Bose S1 Pro with Shure A85F Line Matching Transformer - Game Changer!

[Methos1979]

Everyone that knows me around here knows that I'm a big fan and early adopter of the Bose S1 Pro system. I liked it so much I eventually ended up purchasing a second one! Put a preamp or small mixer in front of it to get a hotter signal and a few more inputs and that little speaker can really throw a LOT of sound. I definitely punches well above its weight.

We use a combination of one or two Bose S1 Pro's along with an EAE D6-58 or EAE StompMix X6 mixer to play just about any size venue that hires us including outdoor shows. But on occasion we want to travel around very light with nothing more than the guitar, a mic and the S1. The problem is that the S1 by itself is VERY anemic with your standard microphone.

When playing a guitar with an active pickup system I typically run the Bose at the 50% detent position. To get a matching level of volume from my wife's microphone I have to run her volume up above 75% where you start to get noise and hiss. You can get there for the most part but that's about it. There's no headroom left on the mic even though the guitar can go louder.

Rocdog49 recently reached out to me about a little device he'd heard of made by Shure, the A85F Line Matching Transformer. This little $20 adapter plug gives your mic a full 21 db of increased sound when used. I don't recall ever reading about this or I surely would have taken note and procured one. I ordered one from Amazon and got it today and IT WORKS SLICK!

One thing to note: Upon further testing at lower volumes the day after the initial test, we both noted that when using the Shure A85F, the tone of the vocals was slightly different, darker, and not in a pleasant way. Fortunately, rolling off just a little bit of the low end brightened the vocal tone back to what it was without the A85F adapter being used.

I know there are lots of people on here that like the Bose S1 Pro so I wanted to share this knowledge with everyone else that wishes they could get similar amounts of power out of both channels of the S1 with their guitar and mic without needing to carry an additional piece of gear like a mixer. We don't use the S1 alone often but we'll use it more now. This is a GAME CHANGER for us!

Thanks, rocdog49!! Amazon link and demo video below.

Here's a link to the device on Amazon: Shure A85F Transformer; Low Z, Female XLR to High Z 1/4-Inch Phone Plug

Demo video with the wife:

[rokdog49]

Great video Methos!
I’m glad it worked out for you
Thanks for making this. All those Bose S1 folks who may wish to boost the vocals should consider one of these little Shure A85F gems.
For $20 it takes away a common complaint regarding the use of a “stand-alone” S1 in a more challenging venue where vocals are concerned.
Obviously if you’re using a mixer you wouldn’t necessarily need this as you can increase the gain on your mics as needed.
To me, it’s like having that extra “horsepower” whether you use it or not…it’s comforting to know it’s there.
BTW nice vocals by your lovely wife!

[leew3]

That Rokdog-he's amazing! Well done guys.

[wweiss]

I have a Roland drum pad that has very weak signal. Would this work?

[capefisherman]

Originally Posted by Methos1979

Everyone that knows me around here knows that I'm a big fan and early adopter of the Bose S1 Pro system. I liked it so much I eventually ended up purchasing a second one! Put a preamp or small mixer in front of it to get a hotter signal and a few more inputs and that little speaker can really throw a LOT of sound. I definitely punches well above its weight.

We use a combination of one or two Bose S1 Pro's along with an EAE D6-58 or EAE StompMix X6 mixer to play just about any size venue that hires us including outdoor shows. But on occasion we want to travel around very light with nothing more than the guitar, a mic and the S1. The problem is that the S1 by itself is VERY anemic with your standard microphone.

When playing a guitar with an active pickup system I typically run the Bose at the 50% detent position. To get a matching level of volume from my wife's microphone I have to run her volume up above 75% where you start to get noise and hiss. You can get there for the most part but that's about it. There's no headroom left on the mic even though the guitar can go louder.

Rocdog49 recently reached out to me about a little device he'd heard of made by Shure, the A85F Line Matching Transformer. This little $20 adapter plug gives your mic a full 21 db of increased sound when used. I don't recall ever reading about this or I surely would have taken note and procured one. I ordered one from Amazon and got it today and IT WORKS SLICK!

I know there are lots of people on here that like the Bose S1 Pro so I wanted to share this knowledge with everyone else that wishes they could get similar amounts of power out of both channels of the S1 with their guitar and mic without needing to carry an additional piece of gear like a mixer. We don't use the S1 alone often but we'll use it more now. This is a GAME CHANGER for us!

Thanks, rocdog49!! Amazon link and demo video below.

Here's a link to the device on Amazon: Shure A85F Transformer; Low Z, Female XLR to High Z 1/4-Inch Phone Plug

Demo video with the wife:

Do you find the mic to be more feedback-prone using this device (due to increased gain)?

[rokdog49]

Originally Posted by wweiss

I have a Roland drum pad that has very weak signal. Would this work?

I believe so. The gain feature should work in any signal chain.
I saw a YouTube video where someone was using it with a keyboard.

[meb]

Thanks to Methos1979 & Rokdog49, good info. There was another thread that
pointed out you could use this device to use a guitar preamp as a mic
preamp. This adds to S1 use options.

Is the Whirlwind Little Imp discussed in the other thread the same as the Shure A85F?

