sMatt Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 Greetings! I'm looking for a high quality keyboard amp -- something to use with a DP. I've used Roland KC-500s before and liked them. Checking out Sweetwater, what pops out at me is: 1) Roland KC-600 2) Aspen Pittman Stereo Spacestation (one of the models) 3) Motion Sound (one of the models). Do any of y'all have any opinions about these? I don't know much about the Aspen or the Motion Sound. Thanks in advance for any and all opinions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delaware Dave Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 Quote 57 Hammond B3; 69 Hammond L100P; 68 Leslie 122; Kurzweil PC3; M-Audio Code 61; Voce V5+; Neo Vent; EV ELX112P; GSI Gemini & Burn Delaware Dave Exit 93 Band Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnotherScott Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 If your focus is on piano sound, you'll do best with a powered PA speaker, like QSC K8.2 or (at lower cost/weight if need be) EV ZXa1. One for mono, or a pair for stereo. And probably a small mixer. Quote Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Wright Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doerfler Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 it's going to be a long day. Take Scott's advice. If you liked the Roland amp before, well then, you will probably like it now. None of the amps you listed are considered spectatular for DP's by this forum. When I use a combo amp I have the Motion Sound KP 500S Good luck with your search Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cphollis Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 Quote Life is too short to be playing bad music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theGman Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickzjamm Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 . Quote You don't know you're in the dark until you're in the light. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sMatt Posted November 23, 2018 Author Share Posted November 23, 2018 Tough crowd! Given that conventional wisdom is a PA will perform better, if I did want an amp, which do you think is best? Have any of you had experience with any of the non-roland amps? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sMatt Posted November 23, 2018 Author Share Posted November 23, 2018 it's going to be a long day. Take Scott's advice. If you liked the Roland amp before, well then, you will probably like it now. None of the amps you listed are considered spectatular for DP's by this forum. When I use a combo amp I have the Motion Sound KP 500S Good luck with your search thanks. Do you prefer the Motion Sound to the Roland? Realizing that no keyboard amp is all that spectacular, a sentiment I share, I'm just wondering what's the best of the lot? Happy with the KC-500, but if there's something even better, would rather go that way. I figured an amp would be useful.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfD Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 As an alternative to the Roland KC series or a PA speaker check out the Behringer Ultratone KXD12. Quote PD "The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return."--E. Ahbez "Nature Boy" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnotherScott Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 Realizing that no keyboard amp is all that spectacular, a sentiment I share, I'm just wondering what's the best of the lot? Spacestation is best for getting a spacious stereo effect out of a single box. Most stuff sounds fine through it, but you'll probably want flexible EQ (i.e. sweepable mid) to get a nice piano sound. If you dont have an EQ like that built into the board, you can use a mixer that has good EQ. BTW, it's really no more of a "keyboard amp" than the powered PA speakers are. I mean, if you want multiple inputs, with their own tone controls, reverb, erc., you still have to add a mixer. Quote Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Lobo Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 Why do you want a new "high quality" amp? What's your goal? Is cost a concern? What about weight and portability? Do you care about stereo? Will you only (or mostly) be playing acoustic piano sounds? Do you care about good organ sound? What keyboard will you be using? My answers to those questions may be quite different than yours. My preferences, in order, would be. 1. two QSC k8's (what I use now) 2. spacestation (I wanted one but decided to stay with my k8's) 3. motion sound (distant third) Edit: weight is very important to me. Also stereo sound. And organ Leslie effect. Quote These are only my opinions, not supported by any actual knowledge, experience, or expertise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cphollis Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 Most keyboard amps are in disfavor here for a number of reasons, e.g. large and heavy, highly directional -- and acoustic pianos generally don't sound good through them. And that's before you get to stereo. In the keyboard amp category, I've owned the ubiquitous Roland KC 5xx, the Motion Sound KBD with the mechanical leslie, and the SpaceStation V3. I have tried the Traynor. The SS v3 is still part of the inventory as it does a nice surround fill with a compact footprint; although getting APs to sound decent takes some work. Everything else in the keyboard amp category is gone. Nothing there has interested me for a very long while. For most folks, the best bet (as above) is a pair of self-powered PA speakers on poles. Much better sound, easy to transport, easy to place, very flexible depending on venue, better resale value, etc. 90% of my amplification inventory falls into that category. There are exceptions, but not many -- for example, a Hammond player with a real Leslie, a Rhodes player through a Fender -- where the amp is an integral