Bose L1 Compact with Carry Case

This is my first experience with what Bose calls their "Line-Array" system. I must say that I'm impressed. Like most things, a lot of their hype is just hype. For example, I haven't found that the L1 resists feedback the way they have suggested it does, but that's always a problem to be dealt with by careful setup, placement, levels, EQ and mic polar patterns. Hypercardioid patterns help. But let's get on with what's RIGHT about this bad boy. First of all, it weighs about 30 lbs. That's not bad for a quick-setup device that can fill a decent sized coffee-house type venue or small concert stage with A-list sound. Its inputs and controls are well-thought out, and everything about it seems to have been planned with ease-of-use ranking right up there with quality of sound, and both are exceptional.The sound is indeed excellent for the size and price (really, it compares favorably to systems many times its cost). To get familiar with it, I played music from my iPad — high quality, hi-rez classical, jazz, and pop — just to test its abilities and to learn how to handle it. One could use a pair of these as a stereo system in a large house, and nobody would ever complain about quality of sound or projection into other rooms. (unless they were trying to hide from it) It's got that part covered. There is a woofer or sub-woofer, depending on your definition of that, plus an array of 6 tweeters, pointed at angles which project the sound in ways I'm probably not qualified to explain. "Line-Array System" has got to mean something, and I assume it has to do with elevating the sound away from floor and ceiling, putting it at about ear-level so that we hear source more than reflections. But their website can probably give you better intel on that. For vocal/guitar, the clarity is simply wonderful. Every consonant, every vowel, and every articulation on the guitar are clearly heard and understood over a broad range. It disperses sound beautifully.Everyone who has heard it has commented on how great it sounds, including people who were determined not to like it. I get a lot of "Bose? OH, man... Bose is crap!" from people in the industry. Hey, I was one of those voices, too, until several people I trusted told me I HAD to try one of these before I bought something. Well, I listened to them, I tried it, and I bought it. Let me tell you: Bose upped their game with this one. If you've tried other overhyped consumer products from Bose (or anyone), which have left you leery of more hype, I suggest you let down your guard and try this one.I first considered giving it 4 stars. Why 4 stars? The L1 was their first model. They now have several models that are actually better than this one. But I changed my mind and rated it on what it IS, rather than what it is NOT, or by comparison with newer models. I'm satisfied that when I'm using this, I'm sending 5-star sound to everyone in the audience. I chose this one (as opposed to the L2) because of the weight; it's also the lightest of their models by about half, and I also like the setup options. You can use this as a small amp on a table-top, without the pole. It's better WITH the pole, but the other option is viable. The pole consists of a pair of extenders, and it says to use both or neither, not just one. The tweeter array goes on top of those extenders, and it couldn't be easier. Really. We're talking 30 seconds to literally set up the hardware itself. (connections not included)Some questions I had, which I was not able to answer until I tried it:1) can it do any kind of stereo arrangement, since the array points in two directions? No. If you want two-channel stereo sound output, you'll need two L1 units. I'd be very curious to hear 5 of these and a sub doing 5.1 theater sound.2) will the Bose T1 Tonematch mixer work with it? Yes, but the T1 will require its own power supply; it does NOT merely connect to the L1 in the same way that it does the L2, where a single cable sets it up for both power and connections. The T1 will serve as any other external mixer for the L1, with a power cord and ¼" TRS audio cables.3) can you mount the T1 Tonematch mixer on the pole? No (you can on the L2 models)4) What are the I/O specs?— LINE INPUTS: ¼" TRS, stereo MINI (mono output), stereo RCA— MIC INPUT: XLR female.— OUTPUTS: ¼" TRS balanced/unbalanced; Stereo RCA (unbal) jacks.— VOLUME KNOBS (2 total) one each for line and for Mic inputs.5) Power: grounded 3-prong AC cord.6) Phantom Power? No. You'll need the T1 Tonematch or other mixer for that.7) EQ? "treble" and "bass" knobs for the mic input. None for the line input.8) FX? No. Not built-in. Again, the T1 Tonematch mixer is a good match for the L1. It can sit on top of the base unit without problems.9) Covers? Cases? Handles?— One cover for the base unit, with a large pocket for cables, adapters, or whatever.— One padded case for the two extender pole sections. This all comes with the unit. No need to buy separately. The line-array unit sits in the base when stored or in table-top mode.— Handle on the base unit, accessible through the cover. Padded case for poles has handle and adjustable shoulder strap.10) Does the T1 Tonematch mixer come with it? No. But it is well-matched to it. I bought it and like it better than other mixers, because it's easy to create presets, and it's easy to switch presets. Switching a preset can adjust over a dozen parameters in one click.11) Height:— Base unit and array alone: 16.5" (for table-top use)— Base with Tower: 78.5"12) Footprint: about 13" x 17" at widest points — not rectangular, but tapered shape.13) Self noise, 60 cycle hum, hiss? A little hiss. I got a 60 cycle hum in a few setups, but was quickly able to eliminate it by adjusting my power cord polarity, plugging all connected devices into the same circuit, and by swapping out cables. Some low-end cables just cause noise. The amp itself is quiet. If you get a lot of hiss, chances are you need to adjust your levels. Turn down the level on the unit, turn up levels on input devices. No device should be cranked to its maximum, but try to bring them all up equally.And one bit of advice: do not feed stereo signals to it through a TRS cable. If you feed an iPod, iPad, or other music player to it, do so through the MINI jack. Don't put a ¼" adapter on your MINI plug and send it through the ¼" jack. If you do, it will cause wave cancellation that produces a horrid sound, and it will make you think the unit is defective. Trust me on that. I did it, and eventually I found a single line in the manual that warned about it. Just send a mono-feed through the ¼" line.One other bit of trivia: if you feed it through the T1 Tonematch mixer, using a TRS cable, rather than a TS (guitar cord) cable, will make the sound about 20% louder.I've already mentioned that people love the sound. Some folks have to be luddites when it comes to the design, which they must then find a way of ridiculing, despite the fact that they were attracted to the sound. That's part of the human condition. Use the L1 in confidence that it will light up a room with your sound, and pay no attention to the nay-sayers.If you want a much more powerful system, look at the L2. There are several models/configurations to go with. This one is the lightest and simplest, and the only one that can double as a table-top monitor. The newer ones have a lot more sound, some say better sound. I'd have to hear that; the L1 truly is a good sound system. Live audio is a mature field. There are literally thousands of options. Some are better. Most are worse. The L1 represents a relatively new design, the first real and better difference to emerge in a long time, and it's worthy of the popular buzz it's generated.

