Ok, time for some feedback on the Bose Compacts...

I've played eight, diverse gigs with the Compacts since getting hem Friday afternoon.

Friday eve: Senior center dance with 2 compacts and the tonematch
Saturday: Grand opening in large banquet tent: 2 compacts with yamaha box mixer
Sunday 4 hour dance at a large Eagles with 2 compacts and the tonematch
Monday nursing home with 2 compacts and the tonematch
Tuesday nursing home with 2 compacts and the tonematch
Thursday small Assisted living with 1 compacts and the tonematch
Thursday nursing home with 2 compacts and the tonematch

*Set up time has shrunk by 5-6 minutes. double compacts set-up is around 15-20. The single took me about 3 minutes less...

*The sound is just pristine. Regardless of how many compacts I'm using, its crystal clear, strong and very satisfactory for my work...

*I'm truly mystified by the reported "lack of low end" from this system. There's plenty....almost too much at times...

*In terms of output, again there's more than enough...make no mistake, I play loud, I have a big strong voice and even the single compact allowed me to feel comfortable.

*The biggest frustration for me is the difference in the physical setup. Before, the L1 would sit directly behind me about 4-8 feet. Now, that will work fine when I use a single compact, but when I use both, it'll be different. In those cases, each compact sits behind me, and to the outside by about 8 to 15 feet or so. Corners are rough to make this work well. hardly fatal, just something that's requiring an extra bit of thought during setup...

*With the cart being lighter by 40+ pounds, its absolutely an easier haul.

*Between the Compacts, the TC Helicon Voice live rack and the T2, I'm very happy with my rig. I can do almost any kind of music, it will sound exceptional and it won't tear me up physically to transport it.

*Not sure if its simply the use of 2 compacts versus a single l1, but several people have commented that everything sounds much sharper and crisper.

ALMOST everyone who tries the Compacts loves them. What's not to like?

I agree with DonM 100%.

Gary

Me too and I only have one!

God Bless,
Don

We use two compacts..mostly with Tyros 4. Bose is still the best I've found to use.

Re: low end. As Bill reports, there's lots of low end, I find myself mixing at times to cut out low end as at times there is more than I like. The low end can, at times, overpower the mid and upper frequencies/voices

RogL

how many Watts output on compacts?

I still think it s the type of preformance / venue your doing. Keyboard w / vocals for moderate music OK. I find that most of my jobs are combination "live" and DJ. Or DJ only. Not what I prefer to do but what is required. I can't imagine pushing any contemporary dance music thru Compacts with 8" woofers. I'd really have to hear it to believe it. Laws of Physics say you have to move air to project bass. Looking at some DJ forums the Bose Systems fall short without added subs. And then your back to bringing multiple pieces and setup time. And at a premium price.
Glad their working out for you. I'm always looking to move and setup less too.

Bill, if you come down here for the Synthzone Jam in July you can hear them first hand. In my area, I was the first entertainer to use the L1 standard. All the DJs and KJs I know, which is a lot, said those tiny speakers would not provide the bass or quality they would need for their jobs. They were dead wrong. Today, just about every DJ and KJ in the Baltimore regions uses the L1 and L1 Compacts. Those 8-inch subs will blow the walls out of most venues.

Gary

Donny-130 watts each...

Thanx Bill,....
I vaguely now remember that wattage specification when I had the Bose Compact, & L1's........

good luck.

I'm surprised Bose states the wattage at all. They usually never do, you don't find any wattags specifications of Bose products anywhere (except Amazon, they sometimes mix up the power consumption with performance, complete nonsense). So are 130 W amplification wattage really indicated in the manual?

I've never had a problem finding the wattage of the Bose L1 systems. The information has always been available, but like most PA products, you have to know where to find it. More often than not, PA systems consistently advertise their peak power - not the RMS power, which is the one that really counts. Bose, to my knowledge, usually provides information for both RMS and Peak Power. There is a HUGE difference.

Cheers,

Gary

I know that, PMPO is total garbage, especially computer speaker manufacturers like to fool buyers with such data, you can often divide it by 20 to get the approximate RMS value.
But really, in Europe Bose is notorious for NOT publishing any wattage specifications. And searching their internet site, for the L1 compact there is no wattage, neither in the product description, details nor technical specifications nor in the PDF manual.

So Gary, where is it found ? ...

Bill, I'm glad you've found happiness with the Compacts. Obviously, you're running in stereo, right? If so, what are your impressions?

I have the manual from my old L1 standard and in the specifications it states 750-watts RMS, 1,250 watts peak power. Of course, you can always use OHM's law and quickly calculate the power by using the current and voltage is those figures are available. There are some folks on this forum that don't believe in OHM's law, making brash claims about their particular sound systems power capabilities. It's simple physics - nothing more - nothing less. I learned OHM's Law when I was just 12 years old and took the test for my Amateur Radio (HAM Radio) General Class License. It was a requirement back then and I managed to pass on my first try. Here's a link to a simple calculator that will allow anyone to determine the actual wattage of their PA system. http://www.ohmslawcalculator.com/ohms_law_calculator.php

Here's the technical specs on the L1 Compact http://worldwide.bose.com/pro/assets/pdf/en/tds_l1_compact.pdf


Cheers,

Gary

Thanks! Really interesting to see official wattage specs by Bose. Indeed, the US "pro.bose" website provides many more details than the ordinary country-specific Bose websites.

Hey Cass-

I'd refer you to the original post in this thread. I'm very pleased with them. No complaints. The high quality of the sound, combined with the portability and reduced weight is a huge 1-2 punch.

Briefly coming back to Bose's secrets about wattage: The 'pro' section of the website is really interesting, a lot of forum users in Europe will probably be stunned to find official wattage after having speculated for years about what the L1 systems performance might be, obviously noone did thorough research and checked the US site to find the link ;-). But for all the consumer products like WaveRadio or the Sounddocks there seem to be no details, so it is still Bose's stance to be reserved about such details.

130 W for the Compact seems a little limited, but I know even RMS values cannot always be compared from manufacturer to manufacturer. E.g., lately I often read that the new 'Class D' amplifiers sometimes tend to have 'exaggerated' RMS values.

The main reason why I opted against the L1 Compact is that stereo output is just subjectively very important to me (e.g. I hate to hear symphonic strings in mono), and I wouldn't want to have 2 of them, so I preferred the HK Lucas Nano.