Bose S1

[Cuki79]

Originally Posted by dannyg1

Maybe they’ve got little servo motors in there that change the two ‘wing’ speakers aimed direction. I doubt that but who knows?

Comes down to it, a design along the lines of the Mackie Reach seems to be the most interesting of the modern design cannon. This little Bose doesn’t really have any exciting new features that makes it jump off the page screaming ‘buy me!’.
It really does read to be a more powerful, more expensive Freeplay, which was pretty clearly priced on the high side as it was.

If the battery really is 25v/18ah and $99, it’ll be the first bargain priced Bose badged item ever. So there’s that....

I also doubt any servo motor is there. heavy and power consuming.

In Europe the Bose S1 pro is sold 740$ and the battery 180$ (import product) so it is quite expansive.

Since Mackie freeplay is discontinued, I am curious what will be Mackie next move on that market.

This is going to be interesting because Bose L1 and L1C were inovative products. They were the first of their kind and earned rightfully the market. Similarly as AER compact 60 being among of the first good sounding acoustic amp.

Bose S1 pro is not really an innovative product and comes into a market where many products already exist. It is going definitely be harder to sell.

I wonder how a retailer reacts when Bose comes in with T4s and T8s mixers while QSC touchmixs were in the house for years.

[Marty C]

I think this might be Bose first attempt to place themselves in a new market space. I believe this Prosumer market to be much bigger than the professional market. This new S1 gives the average Joe the ability to have Bose sound at a lower price point. They also wanted to enter the portable department with the battery and lighter weight. I think it is a good move for Bose.

I rarely play out anymore. But I still want good sound at home. I don’t need the volume for the back deck for a few friends. Or at the lake, pool or wherever. Main thing for me... does it sound like a smaller version of their larger units? And can I get by without a guitar preamp to shape my guitar sound and/or my TCH Play Acoustic to improve my vocals? Can I put everything I need (portable mic stand, cables, mic) in a back pack, one hand with a guitar and the other with this unit so I can get all I need in one trip? Can I sell all my other stuff and just have this sitting in the corner? If so, I think it fits my budget and my lifestyle. I am excited to try this out.

[Cuki79]

Agree that the hobbyist market must be greater than the pro market.

New information


Frequency Response (+/-3 dB)
70 Hz – 16 kHz


Nominal Dispersion
100 H x 40 V

Maximum SPL @ 1 m
103 dB (109 dB Peak)


Weight
6.5 kg (14.3 lbs) – Without Battery
7.0 kg (15.5 lbs) – With Battery


the tamed high end will give a sweater tone for guitars than tweeter equipped speakers

[martingitdave]

I did not perceive the beam forming to be as strong as the L1C. It’s probably as good as the discontinued Carvin S600 in that regard. However, it’s better sounding than the Carvin was. It does seem to throw a little further than the Mackie. My chief complaint with the Mackie, besides the gain issues, is the form factor and the external pole and tilt mount. I find it very annoying and difficult to use. The Bose is simple. The EQ/tilt tech appears to be the same as the Line 6 L2t. However, the Line 6 is a real pro unit. His is a bit of a toy, as mentioned.

I decided (impulsively as usual) to trade my Mackie for it and pay the difference. I got it home and enjoyed it last night. The ToneMatch sounds the same as the L1C at home with the mic channel. I essentially bought it because I like the way the mic ToneMatch in the Bose products sounds with my voice. I never found the guitar ToneMach super useful, but it sounds pleasant. The Mackie was clean and clear, but there is something about how Bose processes my voice that I really enjoy.

The changes on the mixer compared to the L1C make it a more useful product. The lack of mid control is solved by the ToneMatch selector which applies an EQ curve. The Reverb is decent, but a little goes a long way. For instance, the Reverb at detent position was too strong.

If you are a professional gigging musician and you want something that will fill a big room with power and hold up to the road, buy something else. I would recommend the QSC K.2 or Line 6 StageSource products for professionals.

If you play at home, a coffee house, folk club, or a small church, and you are very careful with your gear, this might work out for you.

If you are a busker, you might want to look for something with more durable casing for the long haul.

I have a small semi-professional PA system with the HK Nano 608i. It does the job for me. I’ll use this at home as a practice amp, or maybe out for 50 quiet and polite people.

[NotValid]

But does it come with a bottle opener? Priorities.

[martingitdave]

Originally Posted by NotValid

But does it come with a bottle opener? Priorities.

Alas, no. Back to the shop it goes.

[NotValid]

Originally Posted by martingitdave

Alas, no. Back to the shop it goes.

I knew it was too good to be true. Dont they know people only busk for beer?

[martingitdave]

By the way, in case my “review” is too subtle, I want to make a very clear point. Last time I was called out by DannyG for not being explicit enough in stating critical points. This is (specifically) for you Danny.

