Hey all, listen:

I've reached the point where I should be getting a new PA setup, and I think it has to be MUCH smaller, lighter and more convenient.

I'm sick of lugging all our crap around.(anyone know the feeling??) *heh*

Long story short, I've read almost every thread about the Bose PAS (most of 'em seem to stop around 2005/6) so PLEASE don't tell me to go and read all the threads re this system.

Here are my 3 questions regarding the system.

1. Has the phase cancellation problem been solved (Mono/Stereo) either with clever setup techniques, or the fact that there is a "model 2" system out now.

2. Does the system have the guts to compete with conventional setups (say if I buy ONE system with two Subs) in most rooms large or small, and does it Compress/Limit the sound to the point where the whole sound loses dynamics and "excitement".

3. This is IMPORTANT - we've recently turned down overall as our hearing is starting to suffer. Hopefully we're a long way from deafness yet, but nobody seems to have discussed this issue, and that is:

If the speakers are placed BEHIND you and the audience hears what YOU hear, won't that sound be too much?

I mean, in a convential PA we share one monitor on stage. I can turn it down or up so we're not blown away, and the Front speakers can be as loud as you like and we don't get blasted (mind you, in reverb laden rooms filled with glass and stone, the sound waves crash back and send us deaf anyway - I understand the Bose is mean to help in this situation????????)

Can anyone help with any UPDATED impressions of the new PAS systems (hell even the old ones).

FWIW we're a Duo playing ALL genres (very old to very new) and play primarily to dancers (both "party people" & "real" dancers).
I use a Korg PA1x Pro Elite and my wife plays Electric Guitar with a Roland Cube 30 Amp.
Dual vocals (both lead and harmony) & we use SMF's (occasionally MP3s) as backings for 95% of what we do.

N.B. - Yes I will audition these speakers for myself soon and use them live if I have to, but I value the opinion of the Synthzone members here - I usually find this forum a wealth of info and more importantly first hand impressions - help a fellow member out here guys - do I buy this system?

P.S. I love my stereo, and all files/sounds are panned and tweaked for a Stereo field, but as someone in the forum said, Stereo Effect is like flash photography - the flash only goes so far....

I'm willing to embrace a new concept!

Seems the only people who think there is a "phase cancellation" problem are people who do not own a Bose system. I have had mine for three years and used it with several different arrangers and no such problem exists.
I have also tried the new model 2 system extensively. It disperses the sound even better, if possible, and is a little lighter.
It comes with an optional mixer, but it isn't really optional, you will have to have it.
It is quite good (the mixer) but is an extra $500. I use an external mixer, usually Behringer, with my Model 1, when I need it, and I very happy with it. I cannot see the new system being worth $1000 to upgrade, but if I didn't have the Model 1, I would certainly get the Model 2.
Two years ago, when we had the arranger jam in Shreveport, there were multiple keyboards and mics, all being fed to the L1 through a 12-channel mixer. The Bose handled it all without a hiccup.
Quite a few SZ members were there, and can attest to it.
There was a PSR2000, a Ketron SD1, a Korg, a Midjay, an accoustic guitar, a fiddle and a harmonic going through it. No cancellation.
On two occasions, I set up the Bose system side by side with two powered Barbetta speakers. Both HankB and Bill (semilive music) heard the test. We all agree that the Bose blew the stereo system away. There is no hint of losing anything sound wise, in fact the opposite was true: the Bose reproduced the sounds clearer and more distinctly, the Tyros 2 piano included.
I have played jobs from 5 people to 500 people using the Bose system and it handles all of them equally well.
Just tonight I played a Roland E50 through it and it even made that piece of junk sound good. (I'm JOKING, it's actually a heck of good keyboard.)
If you are an EXTREMELY loud situation, you won't want to get directly in front of the tower, but you can sit in front and slightly to the side.
The sound falls off just a little in the first few feet, but not much. Then it seems to carry over vast distances without losing volume. As a rule, if it's too loud for you, then it's probably too loud for the room.
I can speak in a normal voice and be heard distinctly by everyone in the room (and sometimes in other rooms!), yet it isn't too loud for the table five feet in front of me.
It's truly amazing.
You don't have to take my word or anyone else's; Bose will let you try one with a 45-day return option, no questions asked.
My livelihood depends on my sound, and I know in my mind that the Bose has allowed me to stay ahead of most everyone else in this area in that regard. It has paid for itself many times over. As a matter of fact, I was able to pay for it easily with equipment that I no longer needed after I bought it.
Because I play in a high-visibility venue, several other pros have purchased the Bose system after hearing it there. A lot of others want one but think it's too much money. But then again, I'm working and they are not. Cause or effect?
DonM

