Any keyboard player considering buying a single Bose L1 and wanting a great piano sound might be interested in my experience.

A few weeks ago I posted that I was unhappy with the quality of the piano sounds from my Yamaha CP33 using a single Bose L1 Compact. Every other sound source sounded great. I did a lot a research and came to the conclusion that there is no way to preserve the great Yamaha piano sound through a single speaker because the piano is recorded (if that's the right word) through left and right channels and summing to mono always results in some phase cancellation which makes the piano sound very "cheezy" Other instruments are basically already mono therefore summing to mono doesn't degrade the sound. Using my CP33's mono piano patch or the left/mono output didn't solve the problem. From what I have read things are no different with other keyboards. In effect these keyboard "stereo piano" patches don't represent real instruments because the only way to hear them properly is through headphones or stereo speakers.

Many people on the Bose forum told me that using two Compacts and keeping the piano channels separate was the answer. I was a bit skeptical at first, not only because that was another $1000 but also several other non-Bose owners told me that not only would the stereo effect be lost on most of the audience but the piano would sound even worse to any one sitting a long way off center. This may be true for conventional speakers but Bose claims 180deg sound spread from each L1, which makes all the difference. In any case I was trying to improve sound quality, rather than create a stereo effect.

The salesman in Guitar Center made me an offer I couldn't refuse. He said that if I bought another Compact and was not satisfied that it improved the piano sound he offered to take it back PLUS the first one I had bought 4 months earlier. I took the plunge and wow what a difference! Using the two Compacts the pianos now sound the same as on my phones or through my two studio monitors. It doesn't matter how far apart I place the Compacts, even when I place them right next to each other there is still a big improvement. I did a series of tests with one and two Compacts and the improvement can be heard all round the room although it is less further away from the speakers. In any case, the improvement is worth it because the better I sound to me, the better I play. I will not be returning the second Compact.

If I had known about this problem of piano sound quality using a single speaker I would probably never have bought Bose because I would have baulked at spending $2000. Perhaps separating the piano channels to two conventional speakers works just as well but I haven't got the equipment to do a test. Maybe someone else does this?

I know many people say they are satisfied with the piano sound from their single Bose and I am happy for them. However, to my ears, it's just not good enough and I suggest that prospective buyers, who want the best piano sound do lots of auditioning before buying a single Bose.

Tony