I currently am using 2 - JBL VRX932LA and 2 – JBL SRX 718s with 3 crown amp. I’m very interested getting BOSE L1 model II system but not sure if BOSE L1 would out perform JBL VRX and SRX. My questions are:
1.Is L1 model II system good enough to cover 300 to 500 people event?
2.Is L1 model II have good bass like JBL SRX 718s ( I mostly play hip-hop – club style music)
Thanks
I had the srx738 speakers that jbl has and given they are very loud but the inconvenience of lifting those guys around. Those hit real nice with a rmx5050 but Bose is portable and complacent to anyone. If you want it to hit real hard the way you like your system I’d say get 3 Bose l1 model 2s and get 3 hpr 181s from Qsc. That will give u equal strength to your jbls. If you need more help on it I’m here.
nope. The L1’s will get burried with the rap music. I do alot of high school events of 300 - 3000 kids and even with 300 they can barely pump. Yes the Bose are light weight and portable but you would need 8b1’s and your set up time would more than double. I like it loud and I like to feel it. High schools hire me because the kids want a night club feel and thats what I bring them. My Bose are great for weddings and corporate gigs or most jobs under 300. I have 2 systems to choose from wich gives me lots of options
quote:Originally posted by DjHang:
I currently am using 2 - JBL VRX932LA and 2 – JBL SRX 718s with 3 crown amp. I’m very interested getting BOSE L1 model II system but not sure if BOSE L1 would out perform JBL VRX and SRX. My questions are:
1.Is L1 model II system good enough to cover 300 to 500 people event?
2.Is L1 model II have good bass like JBL SRX 718s ( I mostly play hip-hop – club style music)
Two L1's and 4 B1 Subs will easily cover the space and crowd you mentioned but....
If you feel you need window shaking base (like the sound I hear from a candy colored Nissan Pick up that passes my house late at night) you will not be happy with the L1.
If it's clear and authentic music reproduction with enough base thump to make most audiences very happy, keep the Bose.
Base is in the ear of the beholder and my ear loves the L1 B1 sound but, I expect, your ear may not be as satisfied. IMHO people who like hip hop all of the time are not pleased with the L1 sound. The Qsc 181's mentioned by Savan may bring them into compliance with your and your audience's ear.
put 100 people in front of the L1’s, elevated or not and half your sound is gone. Now you have 200 other people dancing on the dance floor can hear it but it really just is now loud, I can go to the back of the dance floor and hear crickets. Bose says that teh L1s can handle AUDIENCE of 500 per colum. Let’s define AUDIENCE:
au·di·ence
–noun
1.the group of spectators at a public event; listeners or viewers collectively, as in attendance at a theater or concert:
I think there is a differecnce between 500 people seated in an audence and 500 people dancing on a dance floor.
Again I am not bashiing Bose I just don’t think the L1’s are made for that type of environment. At weddings they are perfect but for my bigger applications my guests want the night club feel.
If I had the dough I would get 2 more l1’s and 4b’1 and do a four corned set up. That would sound sweet and then the dancers in the rear of the dance floor would be hearing what the people up front are hearing.
The Bose will win hands down every time in terms of quality sound against the JBL system. As far as the B1’s being good for rap, they have the frequency response needed 80-40Hz- so you will hear all the notes, but they won’t produce high decibels like the JBL SRX subs do.
I use to own 4 of the SRX 718s subs that you mentioned above. In fact they are part of the system I traded in to buy the L1 system I have now (two L1 Mod.1’s & eight B1’s two Packlites). When I had the 718s subs I was running 1700 watts RMS to each one (using two QSC 3402 amps bridged into mono mode for each pair).
When I did weddings I would use only two of these subs & I was ALWAYS asked to turn down the bass. Eventually I started using only one of them for weddings & I still got complaints- but not as many. I now use 4 B1’s for the weddings we do & have had great success with guest lists up to 300 with only compliments!
I too am a bass lover, but I don’t like getting complaints by the guests or my clients (not only at weddings- also some school dances- from the teachers saying “too much bass” & “turn it down”. I also don’t want my chosen profession to be prematurely wearing out my joints & back, I want to be doing this for a long time!
