A/B of Bose S1 Pro Plus vs DV Mark Little Jazz

[rpjazzguitar]

Both set flat, mid range on the volume. Tonematch setting (a preset on the Bose) was set FRFR. I adjusted the volume slightly to equalize them, using a volume pedal. A little bit of reverb added by each.

Comins GCS1 > Boss ME70 (also adding a bit of reverb and nothing else) > A/B box > LJ/Bose.

Bose and LJ next to each other, on the carpet, about 8 feet away, facing me.

July 22, 2025 - YouTube

I might add that I've tried a lot of settings on the Bose S1. So far, flat has been as good, or better, than any other. I haven't gotten to the point where the sound is predictable, but I'm working on that. One nice feature is that I can adjust everything on the Bose S1 from my phone.

I needed a powered speaker for voice anyway. Now I'm trying to get it to work well for guitar in different situations. So far, so good. One rehearsal and one big band session. I felt I was able to get a more desirable comping sound with the Bose S1 compared to the Little Jazz (which isn't loud enough for big band) or the Roland JC55 which I had been using.

[sgosnell]

To be honest, I couldn't tell one from the other without you identifying which is which. Maybe the ME70 is overpowering everything else, but I couldn't do more than speculate about that. I do slightly prefer the LJ for single note playing, but very slightly, and in a bandstand situation I don't believe I could hear any differences at all.

[starjasmine]

I also thought they both sounded very similar, but that the differences didn't seem consistent across the A/B. I wonder if you are unconsciously compensating for differences in tone - i.e the old "no matter what you play through, you always sound like you."

For example, in the very first example, the Bose sounds a bit more present compared to the LJ.

But in the very last example (melody) the LJ sounds more present than the Bose.

It might be interesting to try another demo in which you set each amp to its "best sound", not necessarily trying to get the same tone out of each. That might surface some differences.

[rpjazzguitar]

I also thought they both sounded very similar, b

It might be interesting to try another demo in which you set each amp to its "best sound", not necessarily trying to get the same tone out of each. That might surface some differences.

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Thanks for checking out the video and responding.

When doing this kind of comparison, there are decisions to be made, as you pointed out. For example, flat vs optimal? In this case, I couldn't find a better sound than flat on the Bose. I usually play the LJ with the treble rolled off slightly, like 11 o'clock. Subtle, I think, but audible. But, I thought it might be better to run them both flat for purposes of comparison.

I don't think the treble adjustment would change the results. My take-away is the same as yours, I think. The Bose sounded warmer on chord melody. The LJ seemed to introduce some subtle harshness. Maybe a hint of distortion and a need for a little more bass.

I felt the same way about comping.

But, with melody, the LJ seemed to hold its own, or a little better than that. On the speakers I'm using for playback I didn't think they sounded the same. In fact, I spent some time trying to dial the Bose to sound like the LJ. The closest I came was rolling off the top two bands of the ME70's 4 band EQ and emphasizing the next one. Some ranges sounded close, but not all.

[rpjazzguitar]

To be honest, I couldn't tell one from the other without you identifying which is which. Maybe the ME70 is overpowering everything else, but I couldn't do more than speculate about that. I do slightly prefer the LJ for single note playing, but very slightly, and in a bandstand situation I don't believe I could hear any differences at all.

Thanks for this. I think the LJ sounds very good for single note playing but I hear some harshness in chords.

In daily playing I had noticed the apparent harshness, but I didn't think it was a big deal. The A/B comparison with the non-harsh Bose S1 made the LJ seem harsher.

I've checked the ME70's effect on the signal when all the FX are off. It's not a true bypass, since the volume pedal remains active. But, the difference between straight-to-the-amp and through-the-ME70 is maybe audible, but is negligible for my purposes. It's very close.

That said, my efforts to equalize the volume with the ME70 volume pedal could have affected things.

Last year, I compared the Bose S1 to the Everse 8. Both FRFR but they didn't sound alike and I thought the Everse 8 was less warm.

I'm puzzled by the finding that the Bose S1 sounds good with guitar even when run flat.

[Woody Sound]

It might be interesting to have someone else do the A/B'ing for you, so it would be a blind test for you.

[starjasmine]

On the speakers I'm using for playback I didn't think they sounded the same.

True, could be that the speakers built into my laptop don't reproduce the audio well enough to hear a difference. When I get a chance, I'll listen on some better speakers or a pair of headphones to see whether that brings out the true character of each a bit better.

