Chaining Two BOSE L1 Compact Systems Together With T4S Mixer plus Livestream

Portable PA
1

Our church is considering adding a second BOSE L1 to our "outdoor church" setup this summer. Last summer we used a BOSE T4S mixer into a BOSE L1 Compact. Then, we used the LINE OUT jack (on the back of L1) to get the mix to the LIVE STREAM. It worked beautifully!

 

In adding a second BOSE L1 COMPACT, would we simply insert that into the signal path as follows?...

T4S into L1 Compact #1...then LINE OUT of L1 #1 to Input 2 of BOSE L1 #2...then, LINE OUT of BOSE L1 #2 to the LIVE STREAM. Do I have correct?

 

Our goal is simply to get greater coverage throughout the parking lot (although, even with one L1 Compact last summer the coverage was adequate). We want the exact same mix (content) coming out of both L1's.

 

Here a few lingering questions (that is, if the above is correct so far)...

- How far can I (or should I spread the two L1's apart from each other). Is running 50 feet of cable feasible if we use a TRS cable? Or, should we position them closer together and just point them in different directions to try to accomplish greater coverage?

- Will the LIVE STREAM mix work the same (coming out of the 2nd L1) as it did last summer coming out of just a single L1 (and it worked great last summer).

- In checking your website, it looks like the L1 Compact is still available for purchase. I assume that would be the best way to go as it is the same as our current model.

 

Many thanks for your help.

 

Steve

 

Bose product name

 

Country

 

Firmware Version

 

App Version

 

What devices were you using that were affected and what version are they on (e.g. Samsung Galaxy S9 on Android 11, iPhone X on iOS14, etc.)

Detailed description of the issue and steps to reproduce

 

What environment do you experience the issue in? (e.g. noisy office, quiet kitchen, etc.)

 

When did you start to experience the issue? Did it work correctly previously?

 

Any troubleshooting steps you took

 

 

2

Hi sinniste,

 

I would say you're on the right track with your signal path.  Bose recommends placing the L1 Compacts at least 15 -20 feet apart when running two units with the same source.  Use a decent quality 1/4" TRS (balanced) cable and you should be able to exceed that distance if necessary.  I wouldn't exceed 50 feet though.  You could probably get a 25 foot cable and be all set.

 

You'll have to pay attention to the volume settings on Compact #1 as the output will affect Compact#2.  Set Compact#1 volume and then bring up Compact#2 until you reach the desired volume across both units.  If you set both Compacts to the same volume level one may be louder than the other.

 

As far as the choice of Portable PA, the Compact is great (I have had one for years) and there is also the newer L1 Pro.  The Pro8 is closest to the Compact in price and design, but the Pro8 (I have one of those too) is better sounding to my ears and seems to be louder.  Definitely has a lot more bass.  There is about a $300 street price difference between the two.  If you decide to go the Pro8 route, the line out is an XLR connector, so you could use a balanced cable with a TRS on one end and an XLR on the other.  You might then want to have the Pro8 be PA#1 and the existing Compact PA#2.  The T4S can be powered by the Pro8 via the ToneMatch port (also carries the audio signal).  New signal path would be T4S via ToneMatch cable to Pro8 > Line out of Pro8 (XLR) > input channel of Compact (TRS) > line out to live stream.

3

Thank you, Jay. Much appreciated.

 

Steve