Nord Stage Unofficial User Forum

Hi,
I'm just wondering if you like keyboard combo amps, and if so which ones and if they are stereo or mono. I'm down to deciding between 2, the Spacestation EFX MKII or the Motion sound Kp100S. I like the MS better because it has 5 inputs so I don't have to drag along a mixer. So, just curious to see what y'all like.

I use the Traynor K4. I've had the MS KP200s, and while it was fine, I prefer the K4. It is more powerful, has a nice tube channel, is more flexible, has more audio routings, and is lighter. Depending on your use of the Stage, if you need an excellent Piano sound, I would recommend against any combo amp and would rather suggest a pair of Powered Monitors.

My $.02

aL

lpnalda wrote:Hi,
I'm just wondering if you like keyboard combo amps, and if so which ones and if they are stereo or mono.

I have the SFX Spacestation for the more "quiet" stuff and love it! I use my Mackie VLZ3-802 as a mixer - its really small so I don't care about taking it along.

Then I have the HK-Audio LUCAS Smart for the loud stuff. It simply sounds gorgeous.

If I can avoid it, I never use a mono amp - except for mono stuff (Wurlitzer and the like).

I used to play through a KC550 but since I had to move a lot around over the last years, had to downsize and now am using a Roland CM-30 Cube. For practicing at home and as Monitor on stage it is perfect for me and I really love the Stage's sound through it.
Whenever I rehearse through the band's PA (ok, it is not a TOP one), I feel dissatisfied over playing at home. Even for smaller gigs, the CM-30 is impressive when playing Piano or ORgan/Synth, just the Rhodes Bells might clip a bit. But hey, it is just the size of a lunch box.
On the long run however, upgrading again would be nice. But the CM is still definitevely recommendable for smaller volumes!

Thanks for all the input. I really was drawn to the Spacestation SFX mkII, but I'm visually impaired and wanted to make setup as quick as possible, so I've decided on the Motion Sound KP100S. I think with the bands I'm in it'll do the job nicely.

I'm eager to hear about your gigging-experience since I've never heard the Motionsound combos. They are a rare species in Europe.

kagamul wrote:I'm eager to hear about your gigging-experience since I've never heard the Motionsound combos. They are a rare species in Europe.

I'll definitely report back after I get it next month and have gotten the chance to gig with it a little bit. I did have a chance to demo it in the store with a Kurzweil, which while not a stage was good enough to get an idea of what the amp can do. Pianos were nice and clear, synths had nice stereo expansion, and the organ was nice and punchy, having full body and clear percussion.

I'm either using a pair of midsize Roland Combo amps or a pair of Mackie 450's depending on the venue. In larger rooms I only use the amps as stage monitors and feed a mono signal to the soundboard and monitor in-ear (Shure 400 series) IT all works for me, although the sound quality can be quite different in various rooms (except with the inear)


Steve

I gave up on Keyboard amps, as they really just don't have good horns. The Stage has such nice shimmer, I can't justify putting it through some dumb roland amp.

currently very pleased with:
some Stereo rack-mounted mixer from Alesis, can't remember which.
1 QSC GX5
2 JBL MRX512m
=
joy to the ears!

small gigs, i leave one of the MRX512m's at home.

kagamul wrote:I'm eager to hear about your gigging-experience since I've never heard the Motionsound combos. They are a rare species in Europe.

Ok I've gigged with this now quite a bit, in different situations (small clubs), Out doors and so here's what I think. Volume wise it's not really loud, but then it's only 50watts per channel. That being said, I just use 2 xlr outs and send it to the board so I can hear a bit back through the FOH amp and monitors. Part of the reason I find it lacking is that my hearing likes the higher frequencies better than the lows, and so If I do use a lot of lows, it booms a bit for me, but not near as bad as the Rolands, but I still take out the low and mids, and thus I think that kills some of the power. All that said, I've never had a situation where I *couldn't* hear myself, only some where it was a bit hard. Hell, one time, we were doing a gig in a big room, with the 5 piece band, and I forgot to make sure it got plugged into the FOH board, and people could *still* hear me. Besides volume, the sound imho is gorgeous! I love the way the Stage sounds through this amp!

It's got 5 inputs total, 2 of which are for stereo keyboards, which can also function as a mono input, then finally one more input for xlr or quarter inch with its' own volume, but not eq. there are also left and right xlr outs on the back.

The amp is a bit on the chunky side at 38 lbs, which is a bit heavy for its' power, but man, do they make it sound good! Objectively speaking, if you don't mind carting a mixer, I'd go for a Spacestation sfx mkII, but then I've never heard one , and the KP100S sounds good to me, so I'm happy. The Expander does add some upper punch and throw to the sound, but there is some hiss, so use sparingly when you can.

Though I tried to be objective, I absolutely love this amp for my purposes.