Hi, I just ordered a Bose L1 compact. For those of you who have speakers on the keyboard do you use both the Bose and the onboard speakers? If you do, do you place the Bose at the side of you in that case or still just to the back and side?

I use two compacts with the Yamaha S950. It works great, along with the onboard speakers. Like you said, I place mine to each side and slightly to the rear. No feedback. Works great. I wish the compacts had a few more of the small speakers. What is it now, 6? I’d like about 9 or 12 per column. I had the Model II at one time, so I’m aware of the difference between the two models.

Graham,
I use one, and mostly place it to the side of the keyboard. I use my harmonizer so much that I need to separate the flow of sound that enters my mic for best tracking. I leave the KB speakers on for my own monitor purposes. I LOVE this setup.

I have used Two and also just One Bose Compact speakers on gigs since the Compacts first came out. The very best scenario is to place the speaker about 2 or 3 feet behind you or just to the side and behind you. When using just one make sure you run two cables from both the R/LR outputs into the Bose using a combining plug available at Radio Shack.

Often I am forced to place the speaker right next to the keyboard and that works ok too when necessary. I have run my mic into the keyboard and have also run it right into the Bose itself. I don't sing so either way works for me. I have never uses a mixer into the Bose - do all the EQ on the keyboards(Tyros 4 and Ketron SD7).

One word of caution - the Bose Compact can product a lot of Bass - especially if you must place it close to a wall when playing. Be prepared to EQ that out on the fly if necessary.

Every place I have played I have gotten rave comments about how great the sound is. The Bose is a great system and i'm sure you will like it a lot.

Deane

Thanks, some good thoughts for me to work through. How about EQ? I've heard the Bose is light on mid range.

I have not noticed the "mid-range" issue. I have used EQ settings we got from Michael Vonchen some years back while in the UK on a visit. If you use the PSRTutorial I believe they have been listed on there. Actually, there are EQ settings from several users there that you can start with. These also include the compressor settings.

One of the main features of the Bose speakers is the sound dispersion. People in the back of the room here the same thing as those in front. I nave never had a time when people in back could not hear or that I had to turn the vol up so loud the folks in front were uncomfortable.

I generally set my Speaker vol at about 11 O'Clock and my keyboard vol is between 10 O'clock and Noon depending on the room size and number of people. Has worked great for me so far.

Deane

So, after 10 days or so, I am generally very happy with the new Bose. I must say however that I am unable to connect both the L and the R output from the Pa900 into the Bose without problems.

If I connect into the RCA inputs using instrument cables and adapters I get a hum as early as 9-10 o'clock.

If I connect into the Line input using an adapter I cannot get the mic to come through, only the keyboard. That is a weird one!

Frankly, I am not too worried, since I have found the difference to be pretty small, and I am happy with the single cable connection, but you guys have recommended the two cable approach so I thought I would try it. Any ideas?

You might try a different cable.
Be sure the Bose and the mixer and/or keyboard are all grounded through the same plug box.

I also tried some dedicated cables with 1/4 inch at one end and RCA at the other. Same result.

And into the line input, I tried an insert cable, being two cables joined into one stereo plug at one end. Same result.

Pa900 and Bose both plugged into same surge protector.

I have never had this problem with my Bose Compacts. I run two cables, one each from the R/R-L outlets, into a cheap adaptor I got from Radio Shack which I plug into the larger receptor on the Bose. I have the input on the Bose set to Line-in not Guitar.

Hope this helps. If the problem persists I would call Bose.

Deane

I have a friend selling a bose compact if anyone is interested.

Deane, when you use a mic do you channel that through your keyboard or connect directly to the Bose? The keyboard worked fine the way you describe, but there was no mic output from the Bose, only through the keyboard speakers.

That doesn't make sense. If your mic is going into the keyboard and the output of the keyboard is going into the Bose then it should all be reproduced.
Are you are losing part of the signal along the way? Could you be getting only the one side of the kb output and the mic is panned to the other side? Or is the mixer panned too far one way?
You should be able to run stereo out from left and right from the PA900 into the RCA stereo inputs on the Compact and get great sound. I have done exactly that with no problems.
If you aren't then it's either the cables or something is wrong with the Bose.
If you're getting the full sound but hearing noise, then it's most likely some bad cables somewhere along the line, either from the kb to mixer, or mixer to Bose. I never turn the Compact volume (input actually) past about one o'clock. Check the levels from kb to mixer and output of mixer to see if they are fairly hot but not overdriven.
If all this doesn't get results, call Bose. They are wonderful about helping you while on the phone. They will walk you through your setup.

