Bose L1 Setup - Opinions Please.

[Jem]

Hi all

I'm on the verge of committing myself to a Bose L1 model 2 setup, complete with Tonematch and two bass bins.

I'd like to get opinions from anyone who actually has this system or has had one of these systems in the past (and if you got rid of it - why?). Sorry, but if you haven't used/owned one of these systems I ask you respectfully not to post in this thread. I'm not looking for a 'for and against' Bose, or a stereo/mono bashing session, i've read all that stuff. What I want is first hand experience, thanks.

I'm particularly interested to hear your opinion of how crisp the sound is in a real life venue (with people in it) when compared to a conventional stereo speaker system (having a demo in a shop doesn't do it justice i feel). You see, I like stereo and it does worry me slightly making the switch to a mono system. However, if it turns out to work as well as expected I may consider another one at some future date and make the switch back to stereo ;)

I'd also like to know how easily the system copes with a venue with approximately 200 people in the audience. It'll mainly be used for weddings and 'older' type Dinner Dances/Balls... With the occasional 'Trance' night thrown in for good measure :eek:

Does the sound *really* project all around the room as the marketing material suggests, and can people still hear themselves speak as it suggests in the promotional material.

Is there anything else about this system that either made you excited or left you deflated that I ought to know about?

Many thanks

Jem

[CRAZY K]

Hi all

I'm on the verge of committing myself to a Bose L1 model 2 setup, complete with Tonematch and two bass bins.

I'd like to get opinions from anyone who actually has this system or has had one of these systems in the past (and if you got rid of it - why?). Sorry, but if you haven't used/owned one of these systems I ask you respectfully not to post in this thread. I'm not looking for a 'for and against' Bose, or a stereo/mono bashing session, i've read all that stuff. What I want is first hand experience, thanks.

I'm particularly interested to hear your opinion of how crisp the sound is in a real life venue (with people in it) when compared to a conventional stereo speaker system (having a demo in a shop doesn't do it justice i feel). You see, I like stereo and it does worry me slightly making the switch to a mono system. However, if it turns out to work as well as expected I may consider another one at some future date and make the switch back to stereo ;)

I'd also like to know how easily the system copes with a venue with approximately 200 people in the audience. It'll mainly be used for weddings and 'older' type Dinner Dances/Balls... With the occasional 'Trance' night thrown in for good measure :eek:

Does the sound *really* project all around the room as the marketing material suggests, and can people still hear themselves speak as it suggests in the promotional material.

Is there anything else about this system that either made you excited or left you deflated that I ought to know about?

Many thanks

Jem

I have used one for Barn Dancing--kind permission of Clive at CRS--very clear sound so the volume does not have to be deafening---I think it was 2 drainpipes and 4 bass units.

The audience were pretty middle of the road and middle aged with some younger guests including Bride and Groom.

It was a Dancing Queen type evening Disco wise.

Certainly ideal for that type of job and the ones you list above---but I dont know about using it for Trance Music.

Perhaps you need a Void system for that ;)

Realistically you could do with hiring a system and trying it live.

[ianforest]

As a one-time owner of the L1 model 1 classic I feel fairly experienced enough to answer.

The sound quality is amazing. The very fact that no compression drivers are used at all really reduces ear fatigue whilst listening.

What I found...and it varied in different venues, was that if you place the B1's underneath your deck stand and the sticks to your immediate left and right you would get huge amounts of bass where you stand and to around 10-15ft in front of you, after that it tails off, 20ft away almost unnoticeable. If you're just playing to the dance floor then this should not be a problem for you.

For more bass, move the sticks further apart and but the bass bins next to the sticks.

The biggest bug bear for me....was carrying it around. It's a good 5 trips unless you have a trolly for a full system. It's a good 10-15 minute setup as well. These are the only two reasons I got rid of mine. I can set up my RCF rig in 5 minutes.

[deltic]

i will echo what ian has said above i have 2 L1 model 1 and 4 B1's placement is everything and when set up correctly sound great,in my opinion the model 1 is better suited to disco work.they definitely have the wow factor and gain possitive comments everytime they go out.
i find the only downside is the 10 items to load in,i have done functions with just 1 stick and 2 b1's and the sound is still good,but for me i am a bit of a simetrical freak.

i will probably end up selling them not because i don't like them purely because they don't get used that often

[Jem]

Thanks for the comments Guys, this is exactly the sort of feedback I was wanting :)

Do you think one L1 model 2 and two bass units would really be enough for the sort of functions I mentioned (up to 200 people). I've been told not to worry as they will be plenty loud enough, but one stick and two small bass units doesn't seem much. I just need a confidence boost here to get me over this leap of faith ;). Not too worried about the Trance nights... They're in my dreams as my two daughters (21 and 18) keep telling me...

Apparently you're not allowed to like Trance music when you're in your fifties ;)

Interestingly, I saw a post on a forum somewhere, may have been the Bose L1 forum, but I can't remember. Anyway, they had linked up some receivers with short stubby aerials on the sticks, and they had a transmitter on their mixer so they could use them wirelessly. This gave flexibility to place them around the room without cables (except mains of course). Seemed like a cool idea, not sure how reliable the signal would be though.

Cheers

Jem

[ianforest]

1 stick and 2 B1's is not enough for 200 people. Yes they will hear the music but it won't sound great, it will be pretty "empty" i.e. zero bass, all mid-top.

