812 Owners
I just purchased two new F1 812s.
Does anyone else have a white noise type sound from 5kHz to about 9kHz when the F1s are turned on, with all inputs open, gains set to zero and input set to Line? It's low level and would not be noticeable once music or singing begins for a live band or DJing but it definitely raises the noise floor and would most likely be noticeable sitting close to the 812s in a very quiet room. (such as a conference or play/drama, etc.) Just curious if this is normal for the 812. Does your 812 do this?
I'll have to measure with a calibrated test mic and test software but just using a phone app (and the uncalibrated internal phone mic) the noise makes about a 10db difference at about 14 inches from the front of the 812. The gain dials do not effect the noise volume between Minimum and about 3 o'clock. The noise does increase once the dials reach about 3 o'clock to Maximum. The input is set to Line but obviously the noise increases if you change to Mic.
Thanks in advance for the report on your 812s!
Update:
I have reviewed other units and called Bose Support. The slight hiss that I am hearing when close to the speaker is the noise floor of the 812 so this is normal. I love the sound of the 812s, especially when combined with the F1 subs! With these in the arsenal (in addition to L1 MIIs and Compacts, there are no longer any gaps for 99% of the events for which I need to provide sound reinforcement.
Hi SoundGeek,
SoundGeek posted:
812 Owners
I just purchased two new F1 812s.
Does anyone else have a white noise type sound from 5kHz to about 9kHz when the F1s are turned on, with all inputs open, gains set to zero and input set to Line? It's low level and would not be noticeable once music or singing begins for a live band or DJing but it definitely raises the noise floor and would most likely be noticeable sitting close to the 812s in a very quiet room. (such as a conference or play/drama, etc.) Just curious if this is normal for the 812. Does your 812 do this?
I first started using PAs around 1970 and over the years have heard and used many different types of PA systems from the basic power mixer with a couple of loudspeakers right up to processor controlled systems. Even the really modern state of the art systems. They've all got one thing in common. When they're switched on there is always an audible hiss. Sometimes you can hear it from a way off, sometimes you have to get up really close to the loudspeakers to hear it. But it will always be there. A really good system will be almost inaudible,
Regarding people "sitting close to the 812s in a very quiet room." This isn't really going to happen is it? And if it did turn out to be a problem you could always turn off the system until it needs to be used. Then, at the very latest no-one will notice it as it's threshold will be negligible.
SoundGeek posted:
Update:
I have reviewed other units and called Bose Support. The slight hiss that I am hearing when close to the speaker is the noise floor of the 812 so this is normal.
We're all very critical when using any new equipment for the first few times. Our ears seem to be extremely fine-tuned for anything that's out of the ordinary, just to make sure that everything's working as it should. This is normal.
With the pristine sound that we get from the L1/F1 systems we probably listen even more critically than we would normally do. Also understandable. I think that what it all boils down to is that nowadays we're really being spoiled with reference to our PA sound.
Around 1970 you were happy if your microphones were loud enough to be heard over the rest of the band (if you were really lucky you could even hear yourself sing). If you look at old concert material you'll quite often see the singer holding 2 microphones taped together. Why? Easy to answer if you were around in those days. One microphone was for the PA system and the other was for the monitor system on stage.
Most people using sound equipment nowadays haven't had to try to live with the massive problems of making themselves heard on stage as we (the musicians) did back then. Today most of us are just reaping the benefits of many years of research into the amplification of sound. The threshold of our acceptance of what's OK and what's not has been raised to levels they couldn't even envisage 50 years ago.
I love the sound of the 812s, especially when combined with the F1 subs! With these in the arsenal (in addition to L1 MIIs and Compacts, there are no longer any gaps for 99% of the events for which I need to provide sound reinforcement.
These are statements that I can absolutely relate to. And everything is basically in a weight class that almost anyone can move (I'm not talking stadium PA's here, but still talking about PA's for hundreds of listeners. Things have really changed for the better over the years. So much so, that even the "small" PA users can afford to cater for things by having different (affordable) systems at their disposal.
As someone who has almost 50 years experience using/operating PA's I'm grateful for the technical development in this field. Without these small but powerful systems I'd not nowadays be playing and still doing my own sound. The back breaking part has been taken out of the equation while at the same time the size of audience which can be covered has grown almost exponentially when compared to the size/weight of the systems needed to provide the sound for them.
Bose has made this possible for me and all other converts.
Tony