Kronos 2?

Rich Z · Post by **Rich Z** » Mon Jan 26, 2015 9:02 pm

Not yet pulled the trigger yet but am strongly considering a Kronos 88. But I'm pretty confused as apparently the original Kronos and Kronos X has been discontinued and not even carried by retailers any longer. And yet I find (as best I can tell) that the new Kronos 2 really isn't bringing all that much to the table as an "upgrade", at least not enough to empty the supply channels till the new model is released. Why deep six the "X" version just to add wooden end panels?

So is all this REALLY just for new wooden end panels? Seriously? What am I missing here? What exactly is so special and new about the 2015 Kronos to make it be offered as an actual upgrade? And new OS and libraries that are available to the older versions really doesn't count, since that actually neuters any reason to call the "new" model and upgrade. What HARDWARE is new and improved? Anything? Why would I choose to buy the 2015 Kronos over an older version that can simply be upgraded with software?

GregC · Post by **GregC** » Mon Jan 26, 2015 9:05 pm

Rich Z wrote: Why would I choose to buy the 2015 Kronos over an older version that can simply be upgraded with software?

the 2015 Kronos is less expensive.

you seem to understand the very slight differences between the models.

the strategy was to keep the Kronos platform unified, and not have 3 drastically different models.

xp50player · Post by **xp50player** » Mon Jan 26, 2015 10:00 pm

The case is vented, so the unit should run better than the older models with the fan slow or off. Fresh case style, besides wood ends. Berlin Grand and other stuff included. Full warranty. Possibilty of promotional interest-free financing. No keybed issues. Those would be my reasons for getting a new one. It brings to the table a cheaper price for better case and more content. Nothing else comes close after 4 years.

techeverlasting · Post by **techeverlasting** » Mon Jan 26, 2015 10:44 pm

I'm also considering getting a Kronos and am having difficulty determining whether it makes more sense to buy a used 1st generation and do a few hardware upgrades or to buy one of the new ones. I'm interested in a 61-note model so I don't believe the issues with the defective weighted keybeds in the first models will be relevant. It would be helpful to know how the new Berlin Grand library is going to be priced, as it seems that included sample libraries are the big factor.

I was expecting during NAMM for it to be revealed that the 2015 Kronos models had a significantly faster CPU or other hardware advantages. I still would like to see a side-by-side comparison of polyphony and interface speed.

GregC · Post by **GregC** » Mon Jan 26, 2015 11:08 pm

techeverlasting wrote:
I was expecting during NAMM for it to be revealed that the 2015 Kronos models had a significantly faster CPU or other hardware advantages. I still would like to see a side-by-side comparison of polyphony and interface speed.

At NAMM, Korg did not make any claims like this.

xp50player · Post by **xp50player** » Mon Jan 26, 2015 11:09 pm

The polyphony is the same, may be capped by the OS.

Rich Z · Post by **Rich Z** » Mon Jan 26, 2015 11:59 pm

I thought I read somewhere that the motherboard used, at least in the earlier Kronos, has been discontinued by the manufacturer (Intel?). Not sure if this plays into the new version or not......

PianoManChuck · Post by **PianoManChuck** » Tue Jan 27, 2015 12:08 am

Well I can tell you, that of ALL the digital pianos out there (and I only deal with stage pianos, workstations or dp's you'd use in the studio --- no controllers or synthesizers).... of ALL the DP's in that realm at NAMM 2015, the Kronos 2 was the only one worthy of my giving it my personal pick for "digital piano of the year" based on many factors:

http://youtu.be/2iMe1Q69z0U

GregC · Post by **GregC** » Tue Jan 27, 2015 12:20 am

PianoManChuck wrote:Well I can tell you, that of ALL the digital pianos out there (and I only deal with stage pianos, workstations or dp's you'd use in the studio --- no controllers or synthesizers).... of ALL the DP's in that realm at NAMM 2015, the Kronos 2 was the only one worthy of my giving it my personal pick for "digital piano of the year" based on many factors:

http://youtu.be/2iMe1Q69z0U

Chuck, did you spend time on the Berlin and can you tell us about it ?

PianoManChuck · Post by **PianoManChuck** » Tue Jan 27, 2015 12:30 am

GregC wrote:
PianoManChuck wrote:Well I can tell you, that of ALL the digital pianos out there (and I only deal with stage pianos, workstations or dp's you'd use in the studio --- no controllers or synthesizers).... of ALL the DP's in that realm at NAMM 2015, the Kronos 2 was the only one worthy of my giving it my personal pick for "digital piano of the year" based on many factors:

http://youtu.be/2iMe1Q69z0U
Chuck, did you spend time on the Berlin and can you tell us about it ?

