# NPAD Bose L1 Compact



## Chito (Feb 17, 2006)

Well seeing that my brand spanking new duo already have 3 gigs starting January, I decided to take advantage of the sale at L&M and got a Bose L1 Compact. It's great for cafe and restaurant gigs and house concerts. Small footprint and great sound. Excited to try it out tomorrow at our rehearsal.

Pictures to follow.

Here's a generic photo.


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## Kerry Brown (Mar 31, 2014)

Rented one when our trio started. It was great but couldn’t afford to buy it. Went with a small mixing board and some old active Fender PA speakers. They don’t sound near as good as the Bose. If we keep the trio going a Bose system may be in my future.


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## Chito (Feb 17, 2006)

If you get enough gigs you might be able to afford one pretty quickly.


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## zdogma (Mar 21, 2006)

They were a really good deal at L&M, I was tempted as well. The little battery one was quite cheap as well.


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## marcos (Jan 13, 2009)

Great little kit for small venues buddy.You will be very pleased with them


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## Chito (Feb 17, 2006)

I'm looking at getting a mixer but based on what I have been reading, the best one to get is the Bose Tonematch. But it's another $700 for a new one. Can't even find any used ones. 
So for those who have a Bose L1, how does a different branded mixer work with the L1? Is the Tonematch really that much better?


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## sambonee (Dec 20, 2007)

I’d say that the mice has less to Do with the tone that that system Does. That system takes you 80-90% of the way to tone paradise for live sound. And surround feel. 

I went to an open Jam once, and commented on how great the monitor system sounded so good. He told me that there are no monitors on the stage and I couldn’t believe it. It was the same system


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## Chito (Feb 17, 2006)

I was just thinking of adding a bit of reverb on the vocals and possibly mic the sax too, that's why I wanted to add the mixer.

I'm actually not going to use it for my guitar. I'm using an electric and bringing an amp with me. The L1 would only be used by my singer and possibly her saxophone. She plays loud with that thing though LOL Probably doesn't need the amplification. 

In any case, I have jammed with someone who was playing another guitar and because there were no monitors, I felt like I couldn't hear myself and had to stop playing. Or maybe my guitar volume was just turned down too low. I just hopped in during one of the songs and replaced the other guitar player, who now thinking about it, didn't really do much with his guitar and that;s probably he was turned down. LOL


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## marcos (Jan 13, 2009)

I used one for about a month (rental) at our practice Chito and used my little mixer for keys (Moe) sequenced tracks and vocals. It makes it easier to blend everything. You could actually plug your LP into it also to balance every thing out. Less stuff to carry around. I dont think you need to mic Anj in small rooms but its good to know that you could if need be. You can probably pick up a small used Mackie with reverb and it will be fine. I saw some at Spaceman this week in the back store. Worth a look.
Also forgot to mention that i have also jammed a few times with live drummer, bass player vocals etc. with the bigger Bose system and the sound was well rounded and loud. Nice to be able to use them for FOH and monitors all at once. The bigger system is expensive (about 5,000.00 for two units)


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## Chito (Feb 17, 2006)

So you plugged in your electric to the mixer too? And did you pan it out to one channel (left I would think) before connecting it to the L1?
I'll take a peek at Spaceman to see about that Mackie mixer. I have been eyeing one of those.
Thanks!


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## marcos (Jan 13, 2009)

Chito said:


> So you plugged in your electric to the mixer too? I'll take a peek at Spaceman to see about that Mackie mixer. I was eyeing one of those.
> Thanks!


I actually used my Gibson acoustic in it. Plug your LP in it and listen for yourself if its what you like.


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## marcos (Jan 13, 2009)

Chito said:


> So you plugged in your electric to the mixer too? I'll take a peek at Spaceman to see about that Mackie mixer. I was eyeing one of those.
> Thanks!


Check out their website. They seem to have a few.


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

I cranked one up at L&M Winnipeg about twelve years ago. At forty feet away the sound was falling short. Still a good thing, I think. Those that want to listen can come close and those that want to chat can move back. 

Congrats on your purchase! So much handier than the archaic technology I have to lug around. Big speaker cabs and vacuum tube amps with boat anchor transformers. 

And of course, your audio quality is stellar. You can't take it away from Bose -- they deserve the rep. 

I also envy your band situation: nice quiet act with everyone actually listening to each other.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

I listened to a guitarist playing an acoustic through one of these at a local L&M.
VERY IMPRESSIVE! Crystal clear and detailed.

ENJOY!


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## Lord-Humongous (Jun 5, 2014)

I've been tempted a few times by the S1 - it's the smallest Bose PA and it fits in a knapsack. The L1 looks amazing too; I'd be very interested in your comments and findings after using it for a while!


