Model I vs Model II?

Portable PA
1

I’m trying to decide between the L1 Model I single bass package, & Model II single bass package. What makes the II worth $550 more? I’m looking for an excellent p.a. for church venues of 30-100 people, thru which I can teach, sing and play accompaniment music via my Mac. Tnx a lot…

Tom in Texas

2

Hi Tom,

In terms of sound:

  • Listening directly in front at a distance of say 30 feet - the Model I and Model II sound almost identical.

  • Listening off to the sides (extreme left and right), the Model II will the same as it did when standing directly in front of it. The Model I will not sound as clear.

  • Placement in the Room:
    Because the Model II has smoother dispersion to the extreme left and right, it gives you greater flexibility than the Model I with respect to where you place it in a room. Basically, within a room that can hold up to say 300 people - if you can see the Model II, you can hear it. You have to be a little more careful about placement with the Model I.

  • Monitoring:
    Because the Model II has smoother dispersion to the extreme left and right, in tight quarters - you can perform sitting or standing right beside the Model II and hear yourself clearly.



EQ
You mentioned in your other posts that you were looking for control over the EQ.

The Model I has the R1 Remote with and separate ToneMatch Presets and 3 band tone controls for Channels 1 and 2 (combination microphone/line level inputs). There are two more auxilliary Channels 3 and 4 that are for line level inputs (backing tracks for example). These do not have separate tone or volume controls. You have to control them from your input source.

The Model II relies on the T1 ToneMatch® Audio Engine
 to provide three combination microphone/line level inputs and a fourth line-level only input.

Each of these four channels has a independent signal path with ToneMatch Presets, three band EQ and Parametric EQ and digital effects.

Backing Tracks
The T1® also has connectivity so that you can play your backing tracks from a computer. You can also use the T1® as a recording interface to your computer.

Size/Weight
The Model II Power Stand is about 10 pounds lighter than the Model I Power Stand.

The Model II Power Stand has articulating legs that fold in for travel. The overall package takes about 60% of the space. (I have packed 5 Model II Power Stands in the same space I used to pack 3 Model I Power Stands).

Does that help?

3

Hey Tom – just to clarify one thing:

The T1 (or some other external mixer) is practically a necessity with the Model II.

However, I use the T1 with both a Model I as well as with the Compact. The T1 provides a more consistent way of connecting and convenient control placement, no matter what speaker system is “throwing the sound”.

I would also plan to eventually get a 2nd B1 … for those churches which seat more than 80 people, it’ll make a difference.

I’ve done movie sound with just a Compact, but if the music/sound-track of the movie is an important aspect (e.g.: a musical, or sci-fi, etc where the sound effects & low bass are important), then I’d use the bigger L1’s with 2 B1’s.

In a church environment, the biggest advantage I’ve found of the Model II is the transportability, and the space saved by nestling the B1’s in between the Model II’s legs.