Is the Bose L1 mono or stereo?
All of the Bose L1 systems can accept a STEREO input, but as they are designed to be used as a singular stand-alone sound system, they output everything in MONO.
If you run a stereo input from any stereo source such as a phone, laptop, or DJ mixer, you can either run a “stereo cable”, or run left into ch1 and right into ch2.
But the L1 Pro will sum or “combine” all of the inputs and make a single mono output.
For those used to using traditional speakers on stand setups, it can seem odd or completely foreign to not be using “stereo”.
But here’s the thing – your audience doesn’t care. More importantly, they won’t be able to tell.
Here’s why:
Part 1 – the original audio: To generate true stereo sound, you need a different signal or tone or sound in the left compared to the right. Live bands are generally mono because the guitar or drums or singer can’t play and split their output to supply a slightly different sound in each channel. Even with two speakers, it’s the exact same sound in each one.
If the live band’s sound engineer was to be fancy with the mixer and put all the vocals on the right speaker and the guitar on the left unless your audience is dead centre of the stage/room/between the speakers, they will not be able to hear the other channel. They will be missing out on the vocals, or even worse – the guitar!
As a side note, there are ways for band audio engineers to run “stereo” audio at a live show. This usually involves utilising a number of large stacks or arrays, at least four. The two stacks on at stage left would actually be left and right audio, one channel in each stack, and on stage right, the same again – two stacks, left in one, right in the other. Arguably this isn’t so the audience thinks they’re hearing stereo, but so that they don’t miss any part of the audio no matter where they’re standing. It’s incredibly complicated and often involves high-end line array systems worth tens of thousands each.
Part 2 – recorded material, ie DJs: Even if the original recording is stereo, your audience will have to be dead centre between the left and right speaker in order to hear true stereo. If they are on the right of the room, they probably won’t hear everything coming from the left. While the output would be stereo, the audience won’t HEAR stereo.
All that aside, the Bose L1 systems are designed to be easily used singularly. Due to the 180 degrees of sound dispersion, in many venues or scenarios, you only need one anyway. The sound to the left or right or straight out in front is the same so no matter where your audience is dancing, listening, or stumbling, they hear everything.
Does the L1 Pro Have Bluetooth?
Yes, the L1 Pro32 has Bluetooth.
You can play audio from any Bluetooth device such as a tablet or laptop, phone, or other Bluetooth-enabled playback source.
You can also use the Bose Music App via Bluetooth to connect to multiple L1 Pro or S1 Pro systems and control the audio using Tonematch settings, EQ, reverb, and individual channel volumes.
Download the Bose Music app for iOS or Android here.
How To Pair the L1 Pro32 Bluetooth
- Press and hold the Bluetooth button on the L1 Pro until it flashes blue.
- Open the Bluetooth settings on your mobile device and pair with the device that should have the name that you chose during the initial Bluetooth setup.
- After it has successfully paired, the Bluetooth LED on the L1 Pro will turn white.
How many watts is the Bose L1 Pro16?
According to Bose, the L1 Pro16 is rated at 1250 watts shared across the system with 250 watts into the 16 little driver speakers in the top array, and 1000 watts for the big racetrack subwoofer down below.
Many resources suggest that makes the L1 Pro16 “big enough for up to 250 people”.
But watts is only a number that probably doesn’t help you in a room full of guests, and SPL is a more useful measurement.
The Bose L1 Pro16 has a peak SPL of 124 dB and a continuous SPL of 118 dB.
The peak SPL is the maximum volume that the speaker can output, while the continuous SPL is the volume that the speaker can output for extended periods of time without distorting. Ideally “continuous SPL” is your friend.
Peak or maximum SPL is like driving your car with the rev counter at 8000 RPM. Sure, the car can still drive but it doesn’t sound good and makes the trip uncomfortable.
It’s the same with SPL or volume, you want to aim for a sound that is as loud as necessary without “redlining the rev counter” or getting close to 8000rpm.
Bose themselves say the L1 Pro16 is “the sweet spot”. From a price and size perspective, it sits between the Pro8 and the Pro32, but it also has power, dispersion, and decent throw from the array.
Ultimately, the best way to determine how loud a speaker will sound is to listen to it in person. If you’re in the Greater Waikato, Auckland or Whangarei districts and haven’t heard the L1 Pro series in the real worl – outside of a retail store, let’s talk and arrange a live demo. Nothing beats trying it out at your next event, in your venue, your practice room, whatever will give you a true representation of how the L1 Pro range will suit you.
The famous AV magazine “CX”, based in Australia, took a new Bose L1 Pro16 out for a good thrashing.
Setup of the system really couldn’t be much simpler: plonk the sub on the floor, then place the array section (plus or minus the extender part) into the keyed receptacle on top. Turn on the power, plug in your mic, and turn it up. Job done. It literally takes less than a minute, which makes this super appealing for anyone needing to get into a space and set up quickly.
Read their full review here