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## oheare (Jun 18, 2012)

I make my living as a sound guy. I *hated* Bose. Hated hated hated, mostly based on setups that needed the proprietary processor and didn't have one, I learned later. Then I got plunked down in a poor-sounding venue (in a mall just outside the food court) for a month during Jazz Fest and Blues Fest, using a pair of L1 Model II for mains and a Yamaha TF1 mixer. I discovered that it was pretty easy to make almost anything sound good with this setup; singer-songwriters, horn-based jazz bands, funk bands, all kinds of stuff.

So for my own stuff, I bought a TF1 and a pair of Bose L1 Model II with B2 Bass (and 4 of the Bose S1 Pro for monitors). I'm well pleased with the setup. You do _NOT_ need to use the Bose ToneMatch; it makes some things easier, especially when mixing from the stage, but any mixer works just fine. 

I have used the setup for lots if stuff, from book launches and poetry readings in smallish bars to rock bands in soft-seat theatres. Big spaces and loud dance clubs, etc., really need another solution.

The L1 doesn't sound good when it's _really _loud (it seems to have some band limiting), and it really doesn't sound good when driven into clipping; but then, most stuff doesn't. 

I do think that Bose kinda shot themselves in the foot a while back, by trying to sell an L1 to each band member for use as a personal monitor as well as main audio. The times I've heard things done that way, the miserable inverse square physics thing came into play. I've ended up way off center in the audience, and the performer furthest from me is much quieter than the closest. Looks really cool, though.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

I’ve been obliged to use one of the Bose sticks with the sub once and it was not a suitable application for the system.

It was outdoors and the artist insisted on using it instead of running through the more powerful conventional system I had set up for the stage.

In a small space in a situation where you don’t want to move air, they sound great.

I’m of the opinion that dollar for dollar I can get more for less money with a small mixer and some powered full range cabs.


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## Chito (Feb 17, 2006)

Thanks for the input everyone! First of all I guess I shouldn't really spend another $700 for the Tonematch. I had the opportunity to see friend play last night with the L1 in a venue where my band played recently. They were using it just for vocals (3) with a mixer which brand I can't remember now. And they sounded good!

Another thing I learned from our rehearsal yesterday was that we don't really need reverb with it. The vocals are so clear and I tried putting my Mechanic Mic for the reverb from the mic to the L1 and we preferred the mic directly plugged into the L1. BTW, the guys we watched last night was a trio with no drums. My friend said that as soon as you put in a drummer, all bets are off. Either you add another L1 or get the LII or I guess use the regular PA/Mixer setup.

Thanks for the comments about your experiences with it. It's helping a lot in understanding what works and what doesn't without having to actually try it.

I'll keep posting here about my observations regarding it with my own experiences when we use it more often.


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## JCJ (Jan 3, 2008)

I have and use a Bose L1 model 2 with a Tonematch. It's works well for me, as a solo singer/songwriter who uses very little in the way of effects etc. Small venues, restaurants, house concerts: great sound. Larger venues, bigger, loud pubs: not good. I realize you were interested in the compact series, but the tone and sound reproduction to me, is the same.

I am looking for a pure sound/tone ( use a Sennheiser vocal mic, and a Godin Encore nylon string )

That's my experience. I prefer a listening crowd for my style, and the Bose is better than most PA's I have used (over my 30 years in the biz).

But as to someone's point earlier, soundmen don't much care for them.


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## oheare (Jun 18, 2012)

I'm a bit of a dolt ; I misread stuff, the original discussion was about the Bose L1 _*Compact*_. I confess that I have a pair of those too, and I don't like them as well as the L1 II or the S1. They're fine, but not quite to my taste. 

I've used them as satellite speakers and stuff, and they work well for that. I know a couple of folks locally, whose ears I trust, use them for solo songwriter gigs and like them a lot; plug in a mic and a guitar and away you go. They are incredibly easy to cart around and set up, and they don't interfere with sight lines.

Also, if you only use one extender pole instead of two, they make great monitors for performers playing sitting down: classical guitarists, cellists, etc.


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## AlChance (3 mo ago)

*I need a little more volume for distant listeners for my outdoor city event (no grass). Will putting 2 of these L1 Compact speakers close together, or stacking them on chairs help? I am not open to upgrading at this point as outdoors events are just a fraction of all my gigs, and I am Solo artist and my own solo Roadie.*


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## Chito (Feb 17, 2006)

AlChance said:


> *I need a little more volume for distant listeners for my outdoor city event (no grass). Will putting 2 of these L1 Compact speakers close together, or stacking them on chairs help? I am not open to upgrading at this point as outdoors events are just a fraction of all my gigs, and I am Solo artist and my own solo Roadie.*


Adding another L1 Compact won't increase the volume. Also stacking them together won't do anything. If you use 2 Compacts, you need to spread them out at least 20 feet from each other. But this will only increase your coverage. I have used 2 L1 compacts this way and it works. But again it won't increase the 'throw'. I've used 2 Compacts for a couple or so outdoors and indoors with the full band too. I have now moved on from the Compact to an L1 Pro8 which is definitely much louder than the compact and the bass goes lower too. I've moved on to two L1 Pro16s now. And that works perfectly for us, outdoors or indoors.


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