[rokdog49]

I believe the Whirlwind “Little Imp” is the same device in a slightly different package.
The Shure has an all metal case whereas I believe the “the Little Imp ” is part plastic.
I believe Shure is “made in the USA” and the other, elsewhere.
I contacted Sweetwater about the Whirlwind version which they offer and was told that it did increase the gain but there was no documentation on that or even how much in terms of decibels. Nonetheless, I think it’s the same thing.
You can purchase the Shure from their website with free two day arrival shipping or the Amazon link Methos 1979 provided.

[Methos1979]

Originally Posted by capefisherman

Do you find the mic to be more feedback-prone using this device (due to increased gain)?

I did not find that the mic became any more prone to feedback but then again I've never had any issues with a mic feeding back with the Bose S1 Pro. Guitar, yes, but mic, no. And that last test we did both were really loud for that small room.

Originally Posted by meb

Thanks to Methos1979 & Rokdog49, good info. There was another thread that
pointed out you could use this device to use a guitar preamp as a mic
preamp. This adds to S1 use options.

Is the Whirlwind Little Imp discussed in the other thread the same as the Shure A85F?

I wasn't sure if there was. It seems I vaguely remembered something, somewhere, about it in a past post but maybe I just wasn't paying attention at that time. I figured regardless since it seemed new to me then there are surely others that could use the information. Rarely these days does something come along that is so simple and inexpensive and 'fixes' an issue so perfectly with a well-made product.

Originally Posted by rokdog49

I believe the Whirlwind “Little Imp” is the same device in a slightly different package.
The Shure has an all metal case whereas I believe the “the Little Imp ” is part plastic.
I believe Shure is “made in the USA” and the other, elsewhere.
I contacted Sweetwater about the Whirlwind version which they offer and was told that it did increase the gain but there was no documentation on that or even how much in terms of decibels. Nonetheless, I think it’s the same thing.
You can purchase the Shure from their website with free two day arrival shipping or the Amazon link Methos 1979 provided.

I can attest to the adapter being very well made with a metal, probably aluminum, housing with a slightly gold color. Also, mine arrived within just one day of ordering! Bonus!!

[woodenstrings]

Thanks for the great info, Methos1979 & Rokdog49.
Works with condenser mic also, providing you have phantom power supply.
I just tried this with my wireless setup on Bose S1 and Edwina mic.
I gives me everything I was looking for in terms of extra boost on mic input.
Does not seem to be any more prone to feed back, I do have to still have perfect placement of S1 in a large room.

Mic path = Edwina mic > Xvive P1> Xvive U3 transmitter > Xvive U3 receiver > A85F > 1/4" barrel connector > short 1/4" cable > S1 input.

Guitar path = M5 Transmitter > M5 receiver > S1

Both channels on S1 at 50% I now have the extra gain on the Mic to match the guitar input.

I'll sure try it with a regular dynamic mic next.

[meb]

Fyi, I just tested the Whirlwind Little Imp in the S1, and it DID provide
a boost in volume using the mic.

[jjbigfly]

Might this unit replace the CLOUD LIFTER? I use the SM7 mic if that helps.

[Methos1979]

Originally Posted by woodenstrings

Thanks for the great info, Methos1979 & Rokdog49.
Works with condenser mic also, providing you have phantom power supply.
I just tried this with my wireless setup on Bose S1 and Edwina mic.
I gives me everything I was looking for in terms of extra boost on mic input.
Does not seem to be any more prone to feed back, I do have to still have perfect placement of S1 in a large room.

Mic path = Edwina mic > Xvive P1> Xvive U3 transmitter > Xvive U3 receiver > A85F > 1/4" barrel connector > short 1/4" cable > S1 input.

Guitar path = M5 Transmitter > M5 receiver > S1

Both channels on S1 at 50% I now have the extra gain on the Mic to match the guitar input.

I'll sure try it with a regular dynamic mic next.

More great news! I would very interested in hearing more about your experiences using the Edwina with the Bose S1 Pro. A detailed review post with photos of your equipment and your setting would be awesome. A demo video would be even better, if that's something you can do.

I tried to use the Edwina with the Bose S1 a few years back and it was a dismal failure. No amount of moving things around fixed the feedback issues. Even outdoors. If you are successfully using this combination then it's obviously something on my end that I'm doing wrong.

If I could get the Edwina single mic approach to work with my Bose S1 Pro and/or my EAE D6-58, I would be SO happy as we got very used to performing this way via live stream a few years back at the beginning of the pandemic and came to really like the feel and vibe or both of us on a single mic.

[Methos1979]

Originally Posted by meb

Fyi, I just tested the Whirlwind Little Imp in the S1, and it DID provide a boost in volume using the mic.

Yay!

Originally Posted by jjbigfly

Might this unit replace the CLOUD LIFTER? I use the SM7 mic if that helps.

I'm not familiar with the Cloud Lifter.

[Methos1979]

I have one new thing to report that was not noticed during yesterday's testing and demo due to the sheer volume. We were testing the system this morning at lower volumes for today's assisted living facility show and we both noted a definite change in tone between using the Shure A85F and not using it. The sound with the A85F was distinctly darker and not in a pleasant way. Fortunately, rolling off the low end just a little bit brought the tone right back to where the sound without the adapter was.

I will update the original post above to add this information for those yet to read it.