My New Kronos…..Thoughts So Far.

pedro5 · Post by **pedro5** » Thu Jul 19, 2012 7:36 pm

Although I've written some background details about my purchase of the Kronos in other posts,this is meant as a re-cap of my overall opinion.
Without meaning to make any derogatory comments nor upset anyone,I do feel a little daunted with the process of becoming a Kronos owner.
The following comments are my own personal opinion and actual facts may differ.

When the Kronos was first introduced I,like many others,got really excited with what was on offer…..we all know now what it really is and its potential…..
a great instrument indeed!
That is…..when it works correctly…….which has been a problem for some users.
No one really knows how many,a figure of around 1% for faulty units has been the official comment from Korg,I have no means to dispute this,but surely for a musical
instrument made by a reputable,well establish company, even 1% is far too many anyway.

I emphasize the words musical instrument and would expect,without question,that it would perform as such,fault free.
Of course,there may well be many others that have not reported their experiences,good or otherwise,here or elsewhere and it may well be just a biased overview
(pure guesswork/estimate) of the numbers involved.

Based on various reported problems via the forum,we're not talking about accidental damaged parts here,but related flaws in component selection and possibly the
manufacturing process itself,perhaps part of the design as well.
I'm sure many here can imagine the awful experience in having a faulty instrument,especially so soon after purchase and the sheer disappointment for any player
having to face at that time.

The "lucky" ones are just that….lucky,in having a faultless instrument and I hope it continues to be for them.
Or should I be saying…..the unlucky ones are just that…..unlucky... and they will face the hassle of returning units under warranty for "repair" or whatever,just to get
what would have been reasonable expectations at the time of purchase.

My own situation is that I purposely delayed purchasing the Kronos and waited until local dealership stocks expired in the short term,hoping that the new batch
would be free of any known faults.
However,my patience eventually ran out and had an idea to request an expanded model,which the dealer happily arranged and delivered.
I have been assured that the unit came direct from Korg (Korg UK,probably,but not too sure)and was listed as a special order,with a pre-installed memory card.
My thinking being that the Kronos would surely be checked further by Korg during its time at the workshop and perhaps offer a better guarantee to be fault free.

Also,I had visions of being able to replace the fan myself,if needed,because the unit would have already been opened up.
Incidentally,Korg have a healthy and generous attitude toward self install in that as long as no other damage is caused during such,they would not void the warranty
in the long term.(Basically means,if it is done correctly,they won't mind much…???...).
Some dealers are allowed to do these things in house anyway,so it is fair to extend the permission to someone equally competent.

My Kronos ----

73 Key Version

Expanded with an additional 1gb card,

Model Number 003103 J-12

Has the "Pink" contacts

Fan noise is low to medium and is acceptable.

To date - No boot up problems.

Keybed seems to be ok and plays fine.

The above details would fall into the realm of problematic models,but,so far,there are none for me.(Hope I'm not tempting fate here….).
One of the "lucky" ones I suppose,(so far,that is)but getting there was a real journey into the unknown……and will remain ongoing for a while.
Mind you,I do have a four year guarantee !!!………(Korg offers three,but my dealer gives four for all the products they sell).

I did find the reported faults very helpful,even if they don't show up on my instrument,so thanks to all who provided the information.

Time to set all of this aside now and concentrate on pure enjoyment of the instrument……..finally !!

Best Wishes.

michelkeijzers · Post by **michelkeijzers** » Thu Jul 19, 2012 9:58 pm

Great story ... thanks for sharing and most of all: have fun with the Kronos.

KorgisKing · Post by **KorgisKing** » Thu Jul 19, 2012 10:29 pm

KronosX · Post by **KronosX** » Fri Jul 20, 2012 4:16 am

Yeah great story.. I know a guy that bought 3 Kronos before he got a good one.. All had keybed issues.. Yikes. I always wondered why the greatest products of the world are from Japan. Somebody has to pay for those 10x10 apartments.. Here ya go.. Here ya go.. Here ya go..

You know a great idea is to make a keyboard have a dock. That way you can dock a laptop like Sony right into the unit.. Upgrade your laptop and you have a faster newer keyboard.. Or maybe a Ipad Dock.. Wow.. that would be sweet! Separate the two instead of inflating the price for person greed on old technology. I love paying top $$$$ for pc parts we throw in the trash each day.. Parts we would never consider to surf even the web.. but we pay through the nose in these keyboards.. LOL

BobTheDog · Post by **BobTheDog** » Fri Jul 20, 2012 9:07 am

Well I'm another new user who is on his third 88, I have a very noisy fan but apart from that I am loving the Kronos.

