Bose 802-III
These are the best I have found for my huge orchestrated tracks or live use with vocals.
Smooth and no dead spots in response. The L1 model II has great coverage but does not sound as good as these with a QSC PLX 1104 amp and Bose SP-24 controller.
Plus you would need 2 L1 systems to get any type of stereo effect.
At a cost of $5000 no thanks. I bought NOS for a fraction of that.

I've been playing music for 45 years. I'm a solo acoustic guitarist. I've used Peavy, JBL, and various other systems. Always looking for that ideal "sound" that the speakers should have. Through various combinations of equipment, I have found that the Bose 802 Series II are the closest. I have two speakers and use them in stereo with a Berhinger amp and a Mackie Board, and the accompanying EQ box that has no controls on it.
I use them in small, intimate settings like a winery tasting room, and also in large, outdoor areas like a huge Farmer's Market. Turned almost half-way up, they can be heard very well almost 5 blocks away. I bought these used, and have been using them for about 10 years. I get many compliments on the sound, and I have absolutely nothing bad to say about them.

Hi guys,

Since many of you have used these speakers in perhaps a variety of setups.. I am asking for your much needed help.

I have 4 x Bose 802 Series II only. I would love to power them and get the best from their usage. I intend to use them in my living room mainly for karaoke and if good enough to listen to music with them.. maybe even for movies too if that could be done.

As for the controller, I heard that the Panaray Digital System Controller can not be used with the Series II, only with the Series III - is this true?

If I cant use the Panaray, will the old controller be just as good? I also dont have any cables / wires.

What else would I need to set it up for my inteneded use? I have no experience with equipment so details would help very much.

Thank you and very much appreciated.

I have been a professional sound consultant, system designer and integrator since the late 70's. I have used 802's sucessfully in probably 100 venues, from air shows where 8 each 802's spread out over a quarter mile flight line fed intelligible sound to 100,000 people, and when I watched the evening news telecast, the reporter was doing interviews from the front gate of the airbase, over a mile away and you could hear the Bose 802, clear, and intelligibly! Even the Blue Angels were impressed. On the other extreme I tacked a 3000 seat domed church worship center, alone an acoustical nightmare. With with some intelligent acoustic baffles that I had designed, 4 arrayed Bose 802 pairs with 2 Bose 502 subs, were able to perform an amazng flat 20hz-15khz within 1 db across the entire room! Rich, sweet, strong vocals, and the professional percussionist said it was the tightest bass he had ever heard!

I have heard all the naysayers about the Bose 802 array speakers. I also have witnessed many unsatisfied users who discarded the true beauty of these speakers. I ran into many who used graphic equalizers instead of the absolutely necessary 802 EQ as Bose use to call it before they redefined it as a "controller" The controller is the heart of the system.

If you never had satisfactory results let me challenge you to do the following. Never connect a graphic eq in the chain with an 802. Instead use a quality Feedback exterminator such as a Sabine, along with the Bose controller. It keeps the signal chain clean and harmonically transparent and you will get more control and sonic power . It makes all the difference. Not getting enough sound! Stack them! 2-3-4 high!

No doubt Bose excels in vocal intelligibility. At a new worship facility grand opening, after much wrestling to get my design accepted, the minister asked to meet me after the opening service where he commended me saying." Our largest benefactor, who had hardly darkened the church doors for years said he would be coming back, all due to the fact that he could hear the message clearly, without the sound system rattling his hearing aid!

Yes there are some great speakers out there, but the 802 has its place if and only if they are set up correctly! Naysayers just never heard an 802 set up correctly!

I have used the 802's only when they have been supplied and could'nt for whatever reason use other speakers. If they were so great why do most Pa hire companies shy away from them? I think people who swear by them may not have heard "real" pa systems and are using the 802"s for vocals and instruments which do not require serious volume and clarity. I don't have any "beef with bose its just that there are better speakers for the same money, JBL,EV RCF etc. In short "no highs no lows thats bose"

I've been using my Bose 802's for over 15 years and they always sound great. My typical use - electric piano (CP300) and a Shure SM58 mic if I'm working with a singer. I always get compliments on the sound and usually run a CD through it on breaks; I can hear for myself just how good it sounds.

I admit there was a problem years ago with the wiring of the XLR outputs. I use 1/4 inch jacks which add slightly more noise (than using XLR) but on a job you'll be hard pressed to hear a difference.

Before I bought those 802's for myself I had used them for almost 20 years in the military. (I was a musician in the military for 20 years.) We abused those speakers and they never let us down. (We would play bowling for Bose and slide them on hardwood floors to save carrying them to the stage. Of course, we did that when the officer's weren't looking.) I can recall only one time when one driver had to be replaced. They are not efficient speakers but with a powerful amp they really sound great. (I use a QSC PLX1804.)

If you are playing in a large hall (following the owner's manual from Bose), place the speakers next to each other (instead of stage left and stage right) and you'll achieve better coverage. For the longest time I would place the speakers, one on my left and one on my right. I now place them behind me and above me and angled slightly away from each other and they sound great. I should have read the owner's manual more carefully when I first bought them.

My counter to all the so-called negative press regarding Bose - how come I never (or very rarely) see any used 802's for sale? While it is tempting to buy the Series III, my Series II's have held up well for over 15 years.