part of the sound you're after. And some folks are having success with higher-end bass amps. One notable exception is smaller acoustic gigs with piano. The vertical line arrays (e.g. Bose L1 Model II) can be very sweet as they disperse sound evenly. I don't ever think I've come across someone who went the self-powered PA route and later came back and said "that didn't work for me, please give me a traditional keyboard amp". As far as the crowd here, they're really not so tough -- actually a great bunch of people -- but it's always amusing to watch the reaction when a question is asked that's been already asked and answered a bunch of times before. Don't take it personally -- everyone starts out at the beginning. Best of luck! Quote Life is too short to be playing bad music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Quinn Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 I haven't played through a keyboard amp that reproduces DP well. There are some folks on this forum who seem very happy with the Motion Sound KP500 for DP. You can probably search to read their opinions. I never went out of my way to try one because it's too heavy for me. What if I liked it? Yikes! I have an SS V3. It's great for organ but not so good for DP. I also have a pair of RCF TT08As, which I use for DP, and love them. Sometimes I use one TT08A (for clarity) and an SS V3 (for omnidirectional sound) which is nice sounding combo with a small footprint. I previously has a pair of K10's and a pair of K8's. They both sounded very good for DP up to about medium volume. After that the sound became boxy, honky, unpleasant, and uninspiring to play. To some extent it depends on which DP you're playing. For example, I find that the CP4 is less finicky about amplification then the Nord DPs. 1 Quote www.alquinn.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justin_havu Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 +1 for self-powered PA speakers. I have a couple of Alto TS212's that do the job just fine. Got them because I was on a tight budget and wanted something lightweight, but clean-sounding. Absolutely love them. Quote Hardware Yamaha MODX7, DX7, PSR-530/Korg TR-Rack, 01/W Pro X, Trinity Pro X, Karma, MS-20 Mini/Ensoniq ESQ-1, VFX-SD Behringer DeepMind12, Model D, Odyssey, 2600/Roland RD-1000/Arturia Keylab MKII 61 Software Studio One/V Collection 9/Korg Collection 4/Cherry Audio/UVI SonicPass/EW Composer Cloud/Omnisphere/IK Total Studio 3.5 MAX Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenheeter Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 I've tried most of these options and lately I've been using a pair of Alto TS208s. They're small, sound good, angle back as floor monitors and they're lightweight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny Linguini Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 If your focus is on piano sound, you'll do best with a powered PA speaker, like QSC K8.2 or (at lower cost/weight if need be) EV ZXa1. One for mono, or a pair for stereo. And probably a small mixer. I'd second this, except I'd recommend going with a pair for stereo, as in my experience I've found it difficult getting decent AP's going mono. There are lots of other options too for powered PA's that don't run up the federal deficit. Quote D-10; M50; SP4-7; SP6 I'm a fairly accomplished hack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny Linguini Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 Tough crowd! Given that conventional wisdom is a PA will perform better, if I did want an amp, which do you think is best? Have any of you had experience with any of the non-roland amps? Thanks. I have had decent luck with a Space Station v3 and a small subwoofer. But a lot depends on the location, as the SS is very sensitive to its surroundings and can be very finicky to get just right. It can have a great sound, but by itself it's a bit weak on the bottom end, which is why I got a small sub to go with it. All that being said, a pair of small (8" or 10") powered PA's is usually much more forgiving. Stand 'em up wherever there's room, plug 'em in, set levels, play away. Quote D-10; M50; SP4-7; SP6 I'm a fairly accomplished hack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MuzikTeechur Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 I had a motion sound 200S and really disliked the sound. I have a Traynor K4 and it's great, but weighs as much as a Buick. Now, I bring a little Mackie monitor for myself and send an XLR cord out to the board. Quote Muzikteechur is Lonnie, in Kittery, Maine. HS music teacher: Concert Band, Marching Band, Jazz Band, Chorus, Music Theory, AP Music Theory, History of Rock, Musical Theatre, Piano, Guitar, Drama. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Nursers Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 Is this where I say get IEMs instead Quote The Keyboard Chronicles Podcast My Music: Stainless Fields Check out your fellow forumites in an Apple Music playlist Check out your fellow forumites in a Spotify playlist Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Schmieder Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 "High Quality Keyboard Amp" is kind of an oxymoron, and might blow a few circuits if typed frequently enough. Having said that, the highest-powered Roland series can be a life-saver at OUTDOORS gigs where you suddenly discover that you are responsible for the entire sound (not what was in the contract, but "whatever"). Indoors and outdoors are two very different things. So I no longer roll my eyes when people get a KC-series who do a lot of outdoor stuff, as it does indeed project, which often is the main requirement. :-) Also quite flexible in routing, covering mic inputs, etc., and in a pinch, the bass guitarist. But my goodness, the reliability is near the bottom! Too many gig nightmares to mention... Although a bit more time-consuming to set up (more pieces to carry), you can still cover about the same power requirements and even routing flexibility with a decent pair of active monitors, and some brands (E/V being one of them) have separate mic input controls, which can help in situations where you only have a singer for a few songs, or an announcer, but don't need full coverage of a vocal front-line. Quote Eugenio Upright, 60th P-Bass, Geddy Lee J-Bass, Hofner HCT-500/7, Yamaha BBP35, Viking Bari Select Strat, Select Tele, Am Pro JM, LP 57 Gold, G5422DC-12, T486, ES295, PM2, EXL1 XK1c, Voyager, Prophet XL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doerfler Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 Do you prefer the Motion Sound to the Roland? It sounds more pleasing to my ears, plus it's stereo, which might be why the former is true. