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Old 06-26-2017, 07:59 AM
James_E James_E is offline
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Default What are your reasons for using a "Stick" style amp (Bose, Fishman, HK, JBL) .

I have 2 very nice Electrovoice EKX12-P speakers, stands and a small mixer (8 channel.) Volume/coverage wise it easily covers any gig I'm doing with my acoustic duo partner for the foreseeable future.

However the "stick" style amp is becoming appealing to me mainly so that I have to carry/setup less crap.

My question to those of you using stick style amplification.. what are your top 1 or two reasons to use it? A few things I can think of are:
-- Easy to carry
-- Easy to setup and teardown
-- Takes less space

What I'm really looking to find out is apart from logistics like I mention above.. do you find they provide better sound or sound coverage?
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Old 06-26-2017, 08:07 AM
Paultergeist Paultergeist is offline
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I am sure you will find a variety of opinions to such a query, but.....my two cents:

I have owned one *stick* type unit (mini line array, if you will), and played through a couple of others. They all have their strengths and weakness; being lightweight, compact, and quick set-up being among the key strengths. Many of these units also sound pretty good.

Sound-wise, however, I am finding that I prefer -- using only my ears as judge -- conventional PA speakers of higher quality. As far as lateral dispersion, two (2) conventional PA speakers will typically cover a wider area (side-to-side) than a single *stick-type* unit.

There is also a certain element of these mini line-arrays being "in vogue" among players right now. Whether this continues or some other hot idea in sound amplification eclipses these stick units remains to be seen. The most important thing is to get equipment which works well for your desires and needs. Your own ears should be the final judge.
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Old 06-26-2017, 08:16 AM
SpruceTop SpruceTop is offline
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Sound Dispersion. When I had my Bose L1 Model II with T1 ToneMatch and two B1 Subs, it was a pleasure to put on a CD like Troublesome Creek String Band's "Fast As Time Can Take Me" and marvel at how the band seemed to be in the room playing live! The sound seemed to envelop me rather than coming from an identifiable point source. I think for acoustic music, the Bose systems, especially the bigger ones, are tops.
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Old 06-26-2017, 08:22 AM
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open-road-matt open-road-matt is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by James_E View Post
What I'm really looking to find out is apart from logistics like I mention above.. do you find they provide better sound or sound coverage?
I believe that they do. I used various Bose L1 systems for over a decade. I started with the Classic with the big round base. I then moved to the Model 2 when that was released and added a Compact for smaller shows.

Two years ago I sold all of my Bose gear and bought a bunch of QSC K series speakers. When I was testing them at home against the Bose L1 Model 2 I much preferred the sound of the QSC stuff.

But when I started my summer "tour" I remembered the downfall of conventional speakers. That sound quality that I noticed with the QSC stuff is only available to some of my audience.

Most of my shows are outside and I seldom have all of my audience (and potential audience) directly in front of me. I do concerts in the park and festival type atmospheres and other outdoor venues where I could have people sitting off to the side or even behind me. With the Bose system my music was able to reach all of these people. Not so with the QSC stuff. At least if I was using two FOH speakers.

I also noticed that if I was trying to reach the back of a large and/or loud venue, the volume close to the speakers was too much for people.

So I kind of went with what I consider a hybrid route. I sold all of the QSC stuff I bought two JBL Eon One systems. To me they kind of split the difference. They are more musical than the Bose and sound more like conventional speakers yet they offer more of the "surround-sound" qualities that the Bose L1 system did.

Having two of them gives me a ton of flexibility. I played a winery this past Saturday and I was set up in the middle of essentially two different patios. I set up one Eon One for each patio and easily covered the entire area without much volume. People sat really close to the systems and were able to talk or enjoy the music and people all the way at the far end of the long patio could hear me just fine.

I'm now getting the coverage I had with the Bose with what I consider to be a better sound quality. And, as you mentioned, the set up and tear down with the Eon Ones is super fast. They are a bit of a beast to lug around but not messing with speaker stands and endless bags and cables is so nice!