2 sticks and 4 B1's is better but having done 250 people with them I really wish I had the extra bass. My average gig size is 100-150 people and 2 sticks and 4 b1's is plenty.

What's your average gig size?

[Fullforceeventsltd]

I have two l1 model 2's and 4 b1's. I think you would struggle to do up to 200 people with one.

As Ian stated above, our average Weddings are 150 and the two cope fine.

Sound will vary depending on venue and the placement of the l1's will make a difference as well.

The dispersion of sound is amazing.

I load all mine in one go as they all fit into a road trunk.

If you get some it's worth making up some longer 4 pole Speakon leads so you can move the bass units around.

[Silver]

I use the identical set up you are looking at getting. I used it in a huge marquee with about 200 in and it worked a dream. It was probably on about 75% output and I was watching people singing along at the far end of the marquee to the tunes. They must have been about 100 feet awat

I did a gig last year in a big sports hall for about 330 and hired an extra L1 and 2 B2's in and the sound was absolutely brilliant.

If I could I would get the extras because the sound coverage of the two was stunning but finances dictate otherwise.

You will be more than happy with just the one.

[chrisj]

I have 2 L1's and 6 B1's with an additional amp. Used last Saturday as in pics and with gain pots at 12 o'clock we had plenty of power. 2 B1's were behind the starcloth. The B1's worked well but did not carry quite as well as the top frequencies.
One gig I remember from a few weeks ago was at a venue where I had often used Tannoy V15's and T40 subs with the bass very loud in the gents.
The Bose system did just the same but quality in the function room was better.
I have not yet done a gig with more than 150 but I have never had to push the Bose at all.

[Fullforceeventsltd]

Same as, never had to push the Bose at all, always set at 12 o clock position, never had to go past that yet.

[Jem]

Hi Guys.

Thank you all so much for sharing your experiences, it really is appreciated :).

As mentioned previously, I think it's a confidence issue as it's hard for me to to believe that something like the Bose can take the place of traditional speakers/amps. I really like the Bose quality and sound (I know some will disagree ;)) and I think it will work well for the sort of functions i'm talking about.

You may recall from my introduction here on MDD that I was a DJ waaaay back in the Seventies ('74) right up to the mid Eighties. I still have many contacts in Hospitality and such, so I can pretty much hit the ground running once I get properly underway again. I remember the huge speaker stacks and having to carry massive bass bins, mid range speakers and horns/peizo's plus active crossovers, Matamp valve amps etc etc. all to get a fraction of the power that is easily available today. Something inside me still refuses to accept that the astonishing sound that comes from the Bose L1 is real - It must be some sort of strange magic coming out of that stick :daft:.

I have quite a lot of Bose gear at home including three generations of SoundDock, a surround sound system, a Companion 5 PC system etc. All of which sound fantastic. Bose fanboy?, well yes, and I really don't mind admitting it :D

In actual fact, I don't really envisage doing that many functions that will be over 100 people based on my target profile. But I do like to be prepared and a bit of surplus power is never a bad thing. I'll start with the one L1 and 2 bass units, but hope to upgrade as soon as the diary starts to fill up, this will also give me a backup should anything happen to one of the L1's ;)

Thanks again for all the comments and PM's, and for keeping the thread focussed :)

Cheers

Jem

[Silver]

You might want to consider one of these if you do small functions, Wedding speeches, Children's parties, christenings, small family do's etc.

It really is a fantastic piece of kit. I've also linked it up to the T1 with a wireless transmitter and had this in a seperate room to the main function room. :D

[Jem]

Just thought of another question...

Do you use the Bose 'ToneMatch' mixer, or do you plug straight into the L1?

I'm using a Native Instruments S4 and a MacBook Pro as the source.

@Silver... If you don't mind me asking, which wireless transmitter/receiver are you using?

Thanks

Jem

[Jem]

I think I may possibly have found the answer to the T1 conundrum...

http://bose.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/867107664/m/5380001156

[Dj Diddy Davies]

I have two sets of Bose L1, model 2's. I've only ever needed to use 1 along with 2 x B1's and a Tonematch. The other is a spare, used on a "swap" round basis, but never needed as a backup. reliability is very good.

The model 2 has a very different sound and sound spread to the model 1. The model 2 offering, in my opinion, a fuller sound. You will definitely need the Tonematch with a model 2 though as it has limited outputs.

When i bought mine, a few years back from Clive at CRS1, i demo'd an L1 classic alongside the model 2 and the sound difference was very noticeable.

I regularly play weddings with up to 150 or so guests and some bigger occasions in some pretty big rooms. The Bose can easily hit a 96 decibel limiter at 15 to 20m with the T1 running below 12 o'clock positions.
I get many comments on the look and sound of the Bose as well as comments about how much bass there is.

I have all the Bose flight cased in the back of my van and carry it in. Two B1's, then the cylinder in along wheeled flight case and finally the base stand along with wires and T1. Three trips, i'm done.

Go and listen to both somewhere and see what you think, but it really needs to be in a reasonable size village hall or similar.

Steve.

[Silver]

Just thought of another question...

Do you use the Bose 'ToneMatch' mixer, or do you plug straight into the L1?



@Silver... If you don't mind me asking, which wireless transmitter/receiver are you using?

Thanks

Jem

I use the T1 for all except if I'm using the compact on it's own.

I use this transmitter ....