We're tired of lugging around two fifty-pound speakers, a 32-pound amp, and the attendant gear. Given the reviews, we figured we'd give this a try - and are glad we did. The speaker is protected by by the base, itself ... it's in the front slot into which the extenders go; ultimately, the speaker goes on the top of the other two, which are stored in a carrying case. The base, itself, has a cover with a pocket for the cord. It's well thought out, and the shipping weight was around 40 pounds, very well protected.We couldn't be happier with this system and wish we'd done it a lot sooner. It's perfect for small to mid-sized (think coffee houses and small restaurants) venues played by one or two (possibly three) people. Even with the instrument right by the speaker, we have experienced no feedback, which was never true with the "real sound system". IMO, this one is more "real" than the two big speaker, two speaker stands, one big amp sound system - and a LOT more portable. Give this system serious consideration if you're looking for a sound system for a small group (three or under) or personal use.

I recently set up a karaoke business, and a friend suggested I could go two ways: purchase a traditional two speaker system along with two sturdy tripods, or try the compact, modular Bose L1. I started by buying one to try it out. My first event was an outdoor party in the country with about 60 people, and I was anxious whether it would be sufficient. I need not have worried. At volume level 2 I had sufficient siund with clear tones and ample bass. At volume 4 the cattle in the next pasture would have been rocking.I’ve now bought two because some of my venues are 600 seat arenas, and there are times when I’ll need stereo while in DJ mode. The tower is in three modular segments. The one with the speakers nests inside the base. There is a nice carrying case for the extenders.I love how compact it is for packing into my SUV and how easy it is to transport.I rarely give five stars in a product review, but this one deserves it.

I'll avoid all the tech talk as there is plenty of documented specs on the web. These are ideal in that they are powered - you can put them right next to wall outlets. They save lots of space - no bulky, unsightly speaker tripods required. And of course they sound awesome. Setup is breeze easy. You can even plug in your iPod/iPhone & place it under the carry handle & play music that way if you want. Plays mp3s beautifully, responsive to EQ settings if you have a way to do that. They promote this speaker as a live instrument music set but I don't play one in this setting. I do play cards once in a while but haven't found a compatible jack yet. If you know anything about sound spacing you can enrich your bass to taste just by room placement, ie, away from a wall vs next to a wall vs in a corner (eighth spacing). They can crank up pretty good too. As they are powered, you can also run them wirelessly with a transmitter connected to a PC, If you have a touchscreen wireless PC streaming music from a hard drive in another part of the house, now you are a techno-god!