Bose vs. Bose vs the EV 12" actives LiveX... which would you rather DJ with?

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Papa Deuce

Mac Daddy DJ
Aug 8, 2006
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Valley Forge Area
A dual L1 setup with 4 bass bins...

or an 802 Series III system ( with no sub at first )

or the 12" LiveX system ( also with no sub at first )

These are your only choices. If you type any other it will be disregarded. I may sell my L1 system. I have yet to do a party in the last 3 years with my L1 system that was bigger than 150 people, and I really don't know if I ever will, as weddings around here now seem to be about 100 - 125 people, by and large. I have a QSC / JBL system that can handle larger events.
 
I used to own a set of the Bose 802 series. (it was part of a DJ system I bought)
I thought these were the sorriest sounding speakers I had ever heard. I sold them.
My vote is for the Live X.
 
Live X System with no sub. You would be able to use this system for more varied events.
 
I think those who have had bad experience with sound from the 802's simply robbed the possibilities by not having the controller EB thing that fine tunes those int great sound. Having said that I have heard multiple demo srets with these Live X and they sound incredible if you buy the 12 tops first then maqtch them with these very compact 18's you will love the potential these have. This 18 is pretty much the same size as my Dyna 15 or comparable to the 1501 size wise Mackie and very light. This would be my choice.
 
Bill Kexel said:
I used to own a set of the Bose 802 series. (it was part of a DJ system I bought)
I thought these were the sorriest sounding speakers I had ever heard. I sold them.
My vote is for the Live X.
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Did you use them with the controller? If not, they will sound lame. I believe you posted this statement before awhile back. You are not going to get booming bass out of those 802s by themselves. They were designed to reproduce natural sound which they do. They also have their bass bins to be used in conjunction with the controller as a two way system. I prefer to use a pair of 15"subs or 1 or 2 18" subs with them.

BTW from the OP, those three systems are all different and unequal. Add a pair of 15" subs or a 18" Sub to both the Bose and Live X plus the controller to the Bose 802 and it will run circles around the Live X. It is not easy to compete with a Line Array up on a tripod. They are designed for spread. Live X by itself on a tripod will loose a lot of its bass. Put it down low and the mids and highs do not go far.
 
Canute have you even heard the LiveX? Just curious as your claiming detail as if you have.
 
LiveX all the way......no comparison....... (Yes, I have heard them....)
 
I use the Live X 12's and the Live X 18's (in addition to the others in my arsenal). I can use the 12's alone or with the 18's (or even one 18). I also hear the Bose 802's (at least once a week) with the controller and sub. While they are different animals, I think the general listening public doesn't hear a difference. I've ran the Live X 12's, the K12's and SP2's in this same facility.

The speakers that have garnished me the most compliments from the listening public (guests and professionals) are the PS115's with BW drivers followed by compliments (from professionals) on the QSC K12 and Live X. Get lots of compliments on the Live X 18's too.

IMO, the L1 isn't even a choice. It's between the 802's and the Live X - and depending on the layout, they each have their own qualities. While I agree that the 802 is an array (of 4.5" drivers) and configured to spread the music, I don't believe that the 802 always fits the bill. I don't believe that the Live X 12 always fits the bill neither. One 12" moves alot more air than any 4.5" driver (yes, I understand that there are multiple 4.5" drivers).

I think Bose has some amazing technology and I think it's seriously overpriced but one has to wonder, if their technology is all that great, why hasn't any other mfr embraced it or come out with similar designs? Given only these choices, my selection for sound would be (and has been) the Live X - and they have not let me down.

IMO, Bose is like the Hummer 1 of the speaker world.
 
