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Hi guys,

This is my first post so hello!

I bought a Roland FP30 last year. Really like the piano. I’m a total novice but we are getting on well.

Anyway when I bought it I read a few reviews, I seem to remember one saying not everyone would like the downward facing speakers.

So where do I stand with external speakers?

I do have some hearing loss in the mid range, obviously I can hear it ok but sometimes think the downward speakers don’t help me.

So I’m wondering if some speakers at ear level, where I can place them to suit me would be a good option, also what do I have to spend to get something decent?

I’m not looking to go louder, but do want something at least equal to the standard ones in terms of volume and sound quality.

Am I barking up the right tree?

External speakers will really improve the sound. Get studio monitor, you won't need an amp. There is Yamaha, JBL, Genelec, KRK, Presonus. It depends the $$$ you want to pay.

Using a DP stand? Removing the carpet might help a little bit... Have you tested EQ settings?

Picking speakers is tricky and subjective. Best go some place where you can try out several.
Preferably with your DP, or with sound recorded from its output (speaker eq turned off).
Unfortunately, room acoustics matter too.

Edifier powered speakers, I think a basic model is something like the R1280. They have excellent reviews and excellent sound quality for the (cheap) price. They are around 20W a side as I recall, and will be a cheap and superior upgrade to the Roland speakers.

Oh and welcome to the forum

Personally, I like to use external speakers with the internal ones. I have a pair of QSC k8.2s, which is overkill for the house, however, with the internal speakers, they make a great sound. Buy the best monitors you can get, but for a small room in your house, even the micro iLouds plus the internal speakers will be pretty decent. Tip: To toggle the internal speakers on/off use the {Function Button} and the highest F and F# keys

Notes:
- downward facing speakers can sound better if you have hard or (even better) wood floors.
- if possible, place the keyboard away from walls and corners
- if possible, place your external speakers on a stand not a desk, and once again away from walls and corners
- I've also used a couple of Cajons sometimes as a keyboard stand; they add some nice character to the sound

The iLouds have been discontinued. Edifier offers far more bang for buck. The selling point of the iLouds were the small size, but triple the price.

Thanks for all the responses. I’m quite surprised really. Thought I’d get some saying don’t bother the standard stuff is really good...

It’s only for a small room, we have wood floors but, and it’s hard to describe, I’m just not feeling the sound right to be honest. I had the Casio cdp120 before this. It’s not that it sounded better because it didn’t, but Just feel I’m missing something. So am hoping it’s the downward speakers.

Anyway, Edifier is what I’m looking at on some sort of stands. We have the R10004 here in the uk for around £60. I know more money = better sound but also not looking to overdo it either. There are a few more options for not much more money so I might look at them.

I’m assuming active speakers plugged straight in is all I need right?

Thanks again

Yep plug em into the headphone socket.

Oh... Maybe line-out? Haven't owned avRoland

Use line out from the piano if possible; since this will be a relatively short run, you should be able to use a pair of balanced or unbalanced cables. If your piano does not have line out, you would need a stereo 1/4" male to 2 mono male 1/4" or a Y adaptor to go from your single 1/4" headphone jack to both active speakers. I hope you'll love your new sound!

I have Edifier R1280's and they are seriously good.

Eventually you will jump down the rabbit hole, download a VST and use your FP30 as a midi keyboard... Because your internal Piano samples just can't compare with the likes of Garritan Cfx, Pianoteq etc.

When I switch back to my DP internal sounds after playing a VST it's like playing a child's toy keyboard.

Exactly!It's astonishing (and disconcerting) that these pianos produce such poor quality sound.

Ok so R1280’s look reasonable.

You need to tell me more in this VST thing.......new to all this kind of thing but I might be catching a bug!

VSTs are great, but keep in mind that there is a danger of time lag. I bought a fairly expensive one from Native Instruments and can't really enjoy it with my FP-30 because of the latency. Possibly need a faster computer.

I have a fairly new i3 laptop with 4 gb Ram and an ssd, I use it with a focusrite Scarlet solo audio interface. Runs Noire without latency, boots/loads fast as well.
Of course, add a DAW and more tracks etc and the i3 would choke.