It sounds great which I surpose is the most important thing, but really what I love is that it is a bit of a programmers dream, there is years of learning here for me! It's an exciting machine

Jim Wright · Post by **Jim Wright** » Sun Jul 22, 2012 3:18 pm

I'm another new user; I bought a K61 (not the X version) last weekend. With a summer sale on, I got the K61 for about $750 less than a 61X would cost, and that seems pretty fair to me. Unlike some, I don't expect a free hardware update to 'X' standard (the idea seems ridiculous). Free repairs for keybed problems or other manufacturing defects would be a different question. But the expanded RAM and SSD isn't a defect - it's a blessing

When I decide to expand my RAM and SSD, I'll either go the service center route or do it myself (if the warranty issues get clarified). The fan noise seems acceptable.

I'm very happy with my Kronos so far. To give some context: I'm a software engineer and amateur musician; I did MIDI and audio-related work until about 10 years ago. Now that my kids are done with college, I'm going to get back to music (and probably music software, in some way). I'd been thinking about an M3-73 for years, and almost bought one in June. However - I was seduced by the Kronos when I played one, and then realized I could get a K61 for about the cost of a fully loaded M3-73. Then I heard about Kronos X, and OS 2, and prices dropped... and it was clearly the right time to move.

For me, the Kronos 61 is a nearly perfect fit (others have different needs, of course). I'm very picky about semi-weighted action, but am not a trained pianist (and don't want a hammer action). Most MIDI controller keyboards feel like bits of plastic with springs attached; the K61 plays like a real instrument. Not to mention the sound quality, and wealth of synth engines. 6 years back, I build a pretty good DAW-based system, but got frustrated by the constant need to tweak things, and the fact that it just didn't feel (or respond) like an instrument. With the Kronos - I can just turn it on, wait two minutes, and start making music. Bliss. I expect to make my Kronos the heart of a new DAW system (the onboard Kronos sequencer is pretty basic), but for now - I'm too busy enjoying playing again:)

Randelph · Post by **Randelph** » Sun Jul 22, 2012 6:49 pm

Jim,
What did you pay for the k61?

Jim Wright · Post by **Jim Wright** » Sun Jul 22, 2012 9:22 pm

I paid $2436 plus tax for a new K61 sealed-in-box, with 30 day return privilege, from a local dealer. Asking price (MAP) for the K61X is $3199, but one can always try haggling

KronosX · Post by **KronosX** » Tue Jul 24, 2012 4:57 am

Ive heard some people getting a Kronos 61 on close out for 2300.00 ( BRAND NEW SEALED ) free shipping and not tax from Online retailers like SamAsh or Musicians Friend.. Or try Sweetwater.com

2436 + tax?? thats like ~2600 out the door.. that just goes to show you a deal is state of mind. You could have saved a good 300.00

SanderXpander · Post by **SanderXpander** » Tue Jul 24, 2012 5:33 am

What an odd way to deflate a happy new user.

Enjoy your Kronos! Only a few months in myself but still loving it!

michelkeijzers · Post by **michelkeijzers** » Tue Jul 24, 2012 8:22 am

Enjoy your Kronos.

Jim Wright · Post by **Jim Wright** » Tue Jul 24, 2012 9:56 pm

@KronosX: Sorry, but I'm still happy with my deal and especially my Kronos

Getting the absolute lowest price is not the most important thing to me (YMMV). I value having local stores where I can check things out in person .. and they go out of business if they don't get business. I don't want big boxes sitting on my porch all day while I'm at work. I think my deal was fair, all things considered.

On taxes: I live in NY state, and they know about the web. Sam Ash, Amazon and many major etailers charge tax to NYS residents. Sweetwater doesn't, but ... I have to report (and pay tax) on all online purchases over $1000 when I file my state tax return. My accountant knows of tax evaders that got caught. Pragmatics aside, the Great Recession has hit state and local services very hard (my wife works for NY state). Since I live and work here, and use state services - I owe my fair share of taxes.

Hope you're enjoying your Kronos too!

PS. I've skimmed your forum posts, and you give the impression of being a troll. If that's not your intent, you may want to phrase future posts more carefully.

CfNorENa · Post by **CfNorENa** » Wed Jul 25, 2012 1:38 am

Jim Wright wrote:Getting the absolute lowest price is not the most important thing to me (YMMV). I value having local stores where I can check things out in person .. and they go out of business if they don't get business.

Well said. Enjoy your big K!

DennyC · Post by **DennyC** » Wed Jul 25, 2012 2:40 am

Enjoy your Kronos Jim. Congratulations!

KronosX · Post by **KronosX** » Wed Jul 25, 2012 5:30 am

Yeah its not important what you spend. It just matters what I spend.. I hear ya..

I wouldnt feel bad because you could have saved a few hundred dollars. Like if your rich? Its no big deal. Maybe you have your own professional purchaser too..