Comparison thread Bose S1 vs EAE D6-8

[lkingston]

I like my Mackie Reach as well so long as I use it with a guitar preamp pedal. That “Wide-z” preamp is garbage. It is so strange that the Korg Connect would choose to copy this silly design!

The sound of the Reach once you have the guitar pre-amped properly is actually excellent. I am puzzled that it isn’t capable of going louder given it’s high wattage rating but it’s usually enough. There’s only so loud you want to go with a system you’re standing next to anyway. Sound dispersion is excellent.

[lkingston]

Originally Posted by NotValid

Dear EAE: please make an extension cab for the D6-8 and the A4-8. Nothing fancy, just a simple, battery powered extension cab without a mixer.

Best Regards, NV

I’ve requested the powered extension as well. For now, that is how I’m using the Bose S1.

[martingitdave]

Originally Posted by lkingston

I like my Mackie Reach as well so long as I use it with a guitar preamp pedal. That “Wide-z” preamp is garbage. It is so strange that the Korg Connect would choose to copy this silly design!

The sound of the Reach once you have the guitar pre-amped properly is actually excellent. I am puzzled that it isn’t capable of going louder given it’s high wattage rating but it’s usually enough. There’s only so loud you want to go with a system you’re standing next to anyway. Sound dispersion is excellent.

I agree. They discontinued the product, I believe. But, in fact, they had the best speaker/array cabinet (port) design of any of the compact PA products I’ve used to date. The Wide Z preamp is a garbage cost saving design.

[lkingston]

You can tell a lot about a speaker by playing your favorite recorded music through it. The EAE speaker sounds wonderful with recorded music. So does the Mackie Reach. The S1 sounds top heavy.

[martingitdave]

Originally Posted by lkingston

You can tell a lot about a speaker by playing your favorite recorded music through it. The EAE speaker sounds wonderful with recorded music. So does the Mackie Reach. The S1 sounds top heavy.

I agree this this also. I’m convinced you’re my brother separated at birth.

However it is the extra tweeters in the array that move the sound to the back of the room with he S1. That’s why I am choosing it as my 50 person or less coffee house unit. I had the Mackie FreePlay which had very good horizontal coverage and was also a flat response. It just had the same terrible preamp design.

[dannyg1]

Originally Posted by martingitdave

I agree this this also. I’m convinced you’re my brother separated at birth.

However it is the extra tweeters in the array that move the sound to the back of the room with he S1. That’s why I am choosing it as my 50 person or less coffee house unit. I had the Mackie FreePlay which had very good horizontal coverage and was also a flat response. It just had the same terrible preamp design.

Just to be more exact, the S1 doesn’t have any tweeters. It relays on the three 2.5” drivers to cover 1khz on up and they’re typically thought of as mid range drivers.

[martingitdave]

Originally Posted by dannyg1

Just to be more exact, the S1 doesn’t have any tweeters. It relays on the three 2.5” drivers to cover 1khz on up and they’re typically thought of as mid range drivers.

Yup, I used the incorrect terminology. Incidentally, we think they might actually be handling 600 Hz and up.

[lkingston]

Originally Posted by JakeStone

So if you could only choose one...
Which would it be and why?
S1 Pro or D6-8

Solo Acoustic player.. 1 Mic 1 Guitar.
Mostly used for home and Practice..
Occasional small gig.
( Considering I have a L1 Compact for larger gigs)

If you already have the L1 Compact, you know whether or not you like the Tonematch preset. If you like the preset, the S1 is a good choice.

Another choice you might look into is the Elite Acoustics A4-8 which is a two channel analog amp with guitar and vocal channels, plus a stereo channel and bluetooth. There is a NAMM demo on eBay with full warranty for sale right now. If you don’t like the S1 Tonematch preset and want phantom power, better EQ, a notch filter, etc., this is a really good deal:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Elite-Acous...X/232651341139

[JakeStone]

Originally Posted by lkingston

If you already have the L1 Compact, you know whether or not you like the Tonematch preset. If you like the preset, the S1 is a good choice.

Another choice you might look into is the Elite Acoustics A4-8 which is a two channel analog amp with guitar and vocal channels, plus a stereo channel and bluetooth. There is a NAMM demo on eBay with full warranty for sale right now. If you don’t like the S1 Tonematch preset and want phantom power, better EQ, a notch filter, etc., this is a really good deal:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Elite-Acous...X/232651341139

Thanks!
I do have the Compact and my guitars sound good straight in... without ToneMatch engaged..
Some EQ and reverb is def necessary when I play out.
So I use a TC Play Acoustic for my vocals and guitar.

But with the S1 Pro... I can get away with no Play Acoustic pedal !
Just plug Guitar and Mic straight in.
But I have only used the S1 Pro in my home studio room..
About 600 Sq ft room. Not sure how it will work in larger rooms.

I must say.... I really do "love" the Bose S1 Pro. It is so easy to use and I like the form factor.

Sometimes too many knobs and effects can get in the "way".. if you know what I mean.

