“The sound quality, the ease of use and the features are fantastic,” Menn says of the slim-design system
Bose recently introduced three “new generation” iterations of its game-changing L1 portable PA system – the L1 Pro8, L1 Pro16 and the L1 Pro32 – each of which come with a choice of two powered bass (subwoofer) modules and address specific power needs from musicians to DJs.
Each model has been completely redesigned from the ground up with advanced functionality, app control (via Bose’s L1 Mix app) and Bluetooth connectivity, and streamlined for easy transport.
We recently had Tech Editor Paul Riario take the L1 Pro16 for a spin, and he had such a great experience that we decided to hook up Zepparella guitarist Gretchen Men with the L1 Pro32 for a test run.
The L1 Pro32 offers 180-degree horizontal coverage and the most focused vertical coverage pattern and highest SPL over distance in an L1 ever, for intricate sonic detail, clarity and consistency.
(Image credit: Bose)
The system boasts Bose’s Sub2 Powered Bass Module, as well as a slim design, 10" x 18" high-excursion neodymium RaceTrack driver and built-in mixer. What’s more, pairing with the intuitive L1 Mix app allows for complete wireless mixer control from a smartphone or tablet.
Best of all, it’s supremely easy to set up and use. Just ask Gretchen, who admits, “I have never owned a PA, I have never been responsible for a PA and I really don’t know anything about how they operate.”
She continues, “I was honestly a little intimidated to do this demo because of that inexperience. But then it occurred to me that I would actually be able to speak to the PA’s ease of use from the perspective of a PA novice.”
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Gretchen’s first impressions of the L1 Pro32?
“It was very manageable in terms of lugging around,” she says. “The heaviest item was the sub, which was still lighter than most of my 1x12 combo amps, and the whole thing was very compact.”
(Image credit: Bose)
She goes on to demonstrate how easy the L1 Pro32 is to set up, completing everything in less than 10 minutes the time out of the box.
“Having set it up twice now it takes only about three minutes to have everything out of the cases and set up and ready to go,” she says.
In addition to being easy, portable and light, standout features, according to Gretchen, include the fact that the system only requires a single electrical outlet, which, she says, “I think anybody who’s ever played a gig can appreciate how important that is.”
She continues that “everything is controllable wirelessly through the app so you can actually be walking around the room and making adjustments.”
Finally, the L1 Pro32 “allows you save scenes. So when you get a sound you really like and it’s tuned for the room and all of your setup, you can save that. So when you play the same gig again you go right back to what you liked.”
Gretchen’s final verdict?
“I have to say I’m really impressed with how great this sounds,” she says of the L1 Pro32, “especially under far-from-ideal circumstances” – her carpeted living room. “I’m really excited to hear it at a proper venue.”
She continues, “This was way less intimidating that what I thought, and the sound quality, the ease of use and the features are fantastic.”
To hear for yourself, check out Gretchen playing Led Zeppelin’s Bron-Yr-Aur in a solo acoustic performance, and then The Rain Song in a duet with electric guitarist Daniele Gottardo.
And for more information on the L1 Pro32, head to Bose.
Rich is the co-author of the best-selling Nöthin' But a Good Time: The Uncensored History of the '80s Hard Rock Explosion. He is also a recording and performing musician, and a former editor of Guitar World magazine and executive editor of Guitar Aficionado magazine. He has authored several additional books, among them Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck, the companion to the documentary of the same name.
