
The LX's are a little more unforgiving when it comes to technical problems of the band and if you want to hide them, you may need some outboard gear to compensate for that if the band isn't terribly good.
The JBLs will mask some of the problems a little more. That being said, they won't work miracles.
The EVs will hide mistakes a hair more than the JBLs. The thing the always drove me nuts with them though is their size. They are much deeper than most PA speakers in their range and can be a real pain to carry around.
Power:
The LX's have an 800W rms rating per side. They are also louder and obviously need a more powerfull amp. I set my stuff up for an outdoor party once, running two Crown CE4000 into a pair of LX's and a pair of dual 18s. The master fader's were never even up half way and the cops could still hear us a mile away. Unless you're church is either huge or has a lot of ambient noise, the LX's are overkill.
The JBL don't need so much power and seem to work fine for a lot of the small to mid-sized venues. Though they can't take alot of power either and trying to get too much out of them will most likely land them in the repair shop every couple of months.
The same can be said about the EV's, tough they can handle a little more power.
Sound:
The LX's are a bit on the bright side which can make them sound a little harsh at times. I find that just bringing down the highs tends to take care of that though. Out of all the speakers mentioned here, I find they sound by far the best for an entire mix. The vocals cut through well and everything else is real clear as well. They sound like good hi-fi speakers. But like I said before, they are unforgiving. If the source sounds like garbage, or the mics aren't placed very well, these speakers will let you know. Loud and Clear
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JBLs aren't quite as clear as the LX's, but they do seem to work well in just about every venue that has them. I personally don't like the way they sound much. They are clear but always seem to have a sort of plastic sound, for a lack of a better way to describe them. It's one of those "either you like them or you don't" things, and many people do like them. I must say that vocals do sound good through them though, and the rest of the music seems to sound decent.
The EV's are sort of a counterpart to the JBLs. The entire band sounds really good, but the vocals can sometimes sound a little muddy and may have a little trouble cutting through a mix though. Overall they are a very warm and smooth sounding speaker, which I like a lot and I personally think these are the best sounding and probably the most forgiving speaker mentioned here.
Ok, now after having said all that, what's going through them? That sould probably be the deciding factor. If it's just vocals, you'd do better with the JBLs. If you're putting everybody direct through the fronthouse you'd probably do a little better with either the EV's or the LX's.
