I saw this in an Industry Magazine that I receive. Here is a good review for the Bose L1
http://www.proaudiospace.com/profiles/blogs/good-friday-service-with-bose
http://www.proaudiospace.com/profiles/blogs/good-friday-service-with-bose
Bose Mentioned In A Review.
- Thread starter ahoustondj
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Overall it is good, he did point out some limitations. The Bose L1 is a good Speaker when properly deployed and preset for proper acoustics. I can find many uses with it even in conjunction with my big system. The only problem we have had with the Bose L1 system on this Forum was that some owners would post notoriously false claims like One of the Systems could handle 500 people or that they blasted an outdoor crowd with it. I have seen it used both by other DJs as well as Musicians here in Houston and I have heard it sound real good and in some cases mediocre which I blamed on the operator. There were other continuing comments on the article posted.
He used them as front fill speakers .. only covering the first 6-7 rows (though he mentions they probably covered more than that). He didn't use them as mains, so it's tough to discern anything other than they will work as fills, need low-mid assistance and really can benefit from a true sub, as mentioned.
The rest of the responses varied .. even toasting (in a not so good way), the equalization boxes used to treat the likes of the 901/802 series.
All-in-all it seems to say the L1s did their job, handled dispersion nicely, controlled refractions well, but needed some low end help.
The rest of the responses varied .. even toasting (in a not so good way), the equalization boxes used to treat the likes of the 901/802 series.
All-in-all it seems to say the L1s did their job, handled dispersion nicely, controlled refractions well, but needed some low end help.
I've done 2 rather large events with my Bose L1, M2 with double subs. One was a 350+ event in St. Louis at a military ballroom and another was 250+ in Chattanooga. The first event was one of my early weddings and the Bose was all I had to work with (I'd just bought it a few months prior). The 2nd event was an out-of-town thing through a booking agent that bold-faced lied about the size of the venue and guest count (he claimed it was an "intimate affair for 75 people) and no, I'm not driving 300 miles to do a site survey for a company party. In both cases, the Bose did cover the rooms, in that you could clearly hear music and speeches. The dance floor was reasonably covered but not what I'd call acceptable.
I'll add that the reviewer did nail the concept correctly that (my belief here) Bose plays tricks by subtracting certain frequencies, although I don't think he actually nailed the correct frequencies in his assertion. The top-end does have plenty of air if you bump the high-end eq just a bit. The bottom-end falls off hard at about 50 feet but it does have a nice and well-rounded feel, especially considering the cabs you're working with. I do think the review was a bit of a joke in that the Bose was only being used as sidefills. Kinda hard to buy the assessment when the majority of what you'd be hearing would've been that FOH system. One thing's for certain though. That Bose name resonates with brides and it does help in selling. It's the only time I've seen equipment actually count towards closing a sale.
As with any speaker, you'll have different opinions. Some people really like them, some people think they are OK, and some don't like them at all.
Some people really like them because of the brand, and some people don't like them because of the brand.
Just as with most speakers, some people's "knowledge" of speakers is often limited to hearing someone else's speakers without knowing everything in the chain....EQ, sound source, other equipment..etc.
For example, I was at a mobile beat show a few years ago, the rep demo'd the K12's. I thought they sounded excellent. Don't recall the sub or what else was involved. Yet I talk to some people who say K12's sound terrible when they've heard them.
Some people don't even know their own equipment. I run into people on occasion who own L1's and have no idea what their T1 can do for them. One guy recently, he's owned it for 2 years and didn't know the T1 was a sound card.
I've had the opportunity to show some musicians, who "knew all about the L1's" and thought they could only be used for acoustic gigs, what they could do.
The bottom line is this. Everyone should use what they like. For me, the L1's have been working great for every event I've done over the last 7 years, the biggest one with 800 people(5 L1's). I've found them to be powerful, versatile, easy to transport. They work for me, and my customers have been very happy.
They'll never work for everyone. And I'm glad they don't.
Some people really like them because of the brand, and some people don't like them because of the brand.
Just as with most speakers, some people's "knowledge" of speakers is often limited to hearing someone else's speakers without knowing everything in the chain....EQ, sound source, other equipment..etc.
For example, I was at a mobile beat show a few years ago, the rep demo'd the K12's. I thought they sounded excellent. Don't recall the sub or what else was involved. Yet I talk to some people who say K12's sound terrible when they've heard them.
Some people don't even know their own equipment. I run into people on occasion who own L1's and have no idea what their T1 can do for them. One guy recently, he's owned it for 2 years and didn't know the T1 was a sound card.
I've had the opportunity to show some musicians, who "knew all about the L1's" and thought they could only be used for acoustic gigs, what they could do.
The bottom line is this. Everyone should use what they like. For me, the L1's have been working great for every event I've done over the last 7 years, the biggest one with 800 people(5 L1's). I've found them to be powerful, versatile, easy to transport. They work for me, and my customers have been very happy.
They'll never work for everyone. And I'm glad they don't.
Cap, is that directed to me? If so, "Those claims" I mentioned was not directed to you. I have never faulted the Brand as I too own some of their products. There used to be some members on here (Some are no longer Members and some may be inactive) that did make those kind of false claims. Those people got attacked, not the brand. I don't recall you ever making any false claims. As a matter of fact you refuted some of the misrepresentations. We are talking back around 2007 when Steve and others were active on the board.
Some here will know of what I speak but given my present popularity status, I don't expect to see anyone rushing to my defense or to corroborate what I mean.
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Every Day I get E-mails from different Audio and Sound Production Publications and I share what I feel is relevant to the Forum. Yesterday I got two about Bose, the one I posted was from one of those Publications and another about the Sale Special on the AWM from Bose which I declined to post because I knew some people would start a contentious debate on it. I did not post what I did to start anything negative. It is responses like what you just gave that sparks the fuel for the flame. Again, nothing was directed to you or anyone in particular, it was just information! Several people on here have been discussing buying the Bose L1 and the Bose Compact to use as extras or for Ceremonies and when I saw the article about someone using it as "fills" I thought it might be relevant to the discussion.