First and foremost, try using another mic through the Bose without connecting the keyboard to the Bose. If this works, then there is nothing wrong with the Bose.

Now, about that hum. Do you have anything else plugged into the power strips, PC, etc... PC power supplies are notorious for causing hum problems because of conflicting ground systems. This can be overcome with a ground defeating adapter plug used with the laptop power supply.

Gary

The mic I was using was connected into the keyboard. That is what is so strange. Why would it work with a single cable connect, but not work with the double cable connect? When I disconnected one of the two cables at the keyboard the mic came through fine.

I already had an SM58 connected into the Bose and my wife was using that, and sang beautifully as always.

The only other things I have connected to the power strip at home are 2 Focal monitors and a Kurzweil SP4 (all of which were turned off). Anyway I noticed the hum with my setup in a Nursing Home, with a different power strip.

I tried connecting my iPhone into the RCA connectors and it played fine with no hum.

I'm beginning to wonder if the problem is in the keyboard outputs. I'm not out tomorrow so I'll set it all up at home again. First of all I am going to see if can set it up in the same way with a different PA system, and see if I get the same results. Then later call Bose.

I'm pretty certain it's not the case, but are you SURE you are using the correct output jacks from the back of the PA900? One time I had one of the cables plugged into the wrong hole, I think it was the aux in port, and it took me a while to figure out why I was getting only half the signal.
But them, I'm old and semi-senile.

No, there's just the 2 inputs and 2 outputs. Like you, I have plugged them in the inputs in the past, but it's the first thing I checked.

Sorry for the delay in responding - I have used my mic both directly into the bose and also through the keyboard. Both ways have worked great for me. Keep in mind I don't sing and use the harmonizer so going through the Bose Directly works ok for me. All said, I have never had any sound issues with the Bose setup and have used it with the following keyboards - Korg PA900, PA1x, PA1x Pro, KMA. Yamaha PSR3000, Tyros 3, Tyros 4, and PSR950, Roland E50, E80, and now my Ketron SD7. None of these keyboards causes any issues with humming or other problems with the Bose Compact.

Deane

Firstly I validated that the hum does still happen when I connect my Kurzweil SP4 into the Bose, so the problem is not the Korg keyboard. Then I found that it does NOT happen connecting into the 2 RCA connectors on 2 other PA systems. I called Bose, and they went through in detail with me and so we concluded there must be a fault with the Bose, so I am in the process of doing a return/ exchange with Sweetwater.

The loss of mic issue may be a different problem. That does happen connecting the stereo TRS connector from the adapter into both the Bose and the Mackie PA. It does not happen connecting L&R separately into the Roland BA330, so I suspect the adapter here. Maybe I need just a TS plug rather than a TRS, but the Bose does state it takes both. Anyway, I'll go to Radio Shack tomorrow and see if I can't get another adapter.

Nobody said life was going to be easy!

Yes it will take both, but if you are using an adapter that goes from XLR to 1/4-inch, pin 3 of the XLR MUST connect to the tip. This is called an unbalanced adapter.

Gary

Bought a cheap dual mono to mono y-adaptor in Radio Shack today. I didn't have time to compare the sound to a one cable setup, but I did validate that now the mic comes through just fine!

As you suggest Gary, the other adapter I used must have been wired differently!

New Compact to be delivered on Saturday.

Sure hope everything works like you want. Bose is great about their service and will always help when needed. I have never found a reason to make a change from my Bose setup. The first Bose I had was the L1 which was awesome. When the smaller and lighter Compacts arrived I got two the first day. I ended up using only one of the Compacts and sold one. I never play for more than about 150 people and most of my gigs are under 50 people so a single Bose works out just fine. Good luck and keep us posted.

Deane

Graham, glad I was able to help.

Gary

First Assembly Church on the Road . Nice group of 23 in a semi-circle, so I just used one extension. You can see the cheap Y-Adapter from Radio Shack connected into the Bose.

Gotta love the invisible countryman mic.

Lookin' good there!

Deane

Graham what a great pic of you & the PA900/Bose!!

Thanx for sharing

Lookin good, mon!

Gary

To each his own, but I would place the Bose three feet back and off to the side a little. Just saying.

Bernie has a point about the position of the Bose but you need to keep it away from the wall or the Bass becomes really loud and overbearing.

That said, I have played hundreds of gigs with the Bose right next to my keyboard. Sometimes there isn't enough room to put it 3 or 4 feet behind me.

Deane

I just took a look at that adapter you plugged into the Bose 1/4-inch input. That's a stereo headset adapter and not intended for what you are hoping to achieve. Essentially, it parallels a pair of TRS plugs and causes lots of problems.

