Opinion of Maui5

[rononeil]

Just wondering how many of you have the LD Systems Maui 5's. I know Don Mason likes them better than the Bose L1 Compacts. I also know Gary Diamond has good things to say about them. Sometimes I play clubs where I need a little more power than my Bose Compacts can provide. Just would like some more input from others on the Forum before I spend the big bucks. Thanks, Ron

[DonM]

The Maui 5s seem to be a LITTLE more powerful than the Bose Compacts, but not much.  They do have deeper bass response, and e.q. on board, so that will help.
The Maui 11's will handle much larger venues than either the Compacts or the 5s.
Of course they cost a little more, but you're worth it!! 

[rononeil]

Thanks Don, The Maui's only have 120 degree dispersion as compared to the Bose 180, do you notice this to be a problem. I like the deeper bass, this is important when you get the younger crowd and need some extra punch. I'm glad you think I'm worth the additional price of the 11's, not sure the wife does. Just kidding, she doesn't care. She always says if you can afford it buy it your not getting any younger. Ron

[DonM]

Thanks Don, The Maui's only have 120 degree dispersion as compared to the Bose 180, do you notice this to be a problem. I like the deeper bass, this is important when you get the younger crowd and need some extra punch. I'm glad you think I'm worth the additional price of the 11's, not sure the wife does. Just kidding, she doesn't care. She always says if you can afford it buy it your not getting any younger. Ron

Yes, my wife just looks at me with that funny look and says "what did you get now?"
I haven't noticed that the dispersion angle made any difference.  I have people sitting five feet from the speakers and others sitting at the back of the room and they all tell me it sounds great.  I watch them from time to time to see if they can hear each other talk up close, and if they are straining to hear the music in the back.  Never a problem.
I had a musician come in the other night and tell me the bass was a little loud, so I rolled it back a little.  Then a couple of others asked me where the bass was?  You can't please 'em all!    I am on a wooden bandstand and in fairly close quarters, so placement of the subs is even more important than it normally would be.  If you put one in the corner against the wall you can shake the windows! 
I started using a shock mount mic holder to eliminate any rumble from the mic and that was a good step. . . always learning! 
Bear in mind I have the two Maui 5s, about three feet from me, behind and angling across each other, one in my left ear and the other in the right.  You will only hear stereo on the dance floor, but still get great sound everywhere and the effects work as designed (stereo).  When the sound is summed to one speaker you DO lose some of the instrument effects designed by the maker, such as panning.  This seems to be particularly true with Yamaha arrangers.  They are made to be reproduced in stereo.
Yes there are workarounds, but in my mind they all come with compromises of some sort.
The Maui 11s are more comparable to the bigger Bose, L1s.  Still about half the price though.  Of course they weigh a little more than the 5s, but still manageable.
You will have to buy the speaker bags extra, or strike a deal to have them included.
Frank at Audioworks CT will deal with you!

[travlin-easy]

I agree with most of what DonM, my mentor, said. As for additional bass, I could always beef that up using the global EQ setting on my keyboard, but to be perfectly honest, I never needed more, even with the younger crowds and performing outdoors.

The horizontal coverage of the Bose L1 Compact is 210 degrees, since they began angling the speakers inside the tower. The Bose L1 PAS is 180 degrees, but the power is awesome. I used the PAS at an outdoor concert in the park and with the system turned up to just the halfway mark, I was able to cover a crowd on nearly 3 acres of park.

Now, at the restaurant where DonM performs nightly, he is situated on a small stage in the corner of the lounge area. Horizontal coverage would never be a problem there, however, that wooden stage really amplifies the bass. The same scenario is true with all sub woofers. And, I found with the Bose Compact that if I was less than a foot from a hard wall, the bass boomed. As Don stated, we are always learning in this business. It's a non-stop process.

Good luck,

Gary

[DonM]

I did two jobs where I actually used two of the original Bose L1s, which I had at the time.  One was at a dirt track for car racing.  I was situated in the Grandstand and played for the annual year-end awards ceremony.  Probably 1,000 people there and I guarantee you that every one of them heard the music!  They were having a vendor sale on the ground BEHIND me, 50 feet below, on the ground and I was told they heard everything clearly down there!
The other was at the 4th of July Fireworks celebration for the city of Benton, AR, which I played with my  good friend Dean Mathis and our late friend Joe Lee Richards, who was the sheriff in Benton County, AR.  Seems like the entire city of 10,000 was there, and we kicked *ass, as they say in the South.  We played that same job for several straight years, outdoors unless the weather was bad when we set up in the Pavilion.  For whatever reason, the crowd wasn't nearly as large indoors.  Had the L1s set on two at the most! They were overkill for anything else, so I finally sold them.

[rononeil]

Boy do I appreciate you guys helping me make a decision. The vertical dispersion is 40 degree on the Bose Compacts, 20 on the Maui 5's, 50 on the JBL Eons. Does this make any difference? Well, I already have a pair of the Compacts, but I guess I'm like most musicians, the more the better. I also have three Mackie SRM 450V2's and two Mackie SRM 350V3's. I've used the Mackie 450V2's with the Bose Compacts before and it worked quite well. Just turned the Mackies down a little to balanced the directional volume of the box speaker. Thanks, Ron

[travlin-easy]

The vertical dispersion difference would only be applicable if you were entertaining to an audience from a high stage, or if you had folks in a balcony. The 20 degree dispersion would be fine in most situations where you are performing at the same level as the audience.