[sgosnell]

I was using my Sennheiser headphones to listen, and I didn't hear anything that I would call harsh, but that's a subjective term. I have no idea what the settings on the ME70 were, so I really have no idea how much it affects the sound, if any. I was just wondering. The only way to know is to hear the sound with and without it in the chain, and that's probably more trouble than it's worth. I would consider either the LJ or the S1 to be more than acceptable for my tastes.

[rpjazzguitar]

I was using my Sennheiser headphones to listen, and I didn't hear anything that I would call harsh, but that's a subjective term. I have no idea what the settings on the ME70 were, so I really have no idea how much it affects the sound, if any. I was just wondering. The only way to know is to hear the sound with and without it in the chain, and that's probably more trouble than it's worth. I would consider either the LJ or the S1 to be more than acceptable for my tastes.

The ME70 was adding a bit of reverb and I was using the volume pedal. It wasn't doing anything else -- and it was the same for both amps. I'll make another video without the ME70. Another thing might do is make a video using the ME70's looper so that both amps see exactly the same signal.

What I hear as harshness is, I think, a sound produced by the inner strings somehow losing definition. I can hear it with the Bose, but it seems harsher (for want of a better descriptor) from the LJ.

I've been happy with the LJ for several years now. I particularly like the sound for single note soloing. I got the Bose S1 because I needed it to amplify vocals and I expected it to be louder (while staying clean) than the LJ. The LJ isn't quite enough amp for the big band. So, I'm trying to figure out how to get a good, consistent sound from the Bose.

So far, I've struggled with getting consistency. For example, it sounded good in the practice room and then, with the same settings (or so I thought) bass frequencies bloomed when I played with the big band. It seemed volume dependent, as if the bass frequencies responded more to raising the volume than the higher frequencies. It may have been the EQ preset (Gibson 335), the impact of which is not documented by Bose.
Next day, back in the practice room, it sounded fine run flat including the FRFR preset.

Anyway, thanks for listening and responding!

[Cunamara]

Of the two, I preferred the Bose for all of the scenarios. It was a little rounder, warmer and "wider." However, I suppose this is living room volume rather than gig volume which might change things.

[starjasmine]

So far, I've struggled with getting consistency. For example, it sounded good in the practice room and then, with the same settings (or so I thought) bass frequencies bloomed when I played with the big band.

• Is the practice room small and acoustically dead, and the big band room big and boomy?
• Could you use the Bose with the big band in rehearsal to try to set the EQ in a setting that is closer to stage loudness?
• If you are already doing that, could the acoustics of the venue be the root cause?
• Unsolicited $0.02 of advice: a 31-band EQ in the FX loop could be a quick, effective, (and cost-effective) solution. If you want to do vocals through the same rig, get a stereo eq and use one channel for guitar and the other for vocal.
• If you really want to get fanatical, get thyself a wireless rig so you can play guitar from the audience to hear what it sounds like. Wireless is also a great gimmick for entertainment value. Audience members are easily impressed with such technical wizardry, tho for most of us, it's no big deal. Yes, it won't sound quite like a single cord plugged into the amp, but it will be close enough for you to get your overall sound dialed in. You may discover, to your chagrin, that what sounds great in the audience does not give you warm fuzzies up on stage, forcing you to up your monitoring game.
• If wireless is not feasible, create a test recording of dry guitar taken directly from your preamp out, and then play that through your rig at soundcheck while you listen from the audience and tweak EQ bands to fine-tune your sound.
• Don't forget that a full room sounds different than an empty one.

[rpjazzguitar]

• Is the practice room small and acoustically dead, and the big band room big and boomy?
• Could you use the Bose with the big band in rehearsal to try to set the EQ in a setting that is closer to stage loudness?
• If you are already doing that, could the acoustics of the venue be the root cause?
• Unsolicited $0.02 of advice: a 31-band EQ in the FX loop could be a quick, effective, (and cost-effective) solution.
• If you really want to get fanatical, get thyself a wireless rig so you can play guitar from the audience to hear what it sounds like. Wireless is also a great gimmick for entertainment value. Audience members are easily impressed with such technical wizardry, tho for most of us, it's no big deal. Yes, it won't sound quite like a single cord plugged into the amp, but it will be close enough for you to get your overall sound dialed in. You may discover, to your chagrin, that what sounds great in the audience does not give you warm fuzzies up on stage, forcing you to up your monitoring game.
• If wireless is not feasible, create a test recording of dry guitar taken directly from your preamp out, and then play that through your rig at soundcheck while you listen from the audience and tweak EQ bands to fine-tune your sound.
• Don't forget that a full room sounds different than an empty one.

