S1 Pro Compared to L1 Compact

Portable PA
1

In your link the specs are:
The S1  :  62 Hz – 17 kHz /- 3dB
The L1C: 65 Hz – 14 kHz /- 3dB

Does that mean the S1 puts out a deeper bass than the L1C ??

Also ... 
The S1    SPL is rated as  103 dB / 109 dB peak
The L1C  SPL is rated as  106 dB / 112 dB peak

The L1C being 3db louder ... does that translate to twice the volume in loudness iirc? 

Approx how loud does the L1 compact sound compared to the S1 when both are driven to their max limits?

Question ... If there were 2 S1's on either side of the stage facing the audience & one L1 Compact in the stage centre, again facing the audience, assuming they were connected to the same Mixer & getting fed identical inputs, could the L1 compact sound as full, rich & loud as compared to the two S1's if they were played interchangeably as an A/B comparison? i.e. Two S1's v/s one L1 compact ...  (i hope i've been able to get myself across clearly).

Also ... Would the L1 compact be able to put out more bass than the 2 S1's (on stands) ... or would they sorta sound equal ??

I'm contemplating on an S1 compact to add to my arsenal, hence the comparison (i already own an S1).

One last question: I believe the L1 Compact is a very dated model and is over-overdue for an upgrade ... should I wait for that or take the plunge? 

I'm primarily looking for a miniscule setup ... that sounds terrific & sets up very easily has a small footprint.

I already have over 20 15" cabs (jbl, rcf, ev, mackie, yamaha, etc.) but am looking at an audience of 50 to 60 (max 75 px) for DJ & Karaoke. Something small that i can port myself at my ripe old age of 58 without an additional overhead (someone to carry the gear for me).

So the question I'm arriving at probably is: two S1's or one L1 compact?

Sorry for the long-winded explanations ... 

2

I mount my S1 on top of a Rockville powered RBG10S sub (~$165 USD)with an On-Stage "pipe". Nice compacted little set up that has just enough pump for smaller gigs. If you used two, I'm sure it would rival the Compact in terms of overall projection.

3

Hi Prakash Wadhani,

When the S1 Pro was released, I spent a great deal of time comparing the S1 Pro to the L1 Compact and preparing this article.

Bose S1 Pro Compared to Bose L1® Compact

Prakash Wadhwani posted:

In your link the specs are:
The S1  Pro:  62 Hz – 17 kHz /- 3dB
The L1 Compact: 65 Hz – 14 kHz /- 3dB

Does that mean the S1 Pro puts out a deeper bass than the L1 Compact ??

You probably can't hear the difference between 62 Hz and 65 Hz. It's different enough that if two notes at these frequencies were played at the same time, you might notice they are different - but not very different.

The L1 Compact power stand is larger than the S1 Pro and the L1 Compact has an 8-inch woofer compared to the 6-inch woofer in the S1 Pro.  The L1 Compact sounds 'deeper' and it handles high-volume low-frequency sound better than the S1 Pro.



Also ... 
The S1 Pro:    SPL is rated as  103 dB / 109 dB peak
The L1 Compact:   SPL is rated as  106 dB / 112 dB peak

The L1 Compact being 3db louder ... does that translate to twice the volume in loudness iirc? 

No, it takes about 10 dB SPL to sound twice as loud. Reference: Doubling Power vs Doubling Output


Approx how loud does the L1 compact sound compared to the S1 when both are driven to their max limits?

It depends on what you're playing through them. If the program material (sound source) has a lot of bass, you may find the sound quality degrades before you can get to the maximum level.



Question ... If there were 2 S1 Pros on either side of the stage facing the audience & one L1 Compact in the stage centre, again facing the audience, assuming they were connected to the same Mixer & getting fed identical inputs, could the L1 Compact sound as full, rich & loud as compared to the two S1 Pros if they were played interchangeably as an A/B comparison? i.e. Two S1 Pros v/s one L1 Compact ...  (i hope i've been able to get myself across clearly).

It depends on what you're playing through them. If I have a mono source (mono backing tracks), if I have to take two S1 Pros with stands to get the job done, I'll take my L1 Compact instead.  Unless I have to run on battery power.





Also ... Would the L1 Compact be able to put out more bass than the 2 S1 Pros (on stands) ... or would they sorta sound equal ??

It depends on what you're playing through them. For most applications, I find the L1 Compact provides more bass (not a whole lot more, but more)



I'm contemplating on an L1 Compact to add to my arsenal, hence the comparison (i already own an S1).

OK



One last question: I believe the L1 Compact is a very dated model and is over-overdue for an upgrade ... should I wait for that or take the plunge? 

