Bose 840919-2100 L1 Pro8 - Portable PA System, Portable Line Array Speaker

Product Information

This is what you’ll see. In the ToneMatch section. It affects channels 1 and 2 but let’s tap on Channel 1. And with the intuitive L1 Mix app, you get complete wireless mixer control from your smartphone or tablet too. As we’ve mentioned the Bose L1 Pro8 is the ‘baby’ in a family of three. It is the least powerful but that also makes it a marvellously portable pa. In terms of features, all three models are practically identical. We’ll get onto the specification of the L1 Pro8 a little later, but Bose negates this issue via the incorporation of a C-shaped line array with eight articulated 2” neodymium drivers, delivering 180 degree horizontal coverage with wide 40 degree vertical dispersion. A connected woofer provides all the bottom end. Bose equipment across the board is renowned for its sound quality and in the L1 Pro8 they’ve managed to successfully combine true portability with easy set up and excellent sonic performance.

Alongside the phantom power switch on channel 3 is the System EQ section. As the name suggests, these settings are global and affect the entire output of the PA system, providing three optimized EQ presets for live music, recorded music (from your device or DJ work) and speech (yes the Bose L1 Pro 8 is perfect for podium style public speaking). Alternatively, turn it off. More bass anyone? The jewel in the crown here however is that the mixer is accessible and controllable remotely via an app. We’ll get onto that later as part of this comprehensive Bose L1 Pro 8 review. We’ll emphasise that these mixers are optional but they are designed to work with Bose PA systems. If you need extra functionality for your L1 Pro system, these are the way to go.

This neat little app has two basic uses and it connects to your L1 Pro 8 via Bluetooth. Simply press and hold the Bluetooth button on the L1 Pro 8 until it starts flashing, then connect it to your device. Assembled, the overall height of the L1 Pro 8 is 78.7” (2m) but the array extension spacer section is totally removable. In many situations, unless you absolutely have to have a mic’d up guitar amp sound, or use an amp modeller (yes you can connect a modeller to the L1 Pro 8) these sound quite acceptable even the high gain variants.

Bose’s algorithms here are very usable and do a good job of enhancing your tone. There’s no rules here – experiment – and you can develop your own customized settings and save them as ‘scenes’ for instant recall. These can also be shared to different L1 systems. In terms of carrying bags you get with the L1 Pro 8: well you DO get a travel bag to house the line array components; you DON’T get anything for the subwoofer/mixer base unit. There is a convenient carrying handle located on the top of the unit though. Buying musical gear is all about making informed choices. We hope this Bose L1 Pro 8 review enables you to do just that! It works on a multitude of microphones, acoustic and electric guitars, basses and keyboards. You simply choose the closest approximation to your own instrument/mic and that dials up the appropriate EQ profile.The L1 Pro8 gives singer-songwriters and DJs both setup simplicity and supreme clarity—the power to sound your best and simply perform. Simply make your choice – and those settings are remotely sent, via the app, to the L1 Pro 8 in real-time. Now not every product from every brand is available here but you should be able to get pretty close. We were impressed by the simplicity of the app and how useful it is. Just make sure when you plug a mic in, that you select ‘mic’ for the ToneMatch option and ‘inst’ for a guitar or similar. You can turn this functionality off. Bluetooth But this is only the tip of the iceberg. There are two ways of accessing Bose’s full ToneMatch library.

Mega portable: just 78.9 x 12.5 x 17.3” (200.5 x 31.8 x 44cm) HxWxD and weighing in at a paltry 38.2lbs (17.3kg) As we’ve mentioned elsewhere in this Bose L1 Pro 8 review, it also makes a great home hi-fi system.The Bose L1 Pro8 is ready whenever you are, enabling easier load-in and faster setup. It offers generous coverage with a C-shaped line array featuring 8 articulated 5.1 cm neodymium drivers. This array delivers 180-degree horizontal coverage with wide vertical dispersion, allowing your audience to hear clearly whether they are seated or standing, even off to the extreme sides in small to medium venues like coffee shops and cafés. Inputs 1&2 feature combo XLR/1/4” connections to accept instruments and microphones. Just plug in, select ‘mic’ or ‘inst’ and you’re away. Bear in mind that essentially these are EQ presets only. In terms of what you’re plugging into the inputs, the L1 Pro 8 knows the difference between instruments and microphones and adjusts levels automatically. ToneMatch is basically a library of preset EQ settings provided by Bose to suit just about any environment and enhance any instrument/microphone you’re using. It’s actually really cool and one of the standout features on all Bose L1 systems.