Stopped at the local Schmitt music store yesterday(about 50 miles away) to hook up with my cousin, a full time musician. We both do business there and he's always buying some gear...worse than me, the gearhead, if that's possible.

They carry Fender and had the Fender Expo there. From what I can tell, the Fender Expo looks like a rebranded Maui 11. They were asking $999.

The store hooked up an electric piano to the Expo for us and my cousin demo'd the unit.

I was pleasantly surprised. I thought the sound was similar to my Bose Compact but with a lot more low end and it the Expo seemed to have a lot more power...hard to tell without A/B..ing.

The tower, that sits on the sub unit seemed a bit wobbly, but not too bad, with just the two pins holding it on to the sub unit.

The strange thing is that apparently there are no carrying cases made by Maui for these units? Or at least that was what I was told.

My cousin, who has the Bose L1 Model S with two sub units, was visibly impressed. I wonder if he will buy one of these?

Take care.

RogL

Fender has a cover set available for the Expo system.

Looks like it's about the same price as the Bose L1 Compact, very similar configuration, doesn't provide the wattage information, but claims it can handle audiences to 300 PPL, but the big drawback, at least for me, would be the weight - 45 pounds! OUCH!

Gary

Two for stereo ...just sayin

I see that there are bags. Interesting that they didn't know that at the store.

Weight wise, the Maui 11 is definitely heavier than a Bose compact..with the sub unit at 39 lbs and the column at 12 lbs. This weight would be in the range of weight for the Bose L1 Model S with sub woofer.

The Maui 11 seemed to me to pack quite a bit more punch(low end) than the Bose compact, so I wonder if it isn't more in line with the capabilities of the Bose L1 Model S?

Also, on the LD site, LD shows a Maui 11 Mix system, actually has more inputs than the Fender Expo.

http://www.ld-systems.com/en/series/maui...-channel-mixer/

if you play a Acoustic Guitar the Expo is great if you Play a arranger Keyboard you will miss the left and right effect of your keyboard I am a 2 speaker kind of guy exp with Arranger Keyboards .

Ditto Ditto DITTO!!

I fully agree with this...most of the time.

For us, though, often we are playing in situations where it's small enough that one speaker suffices...then it's the Nano 300 or Bose Compact.

When it comes to PA systems, I always like to look and try out. I doubt we will be buying an LD Maui 11 anytime soon...if at all.

The thing that caught my attention about the Maui 11 is that I think it could be a competitor to the Bose L1 Model 1S. It does seem to have the power for that and it's about $600 less. The weight of the two(LD and Bose L1 Model 1S) would be comparable.

Interesting.

Good comments all.

RogL

I've been selling the LD Maui 11 systems for over 2 years, the added weight compared to the Bose is a definite, since the Bose is plastic and thats why it's bass response isn't close to the LD, since the LD is made of wood for the bottom

I agree Frank good points Wood is a big difference in sound
vs plastic especially for a sub.....wish I was closer to you to come hear it I'm sittin' here in a big Nor'Easter storm right now !!

... and KEEP IT THERE ... thank you !!!

"Everybody wants to go to Heaven, but nobody wants to die".

Everybody wants a lightweight speaker that sounds great, especially in the low end. That's a tall order....like wanting a voluptuous bride but not wanting to carry her over the threshold. As Frank and Donny pointed out, if you want that 'wood cabinet' sound, you're gonna pay the price in terms of weight.

Although I use the Leslie 3300 (in combination with the Nord C2D) almost exclusively on a gig, when I do need to carry a PA (for mains or monitors), I use 2 EV Sxa250's which weigh in at 56lbs/ea plus a small analog line mixer. The thing is, I only have to deal with one at a time and frankly, I'd rather spend 15 minutes wrestling with those than spend 4 hours listening to sub-par, plastic cheapos. Of course, I don't play 1-hr. gigs and I might feel differently if I did. But it's like everything else in life; you get what you pay for....or in this case, what you're willing to lift.

chas

Chas, if you had a schedule like DNJ, Bill from Dayton, and myself, believe me, you would have a totally different attitude about this subject, and I'm confident that you would approach things very differently. That said, we have all owned monster speakers and sound systems at one time during our musical careers. Remember the old Peavey SP1G, a monster that stood about 48 inches high, 30 inches wide and deep, and tipped the scales at 105 pounds. And, it wasn't a power speaker.

Here's a few examples of systems that I owned previously, and believe me, I have owned many, many sound systems.

