Josh Campfield Posted December 14, 2006 Share Posted December 14, 2006 I saw a used K2500 rack with a sampler on Ebay for around $600. Is that a good deal for an "out of date" model? Would it be feasible to carry a Kurzweil rack around, along with a midi controller keyboard? I'm thinking not but I don't have the money for a *real* kurzweil and I'd like to save some money. Are these models durable? Will they still work for a while after being shipped halfway across the country (with ebay)? Thanks for your help, Josh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundscape Posted December 14, 2006 Share Posted December 14, 2006 Kurzweil tends to back-port features to the previous models in the K2XXX series. I think you'll miss out on the triple-mode structure in the K26XX where three VAST structures can be cascaded together. But, there's still heaps of stuff you can do anyway... Really, Kurzweil gear is in some ways rather outdated (e.g., polyphony) and as a result of that, your gear isn't out of date compared to the current K2600 line. The incredible audio quality is still way up there though. The other difference is in the effects... the stock effects are the inferior Digitech effects but you can get the KDFX board for the K2500. (Not sure how the availability is.) Oh yeah, check on what ROM options are installed. Although again it depends on what you want--many synth sounds just start with basic waveforms (sawtooth, etc.) anyway... but you can get the Orchestral Block etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moon Zero Two Posted December 14, 2006 Share Posted December 14, 2006 THAT SOUNDS LIKE A GOOD DEAL TO ME - the 2500 should be able to load most of the cd roms out there for K2x00 boards - if you have the money hold out for a K2600R - the effects really add so much to an already outstanding sounding module - plus Triple mode is really cool - though I never got the hang of controlling it - the other thing the K2600 adds is the piano rom - and the ability to add the piano rom and classic keys expansion - and these two roms are killer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Campfield Posted December 15, 2006 Author Share Posted December 15, 2006 How's the portability factor on one of the racks? I know a K2500 rack is big and heavy, but how much of a pain would it be to carry it around along with a midi controller? Thanks for your help. Josh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K K Posted December 15, 2006 Share Posted December 15, 2006 Originally posted by Josh Campfield: How's the portability factor on one of the racks? I know a K2500 rack is big and heavy, but how much of a pain would it be to carry it around along with a midi controller? Thanks for your help. Josh A big and heavy rack? That's nothing compared to a K2500 keyboard. I'm used to carry 50 to 80 lbs controllers, so I wouldn't see any problem there. And don't even bother about VAST's triple-mode thing if it's your first Kurzweil. Go for it if you believe it's a good deal, and begin to learn the Kurzweil enormous architecture gradually. You might be ready to experiment triple-mode in a few... years, and believe me, you'll have time to test many other things before that with the 2500 huge programmability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundscape Posted December 15, 2006 Share Posted December 15, 2006 Is it just me, or is aliasing exacerbated in triple-mode? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K K Posted December 15, 2006 Share Posted December 15, 2006 It's actually quite easy to introduce or inadvertently create distortion/clipping/noise with the K2x00 engine, especially with the DSPs and effects. And this not even in triple mode. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marino Posted December 16, 2006 Share Posted December 16, 2006 To me, the biggest difference is in the KDFX. I upgraded from a couple of fully-loaded K2000s to a K2600, and it felt like a completely new instrument to me. Not only the sound is hugely improved and cleaner; KDFX filters sound quite smoother than VAST filters. It's a huge addition to VAST. Triple mode (only found in K26xx) could be interesting if you are heavily into programming, while ROMs 3 and 4 could help if you want lots of piano and keyboard sounds ready to go - although you could always load external samples into the 2500. But in my opinion, none of those expansions has the same importance of KDFX, which really turns the instrument into something else. So, if a K2500 has KDFX installed, I would certainly consider it. If not, you could think of it as an introduction to VAST, and eventually upgrade to a K2600 later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.J. Lewis Posted December 17, 2006 Share Posted December 17, 2006 Originally posted by marino: So, if a K2500 has KDFX installed, I would certainly consider it. If not, you could think of it as an introduction to VAST, and eventually upgrade to a K2600 later. ...and the good news is, KDFX is now $250 retail. I'd go after it if this is your first Kurzweil, but make no mistake - a K2500 is a real K (as far as V.A.S.T. is concerned)...the options make it much cooler, but if you're a programmer...there's nothing else quite like it. Although I agree with the polyphony number, we do some fairly creative note stealing that when used correctly plays much better than 48 notes. I know - I've used a K2600 live (same polyphony as the K25) for many, many years, and I play. ivorycj Main stuff: Yamaha CP88 | Korg Kronos 2 73 | Kurzweil Forte 7 | 1898 Steinway I Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundscape Posted December 17, 2006 Share Posted December 17, 2006 And... let's not forget you have 192 oscillators for sine wave, sawtooth, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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