Fed Ex showed up at my door about three hours ago. I hooked it up to my 4X.

Probably just because it’s new but I’m a bit blown away right now. Sound from my 4X is clean, strong bass and loud. My vocals sound really accurate to me through it.

It’s small. 12 in high, 11in deep and 10 wide. So light, like picking up an oversized radio or something.

I set the Bose volume on detent(12 o’clock) and my 4X on about 35% power and it about blows me out of my den. The bass rumbled my carpeted floor...I had to EQ it down. Where h..ll do they get that much bass out of something so small???

I need to spend more time with the unit for a better evaluation. Right now I’m having trouble believing what I’m hearing....it’s that good.

More later when I can get a bit more objective. 😊

Great to hear your positive review of the Bose.
I am a big Bose fan and might have to get one of those Arrrrg.
I have several Bluetooth speakers from Bose and yes the Base blows me away every time.
They know how to pack a powerful sound into a small package.
Enjoy
Eric

Guitpic1,

Good to hear the positive comments. Love the Bose sound and I’m also referring to their other products. We have a Bose factory outlet in nearby Wrentham, Ma. They have props set up with what look like very large speakers/sound systems, while you are listening a sales will stop by and remove what is a large prop then you see just how big sound is coming out of a unit much smaller. Very cool setup and you have to see and hear it in person to really appreciate it.

Wow - great report! I have watched a couple S1 Pro videos and from what I see this unit is definitely pretty nifty. With EQ and Reverb on board, battery pack option, and its light weight, it sure would make my life easier.... Maybe it would be a nice extension of the S970? Enjoy that new technology and keep the reports coming!

Very interesting. I also just saw a test in which the massive bass was praised. Obviously Bose's specifications (70 - 16,000 Hz) were very conservative, probably also the SPL data. Really promising.

Update.

Spent a couple more hours with the Bose and 4X. Trying to get a better feel.

The Bose seemed to change EQ on its own...slight changes when I was playing. I did two things: (1) I put the Bose up on a chair..10 ft away facing me and (2) I shut off all EQ on my 4X. That seemed to stabilize the EQ thing which was slight anyway.

I seem to remember the demos saying that the unit had a built in EQ system that responded to the environment or something like that.

I’m going to spend time with the Bose tomorrow again with the 4X and also with my PSR S970. I might ask one of the places I played to see if the would let me try it out in a larger room.

If it’s a smart device and adjusts its own EQ that could be interesting.

It does sound very good though and I think it could be great in a smaller environment. It definitely is bassy.

I’ll report more when I have a better idea of how it’s working for me.

Thanks for the update.
How does it compare to you JBL Eon1?
Thanks
Eric

Eric,

I haven’t done any comparisons to my other PA’s yet. I’m hoping to do that next week.

If my wife and I start gigging again, I’m pretty sure the EON 1 will be what we use. What I am hoping to use the Bose for is as a practice amp and for small gigs/rooms.

Sounds great.
Have fun
Eric

I’m keeping the Bose....it really works well.

Today I ran my PSR S970 through the Bose and I developed a new love for my PSR...sounds good with the Bose.

This morning I called Bose and spoke with a technician. He told me that EQ does change with different placement of the speaker...but I found all positions worked well.

One thing I didn’t know was that reverb is independent. So I turned that off and got a better sound.

More later

Glad to hear the Bose is sounding great w/the S970 too! Thanks for the reports! Bose products are amazing!

Personally I would only use reverb on my mic vocals channel... I would never use reverb on my KB channel all EQ done within the arranger.

Thanks for the review! Will this good enough for let's say a ballroom for about 100 people?

I haven’t used the S1 yet in public. I just got it. My plan was to use it as a practice amp
And with small groups.

Scroll down to the bottom of this page and there is a question/answer section.

https://www.bose.com/en_us/products/speakers/portable_pa_speakers/s1_pro_system.html

Hope this helps

To clarify...

The S1 Pro has a switch that disables the ToneMatch settings. I thought this switch also disabled the reverb, it doesn’t....that’s why I had to turn down the reverb manually...no big deal.

Sounds very promising!! Thanks for the reports on the Bose S1Pro. Did you get the battery? Mono with the Pa4X was fine?

I did not get the battery.

The sound with the 4X has been great...but keep in mind this has all been home testing...I haven’t gigged with it yet.

I visited with a Bose tech today. He told me that even if I use two inputs on the Bose, that the signals are summed together. He thought the sound would be the same if I just ran one input 4X to Bose.

Hello,

I was researching Bose S1 Pro to use with my Pa4X Pro and came across this post. I currently use EV ELX112P to practice and wanted to get something with better sound and blutooth functionality is definitely a plus.

Have you compared this with another PA speaker? How does it sound with blutooth music, pop, rock, or dance with bass?

