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Post by Vincent R. on Oct 8, 2023 7:04:10 GMT -6
For years I’ve been using a pair of Yamaha DRX15s as my mains for my live rig. I’m considering selling both of these to help fund a pair of Bose L1 PRO16s. I have experience with the original L1 Compact, which I thought was great. I’m curious if anyone has some experience with these. I know a number of companies have their own tower array speakers, but I like the dispersion of the Bose, making it easy to use (1) for a small live gig. I also like the sound. These smaller units will be more convenient than my current set up.
In my research I’ve seen a number of articles and videos on the various issues that come with the Bose unit. Some of these apparently have a hum issue, although, I’ve dealt with something similar with my Yamahas and the issue ended up not being the speakers at all. I’m also aware of the “wobble” issue. I perform primarily in community centers/theaters, country clubs, and high end restaurants/catering halls. I’m not gigging in bars like many people, so I’m not as worried about the unit being touched bay anyone or knocked over, nor am I rocking music with huge bass. Anyway, I was curious if anyone here had some real world experience with this unit.
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ericn
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Balance Engineer
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Post by ericn on Oct 8, 2023 12:10:06 GMT -6
The Stick arrays can sound pretty good within their limitations.
Honestly a single pair with a decent little digital mixer probably sounds better out of the box, better than most Quasi point source boxes like your Yamaha’s. Don’t get me wrong a decent AE dialing in a pair of Meyer UPA JRs an subs is going to kill them every time. Where the Mini Arrays suck is when you need to add either monitors, need Higher SPL or more coverage, none of these stick arrays were designed to sum with another cabinet. A horn or wave guide controls dispersion in a fairly uniform way and honestly with some basic geometry you can probably predict your radiating pattern and can control nasty HF bouncing off the walls creating slap echo and feedback issues. With the stick Array you need to get to know the actual dispersion vs Freq to learn how to position them for coverage with the effects of the room.
I’ll be honest I almost made an offer on a used RCF EVO8JR system for some pretty simple gigs, but I also have an inventory of EAW, plus subs and monitors of my own design for situations where they won’t work.
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Post by gwlee7 on Oct 8, 2023 17:56:08 GMT -6
ericn and I have had a lot of conversations about the varying array systems. People aren’t ambivalent about Bose. They either love the Bose sound or hate it. I keep going back and and forth on whether this is the way I want to go. The RCF arrays get a lot of love.
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Post by wiz on Oct 8, 2023 19:57:56 GMT -6
I have owned the Bose L1 Model II system for yonks... its been fabulous highly recommended.
cheers
Wiz
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Post by teejay on Oct 9, 2023 8:56:31 GMT -6
I've had/used the L1 "Classic" (original) for more than 15 years. Here are my insights.
- Portability/Convenience: Before purchasing the L1 I was using two Mackie SRM450s with Ultimate stands. Not only did I need a lot of room to transport, they were a pain to haul around and get up on the stands by myself. Not to mention the storage they took up. Even though I have the heavier/bulkier L1 base and separate sub, it is still much easier in all aspects. At my age and with back problems now the Mackies would never fly. And setup/tear-down is much quicker, especially without all of the speaker cabling.
- Presentation: I gig a lot of churches, smaller venues, retirement communities, etc. I could always see the widening of people's eyes when they saw the Mackies going up. Perception was the sound would be loud, and everyone moved to the back. And frankly, it was much harder to obtain enough volume to get coverage without hotspots, especially up front. The L1 is so obscure that most don't even notice it, or even realize where the sound is coming from. Concern by attendees becomes a non-issue, and there is no distraction.
- Coverage: While my unit does not have the angled speakers, I still get about 170 degrees of dispersion. I walk around with a wireless mic during setup and am always pleased with what I'm hearing at various locations, whether it be on the sides or in the back. Speaking of which, the array is wonderful at providing nearly the same amount of volume up front as 30'-40' back. Everyone is hearing everything at pleasant levels. I don't need to try to focus two side speakers to create a sweetspot, and don't worry about who's hearing what. It just works, and sounds great everywhere in the venue.
- Monitoring: When I had the Mackie's I used floor monitors for a while (more speakers to carry/more amps), then tried switching to custom-moulded IEM's with a Sennheiser wireless unit. In both cases I was not hearing what the audience was, so any tweaks, volume changes, etc. were a guess (and reading faces). And frankly with the IEMs I felt totally disconnected from the audience. Putting the Bose behind you provides your monitoring, and works wonderful in that regard. You hear exactly what the audience does, and again because of the array, you're not being blown away, can walk wherever you wish, and don't experience feedback...which I could easily have with the Mackie/floor monitor setup. Also, at indoor venues I always had challenges with floor monitors bouncing off the wall behind me and impacting the overall sound.
- Fidelity: I have never been a fan of Bose home hifi speakers. However, the L1 is a totally different animal. I love the sound of it, and find it to be very clear, open, detailed, and full with the sub. I'm not rocking the house nor am I looking for chest-thumping bass (nor would most of my audience appreciate that). There are some built-in presets in the system's base, but I typically use a small Behringer mixer, a Behringer compressor, and an Alesis verb unit for all of my EQ and effects. I know there are now some Bose-provided options for that, but my unit is not compatible. Bottom line, I can get a really nice sound with some small tweaks. I've never felt like the Bose is lacking in fidelity or the ability to sculpt the sound based on what I want and where I'm at.