Now, I did buy one of these. But, I am discouraging musicians who make their living playing for money to avoid this product for now. While it does sound good, and does have good features on paper, I think it is overpriced and will not hold up on the road. It is also not going to be loud enough for those of you who make your own home brew busking rigs. This is for people who play at home or in very small and tame applications.

Disclaimer: MartinGitDave does not want you to spend your hard earned dough on stuff that MartinGitDave gets fascinated with. MartinGitDave likes to buy the occasional compact PA related purchase because he enjoys the technology and uses it for charity and community work. MartinGitDave does not need to, figuratively, “feed himself or his loved ones” with the Bose S1 Pro. Do not ask MartinGitDave to setup any reference mics or test any specific beam forming frequencies with a spectral analyzer. MartinGitDave has very little free time and a wife and kids who do not share MartinGitDave’s love for PA gear (quite the opposite, in fact.)

In summary: Do not buy the Bose S1 Pro because MartinGitDave is cool and bought one. ;-)

[JakeStone]

Great Dave - Thanks for your review and comments ..
Your review did not help my GAS...I'd like to hear how it sounds.
I am going to try and swing by GC today and check one out.

[martingitdave]

Originally Posted by JakeStone

Great Dave - Your review did not help my GAS .. I am going to try to swing by GC today and check one out.

See the post above. LOL

[Groberts]

Very helpful Dave. I want (and "need") the Bose S1 to perform bigger and more impressively than its promise.

And if they can put some of those features in the S1, its high time to update the L1 Compact with Reverb and <other cool features like bluetooth, Tonematch capability without external power brick etc)

[dannyg1]

Originally Posted by Cuki79

Maximum SPL @ 1 m
103 dB (109 dB Peak)

the tamed high end will give a sweater tone for guitars than tweeter equipped speakers

The tone won’t be sweeter if it’s breaking up at 103db. That’s a bit low for any performance capable amp and says that it doesn’t really have much headroom to work with. Something like a Roland AC33 in terms of absolute power and volume. I’d think that the EAE D6-8 would be a better choice at around this price point.

[Andy Howell]

Originally Posted by Groberts

Very helpful Dave. I want (and "need") the Bose S1 to perform bigger and more impressively than its promise.

And if they can put some of those features in the S1, its high time to update the L1 Compact with Reverb and <other cool features like bluetooth, Tonematch capability without external power brick etc)

I wonder if this will replace the Compact? They could easily drop the prices a bit on the whole L1 range as they've paid for the development costs years ago.

I am a bit bemused by this product. It might be a little better some of the opposition but the lack of toughness is a problem.. After all, an AER Compact is built pretty much like a tank.

On the other hand, a number of people I've spoken to simply seem to think that Bose means quality sound, so perhaps there is a market there.

Compare costs and figure out a proper cost for the whole stop up and I agree there will be better options. As for busking, toughness seems a pretty important characteristic!

[open-road-matt]

This is fun reading on an interesting product! Thanks for all the good posts!

One of my complaints about the acoustic amp market is that no manufacturer has crated a product that can be used in the 3 most common configurations a person might use an amp: 1) on a table top (or stool) 2) up on a stand and 3) at a good angle as a floor monitor.

I'm not sure if we can call the S1 an amp but Bose seems to have nailed all three configurations so that's good. The only other product on the market that I can find that does so is the TC Helicon VoiceSolo FX150.

My complaint about the FX150 is that it's a bit too small to really be used as a stand alone system (amp?) and it sounds like the Bose S1 might suffer from the same problem.

It's funny how companies want to brag about how small and portable things are but for many of us who gig, we would trade a bit of that light weight and portability for a little more power and coverage.

My last thought is that if you didn't need the battery option and planned on putting the S1 on a speaker stand, IMO it would be just as easy to set up an L1 Compact and take advantage of the more power, coverage, etc.

Much to ponder.

Matt

[martingitdave]

Originally Posted by open-road-matt

This is fun reading on an interesting product! Thanks for all the good posts!



One of my complaints about the acoustic amp market is that no manufacturer has crated a product that can be used in the 3 most common configurations a person might use an amp: 1) on a table top (or stool) 2) up on a stand and 3) at a good angle as a floor monitor.



I'm not sure if we can call the S1 an amp but Bose seems to have nailed all three configurations so that's good. The only other product on the market that I can find that does so is the TC Helicon VoiceSolo FX150.



My complaint about the FX150 is that it's a bit too small to really be used as a stand alone system (amp?) and it sounds like the Bose S1 might suffer from the same problem.



It's funny how companies want to brag about how small and portable things are but for many of us who gig, we would trade a bit of that light weight and portability for a little more power and coverage.



My last thought is that if you didn't need the battery option and planned on putting the S1 on a speaker stand, IMO it would be just as easy to set up an L1 Compact and take advantage of the more power, coverage, etc.



Much to ponder.



Matt

Matt, I suspect that the Bose S1 Pro would be an improvement in sound power as compared to the FX150. I didn’t do a direct comparison, but it’s based on recollection. You should test it out, probably.