Thanks for your post!

You'll need two S1 for "stereo"......to practice have you looked at the KORG PaAs it's stereo?
http://www.korg.com/us/products/accessories/pa_as/

I’ve tried my phone with Bluetooth. Lots of punch and volume. I’m guessing all you will need is one in a smaller setting.

I’ve compared the S1 to (1) Yamaha DXR10 and (2) Space Station V.3. The S1 comes surprisingly close to these speakers in sound. But that was at volume levels appropriate for my house.

The S1 is my main practice amp and I plan to use it for smaller gigs when my hip heals.

For its size, the S1 puts out a lot of sound.

Side note for all "MONO vs Stereo" wonderers....


Go through all your styles in the "editing mixer mode" and LOOK AT THE PAN Settings they aren't all at
CENTER 0 position are they?.....there is a reason for that. Now you want to play in "MONO" which defeats & the purpose of the panning Stereo effects created in the style to give you that terriffic sound that was intended,...same goes for many of the SOUNDS too.....

ok Im done....

Lets see now, the last time I looked at that Roland, the speakers were touching each other, so there really is no stereo separation there.

When you plug into the mono plug of all of the keyboards I've owned, the left and right channels are automatically connected together, thereby summing the sounds to a single output, which also combines the effects.

So the only beneficiary of stereo would be the player if he or she is monitoring themselves using the onboard speaker system of the keyboard. Or, an audience if there were two speakers spaced wide apart.

Think we've had this discussion several times and no one every seems to agree.

Gary

Gary we will always disagree on "stereo vs mono"...but that's ok ...my ears arent shot and i know what im hearing......your still My Hero!!

Thanks! I am looking to get two of these for sure. These will be used with Korg Pa4x, as well as guitar amp modeller (Line6 Helix) which has quite a few stereo patches.

I think I might just give these a try. Everything I have been reading and seeing on youtube has been great.

That's a great Idea especial in "Stereo" ....good luck and keep us posted on your experiences with them..

Harosha,

I had a PA4X. I thought the S1 sounded great with the 4X.

Do you like the Bose S1 as much with your new Genos? Some say the Korg does well in mono while the Yamaha sounds much better in stereo.

This is my mini PA. I was sceptical first due to the specs of only 80W RMS per channel and two critical customer reviews at Thomann, but it is amazingly powerful.
For a bit more bass, I add a lightweight Bose Companion 50 subwoofer.
The weight is: 3.5kg per speaker, 11kg for the whole system, plus 4.5kg for the subwoofer if I need it.

https://www.amazon.com/JBL-EON206P-Porta...&dpSrc=srch

Ahhh, PA sold and you've become a 'Yammie guy'. Congrats.
Did you feel any regret when PA went out off the door?

Why would you get two of those when for the price on one you could get a Yamaha 400i . More power, 8b'woofers vrs. 6", more inputs and controls, and it has a really nice wheeled case to move the two pieces in. Many other choices similiar to this too.
I guess i just don't get the mystique of Bose. I've heard a number of them live and they just don't impress me much. Compressed bass and if cranked up harsh highs.

Gary
Maybe a factor your overlooking. "In the right situation" stereo will also give a depth to your sound. Meaning not everything will be up front in your face like mono. I've done tons of jobs where mono was all you could do but again ,in the right situation, you will sound bigger, fuller and more natural in stereo.
Not that many of our audiences will know why it sounds better but it will.
Why do we listen to music at home or in our cars "in stereo" ?
OK ,like Donny, I'm out !!!

I will chime in again...

Smart folks know that stereo is better...why? Because today's better samples are sampled in stereo... and all quality effects are in stereo..

Playing a sampled stereo sound as mono.... you can bet on phase cancellation... maybe you can't hear it but it is there..

Who in their right mind wants to hear a Rhodes piano without the phaser or delay in stereo.

I missed the early post that must have been deleted, but if you referred to the BA330 as speakers next to each other...WRONG!!..They are angled and definitely create a stereo image... You will hear movement on each side..

If you always run stereo you will not lose content and yes the whole room can hear the stereo...

If you always run mono...... you lose all around



I was seriously considering the Bose S1Pro.... but after listening to demos and talking with folks that own or used the Bose... and the same folks own the BA330... the comparison in loudness, bass response and overall quality of sound...they all say BA330 is better..

I am almost ready to order another BA330 (replace the one Donny got from me..}

$150 less for the Roland almost makes it a bargain.. and I know it will cover 100 people...
I heard quotes that the Bose is idea for 20 to 40 people..

Fran I also miss the BA330... Should of kept it for sure...

I’m using the S1 primarily at home right now with the Genos. I run left/right from Genos to the S1.