Now, I do not have a schematic diagram of the Korg outputs, however, I'm going to assume that they are similar to the Yamaha outputs. If this is the case, when you are plugged into the mono output of the keyboard, a leaf-switch is enabled on the quarter inch output plug that combines both the right and left channels, thereby providing you with a clean, mono out directly from the keyboard. What you have done is taken a standard 1/4-inch phono output from each side of the keyboard, and plugged it into two TRS plugs that are wired together. Yes, you will get output, however, you will also get an impedance mismatch, which is not a good thing.

The solution is quite simple, though. There are three inputs on the Bose L1 Compact. Purchase (or make) a pair of 1/4-inch phono to RCA male plugs, and input your keyboard into the RCA plugs on the Bose. This provides a stereo channel input to the Bose coming directly from both channels of the keyboard. The output, of course, from the Bose, will be in mono, but it will sound very full and robust.

Hope this helps,

Gary

Hi Gary, it is a mono to mono adapter, see the page http://comingsoon.radioshack.com/radioshackgold-series-mono-to-mono-y-adapter/2740892.html

I was using a dual ts to trs adapter and that's the one that caused the problem with the mic not coming through.

DonM recommended using the RCA connection, but I have been struggling with that (see earlier posts). Having discussed the issue with Bose and Sweetwater technical support a new Bose arrived this morning, but exactly the same problem, so I'll be calling Bose again on Monday.

That's what I recommended from the start, but he had trouble making it work for some reason. Probably wrong cable.

Graham, the problem is not with the Bose - it's the adapter. Whether it's TRS or TS, it's still a parallel headset adapter and not intended to do what you want it to do.

Radio Shack has 1/4-inch to RCA cables, or you can also use a split 1/4-inch mono to 1/8-inch stereo and plug into the 1/8-inch input.

http://www.samash.com/hosa-cmp150-series...1g82xoCfPnw_wcB

I believe Radio Shack has this cable as well.

Good luck,

Gary

Radio Shack has pretty much closed all stores around here. Too bad.

Only one left in business here, Don. I believe their big mistake was investing a lot of time and money into the cellular telephone biz and trying to compete with the big boys. They shoulda stuck with what worked best for them - component electronic parts. We have a ma/pa electronic store here that has been around since I was a kid. Baynesville Electronics They have just about everything anyone who dabbles in electronics would ever want or need. It's an incredible store just to browse through.

Gary

Tandy (The name of Radio Shack in the UK) disappeared years ago, and the number of component shops have either gone, or diversified into more general electronics, (Maplin & RS for example are doing great because they diversified) due to the fact that people these days want an OOTB experience (Hence arranger keyboards are popular) rather than having to do things themselves. (If the youngsters can’t get an app that does what they want, than they just don’t bother. (The thought of doing something themselves is completely alien)

How times have changed

Bill

You can any of these electronic items online and more choices also.....no wonder they went under.....
same here all gone.

Here's the latest:

1/4 inch input into Bose
* One unbalanced TS Mono cable out of the Korg Pa900 sounds great!
* Two unbalanced TS Mono cables connected to a Y adapter with a balanced TRS Stereo plug into the Bose loses the mic input into the Korg.
* Two unbalanced TS Mono cables connected to a Y adapter with an unbalanced TS Mono plug into the Bose (either the adapter or 6" cable version) sounds great. Jury is out on whether the sound is better than just one cable.

RCA Connectors
* I have tried 3 different pairs of cables (pair of unbalanced cables with RCA adapter at the end, and 2 different makes of unbalanced TS to RCA cables). In ALL cases I get a hum as I turn the volume on the Bose to 9 o'clock on (regardless of the volume level on the Korg, in fact even if the Korg is turned off).
* I have only the Korg and the Bose connected to the surge protector.
* The same thing happens if I connect my Kurzweil SP4 to the Bose.
* If I connect the keyboard to a Roland BA330 RCA connection there is no hum.
* If I connect my iPhone to the Bose there is no hum.
* Having talked to Bose and Sweetwater technical support they sent another unit out, which arrived yesterday. Same problem as the first unit.

1/8 Input into the Bose
* Have never tried that, but have ordered the cable Gary recommended.
* I have some other cables and adapters that will get me into that, so I'll try that later if I get time.

Bottom line, I am still happy with the Bose, but am just trying to get the best out of it. It seems like the RCA connection is designed for iPhone, but I'm going to call Bose again on Monday.

So the new cable into the 1/8 inch input has a similar hum problem.

Bose technical support recommend using only the 1/4 inch input from the keyboard. He checked that the circuit diagram for the Pa900 showed it would be a full mono signal. He was baffled when I told him that a friend was using exactly the same keyboard and getting a different result into the RCA connectors.

