How many watts is the Bose L1 Pro16?

According to Bose, the L1 Pro16 is rated at 1250 watts shared across the system with 250 watts into the 16 little driver speakers in the top array, and 1000 watts for the big racetrack subwoofer down below.

Many resources suggest that makes the L1 Pro16 “big enough for up to 250 people”.

But watts is only a number that probably doesn’t help you in a room full of guests, and SPL is a more useful measurement.

The Bose L1 Pro16 has a peak SPL of 124 dB and a continuous SPL of 118 dB. 

The peak SPL is the maximum volume that the speaker can output, while the continuous SPL is the volume that the speaker can output for extended periods of time without distorting. Ideally “continuous SPL” is your friend.  

Peak or maximum SPL is like driving your car with the rev counter at 8000 RPM.  Sure, the car can still drive but it doesn’t sound good and makes the trip uncomfortable.

It’s the same with SPL or volume, you want to aim for a sound that is as loud as necessary without “redlining the rev counter” or getting close to 8000rpm.

Bose themselves say the L1 Pro16 is “the sweet spot”.  From a price and size perspective, it sits between the Pro8 and the Pro32, but it also has power, dispersion, and decent throw from the array.

Ultimately, the best way to determine how loud a speaker will sound is to listen to it in person.  If you’re in the Greater Waikato, Auckland or Whangarei districts and haven’t heard the L1 Pro series in the real worl – outside of a retail store, let’s talk and arrange a live demo.  Nothing beats trying it out at your next event, in your venue, your practice room, whatever will give you a true representation of how the L1 Pro range will suit you.