Medeli AKX10

[3dc]

I know most of you guys are on serious synths but whats your opinion on upcoming Medeli AKX10 arranger? The price is set at 545 GBP or 700 EUR and its jam packed with features and high quality sounds.
I wonder why Yamaha is not updating its PSR-S670 model? Why would they leave wide open space for Medeli in this price range?

Thanks in advance for your opinions.

 

[Biggles]

Medeli AKX10, I would not consider it at all, with no serious history of product development any purchase would be a risk. I may be totally wrong but it looks like a Chinese rip off.

Yamaha have the SX range which superseeds the S range. Just why they have not made an SX 600 is probably to do with their only serious competition which is Korg.

Korg have their Pa 700 and the prior 600 and 300 models which they have not updated.

Korg have gone in a different direction with their EK50, i3 and XE20 keyboards and with Casio and their S3000 the market is now somewhat confused at this level.

Yamaha still have the S670 shown on their website and if there is going to be an update then that may well be to a SX600. As to why it has not yet happened is a moot point but probably due to a lack of sales in this level of the market. Going from an E463 to an S670 is not that much of a leap, going to an S770 was probably a more frequent move.

When you consider changing do thoroughly check out all available models up to say 1000 Euro, please do not get hooked on staying with the brand.

 

[3dc]

Medeli AKX10, I would not consider it at all, with no serious history of product development any purchase would be a risk. I may be totally wrong but it looks like a Chinese rip off.

I read somewhere that Medeli is actually an OEM and parts manufacturer for many respectable brands like KURZWEIL. Apparently Medeli stage pianos are cheaper but exact version of Kurzweil stage pianos. So I guess they are not really new in the industry. Judging from photos I saw on china website AKX10 does look pretty solid. Its not your usual Made in China product design. You can see they put some serious Yamaha and Korg "thoughts" into it.
Its tempting I must say. The only question is sound and build quality. Right now KORG Pa700 still looks like best upgrade and budget fit for my level.

 

[Biggles]

Kursweil are a very respected brand that seem to produce some excellent products.

There is a very big BUT applicable to them which is probably the same in Slovenia as it is here in the UK, they are practically non existant, I have only ever seen one piano and one controller in stores over here.

A Korg Pa would be a much better option, plenty of free expansion readily available, great help resources via here and Korg Forums.

 

[HighlandStudio91]

Though I preordered a Korg Nautilus,I still may also get a Medeli AKX10...after watching this video...

 

[Seng]

Though I preordered a Korg Nautilus,I still may also get a Medeli AKX10...after watching this video...

Hello, I'd like to know, with 'Grand suite' software of Medeli, can we import others voices to the MEDELI AKX 10 ?
I know that it is possible to import styles with this software.
Thanks

 

[Gino]

Medeli AKX10, I would not consider it at all, with no serious history of product development any purchase would be a risk. I may be totally wrong but it looks like a Chinese rip off.

Yamaha have the SX range which superseeds the S range. Just why they have not made an SX 600 is probably to do with their only serious competition which is Korg.

Korg have their Pa 700 and the prior 600 and 300 models which they have not updated.

Korg have gone in a different direction with their EK50, i3 and XE20 keyboards and with Casio and their S3000 the market is now somewhat confused at this level.

Yamaha still have the S670 shown on their website and if there is going to be an update then that may well be to a SX600. As to why it has not yet happened is a moot point but probably due to a lack of sales in this level of the market. Going from an E463 to an S670 is not that much of a leap, going to an S770 was probably a more frequent move.

When you consider changing do thoroughly check out all available models up to say 1000 Euro, please do not get hooked on staying with the brand.

I'm sorry but this is a stereotypical attitude whereby Chinese is associated automatically with bad quality.
I remember how skeptical we were about Japanese, and later, Korean products and cars.
The reality is that these guys kicked ass and that Chinese are on the way to do the same.
So at least reserve your judgment till you actually try the product or read what people who own it and other professionals report.

 

[Biggles]

I'm sorry but this is a stereotypical attitude whereby Chinese is associated automatically with bad quality.
I remember how skeptical we were about Japanese, and later, Korean products and cars.
The reality is that these guys kicked ass and that Chinese are on the way to do the same.
So at least reserve your judgment till you actually try the product or read what people who own it and other professionals report.

