L1 Pro 16 "wobbly column" with the extension fitted

[TommyD33710]

The wobbly issue combined with the difficulty in pulling the pieces apart (you have to wiggle them and pull very hard to get them apart) will lead to the plastic fittings that merge and line up the array becoming weak over time and possible creating more wobble and even cracking/breaking.  I have the 16 and can definitely see the possibility of this happening

[joemusician]

I agree. For the price, these should inspire the same confidence in sturdiness. And if they do redo the extender, I hope they re-introduce the slot in the back that allows attaching the ToneMatch mixer on the column like  you can with the Model I and II. I've thought about moving to a Pro, but don’t want to give up this functionality (and don't understand why they would have removed it as if it wasn't important to more than a few of us).

[Dylan_R · Accepted solution]

Hi all,
 

We appreciate the feedback provided and have forwarded these details to our development team for further review/consideration.

The wobble experienced by some users is expected with any system that uses a similar array design. The Pro16 extensions are made of polypropylene plastic which has proven to have a high flexural strength and has passed all quality, reliability, and safety tests.

The wobble will not impact the performance of the system as the connections between the array, extender and Powerstand are very secure and would require a significant amount of force to damage. The L1 Pro16 meets the same horizontal force stability requirements, or tip testing requirements, that all our L1 legacy products, and current family of L1 Pro products meet. In addition, the electrical connectors used in the L1 Pro16 are the same that have been used on legacy L1 products, which have 17+ years of field usage and satisfactory performance.

As with any of our products, if you are experiencing any issues or are not satisfied with the performance of your product, please go to your regional support site to review the options available to you.

[EricB]

Thank you for the clarification.

I do feel that my Pro16 is reasonably well built and that a little wobble will not impact my speaker in any way. I had to use force to get my compact extensions apart. Never had a problem in 10 years and they are tight as ever.

Eric

[ScottCO]

I completely agree. I have an L1 Compact and was planning to upgrade to the Pro16 but now don't think I will based on the wobbly column. 

[Slam]

Wobble is there and it’s in most (if not every) unit, and it caused by the extender. 

[Anam710]

I really hope Bose will come out with a better sturdier metal extender that can be bought separately for those of us that have already purchased the pro 16s.

[stos2]

I just received my Pro16 this evening. Haven’t had time to put it thru the ringer but I was not too bothered by the wobbly column. It certainly would be nice if it didn’t wobble. It would just FEEL more solid. I would not let it stop me from buying it. It would take a lot to make the column come out or become disconnected. It’s not too much different than the Compact or Model2. 

[joemusician]

After testing a Pro16 myself, I don't find the wobble to be an issue. It may not feel sturdy when you manually wobble it with your hand, but simulate someone bumping into it and you'll see that the connections are tight and the column will definitely not separate with normal use, even with the accidental bump.