Hi everyone!

This is my first message on the board, and I want to start by thanking everyone for their input on this BB, which I read thoroughly before making my purchase.

For starters, I've been playing acoustic guitar and singing for over a decade, although most of my music experience has been in a supporting role. Before my purchase, I had been using a "standard" small PA set up consisting of a mixer, poweramp, and a PA main with a 15" and a horn.

When I took the plunge and purchased the Bose L1 M2, I liked the portability, appearance, and the quality of sound that I previously experienced by watching other performers who have used it in a local coffeeshop (hi Z-spot!).

For what it's worth, I'd like to take the time (over the span of several posts) and share my Bose experience and my impressions of the unit both positive and negative, and maybe get some hints on how to get the most out of my system.

Thanks everyone!
-tony

Hi Tony,

Thanks for joining the conversation.

What kind of music are you playing?

I'd be curious to know more about "I've been playing acoustic guitar and singing for over a decade, although most of my music experience has been in a supporting role". Has the supporting role changed?

In case you haven't seen it, check out the L1® wiki. Just click the links in my signature below.

Anthony,

Welcome.

As I have said many times on this forum, you learn more here by accident, then most places by design.

It is a wealth of information from some very experienced performers and the At Bose guys are the best.

I have had my system (A Classic with 2 B1's) for about 1 1/2 years, and love it.

What type of guitar do you play, and do you use other instruments, ie harmonica, etc...

I have a Taylor 615CE and play harmonica with a Digitech Vocalist Live 4 through my L1. It is amazingly versatile, and will serve you well.

Good luck,

quote:

Sheboygan

Hey Tony,

Welcome!

Johnsonville Bratwurst!!!

Kohler toilets!!!

Hey, did you hear that they're opening up a new campus of UCLA in Wisconsin?

Yeah, University of Cudahy Down by the Lake Almost!!!!

Seriously, I am very happy that you are here and that you are using the L1 system.

I very much look forward to your reports.

I think this is an awesome community and I'm glad you're part of it.

Ken

Hello everyone. Thanks for the warm welcome!

quote:

Originally posted by ST:

What kind of music are you playing?

I'd be curious to know more about "I've been playing acoustic guitar and singing for over a decade, although most of my music experience has been in a supporting role". Has the supporting role changed?

Right now I'm playing acoustic (think Ray Lamontagne, Damien Rice, etc) and am planning to blend it with an MPC for some extra bite (when I actually get a chance to sit down and program it). I've been wanting to do this for a while and this is the first opportunity I've had to really give it a shot.

My supporting roles have been on all kinds of instruments with all kinds of bands. I've had good luck on bass (seems like there's always a need), and have played venues all over Wisconsin, and made it out to Chicago and New York City too. Seems like once you get a taste of it, you always want more.

quote:

Originally posted by Kings Court:
What type of guitar do you play, and do you use other instruments, ie harmonica, etc...

I'm running a pretty simple setup, just vocals through a Shure 57, and a Guild JF-30 with a Fishman RareEarth Blend pickup through an LR Baggs pre. I have a Beta 58 coming, but that's seriously the last thing I buy for a LONG time.

-t

quote:

Originally posted by Ken-at-Bose:

I very much look forward to your reports.

Ken

Pre-purchase and Arrival

Ok, sounds like trivial stuff, but having recently purchased an MPC and having UPS deliver "a little something extra" ... ie a box containing 500 semiconductors addressed to someone in Milwaukee ... my guard was up!

I decided to purchase my L1 M2 from Bose directly. I know they carry it at another online dealer as well as their semi-local store affiliate, but I liked the 0% offer which the others couldn't match. On the other hand, I was surprised to find out that Bose direct also collects sales tax for WI. However, the rep followed up that news by telling me that he was upgrading my shipping to next day. The less time it's in transit, the less chance there is for damage or loss, right??

Anyhow, my L1 arrives right on schedule monday morning.









As you can see, the boxes still took a few pokes on the way here, but everything was fine since the cartons were packed with care!

Power Stand:


Speakers:


B1


In no time, I had the boxes open and was setting up. It was about as easy as the video on the mainpage makes it out to be.


I was happy to notice that the foldout legs on the powerstand were metal. I had assumed they were plastic. Since the new model has a different weight distribution, the extra support is a nice touch.


Adding the speakers is 1,2,3 ... ok actually just 1,2! They're a bit heavier than they look, but still much much lighter than anything I've previously used. Having played bass through some Neo-D speakers, I'm wondering if magnet elements will be the next front on Bose's war on excess weight.


The top column slides on nicely ... although I learned that the Tonematch needs to get placed before you can add the second column.


The bass units are just as easy to hook up. Just set them next to the unit and plug them in with the special 4 pin speakon cables.


They're even shipped with wrapped ends. I REALLY like opening a box and seeing that it was packed how I would pack it if I were the seller. Seems like a lot of manufacturers aim for being "good enough", and taking transit damage losses as a cost of doing business.


Another nice touch is that everything was shipped in it's softcase. I wasn't sure whether the cases would be included, and if so whether they would arrive separately. Everything is excellent quality, although the cases for the bass units are more like fitted covers since they don't have bottoms. Not sure why they went that route.


So here we are, and I'm very much admiring the small footprint!

Now the Tonematch is a bit of a trip since it's shipped in the box with the color printing. I mean come on, everyone knows brown boxes are stronger! hehehe. Nonetheless it was packed very well, and it came with a very helpful diagram card (as did all the other pieces).



All you have to do is slide in the groove and you're in business.





