NOT LOOKING TO START A DEBATE, BUT:
I filled for a friend of mine who has a steady gig in the bar/lounge area in a restaurant in MA...
First, a word about the restaurant - what a GOLD MINE !!! ...the bar/lounge which, besides the tables used by people having dinner, is used as a 'waiting area' for the main restaurant, was PACKED until about 10 pm after which it was only CROWDED... ...

As far as the music is concerned, the big thing is that the owner doesn't want it loud, and he's paying a good buck for live musicians in 2 rooms, so .....
Well after Saturday night, I realized that the Bose is PERFECT for that situation...
My friend was going to be working in the restaurant area for the night in place of the guy who usually works it, so he asked me to play the bar/lounge ...
He had his Bose set up there, so he let me use it ... He helped me get set up with the mixer - a big Behringer which he's had for years, and the Bose ... We did a sound check to make sure of the volume, then I played a SMF so I could hear the overall sound ...I was amazed that, for how low the volume was at the kb (the Bose was DIRECTLY behind me), the sound traveled at that same volume to the end of the bar - about 100 feet ...
I had asked the head bartender (I think there were 4 of them!) to let me know if the volume got too loud, and later in the evening I was told that I could actually raise the volume a little ...
During the night, even when a group of about 6 guys right in front of me were 'debating' the Matt Cassell trade to KC so loudly that I could hardly hear myself think, I could see some ladies 'swaying' to the music at the far end of the bar...

The Bose delivered a really good bass and at times I found myself lowering the bass on the kb ...the mids and highs were crisp and clear, and the vocals sounded great....

All in all, a very pleasant experience, but I'm afraid my gigging schedule doesn't warrant that type of expense ... and at this stage of my life, that doesn't bother me ...

t.