Most of us with these smaller PA's have come from much larger ones at some time or another. And, maybe just once or twice, we had a gig that we NEEDED to crank these bigger PA's up to close to THEIR limits. So, in fairness, maybe we ARE in a position to be honest about the upper limits of our smaller stuff. But getting that honesty is like pulling teeth!

Can't argue with that. I've owned loads of PA systems over the nearly 50 years I've been playing, and each and every one of them was considered as THE LAST PA SYSTEM I'LL EVERY NEED! And, each time I purchased a new one, which on average was about every three years, I considered it a step up. Each ensuing system was more powerful, had more features, and weighed considerably more.

Most of the additional weight, however, was not in the electronics. Instead, it was primarily the material the cabinet was constructed from. The vast majority of the cabinetry was made of dense, very-heavy particle board, which is nothing more than sawdust and glue. Some tipped the scales at more than 100 pounds, which was brutal--even when I was younger.

I have to admit, the highest wattage I ever used was less than 3,000, which easily handled some of the rowdiest crowds of drunks anyone can imagine. Fortunately, I no longer have to contend with drunks, late nights or cigarette smoke.

The largest crowd I performed to with the standard Bose L1 was just over 1,000 people. They were loud, rowdy, plastered, rich and were housed within a massive, big-top-tent constructed from heavy, rubber-coated canvas. It was set up on the parking lot of a large fishing center in Ocean City, Maryland. I had played this job using a variety of PA systems for nearly 4 years.

The last job I performed there was the same year I purchased the Bose L1 standard system with a single sub. To be on the safe side, I also carried a pair of Barbetta Sona 32SC power speakers with me. (450-watts RMS each, Bi-amped, 15-inch with 10-inch horns).

Despite the boisterous crowd of rowdys, the Barbettas never came out of the van--I didn't need them. People were dancing at the far end of the tent, young gals in very skimpy string bikinis started a conga line to Hot Hot Hot and I had the place rockin' until the marina manager said we're outta' booze--the party's over!

Yes, I cranked the Bose L1 standard up fairly high, but never to the point where the red came on--got into the yellow a few times, but never red. It was way too loud for me, and also for some of the folks trying to sleep aboard their motor yachts moored 500 feet away at the end of the pier. The kids, both young and old, loved the music and didn't want it to stop.

Bottom line: Since buying the Bose L1 standard, and more recently the L1 Compact, I've sold everything other than a single Barbetta Sona 32SC, which I purchased from Hank The Lurker about two years ago for a backup system--just in case. As Dirty Harry said "A Man has to know his limitations." Same holds true with sound systems.

Cheers,

Gary