Jim,

At one time, I felt the same--stereo was the only way to go. Then I stepped out in front of the sound system with a wireless mic and fired up some midi files. I A/B tested several systems, stereo V/S Bose mono. In the end, Bose won--hands down.

Now, before a major mine is better than yours confrontation begins, I love the sound of stereo. But, and this is a big but(not butt), I quickly discovered that my audiences, by and large, were not hearing anything other than mono. And, the sound quality I experienced from the Bose L1 and L1 Compact was far and away superior to anything I tested, even some of the best of the best conventional sound systems.

Some performers have gone to a pair of L1 Compacts just so they will have stereo. And, some of those same performers clearly stated the only person that was benefiting from the stereo created by a pair of L1 Compacts was the performer--not the audience.

The best advice I have is if YOU don't like what you hear, send it back to Bose. Their 45-day, no-questions-asked return policy is the best in the industry. As for ME, I'll never go back to using a conventional sound system.

Good Luck on whatever you decide upon,

Gary