P.S. You can see lots of comments, good and bad, by current users here: http://bose.infopop.cc/groupee/forums/a/frm/f/778102955

[This message has been edited by DonM (edited 01-08-2008).]

Don, re the 'phasing issue'... Do you have one or two towers? I think most of the comments came from people trying to use them in stereo.

The rest might come from users used to working in stereo (either from their PA or just listening to the built-in speakers) and were unused to exactly what their wonderful stereo sampled pianos actually sound like when collapsed down to mono (on one PAS). Most of them sound quite different in mono...

Any phase cancellation isn't the fault of the PA system at all ... it is the fault of the stereo input be it an electronic keyboard or whatever and will happen the same through any monophonic system.

It's really your choice of whether you want to pay out for a stereo PA vs a monophonic one. It really isn't even a Bose PAS issue but more how well your keyboard handles being summed to mono.

I guess if your keyboard has that problem you have to decide to either always use a stereo PA or buy a keyboard that doesn't suffer from phase cancellation. You got to decide. Be aware though that using a stereo PA still really doesn't solve the problem but just hides it. Anyone standing dead center in front of the speakers in what should be the sweet spot will still experience the same phase cancellation. But as most people aren't in that listening position the problem just isn't so obvious.


Anyway my band decided to get 2 Bose PAS towers and they really are way beyond a conventional PA system. We will never go back.


[This message has been edited by Nigel (edited 01-09-2008).]

Hellboy
Just to paraphrase Don's answer to one of your important questions regarding volume. As Don mentioned, the rate of fall off after the first few feet in minimal. The practical effect of this is that new owners tend to set their PAS volumes too high in anticipation of a steeper decline, like conventional pa systems.

You no longer have to endure loud volumes on stage to reach the far reaches of your venue. This is accomplished with great clarity, I might add.

Bernie

Go for the trial, give it a workout, I was amazed the first time I set it up and three years later it still continues to amaze me.
One sub has always been enough, sometimes almost too much,it's that good. You can always add a second if you think you need too.

Try before you buy...it is a big investment...trust your own ears.

Ian

Don great sales job you sold me on the Bose. Maybe they should hire you,( probably Gary Diamond too After reading your review my blood pressure shot up and I thought the Bose has got to go on my wish list. ( well it has been ). You are very convincing and one of these days.......... the 45 day trial is a win win situation. Thanks for your comments



[This message has been edited by Stephenm52 (edited 01-09-2008).]

I can only echo what DonM and the others have posted. I've never had a problem with phase cancellation, the sound quality is light years ahead of conventional sound systems, and after three years of use the system has never once failed to wow audiences. Everyone raves about the clarity, and no one sitting close to the stage has ever complained that the music was too loud. It's truely an amazing system.

Take the 45-day trial period offer, try it out, then if you, and your audiences, don't like what they hear, send it back for a full refund. Can't beat that kind of deal.

Oh, the one thing I forgot to mention, Bose has outstanding customer support. I only know of one instance where they system failed, and that person's system was replaced the following day via overnight shipping paid by Bose. No other manufacturer I know of provides this kind of customer service other than Logitech.

Good Luck on your decission,

Gary

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