Practice Keyboard amp recommendations?

[Quasar]

First post here, although I've been lurking for a long time

Love the long discussions you guys have about classical school vs modern school - I'm partial to the classical side as I'm classically trained myself

I've been exploring modern styles lately so I can play more effectively in my church's worship team and am looking for a good practice amp.

I'm currently running my SY99 synth through a cheap peavey *guitar* amp that came with it. I thought I'd save some $$$ and live with the crappy sound, but I'm growing more and more dissatisfied with the sound quality the more I practice.

Any good practice amps to recommend? I'd like to spend less than S$200, but it seems < S$300 is more realistic. Here are the following models I'm considering after doing some research:

1. Laney CK30 - 30W. Reviews say it's good - what do you think? It seems expensive as it's almost the same price as the smarvo

2. Smarvo KS60 - 60W. No reviews on google but the guitar forum guys seem to like smarvo guitar amps... No idea about their keyboard ones. The nice thing about this is the price - it is only S$30 more than the Laney.

3. Peavey KB60 - Second hand from luther's classifieds... Don't know the price. i'm not knowledgeable in amps so i'm not confident in getting second hand stuff

Any feedback on the above or other suggestions?

Also I wouldn't mind relieving you from redundant practice amps as most posters on this forum seem to be nice guys.

 

[boomdoom]

use headphones

 

[Indigo_blues]

Hi!

Yes the peavey kb/a series are great keyboard amps.. my church is using the kb/a 30 as well as a kb/a 100.. for home practice I think the kb/a 30 is more than enuff amp. Sounds reasonably clear and balanced as well. Price also quite reasonable. cheers!


If u can get the kb/a 60 at a good price I'd say go for it!

 

[Cheez]

Hi and welcome! Question: when you say practice, do you mean practicing with the band in church or at home by yourself? If the latter, why not consider monitor speakers? You get higher definition sound than from amps.

 

[Quasar]

Hi and welcome! Question: when you say practice, do you mean practicing with the band in church or at home by yourself? If the latter, why not consider monitor speakers? You get higher definition sound than from amps.

Hi Cheez, thanks for the welcome! Btw, thanks for sharing your experience and time on this forum. I've learnt a lot from your interactions with guys like ian soh & bong ;D

It's for my own practice @ home. What's the difference between monitor speakers and amps? I haven't researched much about the subject, but from what I understand, when people talk about amps, they normally mean amp + speaker.

I haven't really considered monitors because it seems they're expensive (I spoke to the guy @ luther music and he said 300+). If you have anything to suggest I'd be grateful

I do not mind spending a bit more as I believe in buying good gear that can last me for a long time, but my budget is limited

If u can get the kb/a 60 at a good price I'd say go for it!

I've mailed the seller.. waiting for a reply. What's a good price in your opinion? Can't seem to find online stores selling it.

use headphones

I've thought about that but I sometimes like to play stuff for my wife, and also, we sometimes have gatherings @ home so I need other people to hear what I play [/quote]

edit: nvm

 

[Cheez]

Amps usually refers to amplifier speakers, as you said. Sounds like you really want monitor speakers if you want to practice at home, particularly with keyboards. Keyboard amps are usually used on stage as monitors. You want it loud to hear yourself above the other noise (ie instruments etc) in the background.

But when we practice at home, we don't really need it that loud. We also really want to hear the nice little nuances our keyboard sounds make. Monitor speakers give you more definition. Also, monitor speakers are stereo - ie you have a pair of them. But for amps, you only use one. We don't usually use stereo amps - will be pretty loud if that's in your home! Stereo is critically important for us keyboardists. You'll notice your SY99 have L and R assignable outputs - you can actually assign different effects etc to each channel giving you interesting effects. Also, some effects like L/R delay, Leslie emulations of the B3 etc works better with stereo speakers.

As for cheap monitor speakers, I believe there are some out there. Second hand OK for you? Bongman will be the person to ask - as always!

