Keyboard Amp suggestion for M3

srs · Post by **srs** » Thu Jun 30, 2011 11:27 pm

Hi,
I just ordered a Korg M3 and eagerly waiting for its arrival. My skill level with keys is very basic. I would be mostly using it at home.
I would like to get some suggestion of Keyboard amplifiers for the M3.

I have shortlisted Roland KC-60 and Behringer ULTRATONE K900FX Keyboard Amp/PA System. something in the $300 range (max) is what i am thinking.

Are there any other models in the $300 price range that would pair well with this keyboard.

Can i buy a cheaper powered PA system and use it for this keyboard.

cheers
srs

Muji · Post by **Muji** » Thu Jun 30, 2011 11:53 pm

srs wrote:Hi,
I just ordered a Korg M3 and eagerly waiting for its arrival. My skill level with keys is very basic. I would be mostly using it at home.
I would like to get some suggestion of Keyboard amplifiers for the M3.

I have shortlisted Roland KC-60 and Behringer ULTRATONE K900FX Keyboard Amp/PA System. something in the $300 range (max) is what i am thinking.

Are there any other models in the $300 price range that would pair well with this keyboard.

Can i buy a cheaper powered PA system and use it for this keyboard.

cheers
srs

Hey welcome to the forum. The M3 is a great machine. You will have a blast. As a fellow low-skilled-player, I can tell you one low-budget solution...

If you have a home stereo, run the M3's outputs to it (say to the AUX inputs on the stereo's receiver) and use your existing receiver and speakers instead of an amp.

It's what I'm doing, and I like it because it doesn't take up any extra space in my living room, and since my stereo is pretty high quality, the sound is good.

Can anyone else point out the benefits that a separate keyboard amp or powered monitors would provide in a strictly-at-home setting? I'd like to know what I'm missing out on, if anything, by doing it my way.

dumeril7 · Post by **dumeril7** » Fri Jul 01, 2011 4:44 pm

Muji wrote: Can anyone else point out the benefits that a separate keyboard amp or powered monitors would provide in a strictly-at-home setting? I'd like to know what I'm missing out on, if anything, by doing it my way.

A decent set of powered studio monitors would provide some improvement in accuracy since most home audio equipment is hyped in the low and high frequencies. But a home stereo is fine. For home use, a keyboard amp is really going to be a step backward IMO. Keyboard combo amps aren't made for accurate sound reproduction, they're made to be loud, rugged, transportable, and sound "close enough for rock & roll".

But once you want to jam with a band, a home stereo or studio monitors just won't cut it. You really need a keyboard amp or a PA type system. Full-range PA speakers are my favorites for gigging, preferably powered because that's easier to transport. They have the ruggedness and volume of a combo amp, but sound a lot better.

If I were the original poster, I'd probably opt for powered studio monitors. I use a set of Alesis M1 Actives in my home studio, which are only about $300/pair new. You can spend more money and get better sound quality, but the M1s sound fine; I've mixed multiple CDs on them. There are other low-end studio monitors that are undoubtedly worth checking out too. Perhaps others would like to pipe in on those...

D7

Synthoid · Post by **Synthoid** » Fri Jul 01, 2011 5:31 pm

Actually, a home stereo isn't the best choice for amplifying a professional keyboard. It's very easy to overload the speakers with the dynamic range of the M3.

Most keyboard players will tell you regular amps don't sound good at all. Powered (active) monitors are a better choice, but you aren't going to get much for $300. Another possibility would be a small sound system. I purchased the Yamaha StagePas 300 a couple years ago for my small studio and it's served me well. I even use it for small solo gigs
at coffee houses. You should be able to find it for less than $500 on sale if you shop around.

Here's what you get:

dumeril7 · Post by **dumeril7** » Fri Jul 01, 2011 5:57 pm

True about it being easy to overload amp/speakers, but its also easy to avoid. Just don't go too hot on the synth volume control to leave yourself ample headroom....

D7

Muji · Post by **Muji** » Fri Jul 01, 2011 6:29 pm

dumeril7 wrote:True about it being easy to overload amp/speakers, but its also easy to avoid. Just don't go too hot on the synth volume control to leave yourself ample headroom....

D7

Thanks to Synthoid and Dumeril7 for answering both the original question and my diversionary question, and apologies to the original poster (if it seems like I hijacked the post at all).

I've been running synths on the home stereo for ~2 years without damage to speakers or amp. I'm not trying to reach the neighbors with it, just my own ears, and it seems to be just fine. I will be on the lookout for quality used powered monitors at a good price though. Thanks for a better understanding.

srs · Post by **srs** » Fri Jul 01, 2011 11:13 pm

Hi Folks,

All the information posted is valuable and helpful to me since this is my first step in this direction.

I am going to stick with using home stereo option for the first few days until i can check out a few more options like powered monitors and full range PA's.

Synthoid, the yamaha looks more like a PA system. Is there any spec to check to see if it is a full range PA ?

Also, any suggestions for powered monitors ? Do they always come in pairs or can i get single powered montior.

thanks Muji, D7, Synthoid

cheers
srs

Synthoid · Post by **Synthoid** » Sat Jul 02, 2011 1:14 am

srs wrote:Synthoid, the yamaha looks more like a PA system. Is there any spec to check to see if it is a full range PA ?

