Well, I certainly never said it was perfect out of the box. It is CRITICAL to set the gain-staging properly. There are detailed step-by-step instructions how to do this. You only have to do it once and it isn't difficult, but it must be done.
Also, most people over-equalize. They can't seem to get that old "V" e.q. curve out of their heads.
The L1 is simple to set up and use, but you must follow the directions the first time you set it up.
Then you can screw it up by boosting the bass "a little" on the keyboard, then boosting it again on the mixer, if you use one, then maybe again on the remote. A little e.q. goes a long way and most of it is unnecessary with the Bose. I basically run it flat and tweak just a little for extreme rooms or situations.
The first time I saw one in person was at a Guitar Center in Memphis. The guy played a guitar through it and said ain't that wonderful, but it wasn't. I plugged in a WAV recording of myself, and it blew the guy away. He couldn't say enough how great it sounded. It sounded terrible. It had no bottom what-so-ever. The salesman lost all credibility with me at that point, because either he was deaf or trying to con me.
I left and drove home and ordered one with 90-day return. I plugged it in, set it up and have never looked back.
Evidently the guy at the store failed to properly plug in the bass module. They cable must be inserted, then turned clockwise until it locks. Otherwise you only hear mids and highs.
Also, it is NOT necessary to boost the high end. Doing so makes you not hear the mids enough. Bose has done the work. All we have to do is not screw it up.
One of the great things is that if you are having any sort of problem, just contact them on the website, or pick up the phone and call. They WILL take care of you. Of course they SHOULD, but good customer service is really hard to find these days.
DonM