Bose L1 Compact Portable Sound System Employed at Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum

	An exhibit at the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum in Auburn, Indiana, featuring one of seven Bose L1 Compact portable line array sound systems (left).

The Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum, in Auburn, Indiana, brings together some of the best examples of American automotive craftsmanship from the Duesenberg and Cord marques, once symbols of luxury in personal transportation. Filled with over 120 automobiles and related artifacts, the museum also contains a wealth of historic information about these car brands and the people who built them in the early part of the 20th century. Enhancing the visitor experience as they walk through the various galleries and other sections of the museum are period musical pieces, providing an additional layer of cultural context. Making sure that music is delivered as purely as possible are seven L1 Compact portable line array sound systems from Bose Professional, sold and commissioned by Sweetwater Sound of Ft. Wayne, Indiana.

"The music makes a huge difference in this museum; it really adds to the experience," says Kenny Bergle, senior sales engineer with Sweetwater. "It was also crucial how that music was delivered. This is a National Historic Landmark building, including the interior showroom being listed in the National Register of Historic Places, so we did not want to use any installed-sound systems that would be hung from the walls or run wire or conduit. We needed a portable system with sound quality equal to what's available in an installed speaker. Also, the sound must fill the space completely without being too loud or obtrusive, and some of the galleries are oddly shaped, so coverage in some of them could be challenging. Any sound components we used had to aesthetically fit into a museum that celebrates beautiful design."

That was a tall order to fill, and the Bose L1 Compact system met all of these criteria and more. The L1 Compact system is small and portable but easily fills large spaces with even, consistent coverage. Its small footprint allows it to be positioned as needed and unobtrusively do its job in the museum's architecturally diverse galleries. And the L1 Compact looks great doing it. "This museum is all about design, and the L1 Compact system fits perfectly with the sleek lines of these elegant cars," observes Bergle.

The L1 Compact system fits the space in other ways, as well; the L1 system continues to handle the full range of the music while also providing highly intelligible spoken-word audio for the tours. "Plus, the Bose L1 system is famous for its resistance to feedback, which is important as the tour guides will often walk directly in front of the speakers as they give their lectures," says Bergle. "They never have to think about that, which means they can concentrate on the history. That's what a museum is all about. Bose takes the worry out of it."

"We're among the top automobile museums in the world, and we feel music adds greatly to the beautiful and educational experiences of every visitor celebrating our nation's deep automotive heritage," observes Laura Brinkman, executive director and CEO of the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum. She was sold on the idea of using the Bose L1 Compact portable line-array sound system to deliver that music because she's already a huge fan of the brand, enjoying music at home on her Bose Wave music system, and she's more than pleased with the result: "I'm impressed with how glorious and clear the L1 Compacts sound throughout the museum's galleries. Each gallery has a different music style, so the separation and accurate dispersion patterns of the L1 Compacts were a critical design element to prevent spillover of one style of music into the adjacent galleries with other styles of music happening."