Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards Anyone Using KRK Rokit Powered Monitors For Piano?

Hey guys. I'm still trying to find out what are the best small powered studio monitors to get the best live piano sound as close to what I'm hearing in stereo in my Sony pro headphones.

Has anyone tried the KRK Rokit series powered monitors for soft synth samples like Ivory, TruePianos, PianoTeq, digital pianos, Casio Privia, etc? I want to find the best powered monitor system that will deliver the best acoustic and electric/Rhodes samples, but not over $500.

There are so many brand names out there, JBL, Mackie, Eldirol, M-Audio, KRK, Yamaha HS series, etc. It gets a bit confusing on what the best bang for buck.

If you have something to recommend on what you like for great monitor output that makes a software piano sound the best it can be live, please post your response here.
Thanks

Under 500$ new is going to be hard. Used much better bet.

Now if I were a scrap man and I am, I would look at www.audiogon.com there are tons of used booksehlf speakers there and studio monitors.

I would get used tube amp like a "little dot 3" and the best speakers you can find there with the remaining budget.

I am partial to the martin logans but they are going to be way out of the 500 used range.

I got a pair for $299 at Guitar Center. THey are good, but I feel like I should really pick up a matching subwoofer to provide the low end.

They are generally very nice, and meet all my connection needs from 1/4 inputs to RCA fittings, and more.

I've been using a pair of the Rokit 8s with the Rokit 10 sub-woofer for some time now and have been real happy with the setup. I'm sure that any other quality monitor in that price range would probably sound equally as good but I can't imagine you not being happy with the Rokits if you're leaning toward those.

Great response about the KRK Rokit 8. Do you have to include the sub-woofer to get a good piano sound, or is the bass punch in the monitors too weak to build a rich sound.

Thanx katt

I've used the sub with the monitors the whole time I've had them so I've gotten used to the low-end always being there. Personally, I could never be satisfied with not having the sub-woofer to fill in the bottom end. You may still have a very acceptable sound with the monitors alone but I don't see how any digital piano or sampled library couldn't benefit by having a sub-woofer to help the lower register really come to life. It may not be an absolute necessity but it sure adds a lot.

yeah, make sure you get at least 8 inch.

I'm thinking of getting a used NS10M.

I understand, the sub is imperative to getting the most realistic and convincing piano sounds. I was thinking of the KRK Rokit 6, but now I'm thinking about the Rokit 8. I'm on a budget, so I can't invest in 3 monitors at once, but don't want to be disappointed with the output.

What I look for in getting a good piano sound, is a nice warm, mellow tone of a grand piano for jazz. I really don't want a tinny, harsh, bright sounding tone, like you hear in rock to cut through a mix. So if I can at least get by with just 2 Rokit 8's to produce the kind of sound I'm hearing, I'll probably go with them and order a set this week as soon as I do all the price checks on the best deals online.
katt

i can hear very significant difference testing rokit 8 and yamaha hs80m side by side. hs80m is sooooo sweet , very clear, deep bass

if you are looking for monitors to use solely for the purpose of playing and practicing a digital piano through, then you have different needs than someone who is purchasing a set of powered nearfield studio monitors to use for recording, mixing, and mastering entire songs. for recording, mixing, and mastering you want monitors (1) that are flat across the frequency spectrum, (2) that are very detailed, enabling you to pick out hi hats, clicks, and other nuances and artifacts, and (3) that translate well across many other types of systems (ipods, home stereos, car stereos, club PAs, etc. so that when you mix something on your studio monitors you can be confident that it will be pretty close on other playback systems. you do not want monitors that are overly flattering or pleasing sounding so that your mix sounds fantastic in your project studio and terrible everywhere else.

that is NOT necessarily what you want in a pair of (powered) speakers to use for playing and practicing on a digital piano. for that, you'll want speakers that sound pleasing and are not fatiguing (meaning you can listen to them for a long time).

i understand that there are not many options for practicing/playing a digital piano. you either use a keyboard amp, headphones, or need powered speakers. And powered speakers are primarily nearfield studio monitors. BUT some of the models mentioned here I think would make terrible digital piano speakers. Particularly the Yamaha NS-10 (which aren't made anymore) and probably also the newer Yamahas if they sound anything like NS-10s. NS-10s sound awful (I have a pair). That is precisely the reason that they are so ubiquitous in recording studios - because they are useful in the mastering process. (It's also because they've been around for so long and engineers like to work on speakers that they know well, because they know how the mix will sound on other systems.) If you can get a mix to sound good on those, it can only sound better on another system. They are very harsh and muddy sounding. They have a super fast response that is fatiguing after 10 minutes. Plus, they are not powered, so you need a power amp with them.

It may seem counterintuitive, but for use with a digital piano you probably don't want studio monitors that receive rave reviews for recording/mixing purposes. You'd rather have monitors that SOUND GOOD. Though I've only heard them a few times, Genelecs are considered to sound fantastic. (And that is why many people don't want to mix on them, because it only sounds good on those monitors, and on every other system your mix is not good.)

Just something to keep in mind. Nearfield studio monitors have a very specific application. Practicing piano is not one of them. But there probably are a number of monitors that would work for that purpose. Take a look at the BlueSky MediaDesk I think it's called (it's a 2.1 system). People say it sounds "wonderful". Other brands that may be pleasing and nonfatiguing sounding (again, not really what you'd want for recording, mixing, mastering) are Event and Yorkeville.

I really think I'd try the Bluesky. They seem to have gone up in price though (now $700, thought it used to be $500). Those would definitely be a cut above all of the $500/pr contenders like M-Audio (puke), Alesis, etc.

FYI, I use Adam A7 for mixing (then check mixes on my NS-10). The Adams are awesome in that they are flat, accurate, and detailed, and still not very fatiguing. But if I were buying monitors solely to play piano through, then I'd maybe go with something else that's less accurate but sounds nicer to my ears.