I did... my initial impression was a much richer low end, but since this was NAMM, it means cheap headphones and a noise level where you can't hear yourself think! So even though I 'tried it', I couldn't get a good enough feel for what it sounds like, but based on what I did hear, its different enough (than the German Grand) to perhaps be a worthwhile upgrade for older users.

jimiki · Post by **jimiki** » Tue Jan 27, 2015 12:52 am

Does old Kronos have a better build (in terms of material) than Kronos 2 ?

Rich Z · Post by **Rich Z** » Tue Jan 27, 2015 1:08 am

jimiki wrote:Does old Kronos have a better build (in terms of material) than Kronos 2 ?

Good question. When I heard the new version is cheaper, that thought also came to my mind....

GregC · Post by **GregC** » Tue Jan 27, 2015 1:13 am

Rich Z wrote:
jimiki wrote:Does old Kronos have a better build (in terms of material) than Kronos 2 ?
Good question. When I heard the new version is cheaper, that thought also came to my mind....

the Kronos 2 is ' less expensive ' for its MSRP than its predecessors.

Why ? my logic is that Korg is reaching more efficiency in production and improved economy of scale. Thus , they are passing the savings along to future customers.

So no, I would not ' assume ' its made ' more cheap ' . I have seen zero evidence of this.

StephenKay · Post by **StephenKay** » Tue Jan 27, 2015 1:47 am

GregC wrote:
Rich Z wrote:
jimiki wrote:Does old Kronos have a better build (in terms of material) than Kronos 2 ?
Good question. When I heard the new version is cheaper, that thought also came to my mind....
the Kronos 2 is ' less expensive ' for its MSRP than its predecessors.

Why ? my logic is that Korg is reaching more efficiency in production and improved economy of scale. Thus , they are passing the savings along to future customers.

So no, I would not ' assume ' its made ' more cheap ' . I have seen zero evidence of this.

Maybe, but IMO it's probably more related to the relative weakness of the Japanese Yen compared to the rest of the world's currencies at this time.

Let me give you an example: A few years ago, let's say a keyboard cost Korg, in Japan, 200,000 Yen to manufacture. Back then, the Yen was 80 = $1.00; therefore, in order to recoup their cost, the price that they sold it to the US distributor would be based on a base of 200,000 / 80 = $2500.00 US.

Today, let's say it costs them the same 200,000 yen to maufacture. But today, the yen was trading at 118 = $1.00; therefore, the price to the US distributor might be based on 200,000 /118 = $1694.00. In other words, because of the fluctuations of the currency markets, the product could be offered to the US distributor for $800 less, and still make the same amount of money for Korg Japan.

That's a bit of a simplification, but I hope it makes sense. That's got to be a large part of it. I happen to pay attention to this stuff, because I get paid in yen.

Ksynth · Post by **Ksynth** » Tue Jan 27, 2015 2:51 pm

StephenKay wrote:
GregC wrote:
Rich Z wrote: Good question. When I heard the new version is cheaper, that thought also came to my mind....
the Kronos 2 is ' less expensive ' for its MSRP than its predecessors.

Why ? my logic is that Korg is reaching more efficiency in production and improved economy of scale. Thus , they are passing the savings along to future customers.

So no, I would not ' assume ' its made ' more cheap ' . I have seen zero evidence of this.
Maybe, but IMO it's probably more related to the relative weakness of the Japanese Yen compared to the rest of the world's currencies at this time.

Let me give you an example: A few years ago, let's say a keyboard cost Korg, in Japan, 200,000 Yen to manufacture. Back then, the Yen was 80 = $1.00; therefore, in order to recoup their cost, the price that they sold it to the US distributor would be based on a base of 200,000 / 80 = $2500.00 US.

Today, let's say it costs them the same 200,000 yen to maufacture. But today, the yen was trading at 118 = $1.00; therefore, the price to the US distributor might be based on 200,000 /118 = $1694.00. In other words, because of the fluctuations of the currency markets, the product could be offered to the US distributor for $800 less, and still make the same amount of money for Korg Japan.

That's a bit of a simplification, but I hope it makes sense. That's got to be a large part of it. I happen to pay attention to this stuff, because I get paid in yen.

Ah yes, Currency Trading - more exchanged each day than the entire world's GDP for a whole year.

Don't forget the 2% or so cost to exchange though I'm sure they get a discount for huge mounts.

Also sure there are ways to avoid that too. Tax dodges etc

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