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Schmieder Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 I owned the KP100S for a few years (and the heavily-feature-flawed KBR3D before that -- you couldn't independently set stage monitoring volume vs. DI output level!). Never had a chance to try their higher-powered version. I definitely preferred it to any Roland keyboard amp, but also was suspicious about the power rating as it never seemed to deliver what I needed, and I've never been in particularly loud bands either. Quote Eugenio Upright, 60th P-Bass, Geddy Lee J-Bass, Hofner HCT-500/7, Yamaha BBP35, Viking Bari Select Strat, Select Tele, Am Pro JM, LP 57 Gold, G5422DC-12, T486, ES295, PM2, EXL1 XK1c, Voyager, Prophet XL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamienewman Posted November 24, 2018 Share Posted November 24, 2018 I've owned all of the amps you mentioned in your initial post for use with DPs, and got rid of all of them except the Motion Sound KP-500, which sounds fantastic with my clonewheel organ. To my ears, all three were fairly dreadful for DPs. You really need a pair of powered speakers. I'm pretty happy with the EV ZXa1's. At 19 pounds each, they are really easy to move around, and are plenty loud for the mostly-jazz gigs on which I use them. Not sure how they'd do in a rock/blues/funk/pop setting where you might have to compete with bashing drummers or shrieking guitarists. Not matter which speakers you wind up with, if you're planning to gig with them, buy some decent gig bags for them. The plastic enclosures scuff up pretty easily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Schmieder Posted November 24, 2018 Share Posted November 24, 2018 I bought the special bag for the E/V, which was $65! Hard to put it back in the bag too, but it protected it well. My bandleader used a shopping bag for his. Or rather, three shopping bags, as none lasted very long. Word! Quote Eugenio Upright, 60th P-Bass, Geddy Lee J-Bass, Hofner HCT-500/7, Yamaha BBP35, Viking Bari Select Strat, Select Tele, Am Pro JM, LP 57 Gold, G5422DC-12, T486, ES295, PM2, EXL1 XK1c, Voyager, Prophet XL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hardware Posted November 24, 2018 Share Posted November 24, 2018 KC500? I thought those were used by Hendrix and Emerson to stab or light on fire.. Quote Magnus C350 + FMR RNP + Realistic Unisphere Mic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reezekeys Posted November 24, 2018 Share Posted November 24, 2018 Just a plug from a very satisfied customer: I use Tuki covers (http://www.tukicovers.com) on my K8s and had them for my previous pair of powered PA speakers (Mackie SRM450s). Nine years on my K8s and they look almost new. Zero rips, holes, etc. Easy to slip on & off. Very highly recommended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shamanczarek Posted November 24, 2018 Share Posted November 24, 2018 For a while I used a PA system with JBL MRX515 series speakers and Crown XTi4000 power amp. It was fantastic for full-range Piano sound but was too much gear to haul all the time. Now I have a Traynor K4 which I've been using for several years. Never been totally happy with it. Sometimes it sounds good but a lot of times not so good. I've had a couple of techs look at it and one found some loose screws which he tightened. After that it sounded great for a few shows but now it's hit or miss again. I go into the house PA on most gigs so the K4 is okay as a monitor. I then bought a QSC K12 to see if it was any better than the K4. It doesn't sound so great by itself but if you use a mixer it's much better. I get an awesome sound using the K4 and K12 together running the K12 from the K4's Subwoofer output but that means carrying two pieces. I also use a Roland KC-500 at a rehearsal studio and it sounds better than either the K4 or K12 but is bigger and heavier. Quote C3/122, M102A, Vox V301H, Farfisa Compact, Gibson G101, GEM P, RMI 300A, Piano Bass, Pianet , Prophet 5 rev. 2, Pro-One, Matrix 12, OB8, Korg MS20, Jupiter 6, Juno 60, PX-5S, Nord Stage 3 Compact Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motomike1961 Posted November 24, 2018 Share Posted November 24, 2018 I went through the same journey as most. Here is where I started and ended up: 1. Roland KC800 - their heavy, gigantic stereo amp with 2 12" woofers. My Hammond SK1 sounded amazing but my Roland FA08 sounded horrendous through this amp. Sold it. 2. Roland KC600 - took a leap of faith with this new amp and my Kawai MP7se sounded beyond horrendous with this amp. Sold it. 3. Yamaha DXR10's - jumped into the powered PA arena and LOVED the sound of my Korg Grandstage and Viscount Legend coming out of this pair of small speakers. No guitar players or horn players going to drown me with these speakers. It is a journey you need to take but fairly sure you will end up where all of us ended up on this forum. Mike Quote My Rig: Stage Piano: Korg Grandstage 73 - Organ: Hammond SKx - Amps: Motion Sound KP-500s - Mixer: Yamaha MGU10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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