We are always confronted with this question. If you need something now, get it now. If you don't need something now, then it's probably better to wait. There's no point having gear that you won't use.



I'm primarily looking for a miniscule setup ... that sounds terrific & sets up very easily has a small footprint.

I already have over 20 15" cabs (jbl, rcf, ev, mackie, yamaha, etc.) but am looking at an audience of 50 to 60 (max 75 px) for DJ & Karaoke.

If you have an S1 Pro now and you're happy with the bass response, then adding another one will give you more flexibility.

Something small that i can port myself at my ripe old age of 58 without an additional overhead (someone to carry the gear for me).

So the question I'm arriving at probably is: two S1 Pros or one L1 Compact?

Sorry for the long-winded explanations ... 

For me:

If one S1 Pro will get the job done - it's easy. Take the S1 Pro.

For DJ and Karaoke (running mono)

If one S1 Pro isn't enough, and I have to take two S1 Pros with speaker stands to get the job done, I'll take my L1 Compact instead.  Unless I have to run on battery power.

The full carry weight of the L1 Compact is 30 pounds.

The full carry weight of two S1 Pros is 32 pounds plus the weight for two speaker stands.

When I tested two S1 Pros on speaker stands to one L1 Compact, I found the L1 Compact projected farther in every direction across its 180-degree horizontal dispersion than two S1 Pros.  This means reaching a larger audience with a single L1 Compact than two S1 Pros and there's better support for low-frequency material.

However, if you want to run stereo, two S1 Pros do that well.

Does that help?

I hope others will join the conversation.


ST

4

I’d like to hear more about what your performance context would be for the smaller setup you’re looking for.

If it’s thumping bass oriented DJ parties no matter how small, the S1s by itself probably won’t produce enough bass. Adding a sub woofer may help but then you’re expanding the setup complexity. For just party music, the S1s probably would be fine.

Without knowing more about your context, here’s another thought. The S1 is about half the cost of a L1 Compact so just get a second S1 and try it out. Also, you can run them in stereo using the Bose Connect app which you can’t do with a single L1C. I just like the idea of 2 S1s on speaker poles spread apart projecting some nice party music. ??

 

5
Prakash Wadhwani posted:

In your link the specs are:
The S1  :  62 Hz – 17 kHz /- 3dB
The L1C: 65 Hz – 14 kHz /- 3dB

Does that mean the S1 puts out a deeper bass than the L1C ??

Slightly yes.

Also ... 
The S1    SPL is rated as  103 dB / 109 dB peak
The L1C  SPL is rated as  106 dB / 112 dB peak

The L1C being 3db louder ... does that translate to twice the volume in loudness iirc? 

No, twice as loud 10dB more

So the question I'm arriving at probably is: two S1's or one L1 compact?

Sorry for the long-winded explanations ... 

I'd say 1 x L1 Compact, the S1 Pro does not handle 'real' bass instruments well at all.

6

If bass is a concern, I agree with Sam and I’ve heard many say similar things about the S1 lacking good thumping bass if that is your desired sound. 

7
CityFolk posted:

If bass is a concern, I agree with Sam and I’ve heard many say similar things about the S1 lacking good thumping bass if that is your desired sound. 

Yes, that's right @Cityfolk it's totally unreasonable to expect 'good thumping bass' out of a speaker the size of an S1*. There are certain psycho-acoustic tricks you can use both in the speaker and in the recording and mixing process to give the illusion of more bass but that thump in the gut feeling comes from moving a lot of air and the S1 simply can't do that.

* Well there are some specialised exceptions which seem to cheat the laws of physics to a point, my mate has a Phil Jones Briefcase, 100watts with two long throw 5" drivers and a battery option. It's 1000% better than the S1 Pro for bass guitar or EUB. It is around twice the price of an S1 though.

8

Well being a elder musician and still loving to play and went with the L1 and been very happy. Great footprint and run a four channel tonematch with all controls on mic stand. I use a Amplifi TT for guitar and a 10" Pad for everything. This gives me two trips to the truck and lots of compliments on my shows. I would like an upgraded L1 as it has been a rock system compared to the newer unit and there issues.  Just say'n  Play on 

9

I had both S1 pro and the L1 Compact, so, I could compare them side by side. My set up is BT's, Strat and KMS 105 for vocals running through the Tonematch 1. Although the S1 pro sounds really good it did fall short of the Compact....However I decided to swop the Compact and upgrade to the L1 S1 and the sound quality was a dramatic improvement. I still have the S1 Pro and use it for practice at home.

Tony