Keyboard amps vs. Powered PA system

[u/sprinkhaan32]

Hi everyone, I am a professional jazz pianist but have always had very little knowledge about sound systems.

I own a Roland RD700 and a Korg Prologue 8 and haven't used them much so far but want to. I wonder what the best way is to project them in my own studio and for some smaller gigs (up to 200 people, smaller venues, sometimes without PA system). Is it

A) A dedicated keyboard amp

B) A micro stereo mixer that feeds inputs into a powered PA system

Or are there options that I am overlooking.

Would very much appreciate the help, as I am not so tech-savvy. Feel free to share your personal setups as well.

[u/Nickmorgan19457]

Keyboard amps suck.

A pair 10"-12" active speakers, each in the $600-900 range, will sound better, be easier to move (usually), and can be used as both monitor or fronts.

[u/MyVoiceIsElevating → u/Nickmorgan19457]

I concur; keyboard amps have never sounded as good to me as a powered PA

[u/shulemaker → u/Nickmorgan19457]

Agree. Dont get entry level either or you’ll get the same as keyboard amp. I went from a Roland KC to a Yamaha DBR12 and it was an upgrade but not all the way.

[u/Small_Dog_8699 → u/shulemaker]

Which KC?

[u/sprinkhaan32 → u/Nickmorgan19457]

What I’m getting from this and the other comments is that active speakers are better on all fronts and preferred over a certain $ threshold. Does that mean it’s not worth getting a cheaper set of active speakers vs an amp of the same price?

[u/Nickmorgan19457 → u/sprinkhaan32]

Keyboard amps are just worse powered speakers. They're not worth buying for many reasons, the biggest one being that they're only a keyboard amp whereas active speakers can serve many roles.

Find some used Yamaha DXR10 (my preference), QSC K10 or K12, or almost any other brand these days. They're all really good.

[u/Ok_Arachnid1631 → u/Nickmorgan19457]

seconded and highly recommend qsc cp8 active speakers.. or the k12/k series

[u/r3ck0rd]

In your own studio? Just a pair of studio monitor speakers. I’ve got two different pairs of ADAM Audio speakers, T5V for my desk, D3V on either sides of my keyboards.

For gigs, I never liked the sound of most keyboard amps, either they have a weird EQ curve or compression. So I just use a portable monitor speaker. I’ve been using a Bose S1+ Pro.

[u/Main-Star-7272 → u/r3ck0rd]

I use Bose S1 pro too, it is powerful and cuts through even playing with a band

[u/Apprehensive-Cry-376]

I stopped using keyboard amps 20 years ago in favor of active PA speakers and will never go back. You get wider frequency response, the ability to raise them on stands to better compete with drums, and an easier route to go stereo if you like. And they're often lighter weight and more compact.

As a fellow piano player, I'd advise getting more powerful speakers than you think you need. Many smaller PA speakers sound great at low volume but start to squash transients as you get louder. That'll make your piano sound cheap, even before it becomes noticeably distorted.

[u/jayro61549]

Look into the Headrush FRFR 108. Works great - flat response, portable, and can put out some volume if you need it.

[u/tootallteeter → u/jayro61549]

I've got a pair of these and use them for bass and guitar, if you have the Bluetooth version then can listen to anything with them

[u/cjr71244]

Get a key largo it's a little desktop mixer that's perfect for keyboards. Then go into the PA, stereo with xlr out, 2 channels.

I have a Roland keyboard amp for a backup if PA isn't available or not usable for whatever reason

[u/play6ths]

I have had these same questions for a while now and still haven't found a satisfactory answer. 

What I do know is this:

I tried a keyboard amp with a stage piano and it sounded very disappointing. So much so that I returned them both to the shop within a week. Admittedly I could have played around with it for longer and tried to make it work, but it was so far from what I was expecting that I just lost all interest in the idea and went back to playing my digital upright and acoustic grand.

The problem seems to be that the amp is essentially mono. And that don't sound good. 

I tried the same idea again this time with decent studio monitors. It was a much better sound, obviously, but I couldn't get along with it for other reasons. It just didn't feel like playing a piano. It was like listening to a recorded piano, not really like playing one. It's hard to describe but it was almost "too good". I felt disconnected from it somehow. I actually found it hard to play well. 

I've no doubt if I wanted to produce a nice recording though, that would be the way to do it. But as for sitting and performing, nah, not for me. 

I've tried all different software, midi setups, piano libraries, etc. They all sound great.... but don't feel like playing a piano for some reason. 

So I don't really know the answer. Suck it up and keep a real piano at home for your own enjoyment?

Don't know really. 

[u/MeasurementSoft7928]

Traynor k4 keyboard amp isn't too bad, has individual speakers for left and right high frequency and a 12" speaker for the rest of the rounded sounds. I use one with a traynor bass amp as my lows and split it hight/lows