All good points. The practice room is about 15' x18' and has sound treatment. The big band room is just huge with high ceilings. I've been toying with the idea of buying the wireless hookup thing that goes with the Bose for exactly that reason.

My current thinking is that it has something to do with overall volume. And that may be interacting with EQ in the pedalboard and in the Bose. The main problem is that under some circumstances bass frequencies bloom. And, there's a certain mellowness to the overall sound which can edge into dullness. Probably "edge" was a poor word choice right there, but you get the idea.

Thus far, I can control it pretty well with the low band of the 4-band EQ in the ME70. But, then the very highest notes are thin. That's different on the Little Jazz. The notes are always thick without anything being boomy. But, the overall sound on chords gets a little muddy with the hint of harshness I mentioned before.

I hadn't considered 32 band EQ, but I had considered 7 band. I tried the Everse 8, which has 7 band, but didn't sound as good overall. You've given me an idea there, which I will look into. Thanks.

[starjasmine]

4 band seems a bit blunt. 7 would be better and 12 doesn't cost much more, and all of these options are in a stompbox form factor. 31-band EQ is always going to be a rackmount form factor, which may or may not complicate your rig untenably.

Another possibility could be to get a parametric EQ just to dial that harshness out of the guitar in a surgically-precise way.

Enough control over EQ might give you the flexibility to use either amp depending on the playing situation.

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

What I hear as harshness is, I think, a sound produced by the inner strings somehow losing definition. I can hear it with the Bose, but it seems harsher (for want of a better descriptor) from the LJ......

So far, I've struggled with getting consistency. For example, it sounded good in the practice room and then, with the same settings (or so I thought) bass frequencies bloomed when I played with the big band. It seemed volume dependent, as if the bass frequencies responded more to raising the volume than the higher frequencies. It may have been the EQ preset (Gibson 335), the impact of which is not documented by Bose. Next day, back in the practice room, it sounded fine run flat including the FRFR preset.

I think you're forgetting about two very important factors here. First, the sensitivity of the normal human auditory system drops off with volume above and below the midrange. Remember the "loudness" switches on old stereo systems? They throw EQ filters into the signal path to add rising boost to the lows as they get lower and the highs as they get higher, in order to present a perceived flat frequency response at different SPLs. Look up Fletcher Munson curves for a more detailed explanation. Here's the set of loudness "correction" curves applied as SPL rises:



So when you play at lower volumes, bass will not sound as loud relative to mids as it will when you increase your volume (assuming you keep your EQ settings the same). That's probably the major reason that "bass frequencies bloomed when [you] played with the big band". Your statement that you played both in the practice room and with the band "with the same settings (or so I thought)" is a little confusing in light of your subsequent statement that " [i]t seemed volume dependent, as if the bass frequencies responded more to raising the volume than the higher frequencies.". I suspect that you did raise your volume when playing with the band, which would explain why bass "seemed to bloom" - it did. To counter that, you have to roll off your bass EQ as your volume rises.

You're also forgetting that all EQ introduces phase shift into the signal by delaying the filtered frequencies relative to the unaffected ones. No EQ is completely phase neutral. Analog RC filters delay the signal passing through capacitors because the caps have to charge and discharge with the flows of alternating current in the audio signal passing through them. Resistors also slow the flow, but to a lesser degree than caps do (at least at lower values) because all they do is place resistance to electron flow into the conductive path. There's a popular misconception that the same elecrons that enter the wiring coming out of your pickup are the ones flowing through the cable and into the amplifier. They are not. Electrons are pushed into a conductor by electrical pressure (measured in volts) and "push" (ie displace) electrons ahead of them in the conductive materials through which they flow. It's like water running through a hose. The water that enters the hose from the faucet doesn't come right out the other end - it displaces water already in the hose. Eventually, what goes in one end comes out the other.

Phase shift is important because it's audible. The more out of phase some frequencies in an audio signal are with others (relative to their phase relationships when the signal is generated), the muddier and less distinct the sound of the amplified or otherwise reproduced signal will be. When you apply any EQ to a signal, it retards affected frequencies, even through a simple first order filter (6 dB / octave rolloff) like a capacitor or a single cap + resistor RC filter. When you use higher order filters (e.g. 12 or 18 dB / octave slopes), the phase effects are magnified and more audible. Delay based effects are controlled, intentional phase shifters that also muddy clarity in the signal. So are flangers, phasers etc - the more complex ones are just "comb filters" that affect multiple specific narrow frequency bands. DIstortion based effects do the same thing. And all such signal manipulation introduces audible phase anomalies.

