Krome EX on the way out?

[zephonic]

I noticed the Krome EX has been removed from SW website? Could that indicate a replacement is on the way?

[LarsHarner2]

I looked on korgforums and didn't see anything written, it seemed GC still had them for sale.

I had it for 7 years before trading it in (Krome 61) for my Nautilus, and never felt as though the sounds moved or had much personality. 

[ProfD]

Brotha @zephonic, the Krome EX 88 is still available here on the east coast. Let me know if I need to grab and ship it. 😁😎

[NKB4691]

I noticed that this morning on SW and was wondering the same thing. Went looking for answers but couldn't find anything.

[Julius D Majestic Studios]

As much as I love Korg, I never had any interest in the Krome. 

[zephonic]

I understand it's still available elsewhere, but in the past Sweetwater's site has been a good indicator of these things. The fact that Krome has been removed completely without any EOL announcement, suggests to me something is coming.

 

But this is conjecture, of course.

 

7 hours ago, ProfD said:

Brotha @zephonic, the Krome EX 88 is still available here on the east coast. Let me know if I need to grab and ship it. 😁😎

 

Thanks, D, hold that thought for now 😎

[AnotherScott]

8 hours ago, zephonic said:

I understand it's still available elsewhere, but in the past Sweetwater's site has been a good indicator of these things. The fact that Krome has been removed completely without any EOL announcement, suggests to me something is coming.😎

Below is sweetwater's current Krome EX page. Unavailable products from sweetwater will still come up if you do a google search, even if they don't come up using the saerch on their own site.

 

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/KromeEX61--korg-krome-ex-61-key-synthesizer-workstation

[CowboyNQ]

The Krome (not the EX per se, but there’s little difference) is 10 or 11 years old now - so I guess a newer model is not beyond the realm of possibility?

 

I love my old scratched and dented  Krome 61 to bits.  It goes to every gig with me and has done for 10 years.  It’s suffered all manner of physical and psychological indignity and still keeps on coming up trumps.  If Korg do wave bye-bye to this pocket rocket, I’ll shed a single nostalgic and salty tear as I watch it slowly but surely diminish to nothingness in the rear view mirror.

 

FYI that tear won’t be for the keybed.

[zephonic]

On 2/26/2023 at 6:44 AM, CowboyNQ said:

FYI that tear won’t be for the keybed.

 

Yeah, the action on the 61/73 is terrible, but the 88 is not bad at all, actually.

 

[jejefunkyman]

I can only confirm that the Krome 73 action is really bad 😞 I once was playing some Montuno parts with the Carlos Santana cover band I was playing in, and it was so hard 😞 I switched later to a Korg Vox Conti and It was already much better...

[David Emm]

I'm going to be a bit surprised if Korg releases another linear-sequencer-equipped workstation any time soon. I cut my teeth on an 01Wfd, so I have a fondness for the form. I loosely wish all newbies had to work that way for a while, because the lessons stick with you. That's what prepped me to step up to DAWs and understand most of it once I got rolling.

 

I just think sequencing will eventually appear only in grooveboxes or outboard tools like an iPad. The added design resources, building materials and customer support required to put that in a honker of a keyboard make it feel like a dying breed thing. It'll still be at the core of the arranger market to some degree, but it won't be sequencer life as we know it.

[CowboyNQ]

5 hours ago, zephonic said:

 

Yeah, the action on the 61/73 is terrible, but the 88 is not bad at all, actually.

 

I don’t own the 88, but struggled to enjoy the action when I auditioned it in a store.  I find it very sluggish.  These things are a matter of personal preference, of course.

 

I do agree with you that the 61/73 action is even harder to love.  I’ve just learned to put up with it over the years.  I know it’s a deal breaker for some.

[AnotherScott]

Kross/Krome 88's vary. For whatever reason, some feel better than others. Different production runs, perhaps from different OEM suppliers?