Hope this helps,

Gary

[rononeil]

Thanks, Gary

[Pino]

I use mine for small to medium restaurants and always in my rehearsal room, I can carry the 2 systems in one go, quick and easy setup, the carry bags hold all the speakers and room for all my cables, microphone and mixer
Good quality system for small money, I always use 2 for a much better sound coming to my ears,

I have many systems but not one that I can say I am 100% happy with.
If I was playing clubs I would go for the JBL eon 1,

Pino 

[rononeil]

Thanks Pino, Thanks for sharing your experience with the Maui's, not many people are using this system so I need all the help I can get to make a decision. Ron

[mcbrown]

Hi Ron, here is a link to a spreadsheet I did a while back comparing several line array PA's including the MAUI 5.
Pay particular attention to the Sound Pressure Levels (SPL's) bearing in mind these are according to the manufacturer.
https://www.psrtutorial.com/forum/index.php/topic,36944.0.html

Murray

[rononeil]

Thanks Murray, I printed out your spreadsheet when you first posted it. Very helpful, I refer to it all the time. Thanks for your hard work. Ron

[rononeil]

Well, used the Maui 5's in my studio for a week now and I'm very happy. First gig this Friday. The best way to connect your KB is through the guitar input using a 1/4" balanced cable. I know this sounds like a mismatch, but believe me it's the best way. On one of the Maui 5 videos I saw it was said that this jack could be used either way. Master volume at 3/4 open and guitar volume at 1/2. There are many ways to use this mixer, find what's best for you. Just turn down the volumes and increase slowly as you experiment. Thanks, Ron

[mcbrown]

Ron, if you are on a stage where the height is possibly a problem for the 20 degree vertical dispersion you can place a couple of  wedges at the back of the speaker to slightly tilt the speaker to project to an area that you want to be the centre of your sound field. Obviously being aware that too much tilt might result in gravity taking over.

Murray

[DonM]

Thanks Murray, I printed out your spreadsheet when you first posted it. Very helpful, I refer to it all the time. Thanks for your hard work. Ron

Have I EVER steered you wrong Ron!    Ouch, just pulled a muscle patting myself on the back. 
I forgot to try the other inputs, but I will tomorrow.  That is if I don't forget again.  Getting old is a challenge...

[rononeil]

Nope Don you've never steered me wrong, still enjoying that Harmony M you sold me, especially since there selling for $229. on e-bay. E-bay always does that when a product becomes rare and hard to find. Also thanks Murray, good idea.

[TyrIA]

Hi friends=HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE !!

Time ago I was looking for light array system and  bought a Fender EXPO system, s/h for very good price.
Now I am half year using it and very satisfied.
As it was out of manual I did search for some techical specs and found that it s absolute the same as MAUI 11.
The weight is 17kg for sub and 6kg for column.The sound is very balanced and no feedback from mics even if you stand in front of speakers, no necessity for monitors.
I started a topick in October about EXPO system but no reply , do you have Fender EXPO in USA ?? or just MAUI 11.

TyrIA.

[DonM]

We have both.  I almost bought a used Fender Expo last year, but didn't really need it.  It sounded fantastic!

[rononeil]

I've never heard of it, I'll have to check it out. Thanks, Ron

[rononeil]

I checked the Fender Expo out on you-tube and from what I can tell it weighs about 60 lbs. That's way to heavy for us old boys and girls. Also, I used my Maui 5's on a gig last Friday and at this point I still like my Bose Compacts better. But I also know I have to give the Maui's more time. I was in the corner of the room and I don't think I had them placed right. So more experimenting is necessary. I'm the kind of person who judges too quickly. So I'm going to relax on this decision and keep every one on the Forum posted an ask for your help. Thanks, Ron

[DonM]

The Expos are simply Maui 11s, with Fender brand on them.

[rononeil]

Ok, Now it's Monday and I have better, clearer thoughts about the Bose Vs. the Maui's. I sat up both systems today and did some more A and B testing. If you run through the guitar jacks on the Maui's, which I think is best, run the main level at 75% and the guitar level at 25 to 33%. I think the Maui's are very powerful set up this way in comparison to the Bose. Don is very right the bass is very deep and full on the Maui's. On Friday night at the gig I was running the guitar level at 1/2, that's to high. To me it just does not make sense to use the line inputs on the back and run the main vol. and line vol. both at 75%. This just does not give enough control over the volume. I was thinking that LD systems did a poor job configuring the sensitivity of these inputs, but now it's making more sense to me. It gives you actually more control and options. I'll keep you posted, I think I'm going to like these Maui's a lot. Ron

Ok, just one more thought, with just one extension the Maui's are about a foot taller then the Bose. IMO this is nice.

Just thought I should add, I'm using a mixer between my S950 and the Maui's. If you connect directly to the Maui's from your KB this could change some of the above settings I suggested. Thanks, Ron

[rononeil]

Thanks Roger, I guess I didn't realize you could combine the post, Ron