Jon Tuck said:
Canute have you even heard the LiveX? Just curious as your claiming detail as if you have.
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YES I have. You can also compare specs. I have nothing against EV as I use their components but we are doing a comparison here. I think the Live X 12" by itself will have a hard time keeping up with the Bose 802s. The Live X 15" will fare much better.


ittigger said:
I think Bose has some amazing technology and I think it's seriously overpriced but one has to wonder, if their technology is all that great, why hasn't any other mfr embraced it or come out with similar designs?
Click to expand...
Other Pro Sound Manufacturers have copied the Bose Towers.
K Array KB1 : http://www.k-array.com/en/professionalsound/portable.html
EAW DSA250i
RCF VSA 2050
Renkus-Heinz IC Live/Iconyx
 
More info from some web research (this was from August) - these are not my opinions:

EV SxA360:
IMHO, the best-in-show of the 3 mentioned. They crank, the bass is surprisingly warm and strong. For the vast majority of gigs for which I use these speakers, I do so without a sub and don't feel "bass naked". The downside? They ain't cheap!!! $932 per is the list and $799 per is the street.

EV-ELX112P:
Great speakers for the money. They are clearer and far less harsh than their ELX-115P brethren. The down side is I'm not sure how often I'd want to use them without a sub. If bringing out a sub for 50% of the times you use them is not an issue, these are your speakers.

QSC K12:
Very good speakers, a solid value for the money, definitely a generation better than the Italian made, original Mackie 450's. Less clear than the EX-112P's, and less bass given that the EV's are in Wood and these are in Plastic. I'd have a difficult time using these without a sub.
 
okay but if he gets the Live X 18 to match up with the 12 their isnt any way the Bose will keep up and he will have plenty of coins left over to make more barbecue sauce if he makes that choice. In regards to others copying Bose I must truly laugh. They built similar design to the Bose but they are priced much higher and for a reason. Their components in the others mentioned just one driver cost more than the whole array of drivers in any given Bose system. It could be said they copied but made them Bose on steroids with their offerings. The price certainly would suggest as such.
 
pap, I own the live-x and the L1. If you're not going to use a sub, stick with the L1 rig. If you're going to use a sub, go with the Live-Xs. One other side consideration, the Live-x will give you more flexibility when it comes to ceremonies. I can grab a single Live-X in one hand, do the ceremony at a separate location, then put it back in the setup easily. The Bose is a pain in the rear for ceremony add-ons.

BTW, keep in mind the coverage area is drastically different between the Live-X and Bose L1. With the Bose, I don't have to think about whether I'm covering the entire room. With the cabinets, gotta be mindful but the Live-Xs will let you do a stereo spread.
 
Rick, I have done about 100 weddings in my DJ business... and never once have I done a ceremony, and only been asked once. ( Goes back to the 1990's for most of my weddings, though ).... In the beginning the Bose L1 was really nice. It was helping to sell some brides. Some grooms even seemed to like it for the way it looked or the Bose name.... I am not finding that to be true for me anymore. And the Bose L1 is a PITA to set up and break down. I do LOVE the sound though! I just don't want to lose a ton of money if I sell them since they have only been used about a dozen times or so. I need to listen to the EVs again.. I actually heard them at a wedding I attended but didn't know it until the end of the night.
 
Jon Tuck said:
okay but if he gets the Live X 18 to match up with the 12 their isnt any way the Bose will keep up and he will have plenty of coins left over to make more barbecue sauce if he makes that choice.
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A sub would be on the list.... just not sure I would get one right away.
 
rickryan.com said:
pap, I own the live-x and the L1. If you're not going to use a sub, stick with the L1 rig.
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Considering L1's are meant for stage use, I wonder why you wouldn't suggest the 802's, which could be pole mounted to lift them above bodies (which is the tops should be).

rickryan.com said:
If you're going to use a sub, go with the Live-Xs. One other side consideration, the Live-x will give you more flexibility when it comes to ceremonies. I can grab a single Live-X in one hand, do the ceremony at a separate location, then put it back in the setup easily. The Bose is a pain in the rear for ceremony add-ons.
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Somewhat agreed - however if I offer a system for the ceremony, it is also 2 speakers - a complete 2nd system.

rickryan.com said:
BTW, keep in mind the coverage area is drastically different between the Live-X and Bose L1. With the Bose, I don't have to think about whether I'm covering the entire room. With the cabinets, gotta be mindful but the Live-Xs will let you do a stereo spread.
Click to expand...

