My Korg Kross 2 is now listed on eBay

[Biggles]

I like my Kross 2 but not my setup so it has to go.

I have space constraints and keyboards have to be on a tiered stand.

My problem is with the Korg Pa700 on the lower tier I have to have the Kross 2 higher than I want so that I can see the screen and controls on the 700, the resulting effect is that it is uncomfortable to play. I cannot swap them over for exactly the same reasons and so I am hardly playing the Kross coupled with the fact that the music rest is now also far to high to be comfortable to read whilst playing.

So the Kross 2 is going so that I can maybe replace it with a keyboard or controller with less controls and more keys on the lower tier and have the Pa700 on a low second tier setting.

Not sure what I want to replace it with, but my current considerations:-

Korg D1 digital piano
Roland FP10 digital piano
88 key MIDI controller
Numa Compact 2X

Or

I may even sell my Pa700 as well and bite the bullet and get a Korg Pa4X which would then be the only keyboard I need.

I am finding that the more I am getting into keyboards the more I like organ sounds and drawbars in particular but the lack of physical sliders is a pain, I cannot take to the virtual ones on my 700 whose memory is now full btw.

Thought about adding a Ferrofish to give the drawbars but again it’s a space thing with guitar amp, pedals, stands etc I need a rethink.

 

[happyrat1]

I have a pretty compact arrangement with the Juno DS88, Ferrofish B4000+, Behringer Neutron and Arturia Beatstep in my Living room.

With some clever USB and DIN MIDI Routing I can either control the modules from the Beatstep or from the Keyboard with a couple of mouse clicks.

I even manage to squeeze a small four channel mixer into this setup.

When I owned a DS61 the setup was similar but I was unhappy with the keyboard so I found someone with an 88 key model who was looking to downsize and traded boards with him plus a bit of extra cash to even out the deal.

What if you could find someone who is in a similar predicament with a Kross 2 88?

Gary

 

[Kaneda]

I’d always recommend the D1, lookikg at it from a pianist’s viewpoint, but that doesn’t solve your drawbar problem. The NC 2x could be a solution on the lower tier, since you don’t care about whether it’s weighted or not.
Maybe something like the Arturia Keylab 88 Mk2 on the lower tier : you wouldn’t be able to lower your second tier all that much but it would give you physical drawbars, plus a cracking library of virtual instruments...

 

[Biggles]

Thanks for the suggestions.

I would love the kit you have Gary but I have one problem, she is called The Wife. My music room doubles up for other uses hence I am limited for space.

I did consider the Keylab mk 2 88 since I do like Arturia kit but since it is £745 it is a bit pricey for just a controller. The Studiologic SL88 with its FATAR keybed may be a better buy as its only £333 whereas the Numa Compact 2X is £535 and that would fit plus it is easily transported to the jam sessions.

There again the D1 has the action and the Korg sounds I prefer and is cheapest here in the UK at £460 and this is at the Music Matter Store which is five minutes from home. I am heading there this afternoon for a noodle about.

 

[Kaneda]

I am heading there this afternoon for a noodle about.

Have fun

 

[Biggles]

Well what a disappointing visit to the Music Store.

Way less keyboards on display than normal they must have had a busy period leading up to the festive season, there was mainly masses of DJ kit and a lot of hardware synths.

Plus point was that they had a Roland FP30 on display @ £469 which I had a play of and it was very impressive for its price point. Great variety of sounds easily accessible and a keybed that was very responsive even up the keys.

They also had a Yamaha P45 which at £337 is very good value for money, and I had a play of it and it felt good and had the usual quality piano sounds. Not really fair to compare them as the equivalent Roland is the FP10 but still not tempted to move to the dark side that to me is Yamaha.

Come Monday, two more shops will be due a visit.

 

[Kaneda]

@happyrat1
Can I be so bold as to hijack this thread for just a second ?

I noticed that you have two monitor speakers on the floor (or aren't they monitor speakers ? ). How does that work for you ?
Is that your everyday setup or were you 'rearranging' when you took that picture ?

 

[happyrat1]

Nope. I keep the monitors on the floor.

I don't really have room to spare for separate monitor stands and I find the sound is quite immediate when I am playing directly in front of them anyway.

It's a fact of physics that sound travels upward.

The speakers are Presonus Eris E5's and they do a terrific job of filling the room with sound.

https://www.presonus.com/products/eris-e5

Coming from a technical background I know the strengths and weaknesses of consumer audio and realize that many so-called audiophiles are more critical of imaginary sonic artifacts than their ears are physically capable of registering.

This has been proven time and again with so-called experts in blind listening tests.

For my own needs they sound more than good enough

Gary

 

[Kaneda]

Thx. Will carry on about this in a separate thread. Back on Colin's topic

 

[happyrat1]

One final note. Your comments got me thinking and tonight I put in an order for a couple of sets of speaker stands for my monitors.

It does make sense to elevate them above floor level for better sound dispersion and to keep from accidentally kicking in the cones but I never liked the ones that stand at torso height because I worry about those getting knocked over as well.

