Kawai MP11SE and monitor speakers

[Kaneda]

Asked a question on the Youtube channel of someone who reviewed the CM-30 ; one of the instruments he tested the speakers with was a Korg SV-1. Asked him about the hiss and he said that there was no hiss when not playing. So I guess I should be alright.

That said, and not having ordered the MP11SE yet, I might wait a couple of weeks for the release of the Nord Grand. I know it's closer to the MP7SE as far as the keybed is concerned, but seeing it has been customized for Nord, it might be better still than on the Kawai MP7SE. Don't think it will be as good as the MP11SE, though, but want to give it a chance and have a play as soon as I get the chance.
Just to be on the safe side and wanting to be absolutely sure about my purchase. Plus, I'm intrigued by it, want to know whether it can live up to all the hype.
If the Nord Grand can convince me, I'll most probably get the Nord Monitors for it ; otherwise, I'll go for the MP11SE and a couple of Roland CM-30s...

Edit : never mind the above post. Just found this link on the Nord forum :

In the first two seconds of the video, there's a noticable 'thump' noise we he lets go of the G key. So apparently, not even Nord can keep plastic keybeds from being noisy. I know that most people will say that I'm nitpicking, but these kinds of things are only going to frustrate me in the long run. Shame, really, when you consider how much this thing costs.
So, MP11SE it is...

 

[anotherscott]

Get the action you know you'll love! You can always improve the sound (i.e. using a VST), but the action is the action.

 

[MaryB]

Asked a question on the Youtube channel of someone who reviewed the CM-30 ; one of the instruments he tested the speakers with was a Korg SV-1. Asked him about the hiss and he said that there was no hiss when not playing. So I guess I should be alright.

That said, and not having ordered the MP11SE yet, I might wait a couple of weeks for the release of the Nord Grand. I know it's closer to the MP7SE as far as the keybed is concerned, but seeing it has been customized for Nord, it might be better still than on the Kawai MP7SE. Don't think it will be as good as the MP11SE, though, but want to give it a chance and have a play as soon as I get the chance.
Just to be on the safe side and wanting to be absolutely sure about my purchase. Plus, I'm intrigued by it, want to know whether it can live up to all the hype.
If the Nord Grand can convince me, I'll most probably get the Nord Monitors for it ; otherwise, I'll go for the MP11SE and a couple of Roland CM-30s...

Edit : never mind the above post. Just found this link on the Nord forum :

In the first two seconds of the video, there's a noticable 'thump' noise we he lets go of the G key. So apparently, not even Nord can keep plastic keybeds from being noisy. I know that most people will say that I'm nitpicking, but these kinds of things are only going to frustrate me in the long run. Shame, really, when you consider how much this thing costs.
So, MP11SE it is...

What did you end up with? I am trying to figure out what speakers to purchase for use with my MP11SE and found this thread helpful. Did you purchase the MP11SE? What speakers did you decide to purchase for it? Are you happy with your choice?

 

[happyrat1]

I just picked up a pair of Presonus Eris E5 monitors from Amazon and I gotta say they kick ass in my living room.

Amazon.com: PreSonus 2 X Eris E5 Two-Way Active 5.25" Studio Monitor, 102dB Max SPL, Each: Musical Instruments

Buy PreSonus 2 X Eris E5 Two-Way Active 5.25" Studio Monitor, 102dB Max SPL, Each: Studio Monitors - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

For the price, these monitors deliver sound equal to anything I've heard from Yamaha or JBL.

The low end is fat enough to deliver the bass notes of a grand piano and the highs are sharp and crisp.

These monitors are good enough for anyone.

Gary

 

[Kaneda]

What did you end up with? I am trying to figure out what speakers to purchase for use with my MP11SE and found this thread helpful. Did you purchase the MP11SE? What speakers did you decide to purchase for it? Are you happy with your choice?

I have the MP11SE and a pair of iLoud Micro Monitor speakers. Very happy with everything !

 

[MaryB]

I have the MP11SE and a pair of iLoud Micro Monitor speakers. Very happy with everything !

Thank you!

 

[Kaneda]

Thank you!