Kinda confused about this one. Are we talking about the dispersion angle?
 
Jon Tuck said:
okay but if he gets the Live X 18 to match up with the 12 their isnt any way the Bose will keep up and he will have plenty of coins left over to make more barbecue sauce if he makes that choice. In regards to others copying Bose I must truly laugh. They built similar design to the Bose but they are priced much higher and for a reason. Their components in the others mentioned just one driver cost more than the whole array of drivers in any given Bose system. It could be said they copied but made them Bose on steroids with their offerings. The price certainly would suggest as such.
Click to expand...
From past threads I can see you are sold on the Live X, so nothing that I say otherwise will please you. I have used a single 15" Sub and a single 18" Sub to my two Bose 802s and I tell you the clarity is incredible. This weekend I am doing a Gig using the Bose and either the 15" JBL sub or the 18" JBL sub. (Not the scoops). Once you start using the Bose 802s in a two way (As Mid + Highs) or as a three way (Highs OR Mids) it will leave the other passives in the dust. The key is in the configuration my friend.
 
I may believe that - as other systems, configured properly, have the same capabilities. If done right, our systems can do some really neat stuff - probably stuff we never imagined that they could do. Having said that, you should try out the Live X stuff Canute - and tell us whatcha think. If I was close enough to ya, I'd let you toy with mine.
 
ittigger said:
I may believe that - as other systems, configured properly, have the same capabilities. If done right, our systems can do some really neat stuff - probably stuff we never imagined that they could do. Having said that, you should try out the Live X stuff Canute - and tell us whatcha think. If I was close enough to ya, I'd let you toy with mine.
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I have listened to the Live X My friend so I was able to make that comparison. Again, I am not saying they are bad.
Consider these points:
In Full Range:
Live X Powered has Internal xover and one onboard amp, dividing the incoming spectrum to Highs & Mids and lows. Limited by the power of the onboard amp.

Live X Passive has internal Passive xover to be driven by one external amp, dividing the incoming spectrum to Highs & Mids and lows

Bose 802 with Controller gets full blast of the external amp being used = better efficiency for the full spectrum. You can increase the headroom by using a more powerful amp

In a Two Way Configuration:

Both Live X Powered and Passive still has to divide the Mid and High frequencies.
Bose gets the Mids and Highs already separated by its controller so its a dedicated signal/spectrum being amplified by the external amp.

In a three way Configuration:
The Live X will be N/A
The Bose 802 can be used either as Tweeters or Midrange without its controller.
 
I have never used the EV's, so I cannot say how they compare. I'm sure they are fine.
I can say that I've been very happy with my L1's. I typically do weddings that range from 150 to 350, and the crowd loves it. 80% of the events I do personally, I use 1 tower. When I use a 2nd or 3rd tower, it's wireless somewhere else in the room.

I mostly use the model 2's now, still have my model 1's, and compacts get used a lot for cocktail/ceremony systems

I couldn't be happier and can't see myself changing anytime soon

Use whatever works for you.


As far as being overpriced, I have never had a speaker system that has held it value the way these have. When I sold a few model 1's when I was getting the model 2's, I was able to sell them for a few hundred less than I purchased them. 3 years of system use for a few hundred dollars. A great investment in my book. My definition of "overpriced" means it's not selling at the current price. Yet, these things have been out for 6-7 years now, and still sell well at the same exact price.

The great news is you'll have no problem selling them if they are in good condition.
 
Scott Hanna said:
I typically do weddings that range from 150 to 350, and the crowd loves it. 80% of the events I do personally, I use 1 tower.
Click to expand...
Before I make a comment on your statement (This is the kind of claims that started the Bose wars), let me ask you this question. How many towers and bass units do you use for a typical wedding of 350 people as you described?
I can tell you for sure that one tower and two bass modules in not adequate for 350 people in a club or similar envoirnment.
 
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