That is what I love about the S1 ... Simple to use, very portable... amazing sound and dispersion.

So I am trying to decide whether to take the EAE plunge ... Check 'em out.

But I'd prolly go for the D6-8 .. Like you Kingston.. Perhaps a D6-8 with the S1 Pro would be a nice combo!

[JakeStone]

Originally Posted by martingitdave

Chances are good that if they keep listening to forum members they will be out of business in 6 months. We change our minds too often and never reach consensus on any positive attributes, or features, except sweepable mids. The only thing we forum members have in common is our propensity to change our minds and rush to the next shiny object like Lemmings. ;-)

Having participated in these audio reviews for a few years, we’ve yet to coalesce around a single technology or product. We can’t even agree on which piezo system sounds the best (the answer is somewhere between all of them and none of them). So, how can we agree as to which amplification system will produce the best results when we don’t agree on which originating signal sounds the best? Today’s “best” amp may sound like garbage with tomorrow’s “best” pickup.

I maintain that if an audio company wants to stay in business and make money, they need to focus on the prosumer market. They buy stuff that sounds “good”, has wide distribution, and a non-offensive basic feature set.

For pro audio, my opinion is that a flat response system is the goal. But most flat response systems do not carry that well in a large room. So, to get studio sound from a live monitor design, you need a really small room, or lots of little monitors. We are doomed.

Oddly enough, the only PA gear I have used recently that carried well and had a flat response was the Mackie Reach. Huh? Really. But the 4 channel mixer had no gain. I needed outboard XLR plugs for unbalanced lines to activate the fixed 40 dB preamps. And I had to add 10 dB fixed attenuators to make some lines work. Insanity!

This reality, coupled with the fact that at least 50% of you play way too loud, and are damaging your hearing and the audience’s hearing, leads me to believe that most of us should be using some sort of speaker column unit. They project better with less SPL. They don’t always sound flat, or pristine, but they have wide distribution, a non offensive feature set, and they sound “good.”

(A healthy dose of sarcasm was used in this post. No small animals were harmed, however.)

Dave this is such a great post!

[martingitdave]

Originally Posted by JakeStone

Dave this is such a great post!

Thanks Jake! I’m surprised anyone made it past the second paragraph!

[Marty C]

Dave we always read your posts. Well thought out responses. And lots of experience since I think you have owned and have experience with most items we have discussed.

I am responsible for sales and marketing in my company. While it is B2B and I have no experience in B2C other than as the consumer, I think your comments are spot on. Forums like this are important marketing tools, but mainly for brand exposure. While the market receptance and opinions are great, it could create a huge expense to continually meet our request for changes and adopt our personal preferences in each new product release. However many companies are putting the USB link in order to upgrade the firmware and adapt as they get feedback from the field.

I do think Bose pays attention to their markets. They created a strong brand in sound quality and this a good response at offering a lower cost product. It puts their brand into many more hands. I feel this is to build brand loyalty in a level of the market they have not been able to reach because of the higher entry fee of their traditional offerings. Once prosumers buy this S1 Pro, no doubt this experience will lead to additional purchases of higher end products.

You can read all the brand loyalty people have on this forum. When we ask, “what do you guys recommend for.....” most of us are pretty passionate about our investments and experiences and it shows our brand loyalty. We stand strong on our investments and are willing to share this with others. That’s the best marketing you can have. The reviews on each website carry lots of weight in our decisions, but this forum gives us all additional information and input from people we learn to trust. I feel like I know all you guys, consider you my friends and would love to have a beer together whenever possible and carry these conversations further.

Always love your input Dave, as well as yours Jake. Very much appreciated.

[lkingston]

Originally Posted by lkingston

I just sent them an email. I asked for EQ and compression at both the monitor and main outs. I also asked for a time alignment delay...

As it is, this amp is already incredibly cool. With a couple of firmware tweaks it could be just amazing!

I got a response from Elite Acoustics yesterday. On the next firmware update they are going to add an EQ to the XLR outs. This can me used on either the main outs or aux send, depending upon which is routed.

No luck on my request for compression or time alignment delay.

[NotValid]

Originally Posted by martingitdave

Thanks Jake! I’m surprised anyone made it past the second paragraph!

I'm still working out the fourth paragraph.

[JakeStone]

Originally Posted by NotValid

I'm still working out the fourth paragraph.

Originally Posted by martingitdave

For pro audio, my opinion is that a flat response system is the goal. But most flat response systems do not carry that well in a large room.

So, to get studio sound from a live monitor design, you need a really small room, or lots of little monitors. We are doomed.

Hmmm... Where was Dave in 1974?

Grateful Dead's Wall of Sound -
The Wall of Sound was an enormous public address system designed specifically for the Grateful Dead's live performances in 1974. It was the brainchild of audio engineer Owsley "Bear" Stanley. The Wall of Sound fulfilled Owsley's desire for a distortion-free sound system that could also serve as its own monitoring system. The Wall of Sound was the largest concert sound system built at that time.