What do you guys recommend - speakers/amp?

Got a Yamaha Motif XF that's set up in the living room, and only a pair of headphones for output. I want to get some speakers and considered the Audiophile BX5a's, but I understand that those are mainly for recording and have a 'flat' sound for proper mixing, but I plan to do a whole lot of playing and very little recording, so I'm wondering if these are the best choice? Or should I consider something that enhances the sound, with extra bass and whatever else?

I don't plan to drag the synth any further than my living room (except maybe to bring it with me to my parents' house), so I don't need anything to blow the roof off... just something that sounds nice in a semi-small space

hi worknman, don't get em BX5A. pianos sound awful from my experience with XS6. (I have the equivalent ESI nNear05, same thing, different stickers)

sorry don't know which to recommend cause I sold the XS

What's your budget? A pair of powered speakers will do the trick--stereo is important if you want good piano sounds.

I don't really have a set budget. The BX5a's are $237.59 on Amazon... figured that would be ok as 'starter' speakers. If I really need to spend more than that, I can. Hopefully I can get something under $500 anyway. For my purposes, I think any more than that would be overkill.

This is true... WorknMan - even though you say you'll never leave the living rm. (except for the folks' house) - you know that you will at some point... play out at a gig, play at a jam session or even just have other over to your place to play.

I suggest a pair of QSC K10's - powered speakers. They are plenty powerful enough to play w/others yet small and quiet enough to use at home, when it's just you. Or even the next smaller size, the QSC K8's.

Certainly these are much higher than the 5 bills you were thinking of spending but buy once and be done w/it. Don't waste your bread on cheap junk and upgrade later.

BTW - Jersey Jack, which part of the "swamps of Jersey" are you from? I'm in Morris Cty.

I will second the user who suggested you get a QSC. These are superior speakers. I own one.

1,000 watts? Holy crap, guys... those are not living room speakers, plus I live in an apartment I assure you... there's not going to be any gigging in my immediate future, esp since I'm half-blind and can barely drive, and not all that great of a player to begin with Plus, the board I have is an XF8, and not especially convenient for carrying around.

Any other recommendations? These QSC's would be way overkill for my purposes.

If your room is living room in an apartment, then studio monitors with 5 inch woofer, like KRK Rokit 5, Adam A5, Yamaha HS50, or even 4 inch woofer speakers like KRK VXT4 would work well. I use VXT4 for my keyboard in bedroom, and it just works perfect. I got my VXT4, $400 for a pair of brand new on e-bay. In fact, I saw a pair of open box, at similar price, a few minutes ago.

Make sure you use the studio monitors on decent stands, and at least half a foot away from the wall, otherwise they sound quite boomy.

WorknMan, i didn't get good pianos out of 5 inch monitors. so , be careful. or at least buy from shops where you can return them in time if you don't like it

This is the best thread I've seen in a long time. So glad to learn about these QSC's. Seems like a lot money at first,... but in the long run I wish I knew about these sooner.. would've saved a LOT of money and time.. and pain.

I'm pinching my pennies..

thanks! so much Gigman.

ps: even saving for the sub/whole package. Do it right for once.

DONE!!!!

but yeah.. I'd like to add.

It might be overkill for WorknMan. but seriously .. do you love making music???!! It's a much harder question than you think... If you know now then in the long run you will save so much money and time/mystery/pain/denial...

I wish I knew sooner. Keyboard amps are a farce... Monitors are sterile(but necessary).... and most PA's/speakers are a total gamble...

I've ruined so many people's eardrums with Mackie PA speakers... wish I knew about these sooner...

end rant/revelation.

BTW - Jersey Jack, which part of the "swamps of Jersey" are you from? I'm in Morris Cty.

A bit south...Mercer County.

Do yourself a favor and take Gigmans advice. I bought a K-12 a year ago.

Whenever i had cash to spend,I just couldn't bring myself to spend it on amplification. I always caved in to my GAS for a new board or module. The K12 improved my sound so much I actually could not wait for practice night.

I am now waiting for my second K-12 to appear on my doorstep:love:

The powered speaker route is definitely one of the best ways to go for "keyboard amping". I gig with a Mackie SRM450v1 myself. The QSCs seem to get very, very good reviews, better ones than the Mackie.

Does anyone know how the Carvin LM12A would rate against these? At 379.00 + shipping it's an active speaker that might be worth looking at, if one's in a budget. Their LM15 costs 399. Both are "lightweight" models.

I've never been a fan of small "cheap" sound and I wanted something to sound 'high fidelity' even at low volumes.

I bought this for my personal keyboard monitors:

http://www.carvinguitars.com/products/single.php?product=C1648P-LM153&cid=103

The mixer is ok, I'm running my 4 keyboards through it, all in stereo, plus 3 mics hooked up for rehearsals, and we've got some spare channels which is good.

Am I happy? Let's just say if I could go back in time and get a refund, I would.

The board is decent enough, the onboard fx are pretty much what you would expect for onboard, and the whole thing is 'ok'.

I'm trying to be as honest and unbiased as possible.

For vocals only, this sytem is great, the voice comes through loud and clear, lots of power, clear high end, no distrotion etc.

For keyboards....well, that's where the 'it's ok' comes into play.

When I get some extra cash I intend to buy a pair of the QSC K-12's and use those for keyboards, and then the Carvin will be used for voice only.

The problem is whenever I get an extra 2 grand or whatever, I know I'll be wanting to blow it on a used Voyager or something instead, lol

That's my plan 'eventually' though.

To do a recap, it's like this....when you look at my Carvin system, for the actual money it cost, you get a lot of product. Is it the best product? No, not by a longshot, but for 1700 it covers a lot of ground and is a good value for someone who doesn't have $5,000 to spend on a small PA.

I might go to my local music store and just rent a pair of JBL enclosure's for a week and try that out with the Carvin board, I have a gut feeling the speaker upgrade would make a huge difference.

In the end, you get what you pay for, and for the little money Carvin costs, you get a lot, but don't expect a triple Martin system coming through with crystal high fidelity.

I realize Carvin has a higher end product line, maybe if I went with that, the quality would've been enough to make me happy.

If you're playing for yourself in a small apartment, why not just use headphones?

Dude, with a pair of K12's you can use them for both keys and voice simultaneously (I do) - as Mains for a PA system - w/plenty of power to spare, no need to separate...

Listen to the Adam A5's powered monitors. They should have them at GC. They sound about right for your setting.

Regards,

Wonder how these "thump"s are... never heard of them til now.

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Thump15

They're cheap and lightweight for a powered spkr. w/a 15" woofer but they sound like entry level speakers, which is exactly what they are. In the pro audio world it seems you really do get what you pay for, or don't pay for...

What do you think are other good alternatives to the QSC KC's ???

Roland Cube Monitors - great for practice and small rooms out

http://keyboards-midi.musiciansfriend.com/product/Roland-CM30-Cube-Monitor?sku=608895

keep on rockin

Those QSC look awesome. You guys really use these at home? I have a 12ft by 15ft room/small studio would these be overkill? I'm not really liking my krk rockit 5's

Look at a set of Mackie MR5's. 30W continous & 55W peak & powered speakers. I have a set for my roland stage piano at home in a small room & they're perfect for me. About $300 a set.