It's true that, as mentioned above, monitor speakers from Presonus or other brands are equally as good, if not better in some cases, but I specifically wanted speakers that were mountable on a mic stand, and those are few and far between, so the only ones I could find to my liking are the iLoud Micro Monitors, or their bigger brothers, the iLoud MTM monitor speakers.

 

[MaryB]

It's true that, as mentioned above, monitor speakers from Presonus or other brands are equally as good, if not better in some cases, but I specifically wanted speakers that were mountable on a mic stand, and those are few and far between, so the only ones I could find to my liking are the iLoud Micro Monitors, or their bigger brothers, the iLoud MTM monitor speakers.

Thank you for the clarification. This thread was exactly what I needed and most of your questions were identical to mine, so it has been really helpful. At this point, after further research, I'm sort of leaning toward the Presonus Eris E5 monitors mentioned above by Gary.

 

[jameshoe]

Thanks.
As for the 'real' sounding piano, I wouldn't go that far. Maybe I expressed myself the wrong way. I just would like to hear all the subtleties the MP11SE can emit as far as piano sounds go. Guess that's more reasonable.

Already looked at the JBL 305P mkII, reports of quite a lot of hiss...

Taken a look at the Yamaha HS range : the HS5I might be enough for the space I'm in, and can't find anything negative about them but I don't think they have 3/8 mic mounting points...

I purchased the Kawai MP11SE and the JBL 305P, connected from the L / Mono output w/ TS cable to monitor w/ TS jack ... and the volume of the monitor is underwhelming. I am being told I need to purchase a DI Box. Does that make sense?

 

[Biggles]

Welcome.
You should not need a DI box for a short cable run, a DI box is put in the output where the leads go to the sound guys mixing desk for foh control to the pa system.

On the back of your JBL you should have an input sensitivity control and a volume control, try putting your keyboard volume at 1/3rd then with the input sensitivity on its lowest setting adjust the JBL volume control until you get the sound level you seek.

If you have to turn the JBL volume up to far, turn it all the way down, move the input sensitivity to a different setting then go back to adjusting the JBL volume.

If this works you can then fine tune the sound level thereafter on the keyboard.

If it does not work then check the Kawai manual to see if there is adjustments to the line output levels.

If you are still struggling a Mixer will help as a balanced feed to the Mixer will allow the Gain controls on the Mixer to boost the signal level.

Looking at the JBL’s the input sensitivity appears to be a two position switch, which is a bit cr4p for a £120 unit. An alternative would be to return the JBL if you can or sell it on and buy a better powered monitor.

I use a set of PreSonus Eris 4.5 which suit me fine and they give me a stereo pair but the Eris 5 EX is a superior monitor

 

[jameshoe]

Welcome.
You should not need a DI box for a short cable run, a DI box is put in the output where the leads go to the sound guys mixing desk for foh control to the pa system.

On the back of your JBL you should have an input sensitivity control and a volume control, try putting your keyboard volume at 1/3rd then with the input sensitivity on its lowest setting adjust the JBL volume control until you get the sound level you seek.

If you have to turn the JBL volume up to far, turn it all the way down, move the input sensitivity to a different setting then go back to adjusting the JBL volume.

If this works you can then fine tune the sound level thereafter on the keyboard.

If it does not work then check the Kawai manual to see if there is adjustments to the line output levels.

If you are still struggling a Mixer will help as a balanced feed to the Mixer will allow the Gain controls on the Mixer to boost the signal level.

Looking at the JBL’s the input sensitivity appears to be a two position switch, which is a bit cr4p for a £120 unit. An alternative would be to return the JBL if you can or sell it on and buy a better powered monitor.

I use a set of PreSonus Eris 4.5 which suit me fine and they give me a stereo pair but the Eris 5 EX is a superior monitor

Thank you Biggles ... I did try sensitivity on back of JBL in both positions, and you are correct, the lower setting is better. Maybe my expectations for sound out of that JBL are too high. I also found a section in the Kawai manual that says "Balanced XLR output jacks eliminate the need for an additional DI box with long cable runs". It is NOT a long cable run with the TRS cable, so maybe it isn't relevant. I don't have an XLR cable, but thinking ordering one and giving that a try?