Best speakers for Kronos? I need quality over volume.

[JPWC]

mackie 450's (two) are the way to go or some other compact, self-powered speaker like JBL,

although it might be interesting to try out the Bose live system or the new PA from Line 6.

[OboKeyDrum]

I got a pair of VXT8, they do sound incredibly good except for the piano sounds. They are somehow a little fuzzy and hollow (only when using speakers, great on my AKG 701 though).

[Darmin De'flern]

I have the DM 2100 2.1 monitor speakers don't think they make them any more but the new roland monitors are more powerfull sub and main speakers. For clarity of sound plus the sub if you need it these pack a reasonable wallop and are crystal clear for studio mixing purposes. In addition though I am thinking of getting the Yamaha DXR 12's powered speakers so that if sometimes I need a bit of volume or PA purposes then these will do the trick.

I agree that if your going for quality then a good set of monitors are the best way to go.

These are the type of thing that you can think about: http://www.roland.com/products/en/CM-220/ .

The thing is they have been designed with synths/keyboards and electric drums in mind so you know they have the full range of sounds from deep bass to high notes. In addition I can highly recomend that at least the ones I have the older model of this set the DM 2100 can be used as pro level monitors. The review I read before was a pro sound engineer who was impressed that the clarity of the sounds were so good.

And in my opinion I love having a sub as sometimes pure monitor speakers really wont tell you what type of bass impact there will be in a full blown pa system with subs or 5.1 systems etc.

[Ray Cruz]

If you need clear mid, soaring highs, and full deep bass out of compact box, I would highly recommend Yamaha DXR's. They get really loud, and never breaks up

[phattbuzz]

For quite a few years I have been using a PA system with a Mackie amplifier, Behringer mixer and Peavey speakers for my keyboards. Well, those items are all getting older and less reliable. While I will keep them around for emergency situations, I've decided it was time to update. I really don't need a mixer any more because the Kronos is the only sound source. It was taking me three trips to load in just my personal PA, not including my keyboards, stands, etc. A lot of people have been praising inner ear monitors, but they just won't work in some of the band situations I play in. I decided to go with a couple of powered Class D PA speakers . At first I was looking at the Mackie Thumps (15"), but the more I looked into them, the more bad reviews I found on them. At the moment, I don't have a budget for QRS and the other high end systems. I checked out the reviews for the Behringer B215D. There were very few bad reviews, and it seamed that the persons who did bash it didn't seam to be knowledgeable about setting up a PA.
Anyhow, I have a pair on order and they are due to arrive tomorrow.

[Randelph]

A good forum to hang out for general pa suggestions is Harmony Central Live Sound:http://acapella.harmony-central.com/sho ... kers/page3


Here's an extract from an SOS article that someone posted in that forum regarding the Yamaha DXR speakers:

"... I was immediately taken by their smooth, warm character and well-balanced sound with playback material. I listened to all my favourite test tracks, and even in a comparison with my current favourite three-way speakers, I really liked the evenness and mid-range clarity. There was no hint of unpleasant harshness or over-hyped top end, and for a two-way design I felt that the mid-into-high transition was particularly good, with very smooth and clear performance in the critical crossover area. The bass end was also very well controlled, with plenty of lower-mid extension that stood up well to some loud orchestral ‘pops’ and film scores.

"These little speakers can deliver a big punch if asked to do so, and what’s so impressive about them is their ability to play it cool or hot, gentle or aggressive, depending on the material. They’re ideal for portable playback, great for vocals, and the larger DX15 is well able to handle band PA duty without using subs unless you’re aiming for maximum output."


The DXR series seems to be the speaker to beat at that price point, esp. with the 3 channel mixer built-in. Another fantastic sounding speaker that's an even better deal is the RCF 310 (10") and 312a (12"). The 300 series has been discontinued, so these are much cheaper than they originally were, and are very highly rated by everyone who has used them (again, from Harmony Central Forums), and can be had for $400-$450. For someone that's into sound quality, I would guess the RCF's would have a slight hi-fi sounding advantage.

I have heard many people speak highly of the K series for a keyboard speaker, but unlike the RCF and Yamahas, they are said to get harsh when cranked (which might not be a problem for yourself).


And for the other poster that was talking about getting a Behringer 'cause of the lower price, a better speaker? and lower price would be for some M-Audios being blown out at PSSL: http://www.pssl.com/M-Audio-GSR-12-300- ... ed-Speake- for $179 (they originally over twice that)[/url].