I still get a kick from the design of the case. There is no need whatsoever to buy a flight case for these speakers. My speakers have been dropped a few times and there might be a scratch or nick in the plastic case, but they still look excellent.

If I had to do this all over again, I'd still buy the 802's.

I love the 802's...thus I am looking for two. E-mail if you're looking to sell. Obviously I am looking for 802's which have been properly used and are in good work condition.

Geoff

I have been using these awesome speakers (4) for about a year now for karaoke and DJ'ing along with a pair of 502BP's. They are awesome for karaoke. The clarity and dispersion is fantastic. For music, though. even with the 2 subs the bass wont knock your eyes out of there sockets, but close. They play very very loud with absolutely no distortion. I just wish the subs had more UMPH, I am adding 2 more... then maybe I can make everybody go blind, and/or deaf. They do suck up a lot of power. I am pushing the four 802's with a Mackie FRS2600 and the 2 502 subs with only a Mackie FR1400. Maybe this is why the bass isn't as loud as I was hoping for. They do suck without the Bose Equalizer. This is NOT a "BOSE" Home entertainment system which costs about two hundred times what it is worth and is not that good, so pls do not compare it to any of those products.

the system sounds fantastic in a good room, but as uk readers will appreciate they are often required to fill odd shaped venues, pubs, and this system with X-tra speaker stands is superbly versatile.
also as pointed out by some of your reviewers the controller is a preset eq/comp/lim all in one box. Combined with the parametric eq output of the Allen&Heath desc this works beautifully for a good quick set up, essential for pub or small venue (up to 1000) quite big really.
with the soundcraft desc it goes through a stereo graphic eq, takes longer to set.
with the Seck desc it goes through a BBE sound enhancer,which makes for a beautifully clear sound with plenty of bass.
Overall i can rarely get the sound engineers at many of the UK's smaller venues, 1 Leceister sq London, the Cavern Liverpool, Manchester's Night & Day, and many others, good venues all of them, to get the level of vocal clarity, with lead guitar also high in the mix with plenty bass, drums etc., that is obtained with the bose system.
With bose, possibly due to the total number of individual drivers, more of the performance can be heard clearer. 'NUFF SAID! You like that ? Your choice!

last year i was using an old peavey 1.3K probably one of the best beefy bass power amps of it's era which had a problem, transistors on one channel cascading down to one large thump from one of the bins, leading to 2 new spkrs. I also had a problem with 2x 802 drivers, very expensive to replace, unlike one reviewer who buys his for $9 ,(*!?TOSSER), I had to pay £80 (nearly$160) , so no wonder some reviews are unfairly bad if some people over the sea use 'crap' parts. also the 302 bins are DIFFICULT to move alone!

£2250 Speakers only price above .
Before saying anything else, i think all UK pub venues should be ashamed of the pittance they pay to live musicians,no matter the versatility of a DJ , and having worked as a dj alongside bands i can only point out that without bands what would a dj do? pull your fingers out, and join the campaign to pay musicians better( Eire has tax free states,doesn't it).
Having for many years been associated with sound, either as rodie,dj,sound eng for bands, in a semi-pro possition, since the mid 60', i have used many differing systems from 'Selmer" 4x10" column speakers containing 4 'Elac' 15 watt speakers, through ,Wem Concert Systems (as used by Pink Floyd in their early 70,s 'Live in Pompeii ') through to modern systems fitted in band venues throughout the uk.
I use my own system 8x802+2x302, currently powered by 2xEccler 1400 and 1x peavey 2600.
i can confirm they are really good at chewing up the cheaper amps of 500wpc and less, and am currently looking for a bose 1800 amp to power the 302 cabs.
One day,when i can afford!

Similar Products Used:

also have JBL eon pa consisting of 2xEon 15" powered and 4xEon 10"powered.
these are sometimes used instead of the Bose, but when using the bose these make a great monitor system.
also have 4x peavey subs and 4x 12"+horn, lets say no more about them, but they are good for the money.
have used mackie's, love the little desks, but find anything less than the 2x15+horn
a bit light on bass without a sub, the "Cheepo" range of JBL 2x15+horn (a VERY BIG MISTAKE) spend most of the night with a very disturbing glow lighting the cabinets from inside!!!! i thought only skytronik and soundlab did that!
Dynachord, if i could afford, i may seriously consider a new system of theirs, they do sound just fantastic, in the price range of Bose, in my humble opinion,they might just do it for me.

compact, liteweight, multiple speaker array, uses same stand cup size as my other 15" 2-ways, look shard mounted over my subs

Costly if purchase new, none other known as of yet

Used them 3 times in less than a week . . . I run a DJ/Karaoke business on weekends

I picked these up on a test drive from a friend. So far, with some pre-knowledge of Bose's inherent bass weaknesses, with the aid of a pair of 18" Wharfedale LX-1 subs, a Crown CE4000 and dbx DriveRack PA they sound pretty darn good.

In the past I've run 8 speakers through 2 seperate Crown amps. I mounted the Bose 802's as satellites over the subs. They sound better mounted up high as I've discoverd that stacked floor speakers tend to send the sound into the crowd and it gets get muffled. Now I'm throwing the signal over their heads.

I might never use my SP-2 Black Widows ever again.

Also plan on borrowing an RTA and "dialing in" the 802's thru the DriveRack. Currently using mixer EQ.

Similar Products Used:

Peavey, CGM, Wharfedale