Shenzen, where Medeli are located is a major Technology centre in China.

Just look at a Go Pro video camera then look at all the cheap clones, yes Shenzen crops up again and again as the location where they are made.

They also make products for the major manufacturers and no doubt the tech is borrowed.

Look at how the Chinese have also ripped off vehicles and their clones of Porsche, Mercedes, BMW, Rand Rover, Jaguar, Tesla etc are easily found online.

So no my comments are not stereotypical, China is responsible for mammoth rip offs.

 

[MusicwithHarry]

I'm sorry but this is a stereotypical attitude whereby Chinese is associated automatically with bad quality.
I remember how skeptical we were about Japanese, and later, Korean products and cars.
The reality is that these guys kicked ass and that Chinese are on the way to do the same.
So at least reserve your judgment till you actually try the product or read what people who own it and other professionals report.

I agree with Biggles, at least with the quality of the Chinese products in the past and present in a lot of different markets.

I have a number of Android tablets, bought off of eBay, that are from China. Both are supposed to be 10-core processor machines with A LOT of storage. It turns out that NONE of the tablets truly offered the storage they claimed. They changed the firmware details to show extra storage but after a trusted app was installed to learn about the ACTUAL storage in the machine, they were much less. The same also applies to one of the tablets that claimed to be a 10-core processor unit. It is, in reality, a quad-core processor unit. Deception and fraud are rampant among many of the Chinese products. Because they are overseas, there is very little recourse.

With regard to the Medeli music products - they, in the past, have offered sub-par sounds and sub-par quality and with little recourse when the product is defective or quits working after a short period of time. Many off-brand or house-brand keyboard products (like the digital pianos and other arrangers that are very low-priced) are simply rebadged Medeli units with another name on them. Consider the Medeli A1000. It is also known as the Fame G2000 and a number of other off-brands or house brands. They are still a Medeli product. Even Kurzweil is using Medeli products in their consumer lineup, but slap their Kurzweil name on them. Alesis is very liberal in their use of Medeli products and are simply slapping their Alesis logo on them.

With regard to the AKX10, it appears as though this model is using previous generation Yamaha technology for the sounds and styles. Some styles are even named the same as the styles found on the Yamaha counterparts. Maybe Medeli have added new features to make the product more appealing and certainly the price is right. Through a bit of research online and by watching people on YouTube who have actually gotten their hands on the AKX10, one can easily hear the character of the product and it is clear that it is from Yamaha products from the past.

With regard to the products from Japan, I have never questioned the quality of a Japanese product. They have always been solid, at least in my experience. I believe that the problem with the Japanese products was that there has always been fierce competition between the US and Japan, and Japan had a habit of advancing some tech (maybe a lot of tech) faster than the US did...

With regard to Korea, they had to get better with their products before they really played a part on the world stage. Hyundai and Kia come to mind. In the 80's the vehicle offerings from Hyundai were garbage. Now, they are one of the leading players in the game. Look at the Genesis models - they are VERY nice.

If China is going to produce any meaningful musical products under the Medeli name (and other music companies that start up), they will need to overcome the stigma they have created for themselves in the past. Maybe they will be a major player in their own brands, but it will take time. I know that a lot of musical products are made in China for other companies, but the other companies have more strict controls for quality and that is why their products still cost more than something from Medeli. I also remember Behringer being the 'bottom of the barrel' type company in their early days with regard to quality, but look at them now...

Some may also argue about AMS Hydrasynth being owned by Medeli. In my research, it is more likely that Medeli are financially backing the AMS line, but the founder of the AMS products was actually from Akai and Arturia. It is a little more complicated than that, but he designed many products from Akai (MPC5000, MPK keyboards) and Arturia (iPad synth apps, the *Brute line, and the BeatStep Pro). He is on LinkedIn somewhere for further examination.

Even with everything I have typed above, I am still open to trying out the AKX10 and see if it really lives up the hype that has been generated for it... maybe it is a winner and something worthy of ownership...

Grace,
Harry

 

[happyrat1]

Kurzweil is currently owned by Young Chang, a Korean Company and have been for the past decade or so.

Gary

 

[MusicwithHarry]

Kurzweil is currently owned by Young Chang, a Korean Company and have been for the past decade or so.