A/B test- Since I’ve owned both systems I’ll give you my side by side thoughts on the sound.
JBL System- in a Gym > tons of echo & unwanted reverb- sounds terrible
Bose System in a Gym > sounds great with very little echo & enough clear bass to rock the house (up to 400 kids) with out getting any complaints- just compliments! (with 8 B1’s)
JBL System in rooms with low ceilings (12-15 feet) sound pretty good for a traditional PA - bass is too loud for most & they will tell you so!
Bose system in rooms with low ceilings (12-15 feet) sounds phenomenal- 100% better than the JBL system in terms of clarity & quailty - with plenty of bass (with 4-8 B1’s depending on the size of group & the room- most of the time in rooms like this I will use only 4 B1’s & have plenty of bass to go around).
We are talking apples & oranges hear. In my opinion the Bose system will out perform the JBL system in every way except for sheer volume. When it comes to volume as DJ’s we are conditioned to think louder is better, the problem with this is this is not how the audience feels In fact the only ones I have found who want it “louder” are the metal heads & trust me they always want it “louder” (mostly because of hearing damage).
If you go L1 it’s time to learn & embrace the fact that louder isn’t better- quality is. There is one exception- large school dances. They are the exception because hundreds of kids will be dancing/standing directly in front of the L1’s & will be soaking up the sound. The larger the group the more the soaking. So the as the group gets larger we elevate the L1’s but this only goes so far because as the number of kids grow so does the sound they make & teenager a seldom quiet creatures. As you can see eventually the L1 system may not be loud enough as the number of students keep growing (I feel that this # for my system is right around 350-400 kids). If I was doing school dances of over 500 kids regularly I’d buy two more L1 model 1’s & eight more B1’s & be charging a heck of allot more! 
I wouldn’t hesitate to book a wedding of 500 guests, because at any one time there probably wouldn’t be any more than 100 people on the dance floor.
Just my 2 cents.
JD, You took the words right out of my mouth! lol! Well spoken. I wanted to add what you said in the last paragraph. On my last event with 500 people it sounded great but like you said as the crowd grew closer to the sound the volume went to hell. At some points durring the night it sounded amaizing when the crowd was a bit more spread out. I had the L1’s elevated also.
again I hate the fact that I have to carry 8 pieces of equipment and it extends my setup/break down time. I’d rather have 2-500 watt Bose bass bins if they made them. I eat Wheaties for breakfast! lol! Wouldn’t you like a nice 500 watt Bose bass bin that is about 50- 75 pounds and you could elevate your L1’s on?
I’d go 50 pounds or maybe a few pounds more but if the were over 60 forget it! Caring big heavy subs would defeat one of the main reason I switched over to the L1 system in the first place- I loved how light weight & compact it was.
The set up time doesn’t bother me- I just get there early. As for carrying in eight B1’s I don’t mind because I can take the all in one trip with my rock & roller cart!
Have you tried putting all your B1’s under your DJ table? If not try it for one it make the bass more powerful & two I think it cuts down on set up time a little because it’s fast to wire the B1’s when they are all in one spot.
I have 2 L1 M2’s (had M1’s) and 4 B1’s. They do well for up to about 250 in most spaces. In larger spaces, or larger crowds, I typically start adding JBL PRX518s subs (also quite light). For example, for a wedding in a museum this weekend we will add one 518. I seriously think the Bose on their own would be fine up to about 400, but people want thump. Seriously, I’d love to use the Bose double 12’s they sell in commercial installs
I have 515s, 525s, and 712’s. I use the Bose for ALL weddings and some bands, and the the JBLs for loud/outdoor rock bands.
Keep your Jbl’s for bigger venue. I have an L1M2 with 2 B1’s and a pair of Mackie 1531HD(3 way/4,000 watts).I can play anywhere from church to gym to an outdoor event. Clarity of the sound goes to the Bose hands down.The extra punch needed was delivered by HD speakers. No need to bring a heavy sub.