Bose L1 Basic
I have heard qute a few people swearing blind by these Bose L1’s that I decided to get a listen for myself as to how good they were. They were not too bad, considering that I was listening to them in a showroom. But I really wonder how they will perform in sound reinforcement applications. Bose claims on its website that this system is able to handle an audience of 500. Hmm.
According to Bose, this powered, vertical array of theirs has “24 drivers mounted in a vertical line array design produce a loss of only 3 dB in sound pressure level per doubling in distance.” There is also something they call ToneMatch, which are presets for microphones and instruments. There is also an integrated mixer with remote control. I have no idea why one would need a remote control for a sound-reinforcement system but Bose seems to think you need one. The B1 bass modules weigh about 26 kilograms and augment the vertical array.
Specifications-wise, they are available here but in a nutshell:
- System Type – Self powered, two-way.
- Frequency Response (+/-3 dB) – 40 Hz – 12 kHz
- Frequency Range (-10 dB) – 32 Hz – 14 kHz
- Maximum SPL @ 1 m – 115 dB SPL (121 dB SPL peak)
- Crossover Frequency – 200 Hz (24 dB / octave)
- System Power Rating – 500 W
Would I get it? I do not think I would. These things are pretty pricey and you can get better speakers for less coin. They sounded great in that showroom when I listened to them though…very good. But its a Bose, first and foremost. I personally would give it a miss