A friend of mine was kind enough to lend us his 2 L1 systems for a gig for our 18-piece big band about 3 years ago. I play bass and I'm also responsible for the sound. We had the L1's coupled (behind band) with some traditional drivers (for FOH) and the sound for the evening was generally very good. The musicians were non-the-wiser since all they were concerned with was whether the monitor mix was in order; no complaints were received , which was very usual because sound issues are a continual problem with the band. I was very impressed with the on-stage sound, the reeds, trombone and vocal mixes through the L1's were clear and sweet. Fast forward a couple of years and I now have access to an L1 compact. I just returned from rehearsals today and I intended to use the Compact for vocals only, but after hearing my bass through them I could not return to my usual practice amp. The band leader (a chappie who is not easily impressed) rushed over to find out whether I had changed settings on my usual amp since he could pick up a nicer "double bass" tone - and I was playing an electric bass. I will now be selling all my old amps (Ashdowns and Peavey) in order to purchase a compact (or L1 II) for myself. My double bass (with revolution solo II pickup) sounds absolutely beautiful and I can't wait to play my Yamaha WX5 wind instrument at a gig.

I am continually blown away by the sound and practicality of this piece of gear, it's worth every penny. Great job Bose.

-- Deon, July 9, 2011 --

full thread here