Once it's placed on the bracket and plugged into the stand, you're almost home.


Just add guitar and microphone.


Sale Summary: Don't be afraid to get on the phone and chat with a Bose rep. They are helpful and are empowered to answer questions and move things along! Just don't be too surprised when they pop you for sales tax (which happens online too!).

Set-up summary: With the exception of the initial placement of the Tonematch, it's a very simple and intuitive set-up. It's exactly how it looks on the Bose mainpage. Plus, cracking all those packages for the first time feels like Christmas!!

Part 2: Initial Power-Up and Tone Dialing comes next.

Hope some find this info useful.
-t

Nice,

Just one thing that others have mentioned in the past, and I notice myself. If you turn the B1's on their side and stack them, the bass response is better.

To turn the logo's carefully pull out on them about 1/4 inch, and turn them 1/4 turn. They are spring loaded, and attached in the middle of the logo with a square flange that you have to get past, then they turn easily. (They do think of almost everything at Bose)

I have mine set up with the cable connectors on the top side of the cabinet when they are on their sides. I don't know if this matters, but thought better to keep them up in case of a water event etc...

quote:

Originally posted by Kings Court:
Nice,

Just one thing that others have mentioned in the past, and I notice myself. If you turn the B1's on their side and stack them, the bass response is better.

To turn the logo's carefully pull out on them about 1/4 inch, and turn them 1/4 turn. They are spring loaded, and attached in the middle of the logo with a square flange that you have to get past, then they turn easily. (They do think of almost everything at Bose)

I have mine set up with the cable connectors on the top side of the cabinet when they are on their sides. I don't know if this matters, but thought better to keep them up in case of a water event etc...

Those are all good tips, and I have it set up just like that now! Spring loaded logos ... instant classic!

Thanks Gordy!
-t

Initial power-up and tone dialing.

Is this where the bash begins? No. But I will say that I would only rate the Bose a 5/10 first out of the box. The initial ToneMatch scene coincidentally matched my setup: ch1 mic, ch2 acoustic guitar. However, I did find the unit to be hissy. My old speaker setup was a PA cabinet with a 15" speaker and a horn. I thought that absent the horn, the Bose system would be drop dead quiet. It wasn't.

That being said, the tweaking began. The easist thing to do straight off was to slap on the noise gate. I remember reading someone bash the gate on this board, but I found that the gate sounds (doesn't sound) fine if it's set carefully. So with the hiss problem addressed, I worked with the Bose in other ways.

The ToneMatch is nice, but I found it hard to get a good guitar sound running direct. Maybe I was expecting too much, but that being said it is a very good mixer. Putting my Baggs Para-DI in the chain helped the sound a lot! I thought I would be able to get most of the functionality of the Baggs by dialing in the eq on the ToneMatch, but there's some extra magic with the Baggs that can't be duplicated here.

With some more light tweaking within the preset (pickup matching on the TM, and bringing down the reverb a LOT, I've saved the settings and proclaimed "Final Answer"!

Note: Having a home installed Fishman Rare Earth Blend pickup has illustrated how Natural the Bose system is. All kinds of little things which went previously unnoticed have had to be addressed ... namely long sleeve shirts rubbing on the guitar during strum and an unsecured wire inside the guitar that would touch the sides from time to time. Where were these sounds before??? The Bose is like a sonic microscope.

That observation is no less true when it came to the mic channel. I was running a SM-57, which was always fine previously. I thought the channel was noisy, and after a few days I replaced the regular cable with a Monster 500 series. Hello! Huge improvement! Then to tame the sibilance and pops that came to the forefront with the BOSE system, I tried a SM-58. With those improvements, and the increased resistance to feedback, the vocal channel is sounding great too!

I've also had the opportunity to run an MP3 player through the BOSE, just to hear the bass response with 2 bass units. Wow!

Right now, after 2 weeks, my main challenge is to find ways to warm up the vocal channel. Still sounds cold to me, and I'm plugged straight in to the TM. It's acceptable as is, but I think could be improved.

Out of the box: 5/10

Biggest improvements: improve quality of components in the chain - quality cables, dedicated vocal mic.

As of now: 8.5/10, and still some room for improvement.

-t

The L1 really lets you see the flaws in your other equipment and your signal chain.

There is no hiding behind high noise and overly loud sound.

The L1 really makes me appreciate my Taylor with ES. I think it is the best sounding pickup on the market.

I also have really become very picky about my cables, and microphones. I still really like the EV nd 767a, and now my Sennheiser E945. I am still looking for the perfect mic for the system, but these are pretty darn good.

I am working on previewing the Heil PR-35 based on some other posts here.

The other thing the L1 has done is really made me aware of the power coming into the system, and how I route my cables. I have found that if I run my guitar cable or mic cable across the power cable, I can pick up noise.

Amazing, but I also get many compliments on my sound when performing, so the system has made me a better performer, and a more aware one.

I know as you perform with it more and more, you will grow to love it as much as many of us do.

I will not do a gig without it. I have turned them down, and have stopped doing open mic's because of it.

Good luck and good playing.

quote:

The other thing the L1 has done is really made me aware of the power coming into the system, and how I route my cables. I have found that if I run my guitar cable or mic cable across the power cable, I can pick up noise.

I forgot to mention that! That was a huge one! I was running the guitar and mic cables between the stand and my stacked B1s, and discovered by accident how much noise can be introduced to the system by a poorly placed cable. They're both pretty long and were either too close to the power cord or the stand. I don't quite know the exact rules of how this works, but it's worth taking the extra time to make sure things are set correctly.