Adding multiband EQ will also muddy a clean signal in proportion to the amount of effect dialed in. Mixing clean and processed signals makes the phase effects more audible because it smears the affected frequencies by playing both the unprocessed and processed streams simultaneously. Unless both your LJ and your sound reinforcement system are miraculously adding the exact same phase effects to all frequencies in your signal, there are audible frequency-dependent phase differences between the two that you'll hear as muddiness, lack of clarity, or even very slight pitch inaccuracy on certain notes.

Nothing that you do will happen in complete isolation from the rest of your systems. More components means more interaction and potential degradation of your sound quality. Any EQ will alter the clarity and tonality of your signal, some at or below the threshold of audibility but others easily heard. The more you try to equalize out pure frequency aberrations, the more you will introduce other anomalies that may be more audible and more annoying than what you're trying to eliminate. It's a delicate balance among the tone you want, the sounds you have to hear to play with other musicians in a given setting, and the sound heard by the audience / recorder / etc.

I've found it best to minimize the number of systems you're using (e.g. separate amplifiers and speakers, equalizers, etc) and to keep all necessary add-ons as low in the mix as possible. Use monitors only to enable you to hear each other. You simply cannot hear your sound on stage as the audience hears it. The more you try to EQ your own amp, monitors, reinforcement systems etc, the more phase shift you introduce and the muddier your sound will be if EQ is not applied artfully and judiciously. Less is almost always more.

[rpjazzguitar]

I thFirst, the sensitivity of the normal human auditory system drops off with volume above and below the midrange.

So when you play at lower volumes, bass will not sound as loud relative to mids as it will when you increase your volume (assuming you keep your EQ settings the same).

You're also forgetting that all EQ introduces phase shift into the signal by delaying the filtered frequencies relative to the unaffected ones. .

Thank you for the informative post.

I may well have raised the volume in the big band setting. I play with a volume pedal at all times and I rarely pin it. I heard the bloom in the practice room too, when I raised the volume enough. Settings were otherwise the same. Sorry for the confusion.

I'm still left with the observation that other amps I've brought to the big band didn't do that. I'm guessing that's because the Bose S1 has the capability for putting out more bass, for better or worse.

I wasn't aware of the details of the phase shift problem, although I have observed, in a general way, that adding EQ can reduce the quality of the sound.

The goal, of course, is to get my sound. I can get it, for melody, with the LJ, but not quite with chords. I can get it at lower volumes with the Bose for chords but if I have to play louder and roll off lows, then chords are okay but melody is not quite there.

I'm going to continue to work with it (45 day return privilege) and see where that leads.

[sgosnell]

I'm not sure the firehose analogy is totally correct. If the electrons come out the end, where do they go? Just quadrillions of free electrons in the air? I think it's more complicated than that, and I'm not certain that nuclear physicists are in agreement about how electron flow in electronic circuits actually works. It sort of makes sense, in a highly simplified way, but the details can be complicated.

[bluejaybill]

One question, if it hasn't been asked, does the ME70 digitize the whole signal? That would be a no go for me, no telling what it is doing to the sound then. As an example, I have found that I can hear two conversions in a high end digital console with high quality converters, so I rarely revamp sounds after they are in the computer.

I have an amp that needs to be a bit fuller in the midrange for jazz, so I use an excellent EQ (Empress) in a minimal way. It does not seem to cause much in the way of artifacts if used carefully. And a good compressor (again, an Empress for me) can do the same thing if it has a n EQ control.

You can add mids with either and turn it off for comping for a more acoustic, "thinner" tone.

On the LJ, I have to say, that little amp has been an eye opener for me, that thing delivers a lot of tone per buck! I haven't noticed the harshness or distortion on chords that you mention, but I don't turn it up too high. It's not a tube amp, but pretty darn close!

Good luck! BTW I haven't listened through a good playback rig yet so don't want to comment on the differences.

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

I'm not sure the firehose analogy is totally correct. If the electrons come out the end, where do they go? Just quadrillions of free electrons in the air? I think it's more complicated than that, and I'm not certain that nuclear physicists are in agreement about how electron flow in electronic circuits actually works. It sort of makes sense, in a highly simplified way, but the details can be complicated.

I'm not even sure how to respond to that one. There are no free ends of wires in circuits - a circuit is by definition continuous.

