Mackie FreePlay Live (first impressions)

[lkingston]

Originally Posted by TubeG

It would be true if all the manufacturers use the same way to rate wattage.

I have one Bose S1 and a second one on order, so I am happy if the S1 is a little more powerful. On my video work I switched to LED lighting a few years ago and have been really happy with far lower power wattage levels there.

I don’t know if anyone else here remembers, but when Bose came out with their 802 Panaray speakers (early small speaker design), they sounded great but they were really power hungry. I compared a set of 802s with my S1 in a high school auditorium recently and preferred the S1 at the levels I tested, although I believe the 802 could go louder.

[martingitdave]

The question regarding two Mackie FreePlays is an interesting one. I’m not sure I have an answer for that.

What I can say is that the Mackie with a K&K is capable of being louder than I can stand to hear it in my music room. So, with the extra juice from a preamp, I’m sure it would be plenty loud. But, if we are comparing with the Bose, the Bose wouldn’t need the preamp.

I’m really enjoying the tone of the Mackie. I think it was a good choice for my use. Knobs would make it even better, but more expensive.

[Cuki79]

I did not try the new freeplay but I did try the Bose.

Althought I am not a Bose fan I'd say making an A/B comparison in a close room would nearly always lead to favour the other little amp (Fishman, Schertler... Mackie freeplay).

The S1 has less low end than most of its competitor. I guess the bass reflex was not meant to resonate similarly to the air in the box of a guitar. So you will never get the "ompf" (deep low end kick) when you strum. Also the S1 has no tweeter but fullrange drivers. So it will never have the "air" and high end of the other speakers.

So why Bose is so popular?

Well if you put that little box on a stand in a coffee house or a music shop with medium crowd chatting, the sound will fill and blend without agressivity while keeping a good presence. This will work without pouring the front audience with low end mud or aggressive metallic highs and without raising the volume to high. Think piano bar music: Sweet, no punch, no agressivity, just a nice mood.

So any other amp my sound good at lower level in a controlled environment but that is to be expected. In this case a $200 studio monitor and a mixer would probably work even better. The Bose have to be taken for what it is: a LIVE gear more than HOME gear. It's not meant to sound "like your guitar, louder".

That's related to what MartinGitDave says when he refers to the Bose as being more PRO. Bose has its own tone. They designed their product with a very specific application in mind.

I know Dave does not have the time but a nice comparison would be a coffee house gig.

PS:
Why low and high? my 2 cents:
Low end is something I feel more than I hear. If I am close to the bass reflex, I will feel the "ompf". If I stand few meters away, as the bass losses power quicker compared to highs, I will feel nothing but probably hear a lots of mud instead. As regard as the high end, I guess the room and absorption of bodies have an impredictible impact on the high end. If I remember well, a reverb applies diffusion and absorption to the high end of the spectrum. Which is basically randomness (diffusion) to account for multiple reflections and attenuation. You don't want uncontrolled reverb in your tone... so the easiest bet is to get rid of the high end smoothly (thus the absence of tweeter) that would sound aggressive close by when pushed anyway.

my 2 cents,
Cuki

[martingitdave]

I think Cuki’s explanation is correct. The simplest comparison between the Mackie and the Bose is that of a studio monitor and a PA speaker. With the mini array, the Bose can project like a PA speaker while still maintaining a tiny footprint. The Mackie sounds more clean in a tight space like you would expect a studio monitor to sound. I will maintain that the Bose would be a better tool for a gig in a medium sized room and the Mackie might be a better tool for tight spaces at lower volume.

Or, if you want to go with my original superlative when the Bose was released: the S1 Pro is the best PA speaker you can buy that weighs 15 lbs or less. The Mackie might hold the title of best mini PA or sound reinforcement that weighs 8 lbs or less.

[Cuki79]

Originally Posted by martingitdave

Or, if you want to go with my original superlative when the Bose was released: the S1 Pro is the best PA speaker you can buy that weighs 15 lbs or less. The Mackie might hold the title of best mini PA or sound reinforcement that weighs 8 lbs or less.

Wow I did not realize the Mackie only weighted 8.8 lbs. That thing is almost a toy!!!