The key is choosing the right system(s) for you, your music and your venues. This works for me.

Matt
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Old 06-26-2017, 12:06 PM
jseth jseth is offline
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The PRIMARY reason I use the Bose L1 Model II is that the sound is absolutely the best I have ever heard for a solo guitar and voice performer... without a doubt! I have used many different rigs for gigs (ha!) over the past 50 years of performing, including a few on "major" stages, and the Bose tops them all!

The second big reason for using the Bose is that I can hear myself clearly and at basically the same volume level as my audience. One of my least favorite things to do is to play and sing and NOT be able to hear myself! I set up with the Bose rig on a diagonal, behind my left shoulder, and try to have it 10' or so away from me (not always possible, but that's the ideal)...

The dispersion characteristics of the Model II are truly incredible... I can set my stage volume, and a table that's 50 feet away hears me at nearly the same volume, while a couple sitting at a table in front of me can hold a conversation without having to raise their voices! If I'm in the audience and listening, I can walk across the entire field of sound and there is ZERO drop out and NO hot-spots in the coverage... Being able to hear myself as the listener does is SO nice!

I've noticed that a lot of folks who have always used the old-style "point and shoot" PA's have a hard time understanding the dynamics of the Bose rigs... and that's fine, but for me, I really love the sound of the Bose rigs...

Of course, having the system break down into 4 pieces, none of which are heavier than 24#s, is huge bonus... as I'm no "spring chicken" and have a back that is "iffy", at best!

I would suggest that you "audition" the system at a store that carries their stuff; I called and made arrangements to come in and play through one for a good while. Brought my own guitars and mic and played for nearly an hour (although, in truth, I was "sold" after 15' of playing)... was a little weird to sit in a Guitar Center and play entire songs, but it turned out to be a very good thing, both for me and the store. The manager liked it so much, he asked if I wanted the "house' music turned off while I played!

There are a bunch of "other" rigs out there that look like the Bose stuff. but I can't really comment on the sound quality of those units; the Bose is a substantial investment of $$$$, and I wasn't about to spend that money until I was certain I liked it...
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Old 06-26-2017, 12:12 PM
Silly Moustache Silly Moustache is offline
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I Got a used Bose L1 - reason ? it was all about weight.

Wanted a/an SA220 but heard lots of poor reports about reliability.
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Old 06-26-2017, 12:31 PM
MaurysMusic MaurysMusic is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SpruceTop View Post
Sound Dispersion. When I had my Bose L1 Model II with T1 ToneMatch and two B1 Subs, it was a pleasure to put on a CD like Troublesome Creek String Band's "Fast As Time Can Take Me" and marvel at how the band seemed to be in the room playing live! The sound seemed to envelop me rather than coming from an identifiable point source. I think for acoustic music, the Bose systems, especially the bigger ones, are tops.
This. We were initially attracted to the original Bose L1 because of it's portability. We've kept is as our main PA system all these years because
a) it sounds better than our older traditional PA systems &
b) it doubles as our monitors. No more wondering what the FOH mix sounds like.

We played as an acoustic duo for a grad party on Saturday, and we hooked up my nephew's electronic drums so our drummer could sit in with us. In the 2nd set, the graduate & his guitar teacher sat in too. The Bose with 2 subs handled acoustics, drums, electrics & bass with ease and the mix was evenly dispersed throughout the whole backyard. Matter of fact, we only had one of the subs plugged in.

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Old 06-26-2017, 01:20 PM
MikeTX MikeTX is offline
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Hey James - for me the Bose SOUND, tone, musicality is why I stay with it.

The small size, easy schlep, setup / teardown, broad coverage are all GIVENs. I will NEVER carry big & heavy again.

For the kind of solo/duo/acoustic places I tend to play - the COMPACT is just fine for me. And even for my rock band, I line my guitar amp into my Compact, but sing thru a Classic because everybody else adds up to too loud. I 100% BELIEVE though that if my full band committed to using Compacts at slightly lower level, it would work perfectly and sound better, again the size places we usually play.