Graham, you may have to isolate the keyboard in order to get rid of the human.

Gary

What are you thinking, Gary? The exact same hum occurs with both the Pa900 and the Kurzweil SP4.

Hey Gary, have another Green Margarita .

chas

Graham, a couple of things come to mind, but the easiest way to isolate the problem is to use a simple, ground defeater plug, which would isolate the ground systems from each other. They're available in any hardware store, Home Depot, Lowes, etc...



Another problem could be your venue ground system, which is not unusual in older buildings, mainly churches and theaters. When I worked for Executone Sound Systems we frequently had to install earth ground systems in order for their sound systems to operate without encountering 60-cycle/HZ hum. The big tip off there was when people complained of getting bit by their microphone - an electrical shock when their lip touched the mic frame and they were standing on a bare, damp concrete floor. ZAP! This can be tested with a multi-meter, but if you don't have electrical circuitry expertise, this is best left to an electrician.

I've plugged just about every electronic musical instrument into my Bose L1 Compact that can be, and only once encountered a hum - and it was from a video recorder that had an external power pack (wall wart) plugged in. It hummed like crazy until I plugged in a ground defeater and the problem immediately ceased. I wish I lived a bit closer Graham, then I could come over and solve the problem in person. But you are about 900 miles away.


Chas, Another Green Coconut Margaretta sounds like a splendid idea right about now.

Hope this helps,

Gary.

Graham,

My Bose connects either from the Mono/left 1/4 inch output to quarter inch input on the Bose or from the stereo headphone jack with left and right (red and white) RCAs to input into the Bose. Either way works fine. I'm sure you eliminated this scenario a long time ago but make sure the switch for the Bose inputs is not set for guitar.

God Bless,
Don

Don, thanks, I have not tried the headphone jack. I'll try that.

Blessings

Did the headphone connection work for you, Graham?

God Bless,
Don

No, exactly the same problem, Don. Even Sweetwater are struggling.

The new Bose is defective also?

Yes, and Sweetwater Tech support seem to be struggling with what to do. I have asked them, if they want to send a third unit, to test it before they do. I suspect that most people do not connect their keyboard to the RCA connectors, and the problem may be more prevalent than Bose understand.

Graham, I'm gonna try connecting to the RCAs when I do tomorrow night's job. I'll let you know what happens.

Gary

Thanks, I'll be interested to know.

Hooked mine up that way today and it's working fine.

God Bless,
Don

No problem whatsoever this evening plugging the S-950's output into the RCA plugs - worked perfectly, no hum at all, very clean and clear sounds. Graham, I really don't believe the problem is with the Bose L1 Compact at all. Unfortunately, I will not be sailing to Fort Meyers this winter, just the east coast and Keys, so no onsite evaluation or diagnosis from me unless you want to drive to Marathon, which is about an 8 hour haul from your place.

All the best,

Gary

could this be a problem OTHER then the BOSE and maybe something with the devices hooked into it...
maybe a simple GROUND Plug could solve it?

I tried it too. No problem.

I decided to create a video to show my problem to Bose and Sweetwater. Here it is. Any comments or suggestions much appreciated as always.

I haven't reviewed the thread lately, but have you tried plugging one unit, say the keyboard, directly into the Bose. Nothing else plugged in. If this works, then slowly add the other connections back it til you find the culprit.

After while, I will bring a Compact in and try to reproduce the problem here at home.

Don, yes, hopefully the video shows that's exactly what I did.

Never mind, I see you already did my first suggestion and it didn't help.
Have you tried reversing the plug that goes into the PA900, I think it fits either way.

have you tried hooking up to a different amp ? and see if it happens
it's obviously a connection problem.

DonM, do you mean put the left output in the right and vice versa?

DNJ, yes I tried connecting to the RCA connectors my Roland Ba330. Same cables. No problem.

well then if it seems to be ok using the Roland amp with same hookups then the BOSE could be defective wouldn't you say...? How many return units have you tried so far of the bose?

No, what I meant was the power cable. It will fit either way. I don't think the polarity is reversed, but it would only take a second to turn it over and plug it back in just in case.

DonM and DNJ, here's the answers to your questions. I'll send this to Sweetwater as well.

Would you try and put a ground lifter on each of the AC cable ends that plug into the power strip. A ground lifter is a little gizmo that converts a 3 prong ac plug to a two prong plug.

Try using a stereo 1/4" cable between the audio out of the PA-900 and input of the Bose. Also do you have the volume level of the microphone channel turned off?

