Kronos X 73 or 88

[flemmings27]

So after some great suggestions/advice on a thread question I posted about whether regular Kronos was being discontinued, I went to a music store last night and played the Kronos X 88, and checked out some higher end midi controllers that came up in that same discussion. The hands on time with those, as well as some Yamaha Motifs and a Nord (in many ways a completely different animal I know) confirmed my decision to buy the Kronos X.

The question now is 73 or 88?

My former piano-playing self is leaning towards 88, and b/c I may want to dive back into classical music, even if its only for exercise/training of my hands. But if I'm going to use this for writing/recording and live playing (mostly rock/pop/country/funk genre), then do I need the 88? Those of you who play a lot, what do you use? Do you find 73 to be too limiting?

Also, I have an old set of KRK Rokit 5s. Could I use those as practice speakers for the Kronos or they too small or in some other way incompatible?

Thanks in advance!

[jeremykeys]

I'm classically trained on piano myself and have a Triton Pro X 88. I bought a Kronos 73 because I got tired of the weight and also it's simply easier to move a smaller keyboard around. I do however occasionally miss those extra keys buts that is very rarely. In my bands, rock, country, I'm finding that I can get away without the extra notes very easily. Especially the low ones. The only time that I might want the extra range is on piano and it is so easy to hit a button on the fly that it is never. Probe,.

As for your monitors, they'll be fine unless you want to blow down your walls! I use a pair of tiny Edirolls.

[latnjazfan]

I chose the 73 because I thought it would be easier to carry around than the 88. As it is, I can barely fit the 73 in my huge Lexus LS430 sedan's trunk - using the soft case. When in the hard case, the Kronos won't fit in the trunk and barely fits when I wedge it between the back seat and dropped front seat. I have no current plans to buy a van, but that would be the solution over using a car.

You gigging Pros would know more than I; it all adds up: Kronos 73, 2 speakers, bench, mixer, stand, Ventilator, pedal train, mic and stand, cords, etc.

For me, the octave key really helps to mitigate the shorter keyboard range issue. But all things considered, if I had it to do again, I just might get the 88 keys.

[flemmings27]

I chose the 73 because I thought it would be easier to carry around than the 88. As it is, I can barely fit the 73 in my huge Lexus LS430 sedan's trunk - using the soft case. When in the hard case, the Kronos won't fit in the trunk and barely fits when I wedge it between the back seat and dropped front seat. I have no current plans to buy a van, but that would be the solution over using a car.

You gigging Pros would know more than I; it all adds up: Kronos 73, 2 speakers, bench, mixer, stand, Ventilator, pedal train, mic and stand, cords, etc.

For me, the octave key really helps to mitigate the shorter keyboard range issue. But all things considered, if I had it to do again, I just might get the 88 keys.

Jazfan - your last paragraph - yer killin me down here - yer not s'posed to contribute to my head spin

[Scott]

The need for more keys depends on your repertoire and playing style, your ergonomic/psychological comfort, your possible use of keys for splits (i.e. it's not necessarily just for reaching all 88 keys of a piano sound)... and the answers are really all individual. A survey of what other people think is not terribly helpful, IMO. If there was an overwhelming consensus, Korg wouldn't need to make both models.

That said, personally, I would buy a 61, and a lightweight 88 (like Casio PX-150, PX-350, or PX-5S). Total weight is barely more than the Kronos 88, but much easier to move in two smaller pieces, and you get the advantage of having both weighted and unweighted actions at your disposal, and a lot more "real estate" for handling multiple sounds without having to split things into restrictive ranges on the Korg alone. Also, you have a backup board, in case some problem arises... even something to play just while the Korg needs to reboot if necessary.

If you pick the low end Casio, it's even the cheaper way to go. There's also the Yamaka P-35 which is even a bit cheaper, though slightly heavier and, IMO, not as nice feeling an a action.

Personally, the only reason I might get a weighted Kronos would be if there were some other unweighted board I intended to use as well, which would mean that the scenario I describe above would lead to a 3-board rig instead of 2 boards. Other than that, I think the K61+other 88 is the way to go.