Yes, it is a sound system (PA) for small bands and solo musicians like myself. It's perfect for practice and coffee house sized venues.

A more powerful system--the StagePas 500--is also available. I'm sure Yamaha has specs on their website for both.

gurn · Post by **gurn** » Sat Jul 02, 2011 7:54 am

People don't believe this when I tell them. Look at the Roland AC series.
They are made for acoustic guitars. But I love how it sounds with the M3m.

They're small, compact, and sound a Hell of a lot better than the Roland KC
amps. But that wouldn't be hard to do. But the fact is --my AC60 sounds
better than any keyboard amp I've heard -- period.

Two of them w/an un-powered mixer would make a very nice PA.
There is a 90 watt version also.

dumeril7 · Post by **dumeril7** » Sat Jul 02, 2011 5:09 pm

Synthoid wrote:
srs wrote:Synthoid, the yamaha looks more like a PA system. Is there any spec to check to see if it is a full range PA ?
Yes, it is a sound system (PA) for small bands and solo musicians like myself. It's perfect for practice and coffee house sized venues.

A more powerful system--the StagePas 500--is also available. I'm sure Yamaha has specs on their website for both.

Those Stagepas systems seem really nice. I wish they'd combine the 500 speaker configuration with the mixer from 250M because it has 4 stereo line inputs on 1/4" jacks. That would be the ultimate gigging solution for me. You can add an additional speaker to the 250M but at additional cost.

D7

madbeatzyo111 · Post by **madbeatzyo111** » Wed Jul 13, 2011 6:44 pm

dumeril7 wrote:If I were the original poster, I'd probably opt for powered studio monitors. I use a set of Alesis M1 Actives in my home studio, which are only about $300/pair new. You can spend more money and get better sound quality, but the M1s sound fine; I've mixed multiple CDs on them. There are other low-end studio monitors that are undoubtedly worth checking out too. Perhaps others would like to pipe in on those...

D7

Good suggestion. For the OP, definitely look into powered monitors; they will give you the most accurate reproduction of what the M3 was meant to sound like. KRK, Alesis, Yamaha, M-audio all make a decent low-priced monitor. Some come single; others are sold as matched pairs. They typically come with 5-6" or 7-8" woofers. Larger ones are good if you play a lot in the low frequencies (and for piano I would recommend it). The nice thing about larger ones is that you can use them as general purpose speakers for everything else (home theater, etc.).

I've used the Yorkville YSM-1p and M-audio BX8 and they were both pretty good. They were around $250-300 each which I think is about where the sweetspot is for low-price and good performance. Lower than $200 each, I would look at Behringer Truths which can be decent too.

orpheus2006 · Post by **orpheus2006** » Thu Jul 14, 2011 5:00 pm

I would recommend 6,5" or 8" active monitors, and eventually extend this system with a 10" or 12" subwoofer.

Here are some good sounding studio monitors in the lower price range:
8" monitors:
ESI Near 08
BEHRINGER B1031A
SAMSON RESOLV A8

6,5" monitors:
ALESIS M1 ACTIV MK2
BEHRINGER B3030A
SAMSON RESOLV A6

A keyboard amp is really a step down. They are mono, thus cannot reproduce stereo sounds e.g. sweeping pads, rotary organs, etc.
And most home stereo systems fail at the lower end of the frequency spectrum.
My recommendation: save some additional 200-300$ and get some active monitors in the mid price range: KRK RP8, MACKIE MR8, Yamaha HS80M or Event TR8 (the latter aren't built any more?)

SanderXpander · Post by **SanderXpander** » Sun Jul 31, 2011 7:58 pm

+1 on the M1s, in that price category they are quite nice sounding, also to perhaps play your other music over.

A keyboard amp is indeed a step down. The Roland AC60 and AC90 are quite nice but for home use I would say they don't top the M1s, and unless I'm mistaken they're somewhat more expensive. They're also intended for live use, meaning focus is on volume and mixing functions (reverb, chorus, mic channel).

I honestly don't see why anyone would want a PA system for home use. It's way too large for the living room (even something as compact as the stagepas) and butt ugly to boot. Plus they're not built for sound fidelity, they're built for volume with "as little loss of fidelity as possible". In the Kronos forum a similar topic came up and someone was recommended a pair of JBL Eon 15s, that's just insane. Bigger speakers don't mean better sound.

I agree with orpheus2006, get a decent pair of studio monitors (for instance the M1s) and possibly buy a subwoofer later. Don't worry about volume, even if the speakers are much smaller than something like the Stagepas. I have a set of Dynaudio BM5As which are admittedly somewhat louder and more expensive, but I honestly don't think I've ever run them louder than half of what they're capable of.

orpheus2006 · Post by **orpheus2006** » Mon Aug 01, 2011 10:20 am

Here is another option although not available yet:
RCF announced a new series of studio monitors known as RCF Ayra. They are priced in the low to mid range.
RCF is known as one of the top PA speaker suppliers, but started to build studio monitors a couple of years ago.

vicz · Post by **vicz** » Mon Aug 01, 2011 10:47 am

I use a pair of these at home which are well within your budget.
http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/pc-speak ... hile-av-40

I also use a Yamaha Stagepas 150M (mono) as an on-stage monitor.

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