BOSE L1 Model 2 System

Compurocker · #1 03-16-2008, 01:34 PM

Has anyone heard or own this system? It is amazing? How is it with Guitar and vocals together? My guess is incredible! On the Musicians part of their website the set it up in under 10 seconds! http://www.bose.com/controller?event...&src=MUSICIANS I imagine it is quite expensive.

Herb Hunter · #2 03-16-2008, 02:02 PM

The Bose L1 Model II Single System/Single Bass Package sells for a few pennies under $2,500. I've tried the previous, Model I version and liked it.

mike o · #3 03-16-2008, 02:14 PM

I love the L1/B2 system!!!

Earthworm · #4 03-16-2008, 04:20 PM

The Bose Model II system (with the T1--mixer) is great. I own it and use it weekly. It sounds great and transports easily. Setup is amazingly fast (I don't know about 10 seconds--yeah, if you have everything all set out). I can arrive at a gig and be setup and playing in about 15 minutes. That is pretty amazing, I think.

The engineers at Bose music division are highly responsive to their customers. The Bose forum is a great place where you can actually get help from the designers.

This is my second Bose system. I can't imagine not having one.

Guyute · #5 03-16-2008, 04:53 PM

I own the model I and last summer I had a chance to A/B it against the model II. Doug Young brought it down to my gig and we set mine up on one side and his on the other side.

Honestly, other than a little bit larger angle of dispersion and a better portability factor, I didn't really see anything that justified spending the extra money. The tonematch module is cool, but nothing that I can't do with my Mackie DFX-12. And the Mackie has more inputs...

Still, it's a very cool system. That test did make me even happier with my model I. Right now, you can find a used one for a lot less than a model II.

Oh, and I can still set up the model I in about 15 minutes

Earthworm · #6 03-16-2008, 06:25 PM

I also agree that the Model 1 is just as good as the model II. I liked the portability of the base in the M2 and the T1. I had to buy it because I sold my M1 to a club where I perform weekly. It was worth it--now every week I don't have to haul anything to my standing Thurs night gig.

M1 or M2--Just get one!

jackweasel · #7 03-17-2008, 06:39 AM

O.K., I did drink the Kool-Aid and after three years, it still hasn't worn off. By That, I mean that it is the best single non-instrument purchase I have ever made. I don't play out a lot, but when I do it always gets compliments [many more than me] it's sound, clarity and projection. It's easy to set up and use and the abstract appearance of it lends some unique-ness to the show. Add the fact that I can leave it set up all the time in my music room and run everything from my recorder to my p.c. to my i-Pod through it, and the cost factor is a bit easier to swallow. Mine is the first model. It was less expensive than the new version, but still a chunk of change for a poor old Hillbilly picker. The good news is that if you can get a good deal on a used first edition, the Tonematch unit can be bought seperately and added to it, expanding the number of inputs to 7.

john57classic · #8 03-17-2008, 06:55 AM

Do either of the Bose models provide phantom power? Can't seem to find info at website.
Thanks

open-road-matt · #9 03-17-2008, 07:05 AM

Both of the Bose L1 systems provide phantom power but I think the only way to get phantom with the Model 2 is to use the T1. (or a mixer with phantom)

I thought there was quite a difference in sound dispersion with Model 2. I set them up side by side and the big thing I noticed was the smoothness of the sound from Model 2. I would often notice a bit of a "hot-spot" if I was too close and right on center with Model 1 and that is not there with Model 2.

The T1 ToneMatch Engine is wonderful. It is pretty much a mixer but much more. It has parametric EQ on each channel and the Bose Preset EQ's are fantastic! Can you use a "normal" mixer? Yes but you are missing out!

I bought Model 1 in January of 2005 and used it at about 300 shows in just about every kind of venue imaginable. I still have one model 1. My Model 2 was delivered last May and my T1 in July and it is fantastic. It all fits in the trunk of my Camry and I'm in and out of venues in one trip.