To me Genos+S1 = gorgeous sound

And, by the way, 15lbs...nice. 😊

The 4X is a great keyboard. But I can’t justify three arrangers. And keeping the S970 as a back up to the Genos made more sense to me.

You will hear lots of comments pro & con Genos vs PA4X...pay particular attention to the folks who own(or owned) them and play them. Others are just speculating.

Yes, it's two different beasts and both are top class arrangers, no doubt.
My tought about it is that at the end it boils down to very personal taste and ease of use.
My plan was to add PA4X-76 to T4, but that plan went right to h¤#&%¤ when got the Genos in house.
I'm not going to return it, but new plan is to add a PA(?) later this year.
Enjoy and have lots of fun with your new Genos.

There are a lot of excellent STEREO options for around 500 bucks instead of 1000 with a low weight, which my female muscles like:

- JBL Eon 206p (posted above, I own them now)
- 2x FBT J5a
- HK Nano 300 or 302.
- 2x db K300.
- Bose Sounddock 10 (only available 'used').

I'm quite sure they all have higher SPL than the Bose S1 Pro.

Bose S1 Pro = $599.

There are a lot of great amps for small venues out there...not many of them weigh 15lbs or less

That's why I marked "stereo". A stereo pair of Bose S1 is $1,200. Even though I like Bose a lot, that's steep for the SPL.

I got the speakers this morning and hooked them up to the Pa4X. WOW! what a sound! I could not believe the sound from such small units.

There is no comparison to the sound I was getting from a pair of EV ELX112P. The sound is so much louder, cleaner, and punchier.

So far, these definitely are an upgrade over what I had.

How is that possible? EV ELX 112P is rated 132db SPL and 1000 W RMS ?!?

No idea how to explain it! I am surprised myself to be honest.

Keep in mind, I am listening to these in my studio for practice purposes so, I didn't turn these up too high. I had the ELX setup at about 75% volume (anything beyond that the hissing sound was too much so never went beyond that). The Bose is setup at about 35% and it sounds louder than ELX.

These have a much punchier and cleaner sound as well.

People nowadays get way too much hung up on numbers.
They really don't mean the same anymore as they did a few years ago.
The numbers can't really tell the full story of how a piece of equipment really behaves in the real world.
Technology has changed the game.
The only way to know is to try it for yourself.
Eric

Well, basically I agree, but: these ELX have a weight of 18.8 kilograms each, they are not cheap, and at Thomann.de all customers who bought them left excellent reviews. If these heavy speakers really bring out less power than the Bose S1, all this satisfaction makes no sense to me.

Another thing I learned a long time ago:
I don't rely on reviews. People hear and see different things than I do. Plus everybody has different needs.
As a general direction yes, but I take them with a grain of salt.
I trust my eyes and ears and I know what I want.
Everybody seems to be an expert on the web these days
Again; if you can; try it for yourself.
Only you can be the final judge.
Eric

I doubt my S1 could put out the sound in a large setting that my DXR10 could, but the S1 is a lot of sound for the size. And truth be known, I’d much rather carry two 15lb speakers than two 40lb speakers.

Also, at lower volumes my S1 competes very well against my other speakers.

When I asked a Bose tech how so much sound came out of a small unit, he said it had to do with efficiency and speakers all working together...that’s what he said anyway.

Same experience for me in the home setting. I haven’t tried my S1 yet in a larger setting...will do so next month.

That's how I take reviews, too. Just as a general direction with a grain of salt as you say.
Luckily, in my region there are good chances to find instruments and speakers in stores to test them.
Still, I know a little about statistics, had to learn it in my first studies, and if a speaker gets such a high number of excellent ratings at Thomann, where only Thomann customers who actually bought the product are allowed to leave a review, it does reflect a steady trend about how good the speaker is, even if tastes are different.
These ELX speakers really seem to be roughly on the same level as a Yamaha DXR speaker, so it remains hard to explain how this Bose S1 Pro can compete against it.
Next time I'm in Cologne, I'll try to listen to it at Musicstore.

You are right about Thomann.
Going to Cologne?
The largest Music store in Europe?
I am jealous.
Maybe I'll be able to go on my next trip to Germany.
I am originally from Witten an der Ruhr.
Where are you from?
Have fun at Musicstore.
Leave your Credit card at home ....
Eric

26 User/owner reviews.


https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/S1Pro/reviews

Really? That's a surprise. I live east of the Ruhr metropolitan area near Unna. Musicstore Cologne is an hour of driving away.
But Thomann is also supposed to be a giant brick&mortar store (in the middle of nowhere in Franconia), not just an online store. I might visit it some time when driving south to the Alps.

Yes, I saw that. Very promising...

What a small world
I had a girlfriend in Unna ...
Enjoy your trip to Cologne.
Keep us posted.
Eric