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| During 2021, I made a major relocation to a new job/new state
and I met up with a school musician friend who had actively
gigged there for years. When I was discussing whether to
bring my large PA with me, I was told I would not need it as
it will be too big for almost every venue. He was right. In
addition to that, I would not have had storage space for
devices that big in the house I bought when I relocated. Back in 1990 I acquired my first Bose 802 speaker with 802c controller for a keyboard monitor, which worked extremely well for years. At the same time I purchased two speaker stands and mounting bracket so I could suspend the 802 at ear level. The fidelity is close to the JBL Control 5 monitors I use in my studio, so I had confidence that the keyboard patches I was developing in the studio would sound darn close on stage and in the PA. They are a compact and lightweight speaker to cart to gigs. Eventually I acquired more 802s as I realized they could function well as vocal monitors. I found four white ones in a store that I had to buy - Bose made them in white (not painted) for the worship market. Most veteran FOH folks have never seen the white ones. I had the idea to arrange them in a "checkered flag" setup for the glamour picture on the right (no I do not operate them stacked that high!). The 802s are loaded with eight 4-1/2in drivers with heavy duty 12oz magnets designed for high power handling, with cloth-impregnated surrounds on the cones. The cloth-impregnated surrounds were first introduced with the "Series II" speakers which are the only ones I buy. The previous 802 model did not have cloth-impregnated surrounds and they suffered from rotting with age, ruining the driver. The "Series II" and newer models last a long time. The enclosure is a strong polymer structure. The drivers are "full range" 50hz to 16Khz; while they don't produce low frequencies very well, they were adequate for monitors. 802s come with a lid with latches to protect the drivers during transit. About ten years after my first 802 speaker, I had assembled a pretty good sounding PA system consisting of a pair of JBL SF25 tops (later rebadged JRX-125 to resolve a trademark dispute) and four EV S-181 subwoofers. But it was too big for some venues. A smaller system of 802s would be better fit, but 802s alone do not make much of a PA system. So I did some research on the companion Bose 302 subwoofer. I heard a 802/302 system at a carnival and decided they would suffice, so I bought a pair of 302 "Series II" subwoofers that I found in a classified ad. The 802 and 302 comprised a decent sounding PA system for a small to medium size venue, but they won't project well enough for a long hall or outdoors (despite pictures of them used outdoors, forget it). They are part of the professional products line of Bose speakers and they handle the rigors of the road quite well. The 302 subwoofers are constructed from two glued layers of MDF high density impregnated resin board to stiffen the all the panels and reflect maximum sound pressure out the front (do they ever). I was surprised to find that each 302 subwoofer only contains two 12in speakers, but these things can pump bass. A lot of its success as a low frequency radiator is due to its cabinet and port design. It does the job for a compact box, but these are heavy (115lb). Many owners mount wheels on the bottom, but this defeats the bass response in that the cabinet is no longer coupled to the floor which allows low frequencies to radiate. The 802/302 system is modular - you can use anywhere from a single 802 to a stacked pair (the enclosures have integrated feet/slots for lining them up) to stereo single/stacked to subwoofer with single or dual 802s. The lid doubles as a monitor stand in that the feet rest on the edges of the lid to angle the 802 like a floor monitor. Show me anyone who scorns Bose 802s as "all highs no lows, must be Bose" and I'll show you someone who has used them without the 802c controller. I did try my 802 once without the controller and yes it sounded like sh!t. The controller is an essential element to the Bose 802/302 in that it processes the signal for optimal reproduction in the speaker. There is no way they sound good without it. An EQ is not a replacement for the controller. The controller also functions as a system control with whatever 802s and 302s are in your system - when you plug cables to the power amps driving the speakers, the controller automatically switches in a crossover and appropriate processing for a two way PA system with 802s and 302s. The controller has switches for low cut and high cut, for vocal monitor applications. With that in mind, I acquired enough controllers for the amplifier racks that I designed for the Bose PA system. I packed a QSC RMX1850 power amp and a Bose controller in the same rack, and designed an I/O panel with a cooling fan. I never needed the fan yet. Bose offered a rack mount kit for the controller, sometimes these can be found online. The RMX1850 rating of 600 watts into a 4ohm load was selected for optimal 240 watts continuous power match for each 802 speaker (a pair of 802s is a 4ohm load with 480 watt rating), and 600 watts continuous power for each 4ohm 302 subwoofer. These puppies can get loud. The controller processing results in a big midrange dip in the output so you need to make up the loss with a hefty amplifier. When I set up a Bose PA stack, I place the amplifier rack on top of the 302 subwoofer, then stack a pair of 802s on top of the amp rack - placing the 802s at ear level to the audience. If you're going to build a stack like this, the 802s should be braced to prevent them from being knocked over by any excited audience members. The rear of each 802 has threaded inserts for accepting braces; I simply bought some aluminum channel stock from a hardware store and made my own. The bolts should be M8x1.25 threading, length such that the bolt extends no longer than 10mm into the enclosure. I needed an EQ for my large PA, but no EQ is needed for this Bose system. Cabling is simple - I run FOH left/right from the mixer to the amplifier rack, then cables from the amp rack to the speakers. Simple and fast. While I gave up the large PA system, I did keep the 802/302 system. Another device I can use to drive my 802 as a keyboard monitor is my Moog Synamp which is one of the first integrated mixer/power amps designed for keyboards. I also included the controller with the Synamp in the same rack. I even found some surplus cases with wheels at a music store that happened to fit a pair of 802s, so they can be rolled out of the van to the stage with ease. They also double as a dolly for the 302 subwoofers and the amplifier racks. These Bose products have served me well since 1990. Yes there are active speakers today that sound as good, but I don't have any compelling reason to replace the Bose speakers and I'm not a subscriber to the "upgrade treadmill". If they have functioned well for over thirty years, I should expect more life from them. Well worth the money. |
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