Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards Help with speaker choice plz

I'm a bit limited in what I can get.

I would like a good sound system for Galaxy vintage D and others like it for my soon to arrive p105.

was originally planning on getting a KRK rokit 5 pair with KRK sub, But I won't be able to ship the KRK sub without incurring ALOT of cash in the process.



Some Studio monitors are available locally albeit a bit pricey

Can I go ahead and get the KRK rokit 5 and an alternative sub?

Here are the list of studio monitors & subs that are available locally.

SUBWOOFERS:
M Audio BX10S
Gemini GVX- SUB15p
Topp Pro Sub
Behringer truth B2092A

Studio monitors available locally include:
Behringer Truth B2031a 8 inch studio monitors
Samson Sam3A
Alesis M1 Active MKII

The Main concern is to achieve a full frequency response across the spectrum so I can hear every nuance and detail in the samples and for the low end to not drown out everything else.



The M audio sub seems decent but I don't know if it will be suitable for piano :S.

There is also a roland CM110 available.

IS the roland my best bet or I can bank on one of those subs to be as good as a KRK and go ahead and bring in the KRK rokit 5 speakers.

I'm very new at this so I can use all the help I can get.

Roland is expensive but if it will be me more detail I can go that route.

Thanks in advance guys.

I will be able to ship smaller speakers such as the Rokit 5s , maybe the rokit 6.

the rokit 8 might be a bit difficult to fit into a suitcase!

Any advice on the above speakers will be greatly appreciated.

I may be able to fit a pair of Rokit 8s in a suitcase and have someone bring it for me. and with proper padding it might be fine..

But I'm thinking the 10 Inch sub will be way to big to attempt to bring down.

I can give a little advice; the Mackie MR5MK2 sound incredible.*
No need for sub woofer, very bass heavy if needed, yet extremely clean. However, I suggest a mixer, it will bring the best sound out of them. I highly recommend - especially under $300US.

*NOTE: speakers are extremely personal. You have to demo as many as possible to see what sounds right TO YOU. That's all that matters regardless of brand and price. Every ear is different.

Interesting I will definitely consider these. Thanks!

I'm not in a position to be picky right now

If I can get a pair of small speakers for a decent price that will sound good with galaxy vintage D I would be content.


Would the Mackie be as good as a pair of Rokit 5?

In other words is the sub really needed for piano? Or I can go ahead and ship the Rokit 5 and get the sub later for the added bass.

I've read that smaller speakers tend to be more accurate, and it would be best to get a pair of small speaker with a sub rather than a pair of 8inch speakers alone .

That's the main reason why I may go with your suggestion or rokit 5s

Using a sub is a topic that has been debated on the forum for some time. Some like a sub - others not.

I believe the Mackie MR5MK2 is equivalent to the Rokit 5 for what you are trying to achieve - maybe better based on spec. Again, it's personal taste to how it sounds.

IMO, I would order whatever speaker/monitor you like without sub for now. The Rokit 5 will be very accurate and robust. As you say, you can always add sub later if you think you need that extra low end.

That's very interesting, Marko. From Mta88's list, I've seen very good reports on the Behringer Truth series (there are different types, though - ribbon tweeters on some, etc etc).

But these Mackie MR5mk2 look great (yeah, I know: LOOK!)

I had been resigned to saving up for a set of Yamaha HS7, but these could fit the bill.....you REALLY don't need extra bass? Because I really don't want to have to deal with a sub woofer, much.

FWIW --

I did some testing on my own DP (a Casio PX-350), and found that what other people reported was accurate:

. . . there's very little power at the _fundamental_ frequency
. . . of low-bass notes on the piano.

So you don't need loudspeaker response down to 27 Hz -- you need it down to 50 - 75 Hz.

I suspect the Behringer 2031A (almost 9" woofers), _without_ a subwoofer, would work fine for piano. They're quoted as flat down to around 60 Hz.

If you wanted to play organ music in that lowest octave, or use the piano as a keyboard bass in a club, a subwoofer might be worthwhile.

. Charles

This is indeed interesting. I may just get the rokit 5s then and add a sub later on.

But those Mackies look good. I wonder what the frequency response is?

The rokit 5s are 53hz to 20khz

Rokit 6 is 49hz to 20khz.

Mackie seems to be 60hz to 20khz frequency response

I wouldn't put too much importance of manufacturers' quoted frequency responses. It's not that they would be unreliable exactly. It's just that I don't think they mean much. For example, what range of output in decibels are we talking about in said specification?

And even then, it's much more the individual behaviour of the speaker throughout the range that is much more important: handling of transients, colouration, and also, yes, smoothness of response.

Same goes for microphones.

This is why Marko said above: speakers are extremely personal. You have to demo as many as possible to see what sounds right TO YOU. That's all that matters regardless of brand and price. Every ear is different.

Eventually I'll get monitors such as Yamaha HS7, Behringer Truth or the above mentioned Mackies. But that's for mixing, mostly. If I just wanted a better sound for piano, I'd probably get hi-fi speakers. Dunno which ones though. Solo piano is a very difficult instrument to get sounding authentic, I think....you certainly don't want full frequency bass, that's for sure. Pianos just do not give out such a sound. The bass notes are more implied (by overtones) than dominant.

Or to put it another way, modern hi-fi and surround sound systems speakers which are made to show off the basses and sound effects sub-100Hz are unlikely to deliver a realistic piano sound, unless they are top end items, capable of handling faithfully almost any material.

Hmm... Interesting indeed.

I understand that Speakers are very personal.

It's unfortunate that the only one I would be able to try out is the Behringers... provided that the store allows me to do so.
The store is small and cramped.

More than likely, as usual, I would have to purchase the KRKs or Mackies blindly.

Between these two, which are more popular?

Should I be considering the Yamaha HS50m as well for piano?

I've said it before Ive no choice to rely on others opinons due to where I live. I've come to accept this fact.

I have the Yamahas and I like them. And I remember liking them before I added the corresponding bass unit. But I got them primarily for a neutral auditioning of mixes; I guess you might want a bit of colour in speakers primarily for piano.

Both are popular and well liked. I understand you can not easily demo speakers. With that in mind, read reviews below. Might help you decide based on what others have to say.

KRK Rokit 5:
Amazon reviews http://www.amazon.com/KRK-RP5G2-Powered-Monitor-Speaker/dp/B001A6G6CY
Sweetwater reviews http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Rokit5G2
Musicians Friend reviews http://www.musiciansfriend.com/pro-...generation-2-powered-studio-monitor-each

Mackie MR5MK2:
Amazon reviews http://www.amazon.com/Mackie-MR5mk2...85&sr=8-1&keywords=Mackie+MR5MK2
Sweetwater reviews http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MR5mk2
Mucicians Friend reviews http://www.musiciansfriend.com/pro-audio/mackie-mr5mk2-2-way-reference-monitor

Thanks Marko..

Honestly I don't too care for colouring of the sound..

My intent is to keep the sample sounds as pure as possible.

colouring is a bit unnecessary if the quality of the samples are good not so?

I'm sure in the coming years ,, When Ivory 3 and Galaxy 3 comes out, it will be even better.

I'm unfamiliar with XLR cables.

do I have to use this to hook up my integrated soundcard to the speakers in addition to the XLR chords?

http://www.amazon.com/Hosa-Stereo-3...mp;sr=1-1&keywords=3.5mm+to++two+XLR