How about the SP5G Peavey. A real lightweight, tipping the scales at just 79-pounds, unpowered. And, these were pole mounts, which even when laid on their sides and the poles inserted and hefted up on the pole took all the strength of two young guys. (I was pretty strong back then. Younger and better looking, too!)

Barbetta stepped up to the plate with their Barbatta Sona 32SC series, just 36 pounds apiece, powered, 450-watts, 15-incher with a 10-inch horn. I still have one.

Also had a pair of Mackie 450s, which were brutes, overheated on me several times, and I was able to get GC to refund my money because of that problem. If I recall, they were about 52-pounds each, and a real bear to put on the poles.

Then, I got to hear Uncle Dave's Bose L1 PAS, a single 10-inch sub, 24 speakers on the pole, and I knew right then and there that this was the only way to go. Setup time was a breeze, all the bottom end anyone could ever want, incredible clarity, and coverage that has been the industry leader. If you are a singer, nothing at that time came remotely close. The following day, after hearing Uncle Dave in that Italian restaurant in Philadelphia, I called Bose, order an identical system, and never looked back. When the L1 compact became available, I tested it out, loved the wonderful, full sound that it provided, then traded in my L1 PAS on a second Compact - even up.

Most of the folks that I hear that make claims that plastic speaker enclosures do not provide the warmth of the old wooden cabinets have either not tried or owned a Bose system, or they're just closed minded about the subject. Secondly, I suspect that the cost is quite a deterrent, and that is understandable, especially when you consider how little most OMB entertainers are paid per performance, and how infrequently most of them work. It would difficult to justify the expense of a pair of L1 Compacts, or any similarly priced systems, if you only work a couple jobs a month.

Now, as you well know, Chas, as we age, body parts tend to go to Hell in a hand-basket. There was a time when lifting up a railroad tie, which averages about 100 pounds, was something I considered an easy task. I constructed a retainer wall in front of my home that consisted of 125 of them and had to carry each of them from the end of my driveway to the location in front of the house, a distance of about 120 feet. No big deal back then. Friday afternoon, I stopped at the plumbing supply place and purchased a 50-pound bag of Calcite, which is used to neutralize the acidity of my well water. When I unloaded it from the van, it felt as if someone had place a dead body in that little bag. By the time I got to the basement door with the bag, I thought my damned knees would buckle. Next time, I'm gonna use the garden tractor cart to lug this stuff to the basement.

Gettin' old ain't fer wimps and sissies,

Gary

Gary, I agree with you completely but I DID say I would probably feel differently if I worked frequent, quick-turnaround, 1 hr. gigs. I'm not physically (or psychologically) able to do that although I greatly respect those that can and do. I only play once a week, sometimes less, and I may soon (for physical reasons) quit doing that. They are, however, almost all 4hr. gigs (45 on/15 off x 4). I don't personally lift anything other than my Nord C2D and someone else moves the Leslie when it's necessary. Weight, plus fear of damage, is the reason I won't take the KeyB Duo MK111 out on a gig, so weight DOES have a bearing on my gear decisions.

You're also correct that I have never heard the Bose System (L1 or Compact) in a live venue and I'm sure it sounds as good as it's fans say, although, as you well know, it also has it's detractors. Like everything else, 'ear of the beholder'.

chas

Can't argue with that Chas.

well, when I sail south next fall, of course this all depends on my overall health, maybe we could meet up in Jekyll Island, which is where I exited the ICW last year, tilt a few beers, and you could hear my rig in action. I think you would be pleasantly surprised.

Gary

How does that song go? 'It's All About The Bass' ???

My wife and I have been playing out for about 11 years now..at least since she joined me on the gigs. In that time we've used the original Bose L1 system and then switched to Compacts for convenience.

Truth is, 60% of the time we play for small groups in small venues and didn't notice the lack of bass end on the Compacts.

Then we played started playing for larger groups in larger rooms with the Compacts. I didn't even notice the lack of bass..my wife did. Her comment: "Sounds kind of thin" i.e. I found out she meant lack of bass.

Like Gary, I sure do like the convenience of the weight of the Compacts, but I also want our larger audiences to enjoy a bigger sound.

The Maui, the Nano 300 and the JBL 515XT's all have a lot more bass than the Compacts.

I had even thought of adding a single Bose L1 Model 1S...until I listened to the Maui. Near as I can tell it's got what the L1 Model 1S has at $600 less.

Like I said before, 60% of our gigs are small groups. If we use one speaker, I prefer the Nano. If we use two speakers for small groups I go with the Nano and a Compact or two Compacts.

I do miss the bass end the Compacts do not provide.

RogL

I've found that if you move the compacts closer to the wall, the bass increases. Dramatically.

Gary