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

Product Information

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? 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 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. 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.

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. The final ‘row’ on the mixer is an output section. Although the Bose L1 Pro8 ships with a pretty nice subwoofer already, you may hanker for even more low end grunt. If this is you, an XLR line output enables you to connect to an additional Bose Sub1/Sub2/bass module to extend those low frequencies even further.

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)

Once you hook up the L1 Pro 8 with the app, this is where things get really good. When you fire up the app, you’ll see it’s an exact replica of what’s on the mixer section on the unit itself. But this is only the tip of the iceberg. There are two ways of accessing Bose’s full ToneMatch library. And there you go. Tap on Shure SM58 and you’ll access Bose’s optimal EQ settings for a Shure SM58 dynamic microphone.

Straight off the bat, we should point out that channels 1&2 are for instruments and microphones while channel 3 features controls for Bluetooth pairing and line level audio inputs for stuff like external audio sources or even synths. Top to bottom Moving down the panel, next up are mute buttons for all three channels. Pretty self-explanatory. Then, on channels 1&2 only, we have ToneMatch, which essentially is where you select the input source. Connectivity This is what you’ll see. In the ToneMatch section. It affects channels 1 and 2 but let’s tap on Channel 1. As we’ve mentioned elsewhere in this Bose L1 Pro 8 review, it also makes a great home hi-fi system. 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.

Instead, line arrays are vertically oriented; you have just one single ‘tower’ comprising a woofer at the base and mid-range/high frequency speakers at the top of the array. Moving swiftly down the mixer controls – next, on channels 1&2 we have phantom power. This is a really welcome – and frankly quite rare – inclusion because it means you can plug in condenser microphones without having to worry about finding the necessary juice to power them. This is a selectable via and on/off switch and when engaged provides 48V of power to channels 1&2. 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. OK, working from top to bottom on the mixer section – first we have illuminated rotary encoders on channels 1, 2 and 3. On 1&2, the encoders control volume, treble, bass and reverb. On channel 3, it’s volume, treble and bass. In its simplest form, ToneMatch is available on the front panel of the mixer. As we’ve already seen, you can select between ‘Mic’ ‘Inst’ and ‘Off’ which automatically sets optimum EQ settings for the mic/instrument you’re using.

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.