Wow, sounds like UD didn't just shed pounds, but packed on muscle as well. I remember when he could'nt bear transporting the 50 lb 9000pro. How times have changed. Wow, what a difference a day (I mean 6 mos) makes. Dave, you been working out at the Gym? - Scott

You guys are all wrong. NO one piece is heavier than one Barbetta is.
The tower breaks down into 2 pieces, at about 16lbs each. EZ to carry both with one hand. (Nice carry bags with well placed handles too)

The pedestal is 34 lbs and is balanced perfectly to grab with one hand and keep your arm fully extended in transit.

The woofer is under 30lbs, I think, but it's really teeny, tiny compared to everything out there.

The beauty of this is that it has no speaker wires to connect. You lay the pedetal on the floor - stick the bottom 1/2 of the tower into a slot - slide the top 1/2 into the locking channel, and bang ! It's set up. Maybe 45 seconds? One cable to the woofer - one to the remote and one into the wall. Maybe add another 45 seconds..... so that's under 2 minutes to set up a 750 watt system that will cover a room of 300 people, and not annoy any of them with exsessive volume or harsh progection characteristics.

Breakdown is a snap. Take the tower apart, put each piece in it's case. Put the pedestal in it's case and load the car.
The woofer doesn't come with a case, but it's made of scratch resistant material and should hold up pretty well. I'll probably have a vinyl cover made just for foul weather. I hate to unload in the rain or snow.

Believe me ..... so far, there are no down sides to this setup. I'm actually teasing my brain into thinking about a second tower for those really large venues where I might beifit from a stereo spread, but I still have my doubts about possible cancellation. The jury is still out on that one.

I did acoffee house tonight with it on acoustic guitar, and it was beautiful. Unobtrusive, clear even volume with sizzling highs and full, rich bass. Ask Fran - he was there !

Fran, Dave said to ask you about the sound.
How was it?
DonM

I believe that it is not the actual weight of the speakers that we find uncomfortable, but the way we have to carry it.

I think that my G1000 is quite heavy to carry in its soft case, at 40 Lbs, yet I recall how carrying any one of my four sons around was a snap, when they were almost twice that weight.

If you can carry the speakers in a comfortable bag and close to your body, they will feel much easier to get around than carrying the same weight in a large box with the handles on either sides or top.

I have seen the Bose speakers on display, and they are certainly very compact. Even the subwoofer seems extremely transportable.

If I could only justify the price...

Regards,

Alex

Sorry for the delay, DNJ and all, but here is the link to the MA12 (screwed up on that number too).

http://www.bose.com/pro/pro-index.html?alias=pro.bose.com

I admit, the price is a definite factor in the Bose's appeal (or lack, thereof) but to justify it ......
**I look at the ease of setup:
(no more speaker stands )
**The visual appeal:
EVERYone loves it so far. That gets folks talking about me.....and the gear. Good press!
** The ability to cover many different rooms with one, simple setup. I have a house party this Saturday, and I can't WAIT to hear the improvement in sound/looks that this will provide.

The looks are a big part of the charm for house parties....especially in multi-million dollar houses. When clients pay a ritzy coordinator (like Franc! ) you can bet they are shelling out a bundle for their entertainment. The improved visual and audio benefits are well worth the extra $$$ to me.

It will also virtually eliminate the need for a small system for ANY venue. If I need to punch up the bass in a tiny cocktail setting ..... I can leave the towers packed up. The bass unit works fine from the pedestal unit, and will in fact, power up to SIX bins without the towers connected. How's THAT for versatility?

I'm pretty high on this concept so far, can you tell?

Cass,
It looks like the MA12 is UNpowered, right? The best part of having the PAS system is the lack of connections. No speaker wires to connect or trip over. I'm thinking of cancelling my liability insurance !

Right UD, they look basically like the L1 minus the base. You can stack them 3 high and punch up the wattage. Not necessarily an improvement over the L1, just similar.

I can see these popping up all over in churches and schools ! They are so inteligable and clear for the vocal range.

Exactly! We heard the MA's and EV Sx80 and EVID 4.2. No comparison in quality using the exact same amp and mixer settings. The MA's required a lot less power/db ratio. Adding a sub really charged the bass. We decided against them for our church because we have coves on either side of the knave and getting good dispersion into those areas were a real problem, given our architecture. We settled on the EVID 4.2's, but those Bose MA12's were really clear.