Matt

Earthworm · #10 03-17-2008, 10:11 AM

A friend of mine uses a traditional three way system--two speakers on stands with a monitor, mixer, etc. It takes him one hour to set up. He guesses about the sound in the audience because, like me, he is primarily a solo act and runs sound from onstage.

I sit in front of my Bose system and hear what the audience hears. That is not to say that my sound is always perfect. Sometimes crowd noise can do weird things to my hearing (i.e. cacophony).

I'll never go back. Frankly, I got so sick of sound issues before the Bose system, that I quit playing out. It was too stressful. Now all is bliss.

I agree with my friend above: this is the single best non-instrument purchase I've ever made--without question.

Earthworm
Sure I drank the Kool Aid. Want some? Contact me...my duo partner is a rep and he would get a commission if he sells one. Forget trying to find good deals on them new...they don't happen. Everyone pays the same price. Steep but ultimately worth every penny.

fredgold52 · #11 03-19-2008, 03:23 PM

I recently bought the System II. I did it because my wife insisted on it. I got the T1 tone engine with itas I had no other mixer and the T1 has a great number of features.

It is all that all of you have said. Easy to haul, fast to set up and tear down, no need for monitors as you can hear the same thing the audience is hearing. It has various Taylor presets too which makes me happy. My 414 has never sounded this good.

If you have $3000 laying around with nothing to do, the L1 system would be a good place to put it.

desertguitar · #12 03-19-2008, 03:46 PM

Hi,

Currently, I play through a g-natural effects pedal with left/right outs and I use two mackie srm450's. Obviously, the stereo effect is pretty cool. I was looking at the bose system online and it looks like the tower or whatever you call it has small speakers in opposing directions. Will this give you a true stereo sound as opposed to just using the mackies which sound great to me? Or is the sound dispersion so much better than stereo?

Thanks,

Dave

tdrake · #13 03-19-2008, 03:55 PM

When does the patent run out so that I can buy the $500 Peavey version?

td

Guyute · #14 03-19-2008, 04:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by desertguitar

Hi,

Currently, I play through a g-natural effects pedal with left/right outs and I use two mackie srm450's. Obviously, the stereo effect is pretty cool. I was looking at the bose system online and it looks like the tower or whatever you call it has small speakers in opposing directions. Will this give you a true stereo sound as opposed to just using the mackies which sound great to me? Or is the sound dispersion so much better than stereo?

Thanks,

Dave

It's not going to be as noticable but it's designed for solo performances. So, there's no real distance between the sound sources if you're unplugged.

To my way of thinking, there's no reason for a solo performer to run stereo. It's not really natural to pan things left and right.

Guyute · #15 03-24-2008, 02:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cakes

Not a challenge, but sincere question:

Does your Mackie allow you to assign a different set of effects to each channel?
Does your Mackie have a noise gate?
Does your Mackie allow you to save a number of different scenes to included different instruments, eq settings and effects and pull them up at the touch of a button?
Does your Mackie have a built-in instrument tuner?
Does your Mackie allow you to tell it what type of instrument or mic is plugged in an allow you to adjust frequencies relevant to the specific instrument or microphone you plug in?
Does your Mackie have presets designed to optimize the eq of any number of instruments or microphones?
Does your Mackie have a USB port to enable additional firmware updates as well as future eq presets?

Certainly, the Mackie is a great mixer with built-in effects. But it's a bit of a reach to say the Mackie does everything the T1 does.

John

You're right, of course and that's not what I meant to imply (although it appears that I did). What I should have said was that I don't have any needs that the Mackie doesn't cover. At least, not enough to justify that kind of an upgrade.

As far as the presets go, I haven't had a problem getting a good sound on each channel even with the limited EQ features on the Mackie. The only thing that I WOULD like to have that I don't have currently on the Mackie is a little more ability to tweak the effects per channel. But I get by just fine without that and I've got a couple extra channels in case some other act is opening.