 

[Quasar]

Also, monitor speakers are stereo - ie you have a pair of them. But for amps, you only use one. Stereo is critically important for us keyboardists. You'll notice your SY99 have L and R assignable outputs - you can actually assign different effects etc to each channel giving you interesting effects. Also, some effects like L/R delay, Leslie emulations of the B3 etc works better with stereo speakers.

I was thinking of adding one more amp later for stereo and playing at low volume. That may be too loud, come to think of it, unless the amps have a very low wattage, as I understand that all amps should always be played at an adequate volume for best sound quality.

As for cheap monitor speakers, I believe there are some out there. Second hand OK for you? Bongman will be the person to ask - as always!

True, I'll send him a pm. I don't mind second hand (my SY99 must be 3rd or 4th hand by now!) however, I'm not sure how to go about checking the condition of a second hand speaker. I understand that they're more liable to be in bad shape caused by mishandling or being played at very high volumes.

I'm not averse to some DIY. I saw a few posts by people who said they made their own speakers and with (apparently) very good quality e.g.
http://forums.audioreview.com/showthread.php?t=17976
That could be quite a satisfying experience.

I guess no one has tried out the smarvo amps, eh?

 

[Indigo_blues]

Hi quasar, I agree with cheez.. if u are using mainly for home practice, a pair of monitor speakers will do nicely.

 

[Quasar]

Monitor Speakers

Sent Bongman a pm, but it seems he's busy.

Anyway, I've been doing some research. Haven't found much in the second hand market yet, but may be that's because I don't know where to search

Any recommendations from the list here:
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/category.php?&c=405&sb=catalogprice&so=asc

While searching the forum, I ran into one guy recommending a set from wharfdale (pm600 wharfedale PRO) which comes with the stands, mike, etc.. But it's more than twice the price i'm willing to pay

 

[Quasar]

Just thought I'd share this interesting link & review of small sized monitors I found during my research:

http://emusician.com/speakers/emusic_little_wonders/

Some tips about monitor speakers:
http://www.recordingreview.com/articles/articles/18/1/Home-Stereo-Speakers-vs-Studio-Monitors


Cheez, this article talks about how Monitors weren't really made to sound good, but rather, to give accurately defined sounds (which makes sense). E.g. the Yamaha NS-10 is an awful speaker, although it is a great monitor.

The point here is that since I'm using these monitors to play, I would rather have great sound instead of accurate but awful sounding music

 

[Quasar]

Thanks for all your suggestions! I think I may have found something great

Its way beyond my budget, but the rave reviews are convincing me that this will be a good investment for the years to come

I'm gonna get the TASCAM VL-X5, and this is what made me decide:
http://forums.frontendaudio.com/index.php?showtopic=312&pid=2903&st=0&#entry2903

 

[sgtpepper]

Peavy amp for keyboards are good?

 

[iansoh]

that tascam sounds interesting. have u found a dealer in singapore who's brought them in? i'm keen to go check them out too

 

[Quasar]

Sent you a pm!

 

[Quasar]

I purchased the Tascam VL-X5 from Luther Music.

I have no real basis to compare this with, outside of the monitors I used in Church and the cheap guitar amp I have at home, but I can definitely say that this pair of speakers is the best money I've ever spent, outside of getting my SY99

The sound is clear and the bass response is awesome... The bass is very different from my Altec Lansing.... It has a really clear definition that sounsd like real music from the heart instead of the 'thumps' that tend to come out from most woofers and speakers.

Suddenly, my Brass and Cello sounds have become life-like... And the speaker even manage to make my 15 year old keyboard's piano patch sound *VERY* decent!

This was my first purchase from Luther although I had browsed the shop several times.

Service from them was superb from the moment I stepped in till I stepped out

I was even more impressed by the care they put to repackaging the monitors for me. As they were in a huge box and I was on foot, I requested them to pack the two monitors into two smaller boxes while I went for my lunch.

The end result seemed to have been professionally packed - custom sized cardboard boxes, with some padding and a well made rafia handle for easier carrying.

I'm really happy