Bose S1 Pro vs JBL Eon Compact - Outdoor Sound Test

I setup a pair of Bose S1 Pro's and a pair of JBL Eon Compact's for an outdoor sound test with surprising results!!

Each pair of speakers were setup on stands roughly 25'-0" apart. The camera (with stereo microphone) was centered on the speakers roughly 45'-0" away. Each speaker is roughly 51.5 feet away from the camera (using my old trusty geometry skills!).

I was using the On-Stage BC2000 Stereo Bluetooth Receiver with the JBL Eon Compact's because I've been unable to get the on-board Bluetooth to reliably run in stereo mode. Not sure if the batteries weren't fully charged on each Bluetooth receiver, but I had to connect each receiver to each JBL Eon Compact via a 25'-0" XLR cable and place them on the ground next to my phone for reliable playback in stereo! I haven't had this issue before with the On-Stage BC2000's... but that's why you can see cables leading to something on the ground in front of them. The Bose S1 Pro's built-in Bluetooth was pushing it's distance limit, but still performed admirably.

Another thing to note is that all four speakers were used the previous week for 5 consecutive hours for an outdoor party (not all full volume) and they all had enough remaining power to perform the test. The Bose S1 Pro's indicated approximately 50% power, while the JBL Eon Compact's indicated roughly 35% remaining power.

Both sets of speakers were as loud as they could go with a small amount of clipping. The Bose S1 Pro's weren't actually "clipping", but there was a small amount of distortion in the low frequencies. I was not comfortable pushing them further without EQ modification.

It is easy to hear that (per spec), the JBL Eon Compacts handle the lower frequencies better, but the Bose (despite it's smaller speaker size and amp rating) actually did an impressive job! The imaging and clarity are much better on the Bose in my opinion. My next tests will push the Bose S1 Pro's with different portable subs outdoors to see if I can squeeze more volume out of these little guys!!

The SPL level of the pair of Bose S1 Pro's actually exceeded the SPL level of the JBL's at 45'-0" away, while the SPL level of the JBL Eon Compact's was roughly 3 dB higher 3'-0" away from the speaker. (Actual dB levels are shown at the end of the video)

Audio recorded via Azden SMX-30 DSLR Stereo Mic on a Sony a6100.

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Gear Links:
Bose S1 Pro: https://amzn.to/3eAINtR
JBL Eon Compact: https://amzn.to/3JsklsP
On-Stage Speaker Stands: https://amzn.to/2Wg4b1q
Azden SMX-30 DSLR Stereo Mic: https://amzn.to/3rJOwmH

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