What little expertise I have is home audio reproduction, speaker design
and construction, and some recording engineering experience. As a
working musician, I've schlepped and run PAs for many years, but never
really enjoyed the PA aspect of sound so I never pursued any real "high
end" gear... Crown amps, Mackie mixers, Yamaha cabinets, etc. made up
the stuff in my stable.

I'm currently working with a singer who wants to buy a small, easily
portable PA system, and she's looking at the Bose system so much in
favor among coffee-house performers these days. I do not like Bose home
audio offerings for a bajillion reasons, and I don't like the sound of
their PA stuff either, but I don't want to color her choice with my
preconceived distaste for Bose products.

Is there a similarly portable system out there for the same or less
money, that sounds better and has similar capabilities in terms of room
coverage? I would be very grateful for any recommendations... including
"That BOSE system really IS very good for what she wants, and it IS the
best choice." I can live with that if it's true.

Thanks!

On 4/29/2021 6:42 PM, Barry wrote:
> I'm currently working with a singer who wants to buy a small, easily
> portable PA system, and she's looking at the Bose system so much in
> favor among coffee-house performers these days.  I do not like Bose home
> audio offerings for a bajillion reasons, and I don't like the sound of
> their PA stuff either, but I don't want to color her choice with my
> preconceived distaste for Bose products.
>
> Is there a similarly portable system out there for the same or less
> money, that sounds better and has similar capabilities in terms of room
> coverage?

This is a very well covered field - there are dozens of portable and
easy-to-use PA systems from the usual reputable manufacturers - Yamaha,
EV, Fishman, JBL, Mackie, QSC, Fender

Are you looking for the "single pole" sort of thing that Bose made
popular? Or perhaps the more traditional "speakers on a stick" with a
built-in or external mixer?

Browse a few web sites - https://www.fullcompass.com/
https://www.sweetwater.com/ https://www.guitarcenter.com/

Get an idea of what's out there and what they cost. It'll be hard to get
a recommendation for the best, they're all OK. Look at setup and
operating convenience, weight, and consider if two inputs (mic and
instrument) will be sufficient - lots of powered speakers have a simple
mixer built in so there are no cables involved except to plug in power
and mics.

--
For a good time, call http://mikeriversaudio.wordpress.com

In article <s6fcpf$8pl$1@dont-email.me>, Barry <musechsr@example.net> wrote:
>
>Is there a similarly portable system out there for the same or less
>money, that sounds better and has similar capabilities in terms of room
>coverage? I would be very grateful for any recommendations... including
>"That BOSE system really IS very good for what she wants, and it IS the
>best choice." I can live with that if it's true.

No. Bose is an interesting company that goes out of their way to make
stuff that isn't like anything else.

Whereas a normal PA system has independent mains and monitors and the
attempt is to eliminate leakage on stage, the whole point of the Bose
system is that the pattern is very wide and there's a lot of stage leakage.
So no monitors are needed but gain before feedback can be problematic even
with the automatic notch filters.

The Bose system can be a win at low levels for something like a singer-
songwriter. It's a win in places where the wide pattern isn't going to
make a mess, like outdoors. It's a huge problem in live rooms and it's
no fun in long skinny rooms. It will fall apart if there is any drummer.

She should rent one and try it out. If there's nobody operating PA and
the rooms are generally inoffensive and the levels are low, it might be
a win. It is kind of a pain to load and strike, though.

What is she playing and where?
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."