NAD! New Bose L1 Pro8 Line Array DEMO Vid!
 

Brand new BOSE L1 Pro8 Demo 11/3/20


I have enjoyed very good, super pleasing amplified tone from a Bose L1 Compact for several years. (Maybe the past 5-6 years or more) I've been gigging exclusively with Martin Dreads (Mostly my 2 D-18's and a Martin HDC-28) They are all equipped with LR Baggs Anthem PU's. I love how "plug 'n play" the Baggs Anthem Pickup is with any noted shortcomings withstanding. For me, the Anthem is simply the easiest, most gig friendly/user friendly Pickup that yields a great sound. That aside ....I just got the BRAND NEW BOSE L1 Pro8!

After all the years gigging with a Bose L1 Compact, I received the brand new Bose L1 Pro8 today. I quickly downloaded the L1 Pro Mix App for my iPhone, plugged in, dialed a couple knobs, chose a Baggs Pickup Tonematch profile for in the Bose App menu and gave it a quick test drive. (Strangely they don't have the Anthem listed in the Tonematch settings, but they had the Baggs I-Mix so I chose that one.)

Compared to the L1 Compact, the Subwoofer module is a lot taller. There are eight 2-inch neodymium drivers in the upper line array. The L1C had 6 drivers. The Sub is a lot bigger/taller. It houses 7" x 13" oval shaped sub appropriately named the "Racetrack" sub. Gee, I wonder where they came up with that name? Does it resemble a horse race track? mmmm. Yeah it does. It goes down to 45 hz

The new Bose L1 Pro8 has Reverb and it may be basic but it sounds credible and good to me. It also has bluetooth streaming and the Bose L1 Pro app lets you adjust each channel Volume/Bass/treble and reverb. My iPhone connected right away. Easy-peasy.

I will say the tower piece that mates the Sub to the Line array is somewhat wobbly. It does not instill as much confidence as the former L1 Compact. But time will tell. The Array and connecting tower piece came with a nice pouch, but you have to buy a sleeve cover for the sub. (Backordered) and $99 ouch.

Here is a first impression demo (right after unboxing). How does it sound?

I am blown away quite honestly. Perhaps its just a honeymoon ..and I have yet to sing through it but I know that is an area where Bose excels. So I;'m sure it will sound great. My Voice? Cough ...ahem ... I do my best with what I've got to work with .

THIS new Bose L1 Pro8, (IMHO) is delivered superb, great amplified tone. I am thrilled. Whether anyone else thinks so, I'm super happy.

I'll do a comparison to my L1 Compact side-by-side sometime soon and share that. But I have a feeling its for sale! I might even get another one of these to have a pair!

Very informative post. I'm playing through the original large-base Bose stick, and this is a temptation.

Thnx for the review. Look forward to hearing your comparison thoughts.

About a million times better sounding than the Andertons' demo! Thanks for sharing sir!

That sounded lovely, congrats!

Lovely sound and superb playing. I subscribed to your channel and noticed tons of reviews. You have or had a lot of nice guitars and you make them all sound good. I could listen to your smooth playing for hours.

Simple question... what pick are you using?

Thank you very much. I am using Dunlop Primetone .88mm picks

Sounds really good. I love that ambertone D-18!

Correction to something I said in the video. The subwoofer in the new Bose L1 Pro8 is a 7" x 13" oval shaped sub. Not 4" x 7". My Bad.

Man, I am super impressed with the quality of tone of the new Bose. I would say it is less 'mid-scooped' than the L1 Compact.

Also, I used my Bose S1 Pro as a personal monitor in conjunction with the L1 Compact last Sunday for a small gathering last weekend in a large open backyard setting. Using the Bose S1 Pro as a personal monitor allowed me to position the Bose L1C more front forward than normal to offer better crowd coverage without feedback across the yard. They were all the way across the Pool. (Safe social distance gig) I needed to project a little further than usual without dealing with feedback.

I am sure the Bose S1 Pro with the new L1 Pro8 is going to work famously as well.

Boy howdy! That rig does sound great. Especially with the Anthem set to full microphone. And the built-in reverb is sweet. Good demo. That will give a lot of us AGFers something to salivate over.

Thank you. On my shopping list.

WOW! I think I just wet myself a bit. TMI? That was rich and full without excess volume. I have been using an L1c for about 9 years, and that is the first small PA I've heard that would make me consider anything different. I've been using that with an S1 Pro for almost two years (and a Fishman LBM before that) and really like the combination. But that sound you are getting off the L1 Pro8 knocks my socks off. Seriously, I can't find my socks.

One question about this video: what are you using for your video/audio recording. Nicely done.

Wow! Bose should put you on their payroll for that awesome review. I have the L1C at home, and have always been impressed with its internal circuitry and how it processes tone with no user adjustments! But that pro 8 seems to have kicked it up a few notches!

Just curious...did you use a line-out jack or separate mic for your video? As close as you were to the bose, with a decent volume, there didnt seem to be any feedback issues.

Hi Captain Jim, Thanks! You and I have the same former set up. (And now I have the L1 Pro8 and S1 Pro) Good luck finding your socks. I can't find mine either!! LOL It's that impressive.

Believe it or not, I use an HTC One M8 Cell phone. I kept it because the Audio performance was head and shoulders better than anything. I no longer use it as a cell phone. I just kept it for the Video/audio recordings I like to make. When I listen back, I hear a very accurate representation of what I experience "in the room."


Thank you. I agree, this new L1 Pro8 is definitely levels above. To me it sounds so much richer. Less mid scooped than the Bose L1 Compact (L1C). The Volume in the room was honestly at typical gig volume for a lot of the Venues where I perform. Any louder and I might have had feedback problems standing so close. But it was superb in the demo.

My room is treated like a good studio with professional sound panels on the walls and such. Maybe that helped.

I did NOT use any line-out whatsoever. The Mic/recording was straight from the HTC One M8 Video/Audio recorder. (Probably 6-7years old?)

Is there a master volume on the L1 Pro 8? Either on the unit or in the app?

I can't tell from any of the photos of the controls.

Thanks!
Matt