Just further info I have found out..the one I am looking at is tagged the "Classic" by Bose, so maybe the $'s are a bit high?...for the US guys the asking price is about $1400 USD..

Does anyone have an idea of what the "Classic" model should go for s/h?

According to teh Bose site, they have the Classic, the L1 and then the L1 mark II.

Dennis

I have decided NOT to buy this Bose L1 (actually more correctly called the PAS,the name didn't change until the second model), simply because I have found I can add just $400 and get a brand new system instead.

I am now convinced, from all your helpful replies, and my own investigations, that I want to try this amazing PA system, I will just have to wait a bit longer.

Dennis



[This message has been edited by miden (edited 11-05-2008).]

I wish I was in Oz so I could hear you play the L1 for the first time. I'm confident you'll love what you hear.

Good Luck,

Gary

Just discovered something a bit disconcerting..I tried running my existing PA in mono (with the G70 also just sending form the L(mono) jack and using a mono input on the desk), just to get an idea of how the Bose will sound (I believe they are mono), and a lot of the "liveness" of the sound seems to to disappear??

Can I ask how do current users of the Bose system find running in mono, or does the Bose sound that good that it doesn't really matter much?

Dennis

PS: this is not trying to incite stereo-v-mono debate, just want to know what current users think.

I run my G70 to the PAS from the mono out and it sounds great. I wondered, also, what I was missing by using mono, so I played a gig in a small room using twin CM-30's. I much preferred the PAS mono.

Bernie

Dennis,

I run the PSR-3000s left channel into the L1s channel 1 and the 3000s right channel into the L1s channel 2. This seems to produce a fuller sound, at least to my ears, when the two channels are combined within the L1. I believe much of this is due to Yamaha's pseudo mono output, which is not really a true combination of both audio output channels.

As I've stated many times in the past, the audience really doesn't know or care whether you are playing in mono or stereo--they just want to be entertained.

Good Luck,

Gary

Thanks Bernie and BBBB, (and Gary, sorry I missed yours, we must have been posting at the same time ) good to have that feedback.

I may even go back to looking at the s/h L1 as it DOES have twin subs, so on balance it is probably a good deal.

Cheers
Dennis

[This message has been edited by miden (edited 11-10-2008).]

Pseudo-Mono?

Any empirical testing done to confirm that, or is it anecdotal?

Should be easy with a DAW. Record a short piano piece in the sequencer, then record the audio in the DAW in stereo. Record same SMF again in mono (from the mono out of the arranger)... Convert the stereo recording in the DAW to mono... Compare.

Normalize BOTH tracks to ensure identical levels. That ought to make it apples to apples. It'll be interesting to hear the results (hint, hint!)...

Dennis it's ultimately up to you, but if it was me, I'd be going for the Model II (with twin subs) as the sound dispersal - thanks to the articulated drivers - is indeed "superior" to the older models.

This is usually described as Model I having a narrower beam of sound and "hot spots" in the room sound-wise (more like a conventional PA). So simply, if you A/B the 2 systems, apparently it's like this:

Model I - Close your eyes & you can tell where the L1 is placed in the room.
Model II - Close your eyes & you cannot easily tell where the L1 is in the room, and there are no Hotspots as the music is all around you (like Love )

Just btw, we had an early gig Last Sunday and ended up in a large Club we play at often, and to our surprise the Act (Duo - 2 Guitars/Vocals/Sequencing) were using a Model I Bose (!) So for the first time we were able to sit down and watch a "Bose-Band" that wasn't us!
I found the sound to still be amazingly clear and the bottom end was great, & they only had one sub!! (it was a Country act, so they didn't need much) but still the warmth and the clarity were knockout.

The issue of the PA being Mono is non-existent for me (and certainly for all the Audiences we've played to so far!) but there HAVE been phasing issues with Yamaha Keyboards - well documented - because of the way Yamaha outputs to Mono, the actual "mono samples" are also part of the problem I believe. (You have a Roland do you not? if so, I would confidently ignore the Mono/Stereo output issue).

Also, I and many others feel running a conventional system in Mono to see how it might sound from an "L1 perspective" is comparing Apples and Oranges.
Regarding my cut n paste story above of that young DJ listening to us - I should mention he was amazed that the Bose was a Mono PA - he saw only one cable coming out of my keyboard and thought "hang on it MUST be mono" but he still couldn't "make the connection" if you know what I mean - it didn't sound like a "normal" mono PA to him. I guess it's the clarity and "sound from all around" kind of effect that the L1 (especially Model II) has that makes the whole mix sound quite "alive", to the point where Stereo/Mono is just simply a non-issue.

Thanks Hellboy...

I think that would have to be the way to go..The new system with an extra sub..I was told the extra sub is only about $500 more, but worth more than that in real-terms (ie using it)..

Dennis