For me, also chasing sound systems for decades, and vividly recalling those days of setting up those 112-pound Peavey's many years ago, hefting the Barbettas up on poles, I'll stick withe Bose systems for a number of reasons.

First and foremost, since switching to the Bose L1 systems, I no longer have anyone saying they cannot understand what I'm saying when making announcements. The clarity and overall sound quality is unsurpassed.

For broad, evenly distributed sound coverage, again, those vertical arrays are unsurpassed. No falloff to contend with, no blasting people sitting close to the speakers while those in the back of the room can barely hear you. Those days are long gone.

Now, this is my opinion, others will, obviously, vary. Some people still want the overemphasized mid range sounds of a conventional sound system. I'm just not one of them. I sincerely believe that Bose is the forerunner in sound quality, and I'm not alone in this feeling. Nearly every DJ, KJ and OMB performer in MY immediate area has switched to Bose L1 systems. Expensive, absolutely - but we feel it's well worth the price.

Good luck on whatever you decide upon,

Gary