I've seen some situations where a pa is set up nice and works well. Usually that means side monitors instead of wedges and speakers around the whole joint so the mains going out to the people don't have to blare. I've only played at a place that had the sense to have this set up once. And guess what the soundman still screwed us.

I recently bought a system and am putting bass, vocals, and guitar through one system. All by it'self sounds better than not only my old PA, but any "proffessional house system," I've had the displeasure of playing through.

If you are not full of it, I think you are just used to the sound from a regular PA, and subtle changes, like site to player, threw you off. Also, you probably don't know the difference between blaring ear damaging sound (typical pa sound) and adaquately loud but smooth.

It also could simply be that the pas band was new to the system and they weren't using it properly.

The pas throws you off the first few time you hear it. If you are used to a blaring pa, it won't seem loud enough at first, because you are used to the air moving effect of a pa that forces people to back away from the mains. With the pas the sound doesn't blare because it doesn't need to. Some people are used to and want the blare and percieve the lack of it as a lack of power.

Ask yourself these questions:
1. how many people were right in front of the main bands pa/ stage area? My quess would be none.
2. Did anyone tell you they didn't like the first bands sound? I doubt it.
3. was it so loud people in the back couldn't talk without yelling over each other?
4. were yours or anyone elses ears ringing? I get loud with my system and my ears do not ring at all.
5. If you were in a band which would you carry around to every gig, the pa you used or a few pas systems.? Are you going to be their soundman too?
6. when the second band went on the pa, didn't people suddenly back up?

Also, remarks like chest thumping bass, just make me laugh. If bass makes your chest thump then it's too damn loud, and it's not going to sound good in the context of a band. (unless your idea of a band is two guys rapping and another spinning records)

I run my bass through a two bass module system and it sounds better sound wise then any bass player I've played with, that includes guys that had full and half stack riggs with heads with all sorts of eq's and gadgets on them. I'm often told to turn down.

In fact it sounds more like a CD now. I'd rather sound like a CD than bad mix with "chest thumping bass," the muddies up the mix.

vocals through pas= best I've ever heard. clarity + dispersion. And the fact that I have control of it means a soundguy won't make my words unitelligible by cranking on the reverb knob, even though I told him not too, because he thinks it makes vocals sound better.

bass through pas 2 bass modules = excellent thump at low levels nice and thick, sounds punchy. Sure my chest doesn't thump, but then I'm not one of those idiots who puts gigantic speakers in the back of their car and goes around deafening myself and other people.

guitar through pas= even dispersion of sound. No beam, everyone hears the sound the guitar player hears. No more "I have to crank my marshall to heat the tubes cause it sound better." with the conventional half stack it only sounds good right in front of the speaker. sure you could mic it through a pa, but with a pas going straight in you don't have too, and you dont' need to clutter up the stage sound with a half.

This may sound like a rant, but so what. The pas has lived up to all the hype I read about it before I bought it. It is absolutely the best thing for music I've ever bought. Every musicaian should have one. And it's not just for solo acts or acoustic. Used properly you can use it with any type of band, I play in a rock/metal act. The only thing that would make it difficult if you are playing with guitar/bass players that only want to use their full/half stacks, crank them up and don't realize their dispersion and sound is for crap past say o twenty feet. Best way plug everyone straight in and let the pas distibute your sound.

And it pisses me off when guys like you come in here and try to compare it to traditional PA systems. I've been through the grinder with them. with my own. with house systems that had bad soundmen and the occassional good one.

None of them ever sounded as good as the bose pas system.

Why does it piss me off? Because someone thinking about a pas might not get one because he read your ill informed post. And I will yet again be subjected to deafening crappy mixes when I go out to listen to local bands that would otherwise sound good if it wasn't for a traditional PA.

I may sound like a fan boy at this time. But, let me tell you if the pas hadn't lived up to everything I was lead to believe about it I would be the first to come to this forum and post some very angry negative things.

Such is not the case. The Bose PAS is every musicians/bands dream wether they know it or not. It's that good.

- ric, March 17, 2006 -

full thread here