Gary

I know. They have been owned by Young Chang for some time. I believe that took place in 1990. Ultimately, they are owned by HDC (Hyundai Development Company) and I believe they were acquired by HDC in 2006.

It does not change the fact that they are selling rebranded Medeli products in their consumer line.

Grace,
Harryu

 

[happyrat1]

Well ASM is owned by Medeli and I can vouch for the build quality of the unit. It is solid as Gibraltar. No cheap injection moulded chassis there.

Your really can't judge an entire company based on the lineup of consumer junk they sell. For Kurzweil the consumer gear is really more of a sideline.

They decided to offer a model that competes with Yamaha and Casio consumer models and I'm frankly happy that they didn't waste a design team on building it. They're a small company with limited resources and I could care less about the consumer stuff. Frankly they probably climbed on board when they saw Roland offer the GO Line of keyboards.

Actually I believe even my 8 year old PC3K8 was made in China as well. Built like a brick outhouse.

Gary

 

[MusicwithHarry]

Well ASM is owned by Medeli and I can vouch for the build quality of the unit. It is solid as Gibraltar. No cheap injection moulded chassis there.

Your really can't judge an entire company based on the lineup of consumer junk they sell. For Kurzweil the consumer gear is really more of a sideline.

They decided to offer a model that competes with Yamaha and Casio consumer models and I'm frankly happy that they didn't waste a design team on building it. They're a small company with limited resources and I could care less about the consumer stuff. Frankly they probably climbed on board when they saw Roland offer the GO Line of keyboards.

Actually I believe even my 8 year old PC3K8 was made in China as well. Built like a brick outhouse.

Gary

Nowhere on Medeli's site or on ASM's site do they talk about each other. From what I have read, ASM is financially backed by Medeli. This is not necessarily a bad thing, because that means that AMS probably still has a high level of autonomy with their products. With that said, you can read about the Medeli involvement through the bios for a couple of the team members... but as for direct Medeli references, there are none.

I agree that the AMS products are fantastic. Very sturdily built and the sounds are amazing. I am considering getting one myself

Like I said, many of our products are at least made in China. The difference is that the companies that are building their products in China factories are likely adhering to quality standards that are far above the standards that are commonly associated with 'locally made' products from a local Chinese company when making their own products for resale.

Grace,
Harry

 

[happyrat1]

ASM (Ashun Sound Machines) is wholly owned and financed by Medeli. It started out as a Chinese Incubator hiring top European and American engineering talent and they operate their factory out of Shenzen. To date, AFAIK they offer no other products than the Hydrasynth keyboard and desktop.

There was plenty of talk and official confirmation on a Gearslutz thread when the Hydrasynth was first announced.

But make no mistake, Medeli owns them outright.

Kurzweil experimented with a Medeli keybed on their PC4 but it got a lot of negative reviews and on the upcoming K2700 they went back to the Fatar TP40L.

Personally, keyboard feel is not one of my primary concerns. I don't care if it's a melodica or glockenspiel or a tank drum. If it's got notes I'll take a stab at squeezing out a tune.

I merely take umbrage at the insinuation that if it's made in China it is automatically "junk." I very clearly remember a time when I would refuse to own anything made by Detroit. Today I own an old GM van because it's more affordable than a comparable Japanese vehicle. Then again, since the 90's GM has been associated with Toyota, while Ford Teamed up with Mazda and Chrysler with Mitsubishi. And my brother the mechanic keeps it alive with Chinese parts whenever suitable.

This has become a discussion about the benefits and drawbacks of globalization which has ceased to be an issue ever since Trump took a huge, steaming dump on America's foreign policies. It may be a win for the domestic job market but it's a huge loss for the consumer.

Seriously, China may cut us off completely in a decade. See if you're smiling ten years from now when the latest moog "insert octagenerian here" costs as much as a new Tesla. It took 40 years to build the Chinese semiconductor industry and we've all forgotten the environmental reasons that made us ship them to the other side of the planet rather than poison our suburban backyards. If China cuts us off it will take at least another decade and a half to ramp up domestic production. All while killing ourselves with industrial byproducts.

Don't knock China man. We really, really, REALLY NEED THEM!!!!