A quick google search and I found some decent ones on sale from Xmas still on sale so I ordered two pairs. One for the living room and one for the studio.

https://www.bestbuy.ca/en-ca/produc...niversal-desktop-speaker-stand-black/13835346

It still kinda hurts to drop that kind of money on something a cinder block could do as well, but I'm not 19 any longer and need grown up furniture

Gary

 

[Kaneda]

@happyrat1
Well, I was puzzled about your monitors being on the floor. For example, the iLoud MTM speakers can be placed horizontally (on a flat surface, a desk or even on top of a DP) but even the manual states that that kind of placement is not recommended (which begs the question why they put special rubber pads for that specific horizontal placement in the box in the first place...).

 

[happyrat1]

Technically most monitors emulate bookshelf speaker designs. The rubber pads are to prevent the shelves from vibrating by providing acoustic isolation from the surface.

Gary

 

[Kaneda]

I was referring specifically to horizontal placement. The mtm speakers already have rubber feet for vertical placement on a desk or dp, but they also include rubber pads for placing them horizontally ( and then dissuading you to do so in the manual)...

 

[happyrat1]

Angled pads, in theory, aim the sound upward to your ears. Again it's more of a marketing gimmick than a necessity. High frequency sounds from the tweeters take a more direct path to your ears while mid and low range frequencies have a greater angle of dispersion which tends to fill a room from any location.

The theory is, that the tweeter's HF sounds are sort of laser like and you won't hear them properly (perfectly) unless they have a direct line of sight to your ears.

Like I said, most of it is audiophile, marketing mumbo jumbo for those who are trying to create a "perfect" audio listening environment.

You can achieve pretty much the same effect with a little creative EQ fiddling.

Gary

 

[happyrat1]

Meanwhile, back at the ranch....

How's the board hunt coming along Col?

Gary

 

[Biggles]

Well it was going OK until Kaneda wrote about the Casio CDP-S100 in another thread by a new member whose budget is only $200 and that got me looking at that DP.

Quickly discounted as to many buyers are having or have had issues with power supplies and the keybed in particular, plus I do not suppose I will ever get over that during my professional studying I had one Casio scientific calculator after another so to me Casio do not make keyboards they make dodgy calculators or rather they did.

I have three shops to visit, two Monday and the third next time we visit my family 35 miles away as there is a great music store in the town which must have one of the best views there is all over Morecambe Bay to the English Lake District. It is not specifically a keyboard store but they do have in about thirty different models plus plenty of guitars.

First on Monday is the shop with the strange hovering Sales Staff that I have mentioned before but since they are more Yamaha if they have a Korg D1 or B2 there in addition to Yamahas and Kawai’s then that will be a bonus.

Next will be A & C Hamilton who are my favourite shop to buy from. They will have Korg’s, Yamaha’s, Kawai, Kursweil and Roland kit on display and readily available.

A Kawai ES110 is now on the shortlist and the Studiologic kit has gone, to many issues with build quality and displays going dark for my liking.

I do not know how it happened but I watched a detailed review of a Roland FA 08 and that is throwing the cat among the pigeons, what a great piece of kit that is despite its now considerable age.

I spend a lot of time pondering and by the time I decide NAMM will be on the go.

No takers as yet for the Kross 2 so tomorrow I will see what trade in deals are on offer.

 

[Kaneda]

I've owned a Roland FA-08, it's great if you're into synth stuff, but, as I discovered, it didn't work for me. Great keybed, though, so it may be suited for you. Not cheap, though, despite its age...

Kawai ES110 is good, and the keybed is the best for pianists looking for a budget board. I did say, pianists. No USB midi, although you can get adapters for that.
Wouldn't discount the Casio because of your horrible experience with their calculators
Every brand runs the risk of giving you a lemon, I guess you just need a bit of luck sometimes.
Anyway, good hunting !

 

[Biggles]

As I said prior I did play a Roland FP30 yesterday which was impressive and after spending the last two hours playing demo vids of each keyboard the order or preference that I have them in is: -

Roland FP30
Kawai ES110
Korg D1
Roland FP10
Korg B2
Yamaha P125

Which for a Korgie like me is a bit of a surprise.

Whilst probably not the best the onboard amp and speakers in the Roland are a big plus point over the Korg which would require me to take an amp to the jam sessions.

The biggest showroom is about 45 minutes away from me in Manchester and their demo of the Roland FP 10 and 30 side by side for me demonstrates the 30 is worth the extra £100.

BTW
The demo vids that I have been watching were only those made by retailers like Bonner’s, Anderson’s, PMT and A&C Hamilton so no bias just straight playing and no comment comparison of sounds and features.

 

[happyrat1]

While you're shopping around if you bump into a Kurzweil SP6 or Artis you may wanna give them a fling as well.

Gary

 

[Kaneda]

While you're shopping around if you bump into a Kurzweil SP6 or Artis you may wanna give them a fling as well.

The problem is that he wants to put his PA700 right above the bottom tier, which more or less rules out any board with a display and lots of controls on top. If I'm not mistaken...