Bose L1 Compact

My L1 System IIs have taken everything that has been thrown at them, and audiences, promoters and reviewers have been generous in their praise of the sound quality we’ve been able to provide in a hall that is essentially a 300-seat, 80 x 40 x 30-foot box with some really scary room modes. So, as you might imagine, I was intrigued when news of the new, more affordable, US-designed, Chinese-manufactured Bose L1 Compact system appeared. I also got a little nervous, as the L1 System IIs were (and remain) not exactly a cheap option.

Setting up the system is simplicity itself. If you’re in a small room and not using the extensions, you simply have to place the power base on a table or similar so that it is at audience head height, plug in power and sources, set levels and go. If you’ve got a larger room or a standing audience to deal with, you just have to pull the speaker block from the base, fit the two extensions and put the speaker block on top. Incidentally, as the whole system weighs in at 13kg (29lb) and travels in two bags, it is a one-trip carry for even the weakest band member.

Construction-wise, the L1 Compact is a lot simpler than the System II. The power base contains the sub speaker, and the single power amplifier drives both it and the six-speaker array in the speaker block, rather than my System II’s two-section speaker column, multi-amp power base and twin bass enclosures. The body casing of the various bits is made of black ABS, with the only visible bits of structural metal being the speaker grille covers and a few screw and bolt heads.

The remainder of the channel comprises a green/red signal indicator (green for present, red for clipping) and control knobs for volume, treble and bass. The guitar channel carries a jack/line input with a switchable ToneMatch acoustic guitar preset. It also carries stereo phono and mini-jack inputs for playback from an iPod, computer, DVD player and the like, and which can be used at the same time as the guitar input.

On the rear of the power base you’ll find the IEC mains socket, On/Off switch and a balanced/unbalanced line out jack, together with a pair of phono outs for recording. The jack out allows you to connect one L1 Compact to another to give you increased coverage, or you could use it to feed another PA whilst retaining your Compact as an on-stage monitor.

You’ll have noticed that there’s no mention of phantom power or a ToneMatch bypass on the mic channel, that there are no tone controls on the line/acoustic guitar channel, and that there’s no master volume. To me, these omissions are a bit weird, as I’m a big fan of condenser vocal mics, I might want to feed the mic channel with my own vocal processor, I do like having tone controls for a guitar or line input, and I don’t want to have to rebalance the inputs if all I need to do is to nudge the overall volume up or down a bit.

In extended mode, with the power base on the floor, both extensions fitted and the speaker-array block up at its full height of two metres (6.5 feet), the Compact maintained its sound quality, although I did need to get a good six feet away to get the same sense of integration seated or standing.

With an SM58 in the mic channel, the vocal sound was pretty good and the Compact could be run at a pretty loud level before any hint of feedback. However, I did find myself wanting to tweak the sound, so, good though that preset is, it isn’t going to be all things to all men. Interestingly, I noticed that feedback was more likely to be induced off-axis than with the System II.

A Schoenberg acoustic guitar with a B-Band undersaddle pickup and microphone running into an onboard B-Band preamp sounded great without the ToneMatch preset. With the preset in, I didn’t like the sound at all, and I can only presume that whatever guitar it is optimised for, it isn’t my Schoenberg.

Naturally, as Bose say that you should always use both extensions, I had to try it with just one, and in all the instances above I actually preferred that setup to having the collapsed version sitting on a table. There’s no problem that I can see in only using one extension, as both are identical and are simply wiring conduits designed to look like line-array modules.

Running a Yamaha P-80 into the line input gave another great result, although if the speaker array was at ear level and within about six feet, the treble sounded a bit separated and splashy. Put the collapsed base on the floor or the extensions at full height and the problem lessens, as the integration between bass and treble improves subjectively.

Playing back a variety of tracks from my iPod, I was impressed by the quality of sound coming from each of the three potential setup heights. Having sung and played through the L1 Compact with various bits of kit in the signal path (and listened to others do the same), and having listened to everything from classical to rock, I think that I’d be likely to use a bit of overall compression on it if I was using it live, as it just sounds a bit more comfortable with dynamically controlled sources.

Bose naturally recommend using their T1 ToneMatch audio engine (a four-channel digital mixer incorporating dynamics and effects) with the L1 Compact, and as I happen to own one, I tried it out. The T1 has to be the ideal companion for the L1 Compact, as it removes all the phantom, ToneMatch bypass and dynamics issues in one hit. I was very happy indeed with the results that I got using it and would recommend that anyone buying an L1 Compact should take a listen to it with a T1.

First off, a pair of L1 Compacts aren’t the equivalent of two System IIs. They just don’t have the body, depth of coverage and sheer weight of sound that you get from a pair of System IIs. However, for a duo or trio playing in a smallish venue — say around 100 capacity — who don’t have a drummer, who play essentially acoustic instruments and/or who work with backing tracks, a pair of L1 Compacts as PA are a very viable option.

If you’re a DJ looking for a system for smaller venues where you need to be inconspicuous and quick rigging, then the L1 Compact is one that you should take a serious look at. With a pair of these, a laptop and some LED lighting, you could be up and running very quickly and inconspicuously indeed. I wouldn’t want to suggest that you take them down to your local rave, but for hotel-based corporate gigs and weddings where the dance floor is an over-sized postage stamp, the L1 Compacts could be ideal.

If you’re a teacher or you do corporate presentations where you need to play audio and/or you need a bit more volume to hit the back of the room, the L1 Compact is a very good choice indeed. One box, one dynamic microphone and lead, one laptop, and one projector and screen, and you’re good to go in a couple of minutes: you’ll have the L1 Compact set up well before your laptop boots.

Back at the solo acoustic instrumentalist/vocalist target market that the L1 Compacts seem designed to target, what can you do with them? Well, you’ve got the makings of a very nice little PA system for your folk club, pub and restaurant gigs. A pair of Compacts costs slightly less than a single L1 System II, so you’ve got a bit more versatility, as you’ll need the ability to cover awkward corners more than sheer power.

Then you can think of the L1 Compact as a pretty decent acoustic instrument amplifier, especially with the ToneMatch preset switched out. I tried it with guitar, banjo, cittern and mandolin and enjoyed the results. Obviously, it doesn’t have the EQ, effects processors and the like that you’ll find in a dedicated acoustic amplifier, but it does offer a bit more versatility and I could see me buying one as a backline amp, if only because I’ve got all the preamps and processors that I could ever need. You can run an electric guitar into it through a preamp/multi-effects unit with an onboard amp and cab emulator and that works fine, although it didn’t actually knock my socks off in quite the same way as the System II did with a similar setup.

However, with the proviso that I will be using some kind of preamp/processor or mixer with it (the Bose T1 for preference if I’m on my own), I liked the L1 Compact very much indeed. I need to think a bit about my overall amplification needs before I can say with any certainty whether or not a pair of these will be joining my band’s on-stage rig, but I wouldn’t have any qualms about using them either as backline or as the PA for a small gig. They’re never going to replace my L1 System IIs on the bigger gigs, but then they’re not designed to.

Price, as always, is going to be an issue. Even with simplified design and Chinese manufacturing bringing the costs down, the Bose L1 Compact is still a pricey item. However, if you think of it as a PA and acoustic instrument amplifier in one box that can be carried easily into a venue in one trip and set up in a minute or two, then it becomes, to my mind, pretty good value for money. I liked the L1 Compact, I’m seriously thinking about buying a pair, and if you’re in the market for a compact PA for smaller venues, I think that you ought to get down to your local Bose dealer and take a long, hard look at one.  0