Electrical current is the "flow" of charge that results from a transfer of electrons along a conductor. Voltage is the electrical pressure that drives them into the conductor by providing a ready supply of electrons at the negative end of the source and an oppositely charged terminus at the far end to "suck" electrons out and maintain flow from the negative end to the positive end. The electrons in the molecules of copper or whatever conductor is used are migratory, in that they can move from atom to atom and molecule to molecule when subjected to this elecrical pressure. So for every electron that leaves a signal source and enters a conductive circuit, one comes out the other end. There are no "free electrons in the air" - a circuit is a contionuous conductive loop through which electrons are flowing. They don't ever leave it.

Since audio is alternating current, there’s no net flow of electrons in either direction. They move back and forth as the signal shifts polarity. So the electrons at one end of the wire never reach the other end except if random migration happens to move them there. Even in the output circuit, the electrons bringing energy to the voice coil are coursing through its windings, yielding energy to be transduced into the mechanical energy of the moving speaker cone and the thermal energy from pushing through resistance. Current flow comes back to the power supply from the speaker via the positive lead and is re-energized to go out through the negative wire and do it all again.

The hose analogy is an illustration of the fact that it is not the same elecrons going into a conductor or a circuit that are coming out of it. it is the same number of electrons, just as an ounce of water going into a hose will result in an ounce of water coming out. But it's not the same ounce. Eventually, that ounce going in will reach the other end bit by bit and come out, just as electrons going into a conductor in a circuit will eventually come out the other end.

[sgosnell]

I'm not even sure how to respond to that one. There are no free ends of wires in circuits - a circuit is by definition continuous.

So very different from a firehose. My point exactly.

just as electrons going into a conductor in a circuit will eventually come out the other end.

No, I don't think the electrons actually come out.

I suppose it does make some sense, in some sense, but there really is no real similarity. There is no reason to argue this, however, so I won't. Carry on.

[rpjazzguitar]

One question, if it hasn't been asked, does the ME70 digitize the whole signal?
.

I was under the impression that the effects are digital. AI agrees fwiw.

But, I've been happy with the ME series, ME50-ME80 for years.

This morning just before rehearsal, I dialed the Bose in and it sounded good. With gpbd quartet and singer at moderate volume in a 15x18' room, it sounded like a cocked wah pedal. I moved the plug from the Bose to my ol' 55 (JC 55, that is) and my sound returned.

I think what I hear as harshness may be something the guitar does -- but not every amp or amp setting amplifies it the same way.
I never hear it from a good archtop played by a good player.

I was able to get my sound, give or take, from a Mackie SRM350v2 with either a mixer or the LJ in front of it. But, so far, not the Bose S1.

The Mackie died a few days ago. I guess some of the electrons got lost.

I know that hydraulic, mechanical and electrical systems have analogous components and a lot of the same math. But I think it's more like whippets at a crowded dog race track than water through a hose.

[gitman]

The bass response and it's ability to fill a room cannot be conveyed via a stunted youtube video. You should not base your decision on this but rather go out and compare the two hands/ears-on.
I recently got a BOSE S1 pro and have used it on several outdoor/mobile gigs with very good results (excellent even when coupled with an outboard pre-amp pedal !). I also owned a Little Jazz amp for a couple of weeks and passed it on quickly, it could not perform to my needs and standards.

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

They can "leak" from a circuit.....

What is leakage current? - Power Electronic Tips

Leakage current flows from the functional circuitry you’re using into an interconnected conductive pathway to ground. The electrons are still within a conductive path - it’s just not the intended one.

[rpjazzguitar]

The bass response and it's ability to fill a room cannot be conveyed via a stunted youtube video. You should not base your decision on this but rather go out and compare the two hands/ears-on.
I recently got a BOSE S1 pro and have used it on several outdoor/mobile gigs with very good results (excellent even when coupled with an outboard pre-amp pedal !). I also owned a Little Jazz amp for a couple of weeks and passed it on quickly, it could not perform to my needs and standards.

If I may ask, what was the signal chain? Did you have any issue with bass frequencies? If so, how did you control them? Thanks.

[gitman]

The Bose has all the features to control the Bass Response. Signal chain : guitar > Simplifier DLX (battery powered) > Bose S1 pro plus. Bicycle approved !

[Alter]

The Bose S1 pro is great, a great choice if you need a portable PA. I am doing that with two Toobs and two Bam 200 amps now, but it does have a volume limitation especially when playing outdoors. Don't think there is anything better than the Boss S1 pro for what it does, and with the portability it has. It 's either this or going with an array (Bose L1 pro8).