I purchased a PAS system a couple weeks ago to evaluate it and see if it was worth the money, or if I should just go with a regular P.A. system. Just playing through it alone with Bass/Vocals or Acoustic Guitar/Vocals, I was immediately blown away with the clarity and ease of use of the system. Using the custom settings for an SM57 and an acoustic guitar pickup, I thought it sounded as good or better as any open mic I've been to. Both my (passive) Fender jazz and my (active) Warwick thumb bass sounded clearer than I've ever heard them. Still, in the back of my mind was the expectation that it wouldn't possibly keep up with a loud band.

With time on my return window running out, I decided to pack it up and take it to rehearsal last night, to see how it would perform there. We play in a small room (around 8' x 10'), and currently play through a Mackie system, with 3 2-way powered speakers. When I set up the PAS (man, was that easy), the main vocal mic was only 3-4 feet from the system, and my backing mic was on the other side of the room, backed almost into a corner pointing towards floor toms and ride cymbals (when I wasn't directly in front of it). No instruments were plugged into the PAS. Just before I turned it on I had a strong premonition that this wouldn't work at all, and we'd have to quickly switch back over to the Mackie.

Man, was I ever wrong. Although we were playing too loud for our own good that night (and coming from a drummer, that means we were LOUD), the PAS was perhaps louder and definitely clearer than the Mackie stuff ever was. And while with other systems we were constantly fighting with feedback, we didn't hear a bit the entire night. What's more, everyone could hear the vocals evenly, not just those placed directly in front of a speaker. I could really hear my backing vocals perhaps for the first time ever, and our singer said that for the first time he could ‘understand’ every syllable of what he was singing. Even people hanging out in the next room easily noticed the difference.

Add to all this that I feel like I could pack it up and host any open mic night or DJ event and produce top-notch sound with my barely over entry level mixing knowledge, and I don't see how I can pass it up. Especially since the cost of the 3 Mackie 2-ways without any mixer would be close to the cost of the PAS system (I have 1 bass module).

On the downside I just have a few potential difficulties. First, the cover on the base looks like it could break off rather easily and could be made of stronger stuff with a better hinge. Second, although you can retract the piece of metal that joins to two sections of the tower by loosening screws and it IS made of stronger stuff, it is a tough fit in the bag if you don't want to take the screws off, and seems like it has a (very) small potential for getting bent.

Congrats to Bose for really pushing the limits of amplification. I don’t know about professional systems, but I’ve played in a lot of bands with a lot of practice P.A.s (some of them rather expensive, at the very least), and I’ve never been this impressed with a piece of amplification equipment before. In fact, my whole band was blown away and I wouldn’t be surprised if our singer sells all his Mackie stuff and gets his own PAS by the end of the month.

Petrecca,

Welcome to the forum and welcome to the journey! It's great to hear your first outing with the system was a big success. I predict it'll just get better from here.

I'd like to address your two concerns. First, the door is surprisingly tough. We've had a very low warrantee rate on the door. I've had my system for about a year-and-a-half and it's still hanging in there (your milage may vary).

Second, the basic L1 bag will stretch with a little time. The bags are a bit tight at first but they give after a little while. The fit will remain snug but you don't need to unscrew the bayonet to fit the gear.

Keep us posted on your band's progress.

Steve

PS Would you mind telling us a bit about the band? Music, configuration, location, etc.?

Hello Petrecca,

Thank you for your purchase, and WELCOME to this community. We are very glad you're here.

I am elated with your initial experiences. That's exactly what we intended when we designed this new approach.

If you need any help getting your folks on board with their own systems (WOW, what a change that statement is from "we have to buy a PA, monitor system, amps, mixers, all the connections etc etc), we are here to help.

Check our the ultra-cool, ultra-fun SKETCHER system if you want this community to help you design a system for your band. Click HERE and I'll take you there.

Best regards,

Ken
Chief Engineer

quote:

Petrecca

Howdy Mr Petrecca

Nice story, thanks for writing in. I took my cover off right away and couldn't even tell you where it is right now. The carry bag for the PS1 seems to do a good job of keeping things clean in storage, the trunk, in transit. For the upper L1 section, turn it upside down, grab it by the bayonet, lower it into the bag and the bayonet should tuck into the top just fine.

Your moment of pre-play apprehension took me back to our early days. I've had many many similar reservations about the system when we first started using it. As co-founder of this technology, I was especially "concerned" when we took our 7-piece slammin rock and soul band into big theaters and night clubs for test drives. (This can't work, just look at it! The band will all hate me now, and they'll kick em out too). It must have been as much as 10 outside shows to convince me it was really really going to work. This should have been a done deal for me after the first few shows, but it is such a mind-warping change from The Way Things Are Done that I always got the pre-show knot in the stomach, even though these were all closed-to-the-public tests. Probably being too close to it all didn't help matters. But, to look at it, after (for me) almost 40 years of looking at (and using) the ususal amps-and-bins on and off stages, it made no visual or mechanical sense whatsoever, a complete mental disconnect. A weird-science-gone-bad sort of thing. But when it was time to play, all my concerns vanished instantly as we all were transported (teleported?) into the familiar living room, the "live CD" we were all so glad to be in. Our happy place. Every instrument, including my own keyboards and voice, was a listening treat and was loud as you needed. So, I can appreciate your moments of apprehension. It does take some getting used to, but not if you just close your eyes and play.

Hi Petrecca,

Had one of those tiny-rehearsal-room experiences within the first week or so of ownership. I too was astounded at how well it worked.

quote:

On the downside I just have a few potential difficulties. First, the cover on the base looks like it could break off rather easily and could be made of stronger stuff with a better hinge. Second, although you can retract the piece of metal that joins to two sections of the tower by loosening screws and it IS made of stronger stuff, it is a tough fit in the bag if you don't want to take the screws off, and seems like it has a (very) small potential for getting bent.

There's a lot new-owner ideas for you in the Unofficial Users' Guide ... topics like these and many other "potential difficulties" you may encounter.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: ST,

Cliff-at-Bose

How do you know Petrecca is a guy?

Ken

Ken

Is this one of those loaded questions? And so, how do YOU know Petrecca is a guy?

Also, your name is vaguely familiar. Do I know you?

Petrecca,

Just for the fun of it...some night try practicing as quiet as humanly possible. You will be amazed at what happens.

P