Okay. Here we go! I picked up the Compact yesterday, took it home and did a side by side with the Model I (no B1), then took the Compact to an outdoor gig.

Bottom line: the Compact wins (for this small outdoor venue)! Now the details, for anyone interested in this particular comparison:

While the Model 1 can go audibly louder and with less feedback, the Compact has such a sharper sound that you really do not need as much volume, and this is no sales pitch. The more defined the sound, the less necessary it is to go louder. I played both at their maximum volume before they started feeding back, and the Compact's tone was more pleasant, and with sufficient volume to be the clear winner. Keep in mind the Compact also has a remarkably better bass response than the Model I without the B1. The Compact would feed back with my Ovation guitar at full volume if I did not roll off a little bit of bass on the guitar's EQ. This little bass cut was necessary with either system, so eliminating the feedback in this manner was completely acceptable.

My next concern was that the Compact did not have a midrange knob as with the Model I. However, the Compact's built-in Tonematch seems to have effectively tweaked the sound by rolling off that nasty midrange that makes a vocal and guitar sound comparitively hollow (even through the Model I at its default settings), effectively eliminating the need for a midrange knob. update: this only holds true for outdoor. For indoors, posted later, the lack of a midrange control proved to be a big problem. Obviously you can tweak to your heart's content with a Tonematch module, but this test was only between bare systems.

Next came the real test of the shorter projection of the Compact compared to the Model I, which was an actual outdoor gig (an outdoor restaurant/bar seating about 75 people, with plenty of passers by around the block). Now I'm really going to sound like a Bose salesman!

This little soundsystem is unbelievable! For starters, the setup is so light and simple that it feels wrong! It does not feel like you're actually setting up a PA! Carrying the thing in one trip (the included gig bag and base cover are a VERY nice touch) made my back cry tears of joy. But after assembling the system in half the time and effort it took to set up the Model I (which was already half the time and effort it took to set up a non-cylindrical PA), the real test would be the sound projection.

To put it mildly, it passed the test! Again, as mentioned above, the sound was SO clear that I did not NEED the extra volume. Even with the volume knobs at about the 11 o'clock setting, it was too loud for this venue, and I have no doubt now that it will suffice for even larger gigs. (As with the Model I, I had people down the block listening in and telling me they could hear it so clearly they thought I was right around the corner from them). Mind you, neither the Compact nor the L1 will fill Madison Square Garden, but for small venues, the Model I (without a B1) does not offer better sound than the Compact update: this only applies to small outdoor venues. Indoors, the Model I offers much warmer sound than the Compact, which sounded harsher by comparison. On the contrary, the wider bass response of the Compact gave it the edge over the Model I, hands down (outdoors)

As the gig went on, I heard guitar and vocal nuances that I never heard through my Model I. Please believe the marketing literature when it says that this system produces a sound that rivals studio quality production. With the right tweaking (in my case a little bass rolloff of the mic, a Shure SM57, and a little bass rolloff on the Ovation 1778T), the sound that came out of this little system was literally studio quality.

This review would not be complete without a couple of more points that matter to me. First is the floor real estate you gain over the Model I. This is not negligible for those gigs where you're stuffed into a corner or between a table and a huge potted plant. The smaller footprint of the Compact is soooo nice!

Secondly, I have to mention the aesthetic of this unassuming little unit. The Model I already gets enough comments because of its slick profile. The Compact - even moreso! I literally sat there at the end of the gig and stared at the Compact for a few minutes before breaking it down. I could not believe the projection that came out of this slim little unit.

Next to my guitar, this was the best thousand dollars I have ever spent. If, like me, you have a Model I with no B1 and are considering this unit, it has my vote to put it mildly! Again, this only applies to small outdoor venues. Indoors, the Model I was far superior. Thank you, Bose, for designing this. It is a treat to look at, listen to, set up, break down, and even carry! I think of other musicians now who spend up to 20 minutes setting up their PA, breaking their backs carrying their speakers, only to sound muddy and hollow by comparison. Yes, the Compact is more expensive than a "standard" PA, but you get what you pay for, and this system delivers even more than its predecessor.

Home run, guys. Now, just add a midrange control to make it more listenable indoors!

-- jukeboxjoe; May 17, 2009 9:21 am --
full thread here

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