[SanderXpander]

Glad you're feeling more confident in your decision!
I have an 88 myself. It fits easily in a hardcase in my van, and fit not so easily in my previous Mazda 626 hatchback with seats down and folded flat. Playing wise, I wanted the 88 for the extra keys, partly because I like to have the entire range but also because I wanted to try switching to a single all-in-one board for gigging. A year and a half and counting, now, and I'm still happy. I could use some organ keys sometimes and some splits are a little convoluted, but adding up everything I really prefer having just one screen and one set of controls in front of me with nothing blocking it, one playing height, and so on.
Very personal decision though, I believe I'm easily in the minority.
If you're adding a second board and are expecting lots of one handed play on each in a live situation, you definitely won't need the extra fifteen keys. If you want to really have the piano experience, you know only 88 will do.

Oh and if you add a KRK sub to those RoKits they'll give you lots more power and sound a lot nicer.

[Goughy]

I don't mean to advertise for them, but ProAudioStar have a great Black Friday deal for Kronos X keyboards and then there's the Korg mail-in rebate on top of that.

If I hadn't already bought my X88 I'd be on it in a shot.

[flemmings27]

Scott, SanderX, Jeremy, and Goughy,

Thanks Goughy, I've put that on my radar. Thanks also Jeremy - your thoughts are in line with mine in terms of the action, etc. Scott, I did not expect nor seeking a consensus, but views just like yours and the others to give me things to think about that I had not b/c I have not touched keys in 3 decades and my main instrument is now bass guitar. Scott and SanderX, your suggestions here (and Sander in the other thread too) about 2 keyboards are more to think about b/c if using a B3 or other organ/synth sound, the non-weighted keys call for action, touch and movement that that are quite different from straight piano playing. Since my main instrument is bass, the way I'm currently envisioning using the boards in a live setting, would be to have samples of song or instrument parts fully in the machine and to thus, just kick it off, let it run and then play my main instrument (playing to click-tracks or metronome-d tracks are not a problem for me & other musicians in my band). I don't want to carry too many instruments to a show, so that's why I'm trying to find a catch-all solution, that while not perfect, would kill the most birds possible with one stone. Sander, the Casio you mentioned may have been at the music store I was at the other day(some kind of Casio was) but in typical Gtr Center fashion, they had it mounted about 6 feet up a wall and in pre-Black Friday mode, there were already 10 million people there, so I didn't bother asking them to get it down to try it out. I have a Subaru Forest, which I think with the seats down will handle even the 88. But if I would choose to get a hard case with those wheels on one end, not sure about that.

[jeremykeys]

Ahhh! Sp the best solution would be to get a keyboard player who already has a Kronos!

[flemmings27]

Ahhh! Sp the best solution would be to get a keyboard player who already has a Kronos!

Well smack me with a Bb demented chord, now why didn't I think of that??? Oh, that's right, I did and decided against it cuz I didn't want to put up with all the known keyboardist quirks and weirdo'isms, which as everyone knows, are only slightly above those apparent in drummers.

[SanderXpander]

I don't think we need to take that from a bass player.

[jeremykeys]

We'll now, I think I've just been insulted!

Just wondering. Would a laptop maybe suit your needs better or we're you also planning on getting back into playing keyboards again? Just wondering from a mobility standpoint? I do understand about having too much gear to schlep around. a Kronos 73, 2 guitars plus all the amplification that goes along is a pain in the back.

[flemmings27]

I don't think we need to take that from a bass player.

SanderX - I started out as a keyboard player, so it was one of those odd quirks that made me say that. The devil made me do it . . . Ahem

[flemmings27]

We'll now, I think I've just been insulted!

Just wondering. Would a laptop maybe suit your needs better or we're you also planning on getting back into playing keyboards again? Just wondering from a mobility standpoint? I do understand about having too much gear to schlep around. a Kronos 73, 2 guitars plus all the amplification that goes along is a pain in the back.

The short answer is yes, I'm going to pick the piano again. But also, I was searching for an instrument to do many things, write/record, and in a live setting, to enable me to have entire instruments parts or sections of songs, without having to add lots of musicians to the band. Adding other musicians who are expert in their instruments would be the ultimate goal, but initially getting the right players could be hard b/c in this immediate area, this is a small music scene.

I said, "was searching" because I just pulled the trigger on a Kronos x88!

[flemmings27]

I don't mean to advertise for them, but ProAudioStar have a great Black Friday deal for Kronos X keyboards and then there's the Korg mail-in rebate on top of that.

If I hadn't already bought my X88 I'd be on it in a shot.

Goughy - thanks for this awesome tip - I just bought a Kronos X88, and they threw in a couple of Midi cables and an expression pedal (not one made by Korg, but allegedly compatible.