New Korg PA1000 vs PA4X

[Nev]

Hi Stilli, One cannot argue with that in regards to power but there are other things to take into account. I have the PAAS and have had other speakers of the type and position in the 1000.

The small middle/high range speakers in the PAAS are right in your face and tend to be on the sharp side. The Subwoofer is facing away and down so gives the nice background bass. On the other hand the 1000 speakers pointing up are a larger diameter and usually give a warmer, more comfortable sound. This to some extent makes up for the lack of a sub. Just my opinion and experiences.

[Fransman]

I've had a PA800 which had quite a similar sound system as PA1000 (PA1000 even a bit more powerful).
PA800 I think had a very, very good sound. Warm and with a lot of punch (oomph!).
I liked it a lot. So if PA1000 is about the same, you can't go wrong.

PAas is also very good, more crisp and detailed, with a bit of tweaking (MAXX!) it sounds very well to my ears.

[NativeAngels]

I've had a Pa700 for a week now. It's a great keyboard even for an entry level of the new range. The sounds and styles are great coming from a Pa50sd for me it's a huge step up. Styles from the Pa900 and Pa1000 work great.

[tomyl]

Can somebody shed some light on KAOSS pad? I read it is an sophisticated Arpeggiator but can we play multiple apr at the same time? Strings and Piano together ? (may be with freeze option ). Can it be controlled with R1,R2 or L on the keyboard instead of screen PAD ? ( if we wanted free up hand to play )
Thank you,

[mikeyreds]

Just spent a few hours in Bonners trying out the Pa1000 and Pa4x side by side. I jotted down a few things to help me decide which to buy:
1. Pa4x has far superior build quality, it looks and feels professional. The Pa1000 is a bit plasticky and less professional. However that means the Pa4x is a lot heavier. The Pa1000 is only 10.75kg even with speakers built in.

2. The sound quality of the Pa1000 through its internal speakers was at least as good as the Pa4x but there is less choice e.g. less acoustic pianos although that is not a big issue as the Pa1000 has some really good pianos

3. The drawbar organ sounds seem to be identical and to my ears (surprisingly) the internal speakers of the Pa 1000 sounded slightly better than the Pa4x (with the soundbar) although appreciate this is subjective. I thought they were just as loud as well.

4. The Pa4x has physical drawbars and physical buttons for sound control (part on off and select) which means you can edit whilst keeping lyrics, notation etc on the screen whilst making changes (drawbars) or flip quickly back and forth (sounds) via a single button press.

5. Pa4x has more sounds and styles
6. Pa4x has more keyboard sets (12) compared to the Pa1000 (9) that can be displayed on the screen
7. The Pa4x keybed is a higher quality than the Pa1000 and longer (more piano like in length). The after touch seemed to be more responsive too
8. The Pa4x has a stereo input (e.g. for an iPad)
9. The Pa4x has an XLR mic input
10. The Pa4x also has stereo inputs for another keyboard so with 8 & 9 above has a lot more connection options.

For me its a difficult choice. The sound quality is fantastic but the build quality is budget and some very useful control features are missing. The Pa4x is about £1,000 more expensive plus it needs additional speakers. It’s also quite a bit heavier. If I was to go for the Pa4x-76 version (I’ve always preferred playing 76/88 notes) , it won’t fit onto the back seat of my car (across the seat) and I haven’t got a case for it (plus it would be very heavy with a case too!) I’ve driven 200 miles to try for myself prior to making a decision that has to be tomorrow!
NB - I did try the Genos as well and that is very very good (fantastic keybed) but yet another £1000+ on top. Sounds are fantastic too but for my type of playing is not worth the extra money ( I think!)

[tassiespirit]

Just spent a few hours in Bonners trying out the Pa1000 and Pa4x side by side. I jotted down a few things to help me decide which to buy:
1. Pa4x has far superior build quality, it looks and feels professional. The Pa1000 is a bit plasticky and less professional. However that means the Pa4x is a lot heavier. The Pa1000 is only 10.75kg even with speakers built in.

2. The sound quality of the Pa1000 through its internal speakers was at least as good as the Pa4x but there is less choice e.g. less acoustic pianos although that is not a big issue as the Pa1000 has some really good pianos

3. The drawbar organ sounds seem to be identical and to my ears (surprisingly) the internal speakers of the Pa 1000 sounded slightly better than the Pa4x (with the soundbar) although appreciate this is subjective. I thought they were just as loud as well.

4. The Pa4x has physical drawbars and physical buttons for sound control (part on off and select) which means you can edit whilst keeping lyrics, notation etc on the screen whilst making changes (drawbars) or flip quickly back and forth (sounds) via a single button press.

5. Pa4x has more sounds and styles
6. Pa4x has more keyboard sets (12) compared to the Pa1000 (9) that can be displayed on the screen
7. The Pa4x keybed is a higher quality than the Pa1000 and longer (more piano like in length). The after touch seemed to be more responsive too
8. The Pa4x has a stereo input (e.g. for an iPad)
9. The Pa4x has an XLR mic input
10. The Pa4x also has stereo inputs for another keyboard so with 8 & 9 above has a lot more connection options.

For me its a difficult choice. The sound quality is fantastic but the build quality is budget and some very useful control features are missing. The Pa4x is about £1,000 more expensive plus it needs additional speakers. It’s also quite a bit heavier. If I was to go for the Pa4x-76 version (I’ve always preferred playing 76/88 notes) , it won’t fit onto the back seat of my car (across the seat) and I haven’t got a case for it (plus it would be very heavy with a case too!) I’ve driven 200 miles to try for myself prior to making a decision that has to be tomorrow!
NB - I did try the Genos as well and that is very very good (fantastic keybed) but yet another £1000+ on top. Sounds are fantastic too but for my type of playing is not worth the extra money ( I think!)

Great comparison, thanks for letting us know your thoughts. Just my 2 cents worth......... If you are gigging then you need to look at build quality, so it will last; plus adaptability too. If you don't have what you want on the 'board then you won't be happy. The PA4x if tougher , so at the present , think about a softer style gigbag. Not my preference but maybe a better compromise; for 'power to weight thing'. Last but not least, size does matter, if you like playing 76/88 keys then 76 is the minimum.

[uncle G 118]

This really is upsetting to me !! I paid almost 4000.00 (us) for my pa4x . s**t aint right ....could have saved 2 grand !!