Anyone using a Bose S1?

[Longways to Go]

I stumbled across this enticing piece of gear recently.

Anybody tried one or using one?

It looks like a really well thought out design, and I know the Bose sound is well respected.
I have no need for the bigger Bose units, impressive as they are, but this little guy looks just great.

Not like I need a new toy, but . . . I remember back in the day when the Bose 901 was one of the ultimate speakers !!
Review: Bose S1 Pro | Guitarworld

[neilspeers]

I’ve use one at a gig and it’s seem very adequate for singer songwriter material. I have a friend who ones one and loves it, he sings and plays guitar over backing tracks.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Cunamara]

Bose S3 Pro for small gigs. Edit it's the S1 Pro

[Frank67]

I have been using a Bose S1 compact at home as mini PA for years and it is fine. I also brought it To a rock gig together with a Kemper and thought it sounded great and filled a pretty big tent just fine.

However, it is weak in the bass. An attempt to have the entire band play over the Bose S1 compact was not successful because the bass player basically dropped out of the mix.

[Doctor Jeff]

Our keyboard player uses an L1 II for amplifying his keyboard, the bass and the singer. It is an awesome system—very transparent sound. The bass sounds great through that system (bassist uses a Fishman ProEq preamp). I don’t run my guitar through it though.

I think the S1 would be a good system for a guitar or 2 and a singer. OTOH, I have a Fishman Artist which does pretty much the same thing and is more guitar-oriented with effects for a bit less money.

I will say I have drunk the Bose koolaid. Love the sound. I have 301’s in my basement (30 years old, still rocking), a Bose home theater system in the LR for the TV, Bose SoundSport wireless earbuds for my headphones, and Bose in my car.

[sgosnell]

I bought a set of Bose 901 speakers in the mid '70s, from the PX. They're still in use, connected to the living room TV. Great speakers. I bought some Bose electrostatic headphones around the same time, but they're long gone.

[archtopeddy]

I have been using a Bose S1 compact at home as mini PA for years and it is fine.

Hi Frank. Do you mean Bose L1 Compact? The Bose S1 is called a Pro and has only been out for a little over a year.

Either way, I'd agree with you that these systems are too small to run an entire band with bass. Both the L1 Compact and the S1 Pro are designed to be used in a singer/guitar (instrument) setup: one instrument in one channel and a vocal mic in the other. The basic difference between the two is that the L1 Compact is a linear array setup on "towers", and the S1 Pro is more traditional in design but has an impressive long-life rechargable battery.

[Frank67]

Hi Frank. Do you mean Bose L1 Compact? The Bose S1 is called a Pro and has only been out for a little over a year.

Either way, I'd agree with you that these systems are too small to run an entire band with bass. Both the L1 Compact and the S1 Pro are designed to be used in a singer/guitar (instrument) setup: one instrument in one channel and a vocal mic in the other. The basic difference between the two is that the L1 Compact is a linear array setup on "towers", and the S1 Pro is more traditional in design but has an impressive long-life rechargable battery.

me bad... of course you are right - I meant L1 compact. The tower design really did not work for me. Once one Has the high frequencies on top and the low frequencies on the bottom, the sound one hears is quit uneven and is different whether one is sitting or standing. In my studio, the entire thing stands on a table and without the extension elements. That sounds really good to me for guitar and vocals. For bass, it just lacks a subwoofer that, if I am not mistaken, the larger units have (right?).

[archtopeddy]

The tower design really did not work for me. Once one Has the high frequencies on top and the low frequencies on the bottom, the sound one hears is quit uneven and is different whether one is sitting or standing. In my studio, the entire thing stands on a table and without the extension elements. That sounds really good to me for guitar and vocals. For bass, it just lacks a subwoofer that, if I am not mistaken, the larger units have (right?).

Hi Frank. Since the L1 Compact is the most basic of the Bose linear tower designs, as you know, it has only six small speakers (drivers) in the top extension and none in the lower extension. As a result, I would agree with you that it may feel like it has a gap in sound between the top extension and bottom. And as it is, the bass response with an 8 inch speaker in the bottom is pretty basic. It's clearly not meant to crank out bass like a subwoofer.

Meanwhile, the top of the line L1 Model II has twelve drivers in the top extension and twelve in the bottom for a total of 24 drivers -- a far cry from the L1 Compact's six drivers. It is designed so that no matter how close or far you sit or stand from the unit you will hear the same level of sound. For example, if you are sitting near the tower, you will hear the three or four speakers close to your ears and not the speakers above or below your ears. If you step back a few feet you will hear six or eight speakers, step back some more and you will hear more until you're far enough back to hear all 24 speakers. This "linear" sound design means that the volume level will seem the same whether you're next the to Bose or further away. It also covers nearly a 180 degree angle from the extension towers. This is great when you have a group of people sitting right in front of you (that never happens, huh...) and others further back. They will all sense the volume as equal regardless of where they are in the room.

The L1 models come with separate bass modules. The older L1 models had the passive B1 bass modules, and the current L1 models come with the powered B2 bass modules. With my L1 Model II, I chose to keep my two B1 modules because they are each smaller and easier to carry around. The B2 module is pretty large and heavy. I hear they can crank out the bass but many longtime Bose users tend to prefer the B1 modules for reasons I've noted above (FYI: I use to own the first L1 model; currently own the L1 Model II, the L1 Compact, and two S1 Pros).

Bose has not designed subwoofers for the L1 Compact or S1 Pros. However, if you really want a subwoofer for the Compact or S1 Pro, there are work arounds. The best all-in-one-box solution I've found is the Behringer 500-watt Eurolive B1200D Pro which is under $300. It's not a beast as far as subwoofers go, but it's still 16"x16"x16" with a 12 inch speaker and weighs a tad more than 40 pounds.

I like it because it's simple to use. You connect your main mix to the stereo inputs of the sub, then connect your main speakers to the hi-pass-filtered outputs. Then adjust the variable hi-cut frequency for the sub to find the perfect balance between sub and speakers. It will put out plenty of bass -- but don't expect it to be a chest-thumping sound in a night club environment.

I haven't used the Behringer subwoofer with the Compact yet, but I have connected it to the S1 Pro. It works great for adding a bit of bass for singer guitarist stuff -- especially, if you like setting up looped layers and simulating bass with an octaver. I'd think it would also work well for solo guitar if you feel you like adding some bass.

[Frank67]

Thanks a lot for these very useful explanations!

If I need a PA for band amplification, I would definitely consider one of the larger Bose's. They seem to be sturdy, disperse the sound beautifully and have a wonderful clarity with them. I feel that for my present needs the L1 compact is good enough, although I may check out the Behringer that you mentioned.

[archtopeddy]

Glad I could be of assistance Frank. I will add the following caveat to my explanation about the Bose systems. While the Bose series (including the L1 model II) are very useful in specific situations, when I need to supply a sound system for a full band in a nightclub or outdoor activity, I tend to use my two QSC K10s with a powered mixer. They've never let me down.