[Randelph]

The thing that dissuades me from thinking of 12" speakers doing double duty as home monitor and church pa is the sheer size. You might consider a couple of different options:

1) A 12" is ideal for the trade-off in bass extension and size, but it's freakin' huge as a home monitor. If you can deal with slightly less bass, consider the DXR10 or the RCF 310a, both of which are considerably smaller and lighter; and with the DXR, you can engage the deep bass mode if you need more bass

or

2) Buy a single 12 or 15" speaker for the church, leave it there, and buy studio monitors that are suitable for the size of your room. (you could even buy two of the RCF 10/12" speakers for around $800-$900, leaving you enough in your budget for a decent set of studio monitors).

I tried "upgrading" from my 6" KRKs near fields to 8" monitors, and the extra bass was very hard to tame in the relatively small room I'm in. Small rooms (as in most rooms in most houses) can be notoriously difficult to deal with, and by having near field monitors, you minimize the impact the speakers have on overly exciting the room, 'cause they're designed to be within 3 feet of you. For someone concerned about sound quality, I think you'd be pleasantly surprised at how much $400-$800 can get you when buying studio monitors. 5" will do, personally I think 6" monitors hit a sweet spot.

The simplest way to check all this out is to take advantage of the return policy of places like Guitar Center, who unabashedly encourages people to take advantage of their 30 day return (presumably cause a lot of people end up keeping gear they might not of bought otherwise).

[RonF]

Try FBT 12ma's. They are fantastic sounding. Amazing clarity and depth. Easily portable. Can double as monitors and stage speakers. Easily miked for FOH signal feed. All in all a great choice.

http://www.fbtusa.net/index.html

[Farmogoyf]

Hey all,

OP here, thanks so much for all the great feedback! I did alot of soul searching based on the overwhelming flood of comments that the same speakers are not really going to work in a small room as they will in the church and still sound amazing in both, so I have decided to take several folks suggestions and buy one now, and invest in the other later. I actually have bass cabs that I am using live, and they aren't great, but will suffice for now.

I am considering the studio monitors, one thing important to note is that, as I said in an earlier post, I will be doing no recording, and have no need for these speakers to traslate to other speakers well, I only want them to sound amazing in my 12 x 15 room (untreated)! I was looking at the CM-220's from Roland that some people recommended, and based on their stats (I haven't tried or heard them), they seem to be overpriced computer speakers? I like the idea many people suggested of really nice computer speakers and woofer (maybe in the 300 - 500 range), which would have exceptional sound, and be cheaper than anything labeled "pro audio" (such as studio monitors or the CM-220 line). Any thoughts here, as I'm not talking from experience, just blabbering about things I don't know lol![/i]

[davc1]

i had a pair of QSC K10 and a pair of K8 ...

the K10 can be set on it's side like a wedge ...

they really sound great ... but are kinda pricey ... and at a 1,000 each it might be over kill ...

most powered speakers could do the trick if you have an EQ to get the sound you want ..!!

remember to check them up close and farther away ... what sounds good up close to you ,might sound like crap in the back of the room ...
you might have to find a happy medium ...

or aim one speaker at you , EQ'd for you ... and the other for the audience ... EQ'd as such .. experiment

[fourg63]

I recently bought a pair of Emotiva Airmotiv 6 powered monitors in anticipation of buying a Kronos in the not so distant future. My Triton sounds so much better with the Airmotiv 6s that I may actually forget the Kronos altogether. Ok maybe not Anyway, these monitors sound great and are priced very well. They are running a 10% off sale on these and you can return them within 30 days if you don't like them.

http://emotivapro.com/products/powered_monitors/

[mathieumaes]

I've also played with Sound projects in the past.
The sound quality is very good!

www.soundprojects.com

[GrandMasterKorg]

I purchased the Roland CM-220 speakers for my Kronos X 88 and I have some strange resonances, if I play the keys (key combinations). I can hear alsways very small artifact noises, which is very strange...

I don't think this is normal... Who else hast the CM-220 and the Kronos and can share some information with me...?

[william olson]

At home here i,m using Bose L1 model 2 with tone match system. Also Roland KC-550 key board amp.In the past i used a Roland Cube 30x for my Native American Flutes. The Cube 30 x is a guitar amp and it sounds like crap using it with the kronos or Flute playing.Make sure your amp is designed for key boards Crow Feather

[kaptainkeyboard]

Have a look at EV ZLX 12P.
Excellent value for money, compact and lightweight for 1000 watt speakers plus built it processors for limiting, EQ etc.