Dave can you please post a picture of them side by side, next to one of your nice D28? (Don't forget the D28: it is a universal scale

[martingitdave]

Originally Posted by Cuki79

Wow I did not realize the Mackie only weighted 8.8 lbs. That thing is almost a toy!!!

Dave can you please post a picture of them side by side, next to one of your nice D28? (Don't forget the D28: it is a universal scale

Yes it is basically a toy. But a useful toy. Then again, the whole forum is nothing but big boys and their musical toys. :-)

[Cuki79]

Originally Posted by martingitdave

Yes it is basically a toy. But a useful toy. Then again, the whole forum is nothing but big boys and their musical toys. :-)

lol you gave me GAS for that toy now!!

[lkingston]

My Elite Acoustics and Sunburst Gear amps are the absolute best amps I’ve ever heard for home and small space use.

The S1 may not sound quite that good in a small space, but compared to most live sound gear it is actually very good. My issue with the S1 is mostly on the front end rather than the back end. I like sweepable mids and variable high pass filters. Simple treble and bass controls aren’t enough, and while I like the mic tonematch preset, the guitar one doesn’t suit my guitar and pickup.

One thing to not if using the S1 as a powered speaker from a mixer is that the inputs are mic and guitar level. You need a 30 or 40 dB pad to go from the line level outputs of a mixer.

On the Freeplay Live, the XLR connection will give you mic level but the 1/4” TRS will give you line level. All you need from a mixer or DI out is an XLR to TRS cable.

[jonfields45]

Hi Dave,

How do you think the Freeplay Live would stack up against a Bose Soundtouch 20 (or other good home speaker) for music in my kitchen as its primary application, and the occasional guitar/vocal amp as a secondary app?

My Soundtouch is giving me problems with Pandora pausing to buffer and Bose says it's my network. I'm going to try out a Chromecast Audio adapter to see if has the same issue, and if it doesn't and is easily controlled then I'm no longer married to the Soundtouch and its internal Internet music player.

Jon

[BT55]

Originally Posted by jonfields45

My Soundtouch is giving me problems with Pandora pausing to buffer and Bose says it's my network. I'm going to try out a Chromecast Audio adapter to see if has the same issue, and if it doesn't and is easily controlled then I'm no longer married to the Soundtouch and its internal Internet music player.
Jon

When you are streaming music buffering is caused by your internet connection or the music provider. Buffering is your device waiting for data from the provider. It is not your equipment.
The only other reason for buffering is that your device is running out of memory. A reboot of the device will fix that problem.

[martingitdave]

Originally Posted by jonfields45

Hi Dave,



How do you think the Freeplay Live would stack up against a Bose Soundtouch 20 (or other good home speaker) for music in my kitchen as its primary application, and the occasional guitar/vocal amp as a secondary app?



My Soundtouch is giving me problems with Pandora pausing to buffer and Bose says it's my network. I'm going to try out a Chromecast Audio adapter to see if has the same issue, and if it doesn't and is easily controlled then I'm no longer married to the Soundtouch and its internal Internet music player.



Jon

It’s not a stereo box to my knowledge. But it sounds very good to me regardless.

[jonfields45]

Originally Posted by BT55

When you are streaming music buffering is caused by your internet connection or the music provider. Buffering is your device waiting for data from the provider. It is not your equipment.
The only other reason for buffering is that your device is running out of memory. A reboot of the device will fix that problem.

Worry not, I've tried every possible work around (factory reset and update of router and Bose, separate router just for Bose, even Bose on Ethernet). My phone on the same network does not have that problem. I second your guess, but I think the Pandora app in the Bose got degraded in the last Bose software update. My Roku on the same network is flawless...

[lkingston]

I know that you can get a nice stereo image via Bluetooth with two Bose S1s if you have the latest firmware update. Looking at the Freeplay Live app it seems that it can also do stereo if you have two of them.

[martingitdave]

Originally Posted by lkingston

I know that you can get a nice stereo image via Bluetooth with two Bose S1s if you have the latest firmware update. Looking at the Freeplay Live app it seems that it can also do stereo if you have two of them.

Yes that’s correct. There is a stereo streaming function via the app with two devices.

[Per Burström]

Based on comments from those of you that has tried the new Freeplay Live, and think it's really good in a tight space as well having a "flat sound", what do you think about having it as a monitor in a live setup?