Love to have as the 2nd/1st, but not practical to carry 2 boards...

Zuki good luck what ever you choose....btw did you post any new videos on you tube with that vid cam you bought?

Zuki, Sorry to hear the Bose isn't for you, but as the song lyrics read " You can't please everyone, so you got to please yourself."

Ian's suggestion using stereo in Bose has merit, before you give up on the compact.




Although I don't see myself giving up my Pa2xPro. The new s910 is so much more than I expected, I love it and am really enjoying it. Lots of bang for the buck, more so than the s900. Great screen and the new improved Music Finder are terrific.

I've been using workaround styles with the Korg and they do work. But I have to say opening the door with 3rd party styles is a nice change.

Steve congrats, I'm glad your enjoying the S910...I know I am ...& thanx for answering my preliminary questions it is much appreciated.

"Not use the extensions"...

The extensions are part of the design.

If you did not use them, it is unfair criticism of the design. IMO.

I don't think you understand what the extensions are there for, physically.

If you don't like 'em, send 'em back.

Diki,

I'm not suggesting the Bose L1 compact would work for 20 to 30 year-olds who are into head-banging rock. My son had a very successful band that performed grunge, acid rock, stuff that was loud enough to make your ears bleed. Everything sounded distorted, and if it didn't the added special effects to create distortion--even with the vocals. If that's what someone wants, they should NOT choose Bose systems.

Ironically, during my last visit to the Florida Keys and several other locations in the south, which included: Memphis, Shreveport, Bossier City, Panama City, Stuart, Palm Coast, the outer banks of North and South Carolina and Virginia Beach, I didn't encounter any hard rock bands. Not in the Tiki Bars, not in nite-clubs, definitely not in the American Legions, VFWs, Elks, Moose, Am-Vets, restaurants, private parties, etc.. The only places I can recall that featured this type of music were outdoor rock concerts, which in my area seem to be slowly, but surely fading away.

In Jim's case, at least from what he has described in the past, he's primarily performing for an older crowd, folks ranging from 50 to 90 years of age. Most of the jobs are relatively small, audiences of less than 100, and in many instances, audiences of less than 50.

I would suspect that 99.9 percent of the forum members fall into the same category. When I performed at a few Tiki Bars, both in Ocean City, Maryland and the central Florida Keys, the audience makeup ranged from 35 to 75 years of age, they like everything I played, most got up and danced, and both the audiences and club owners did not want ear-bleed volumes and today's rock. Give them some Jimmy Buffett, Jim Crocie, Frank Sinatra, Etta James, and others in the same era and they're gonna' have fun.

From my point of view, Jim (Zuki), and the vast majority of Synthzone members who perform regularly at nite-clubs, restaurants, bars, pubs, nursing homes, retirement communities, senior centers, tiki bars, marinas, veterans clubs, animal clubs and similar events, The Bose L1, L1 Model II and L1 Compact is an ideal PA system.

For those that need ear-bleed volumes and distortion, DO NOT--I REPEAT--DO NOT purchase Bose--IT'S NOT FOR YOU! I suspect these folks need something that requires a huge van with a lift-gate, fork-lift and some young, strong roadies to haul and set-up their PA system.

DISCLAIMER:
The above statements are MY opinion, and MY OPINION ONLY. Individual results may vary and not everyone can expect to achieve similar results. There is no guarantee or warranty, and unlike Bose, no refund.

Cheers,

Gary

Mac, I mentioned in my post that I DID use both extensions. So my assessment is from using the extensions and not using an extensions.

I'm sending it back. CASE CLOSED.

Thing is, one man's ear bleed is another man's normal level!

That's what I keep trying to point out. Yes, most of us are NH OMB's and cocktail performers of one kind or another. But even so, I am sure there's still quite a volume difference between even people doing the same material.

There's also a considerable difference between those that can tell they are pushing their gear hard, and those that can't. Zuki thought it sounded 'compressed'. It may well have been... He may have had it up to the point where the limiters kick in (there's no visual indicator to say you've hit it, is there?), and they start changing the dynamics. Some of us may not realize that that is happening.

I realize that in the vast majority of cases, an L1+ system will do the job. But no amount of engineering is going to make a 150W mono PA fill a room to the level one of those will do. Even Bose themselves realize that. That's why they still MAKE the L1+!

But my real point is that, unfortunately, a thousand word may be as good as a picture, but they also are not as good as a listen! Writing about a volume level is like describing a color. Entirely subjective.

Your post kind of confirms it. There's a HELL of a lot of music out there that isn't grunge, and is played quite loudly in bars and clubs. Blues (could a Compact even keep up with a guitarist with a Fender Bluesman? I doubt it!), reggae, alternative, trance and electronica, rock, heck, I've heard bluegrass/newgrass bands louder than any 150W PA could keep up with. And NO complaints to keep it down! (that by itself pegs the age of the audience )

You wouldn't listen to it, but that doesn't stop the club from being full, and patrons and management happy. Now go and play those venues with your Compact... No, you wouldn't, would you?

That volume ceiling is impossible to quantify. Zuki hit it, and he's not what I'd call a screamer! Within it's limits, the Compact seems perfect. But those limits come a LOT sooner for some than others. Advice needs to be tempered with this knowledge, IMO...

It's possible the compressed sound is coming from the keyboard also & thats what is being heard....But,I say if you play an array of different size venues 25pp - 500pp is my yearly range of jobs ...then you should have an assortment of sound gear to handle all of them. I carry a small & large PA everywhere I go. When I get to the gig I first go in do a quick assessment of the room size & audience. Then go back to my Vehicle and bring out excactly as much gear as I need to perform the job admirable mixing and matching gear as needed. And also it's a good rule of thumb just in case you get in a pinch when something goes wrong..or maybe a gig where your in two rooms or an outside cocktail hour and the main event is indoors.Like the boy scouts always say.."BE PREPARED"

[This message has been edited by Dnj (edited 10-10-2009).]

I hope Jim finds what he's looking for PA wise.

I think its a concern though, honestly that at 6:30pm Wednesday night, he was "blown away." Roughly 48 hours later his opinion had completely changed again to deciding the Bose wasn't for him.

I don't care what PA Jim winds up with, but the back and forth tells me that maybe its not really clear in his mind what he's wanting.

Jim-Your background is corporate sales, right? What did you tell a client who seemed to be going back and forth between different products?

I will say that IMO, you want to get past this but also not make a hasty decision. Hating how you sound while you try and concentrate on playing and talking with your audiences isn't a fun place to be.

Do you have anyone near you you trust sound wise to go to a few jobs with you and give you some honest feedback? OR, perhaps play and sing a bit through the various systems so you can walk around and get a feel for how it sounds away from the keyboard?

I know the calling card of the Bose systems is that we hear what the audience hears, but its great to be able to walk away from the system while its being used and really verify the sound a distance away...

I'd suggest hang onto the Compact a couple weeks. Read the owners manual backwards/forwards, check out the Bose forums-ask some questions, call CS a hundred times if you need to. I know the way the Bose sounded for me the first couple days compared to the next several days was pretty different. My first day I liked it, but didn't feel like I had a finished sound yet. After a while, I really got it dialed in and love it.

At least at that point when/if the next PA gives you any doubts, you'll KNOW that you did everything you could to make the Bose work and that it wasn't for you.

Good luck...

------------------
Bill in Dayton