I've used it indoors and out, and have never had a problem with "wobble" or feeling it's going to get knocked over...but again...my unit has a much wider/heavier base than perhaps what is their standard today. The biggest issue I've had is kindly discouraging all of the wonderful volunteers who think they're going to help me with tear-down and carrying my equipment.  And I've not used any other brand, so I can't comment there. I will say if you decide to go ahead, keep the boxes. I've had two times over the years where I had to send it back for repair (an amp issue in the original L1), and it was perfect to send the base back both times in the original box.
Overall I think it's a great system, and based on what I know you and your wife do and sing I could see it working really well for you. Like wiz , highly recommended.
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Post by Vincent R. on Oct 9, 2023 11:09:36 GMT -6
Hello ericn, thank you for your thoughts as usual. I think a pair of Meyer UPA JRs is well beyond anything I would ever need at this stage. Anything beyond my small Yamaha set up usually puts me at a venue with it's own rig. I wish I could keep the Yamaha's too, as they're really good for what I've done so far. I've had them for 10 years now. I know thm. Just not sure I have the space for all of these, and I could use the cash to help with the brunt of this purchase. These array's are not cheap, and even shifting to a different brand doesn't save all that much.
wiz & teejay, thanks for your thoughts. I think the Model II is closer to the new L1 32 Pro. Still, it's nice to hear your thoughts on this. My experience was with good with the original compact unit that a singing partner of mine had for some of the smaller Three Tenors gigs we used to do. Todd, like you I'm generally carting these things to churches, community centers, etc. So I get it. Mostly this is about more convenience for Emily and I; lighter more compact speakers, less set up and strike time. Sounds like both of you endorse these, which is good. |
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Post by Vincent R. on Oct 9, 2023 11:10:32 GMT -6
ericn and I have had a lot of conversations about the varying array systems. People aren’t ambivalent about Bose. They either love the Bose sound or hate it. I keep going back and and forth on whether this is the way I want to go. The RCF arrays get a lot of love. One of my friends just got a pair of the RCF Jmix 8s. It's one of the reasons I started really considering this jump. |
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Post by teejay on Oct 9, 2023 12:47:18 GMT -6
Not the L1 Pro16, but a decent review of the RCFs vs. Bose.
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ericn
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Post by ericn on Oct 9, 2023 12:51:16 GMT -6
Hello ericn, thank you for your thoughts as usual. I think a pair of Meyer UPA JRs is well beyond anything I would ever need at this stage. Anything beyond my small Yamaha set up usually puts me at a venue with it's own rig. I wish I could keep the Yamaha's too, as they're really good for what I've done so far. I've had them for 10 years now. I know thm. Just not sure I have the space for all of these, and I could use the cash to help with the brunt of this purchase. These array's are not cheap, and even shifting to a different brand doesn't save all that much.
wiz & teejay, thanks for your thoughts. I think the Model II is closer to the new L1 32 Pro. Still, it's nice to hear your thoughts on this. My experience was with good with the original compact unit that a singing partner of mine had for some of the smaller Three Tenors gigs we used to do. Todd, like you I'm generally carting these things to churches, community centers, etc. So I get it. Mostly this is about more convenience for Emily and I; lighter more compact speakers, less set up and strike time. Sounds like both of you endorse these, which is good. But both of you would sound fantastic through UPA JRs 😁 |
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Post by Vincent R. on Oct 9, 2023 19:44:18 GMT -6
Hello ericn , thank you for your thoughts as usual. I think a pair of Meyer UPA JRs is well beyond anything I would ever need at this stage. Anything beyond my small Yamaha set up usually puts me at a venue with it's own rig. I wish I could keep the Yamaha's too, as they're really good for what I've done so far. I've had them for 10 years now. I know thm. Just not sure I have the space for all of these, and I could use the cash to help with the brunt of this purchase. These array's are not cheap, and even shifting to a different brand doesn't save all that much.
wiz & teejay , thanks for your thoughts. I think the Model II is closer to the new L1 32 Pro. Still, it's nice to hear your thoughts on this. My experience was with good with the original compact unit that a singing partner of mine had for some of the smaller Three Tenors gigs we used to do. Todd, like you I'm generally carting these things to churches, community centers, etc. So I get it. Mostly this is about more convenience for Emily and I; lighter more compact speakers, less set up and strike time. Sounds like both of you endorse these, which is good. But both of you would sound fantastic through UPA JRs 😁 You my friend, are an instigator. 😉 |
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ericn
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Balance Engineer
Posts: 14,959
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Post by ericn on Oct 9, 2023 20:47:25 GMT -6
But both of you would sound fantastic through UPA JRs 😁 You my friend, are an instigator. 😉 But you already knew that my friend 🥸 |
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Post by aremos on Oct 9, 2023 20:52:46 GMT -6
Don't know if you're even considering anything else but the last stuff we were using live was the active QSC K series with 12" tops (w/ 18" woofer for bigger venues) or just 15" (& their digital mixer - TouchMix). All very portable & excellent sound quality for all size ballrooms.
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Post by Vincent R. on Oct 10, 2023 9:12:10 GMT -6
I love the QSC stuff. They sound great. If I remember correctly, when I bought my Yamahas my budget allowed for either the QSC K12s or the Yamaha DXR15s. I ended up going with the Yamahas, because they were bigger, and we were worried about the 12s giving us enough sound in some of the bigger spaces I had lined up to play. We all preferred the sound of the QSC. I eventually picked up a DXR12 as a monitor, which has also been my small rig ever since. If I'm being honest, other than the one time I had to bring my own sound rig at an outdoor Italian festival, the 12s probably would have suited me fine. I'm keeping my DXR12 for now.
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And I've not used any other brand, so I can't comment there. I will say if you decide to go ahead, keep the boxes. I've had two times over the years where I had to send it back for repair (an amp issue in the original L1), and it was perfect to send the base back both times in the original box.