Gary

 

[MusicwithHarry]

While I have not 'dumped' on China directly, their history of sub-par products does cause one to take pause. It is improving in so many different product lines. I hope that it continues to do so. Until then, I only have the past to reflect to because of experience, and wel, their reputation. ALL of us have a reputation and if it is a bad one, we have to try extra hard to change that.

There is a reason why I buy Korg products - they are reliable and work for me. The same with Roland, Ensoniq, Yamaha, and others. They have a proven track record of above-said qualities that will cause me to look at them first. Medeli? Not so much. I hope that changes. Behringer was once a company that people would laugh at becasue of their lack of quality and failure rates. Now, look at them. They are VERY well established and a company I can also look to for different products.

Unless we demand better quality from China (or anyone, really), there is no incentive in them to increase quality on products.

I am not sure that this discussion has turned into one about globalization... To be fair, if ANY country were to 'cut off', the effect globally would be really bad. With that said, we cannot change the motivations of each country, no matter what kind of legislation we try to employ... It just will not work.

People want to play on the big stage? They need to bring something to the table that truly wins the people over...

Grace,
Harry

 

[happyrat1]

My only answer is that Biden has his work cut out for him right now.

Politically he's at siege surrounded by disenfranchised allies internationally, hostility and racial hatred in his own precarious nation after decades of eroding democracy and squandered political capital.

Somehow I seriously doubt America will come out of this century smelling like a rose.

Seriously we should all be a little less hostile to China if we don't want to wake up one morning to a bright, sunny, thermonuclear blast.

Gary

Unless we demand better quality from China (or anyone, really), there is no incentive in them to increase quality on products.

Take a good look at your position in the world before you ever "demand" anything

 

[MusicwithHarry]

My only answer is that Biden has his work cut out for him right now.

Politically he's at siege surrounded by disenfranchised allies internationally, hostility and racial hatred in his own precarious nation after decades of eroding democracy and squandered political capital.

Somehow I seriously doubt America will come out of this century smelling like a rose.

Seriously we should all be a little less hostile to China if we don't want to wake up one morning to a bright, sunny, thermonuclear blast.

Gary

Like I said, I will not get into politics here - I love talking about music and want to do so with anyone, no matter their political affilation. I will say that America is not what it used to be and people today want to forget history. As such, we are doomed to repeat it, and we are a lost country. I fear that we are on the way to another civil war of sorts, if not an all out civil war with bloodshed outweighing even what was shed during our first civil war.

I am not sure that ANY country with avialability to nuclear warheads will deploy any. There are too many others who will need to retaliate and our entire planet, with all of our beautiful synths, will be gone.

"Take a good look at your position in the world before you ever "demand" anything "

To that comment, I reply with the following:

I look at my position, personally, every day and make sure I am where I am called to be. With demand, I mean 'demand' with my wallet. If something is not up to standard that I want, I buy something else. I AM in that position, just as we all are

If you are speaking to the USA and its position, I am not going to go there I want to talk about music and our synths

Grace,
Harry

 

[happyrat1]

Nonetheless, what affects the US affects the world, but I'd advise dealing with China as equals, not inferiors. It's all about attitude. Colonial empires are not forgotten by their victims. Be careful whom you step upon on the way up. You gotta meet them again on the way down.

Gary

 

[Max music]

It's definitely the design of PSR-SX 700/900 everything spells it even function just they made them better changed names even buttons the only thing I don't mind is vocal harmony duh it's cheap and there are only three medeli took Yamaha designs and programs made them friendly user and better sounds and styles are previous Yamaha keyboards unfortunately multipads are bad which are called something else there I still wondering why Yamaha hasn't sued medeli cz now all Yamaha functions are subsidized by medeli

 

[jetgraphics]

I'm sorry but this is a stereotypical attitude whereby Chinese is associated automatically with bad quality.
I remember how skeptical we were about Japanese, and later, Korean products and cars.
The reality is that these guys kicked ass and that Chinese are on the way to do the same.
So at least reserve your judgment till you actually try the product or read what people who own it and other professionals report.

But unlike the Japanese, there is a cultural aspect that applauds cheating the "foreign devil" (non-Chinese). It's not a nice quality to have, and lends itself to the wide dislike for the Chinese by other neighboring countries and peoples.