To ME - the baby Bose SOUNDS enough like the bigger models that the difference doesn't matter. I have personally A-B'ed Compact, Bigger Bose, QSC, and JBL Eon One and I still use Bose, BECAUSE of the tone & musicality consideration.

Playing music = FUN.. Equipment = WORK.. :-{

Therefore, reduce the gear as much as possible - it'll sound good enough!

Last edited by MikeTX; 06-26-2017 at 01:25 PM.
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Old 06-26-2017, 01:59 PM
Vancebo Vancebo is offline
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I hear what the audience hears. That's the biggie.
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Old 06-26-2017, 03:10 PM
dgt178 dgt178 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Silly Moustache View Post
I Got a used Bose L1 - reason ? it was all about weight.

Wanted a/an SA220 but heard lots of poor reports about reliability.
......the only SA220 issues I've heard of, and experienced was occasional pops and hisses.....found out it was caused by slight potentiometer corrosion due to lack of use.....simple remedy....I turn all the knobs once a month, whether I use it or not....no issues since.....
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Old 06-26-2017, 03:32 PM
GmanJeff GmanJeff is offline
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I used to use a Fishman SA220, and found the portability, small footprint, built-in reverb, adjustable height and good sound to be far preferable to larger and heavier systems, when used within design parameters. It won't play as loudly as a conventional PA, but if you use it for its intended purpose, it's very convenient and effective.
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Last edited by GmanJeff; 06-26-2017 at 03:52 PM.
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Old 07-22-2017, 03:48 PM
Nama Ensou Nama Ensou is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by James_E View Post
My question to those of you using stick style amplification.. what are your top 1 or two reasons to use it? A few things I can think of are:
-- Easy to carry
-- Easy to setup and teardown
-- Takes less space

What I'm really looking to find out is apart from logistics like I mention above.. do you find they provide better sound or sound coverage?
I have been using a Bose L1 system for the last 12 years and have now changed over to the JBL Eon One and my primary reasons for preferring these systems are:
-The wider dispersion characteristic line arrays are known for.
-Less trips to the car, which I can now do in two trips, even with stage lights.
-Smaller amount of space taken up in the car.

Advantages I'm already noticing over the Bose now that I've changed to JBL is no more separate trip for my Schroeder 1212L subwoofer and much warmer and natural character to the overall sound.
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Old 07-22-2017, 04:53 PM
Captain Jim Captain Jim is offline
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I have been using a Bose L1c for around 8 years. Prior to that, I was using a Peavey PA with cabinets with a 15" and a horn. Powered mixer, and a monitor so I could hear myself. Add in stands, and the weight and number of trips was exhausting.

I kept the Peavey for a year after getting the Bose - just in case. Didn't need it; sold it.

The one mistake I made with the Bose early on was trying to play at the same volume as with the previous full PA... it isn't necessary. Sound fills the space without having to be pounding. Others here have said how people can hear the music, throughout the room, and not have to shout when talking. It is an adjustment. Plus, I can hear myself the same as what the audience is hearing. And the BIG plus: less that 30 pounds for the L1c and it sets up in a minute or two. Really. No running cables to each side, no turning cabinets to cover the room, and no headaches from the volume. Win/win/win.

I was initially concerned that people would think it wasn't "professional" without bigger speakers. I was wrong - no one said anything about the equipment other than, "That sounds really good!"
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Old 07-22-2017, 05:08 PM
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I have an L1C. Light, small, quick set up / tear down. Works fine for the places we play. I have my conventional speakers w/ stands in reserve, but frankly if I feel the need for more firepower, I'll just get another one of these.
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Old 07-22-2017, 07:20 PM
The Bard Rocks The Bard Rocks is offline
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I tried both the SA220 and the L1 compact. Difficult choice, but settled on Bose as it was a bit better with my voice. Why not use my better Mackie system? The Bose is SO much lighter, a bit simpler, requires one power cord instead of 2, and it gets the job done with no fuss in almost any venue I play. Folks like it, though I wonder if seeing the name "Bose", they automatically think it's better.
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