Sorry I didn't get to try mine today. It seems to me that it has to be something in the Bose doing it though.

No question in my mind - it's a ground fault conflict. If I were there I believe I could isolate the problem fairly easily, but unfortunately, you are 1200 miles away. Wish I could be of more assistance.

Gary

But Gary the Roland amp works without hum, hooked up exactly the same.

And there is no hum using the 1/4 inch connector.

Hi salsaman, did you get a chance to watch the video? What would using a 1/4 inch stereo cable solve?

Connecting just the Pa900 and the Bose into a different surge protector connected to a different power outlet was suggested by Sweetwater tech to be sure to eliminate any grounding issue. As the video showed, that's exactly what I did.

Roland, at least in the past, always used a floating ground system, which would preclude a ground fault conflict.

Graham, if I were faced with this, the very first thing I would do is unplug everything, everything from every connection. The only thing that would be plugged into the surge protector would be the Bose. Then turn the most on, turn the volume to the 12 O'clock position and connect your RCA wires to the Bose and nothing else. Now, I looked at those wires you are using and they appeared to be unshielded, but there is no way I can tell by looking at the vids.

Next, plug the keyboard into the power strip, turn on the keyboard, and if there is no hum, turn the volume all the way down on the Bose, connect the keyboard using those RCA cables, then turn the volume of the Bose back up to the 12-O'clock position and see if there is a hum. If there is, turn everything off, then try using fully shielded individual RCA cables. The cables you are using appear to be adapter type, but again, I can't tell from the vids. The hum almost sounds as if there is an open connection of sorts, but I would have to check them out using a multi-meter.

Keep in mind that even when other devices that are plugged into the surge strip are turned off, they are still connected through the ground connection of the strip. And, some surge protectors produce their own problems with the type of protective circuitry. You can also try using just a power strip without a surge protector to see if the same problem persists.

This is all just guesswork on my part, Graham, and I hope you can get this ironed out. Or you can slip down to Marathon Key after the first of the year, bring your gear and join in on a jam session at the marina, which will give me a first hand look at the connections and possibly solve the problem. Even if I cannot, the Keys are always a fun place to visit during the dead of winter.

All the best,

Gary

Try using a 3 to 2 prong adapter where you plug the power strip into the wall outlet. It sounds like a ground loop problem. Berringer has a ground destroyer you use in line with speaker

Hi Gary, what cables did you use when you did your test? I'll happily buy similar ones if you can point me in the right direction.

On the video you will see me use both fully shielded unbalanced TS cables with TS to RCA adaptors, and also the best quality TS to RCA cable I could find http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B004N...arch_detailpage

When I did the 1/8 inch input test on the video I used exactly the cable you advised.

Go to You-Tube Type Bose speaker humming. some video tutorials

That cable is fine, it is shielded.

Graham, I make all of my own cables, all are shielded and very heavy duty. I used to purchase Hosa and Monster cables, both of which are relatively high quality, but not great. I found that I got much better results by constructing my own cables of much heavier gauge wire and soldering all my connections. Most commercial cables are crimped connections, which eventually fail due to corrosion or mere break at the crimp.

Good luck,

Gary

I just finished doing a search for the most likely culprits, and because you are using the RCA plug input, there is a possibility there is an impedance mismatch, which could also cause this type of problem. I don't know what the output impedance of your keyboard is, so you may have to contact the manufacturer to get the information. Then I would check with Bose customer support to determine the input impedance specs for the L1 Compact's RCA connection.

All the best,

Gary

Solution: get TWO Bose Compacts and run a cable to each one. Then you'll have stereo.

YEP! And, I have one for sale that was only used twice, then put back in the box so I would have a spare. Now that I'm retiring the first of October, it's up for sale - $700 plus shipping.

All the best,

Gary

TIP do not run speaker cables close to AC cords. Keep away from each other as best as possible

The impedance issue makes sense. At this point I give in, I have spent enough time on this.

I (and the facilities I serve) am delighted with the sound using the single 1/4 inch cable. My only other known application at this stage is for my iPhone connected to the Bose (if my keyboard fails), and that has no hum; as well as the mic which sounds great using a SM58.

What I do not understand is how others with Korg Pa900 DO NOT have the problem...

Graham, I don't know of anyone that plugs into the RCA plugs from the output of their arranger keyboards or synths. Most everyone that uses that input is using it for line output items, which is lower impedance at 1.5-vots DC.

I searched everywhere in the Internet and called Korg's customer service, but they said they didn't have an answer and would call me back. That was three hours ago. Nothing yet. I suspect this is the case, though.

Back to sippin' Margarettas.

Good luck,

Gary