OK, I know this subject has been discussed before more than once but now that I own the Bose Compact I am starting to wonder.

I like the sound (with a question mark) but as I walk around the room listening and I hear a bit of a harsh sound with no warmth from the missing mids. The bass is good and highs are taken care of – a bit on the thin side.

1-How much will a mixer help?

2-How different is the Bose mixer than let’s say a Mackie mixer?

3-How does the Mackie 450 compare?

Please opinion, John C.

If it was me, I'd try adding a second Bose Compact and running in stereo.

I found using two Bose speakers in stereo not only sounded better, but it improved the mid-range as well.

This is especially important if you are using a Yamaha arranger.

Ian

What Ian said;)

Those low mids just aren't there with the Bose Compact. You need to add a speaker that's strong for those frequencies. For a medium to large venue I pair up my Bose with a Barbetta SE32 and it sounds great.

Glenn

Keep in mind there is no EQ adjustment on the Bose--all of this must be done either with the keyboard or a mixer (if you use one).It took me about 10 minutes of working with my keyboard's EQ and compression system until I got the desired results. One I heard the sounds I wanted to hear, I saved everything to a custom EQ setting.

Good Luck,

Gary

I truly did find an increase in the mids when using two Compacts, and also two Bose L1's.

However, it may not be enough for your tastes, John, which is why I suggested you try two, before you invest in a second one.

As Gary said above, the EQ on the keyboard can make a big difference in the overall sound, so I would try that first.

In my experience, however, two Bose worked quite well for my needs and my expectations of what I wanted to hear coming out of the speakers, plus it had the added advantage of superior stereo sound, especially if using a Yamaha arranger (they don't collapse well to mono-it's a well known fault).

Ian

Since I run a Midjay + midi accordion + vocal mic, or PA800 + Midjay and mic, I’ve always used a mixer with effects with success. First used a small Mackie, then the M-10DX and now I’m using the T-1. All work well with the Compact.
Ciao,
Jerry