Jim, when I was lugging around a pair of Barbetta Sona 32-SC speakers and the poles, which seemed like a century ago, I loved what I heard, but soon realized that I was getting too old to put those speakers on poles and in reality, never really needed that much power (450-watts RMS each). Even when performing in the nite clubs and restaurants with younger crowds, 900-watts RMS was overkill. Consequently, when I went to the Bose L1 PAS system, I was elated. The weight was reduced dramatically, no more dangerous poles to contend with, and my biggest concern was people trying to lean against the tower as if it were some type of leaning post. I pretty much solved the problem by placing a "Danger - High Wattage" sign on the post in bright, red and yellow letters, which kinda scared most folks from touching the tower. It was almost funny to watch them reach for the tower to lean on then noticed the sign and quickly pulled their hand back as if they would be electrocuted.

Now, I know that Yamaha pianos are heavily stereo sampled, so I went about creating my own, custom, mono piano that has been downloaded thousands of times and used by lots of pro entertainers on this and the PSR Tutorial forum. It sounds thick, full bodied, but still crisp and clean. It solved the problem. Most of the other voices sounded just fine in mono.

When I switched to the L1 Compact, again, I initially went with mono, and that single L1 Compact covered 99 percent of all my audiences without every having a complaint or problem.For the bigger jobs, though, 150 or more audience members, I used a pair of them in stereo, which sounded a bit fuller and provided fantastic coverage for audiences to 300 people, indoors or outdoors. I rarely had to use that second amp, but I had it in the office and ready to go, just in case. I eventually sold it to one of the other local players who had a pair of monsters on poles. I think they were Peavey SP5Gs that tipped the scales at 60-pounds each. After using the Bose L1 Compact for two days, he sold those Peavies to the highest Ebay bidder. He plays an old Korg and a tenor sax, often just uses the Korg for midi files to back his sax and singing. He primarily performs at a high end Italian restaurant northeast of Baltimore on US 40.

For me, the Bose systems have been phenomenal during the past decade or more, and I would never consider going back to a conventional sound system. This is especially true for those of us who rely heavily on our vocals during a performance. The Bose systems provided the clearest vocals of any sound system I have used or heard in more than 50 years on stage. Nothing else came remotely close.

Good luck on whatever you decide upon,

Gary