Hello Arranger Keyboard Enthusiasts,

I have a Solton X-1 that I play at home with a power amplifier and speakers. Occasionally I will play the X-1 at a party or other event. I don't like taking my home amp system on the road. I am looking for a self contained amplifier that I can take with me. It should be able to handle small and medium venues.

I once had a Peavey KB-300. It was too big and heavy and I wasn't that impressed with the sound. My budget is $500 (US). I'm looking for something that will do a good job with both keyboards and vocals and that is somewhat portable.

Appreciate your help!

Bob

Hi Bob,

I'm afraid there are not too many options to buy with that limited budget ;-)
I own JBL 15P's (250W each) including a home-made 15" (300W) subwoofer and they sound pretty good.
Mackie has new SRM450 powered speakers , but they cost about 950 USD !!

regards,

Roel

Bob,
there are several good amps on the market that can fit your needs. Roland KC series, either the 100 or 300 are both very good. They both feature 12" speakers. One has 60 watts and the other 100 and both have a mic input and multiple keyboard inputs. They are both portable and either to carry.
The Peavey KB/A 100 with a 15" speaker is also a very good amp but not quite as portable as the Roland models. However, a lot lighter then the 300 you used to have.
I like the sound of the Roland models a little better. The Peavey has a little too much "box" like sound to my ear, and the Roland is more natural.
For a portable speaker/amp I also like the Yamaha MS 60 powered monitor. It has one XLR connector and two 1/4 channels. It's very small and light weight and it sells for just under $500.00 If you want light weight, this is the lightest to carry around.
George Kaye.
One more note. For the last year I've been selling a portable sound system that's the size of a small 10" speaker cabinet made by a company called Prime. It features 2 mic channels with XLR connectors that can also accomadate 2 1/4 keyboard jacks, each with their own volume controls, a seperate CD or tape channel with RCA conectors, Reverb, Master Bass and Treble controlls and an external speaker jack connector which increases the 50 output to 100 with two cabinets. There is a speaker stand mounting hole on the bottom, the speaker is a 10" with a tweeter in the cabinet. It sounds really good, I sell more of these then anything else to my customers wanting good sound, a low price and lots of features. It sells for $250.00. It is made in Korea and it's not a major brand name, but it is great for small gigs.
George Kaye

One amplifier which really impressed me (in the store) was a Fender Keyboard SFX 200. This single box amplifier produces stereo sound (2x80 Watt), and the depth of stereo field is amazing. Normally, you need two speakers to do that. It is not very small (though seems to be a lot lighter than my Peavey KB300), and costs $650, but for small parties or home it would be great (I'd get one if I was on the market for an amp).

The other option: I received a Carvin catalog, where they advertize an amplified speaker with 10" woofer, built-in 4 channel mixer with separate tone controls, 100 Watt of amplification, weight 37 lbs, and works from AC or built-in battery. The price for one is $500, but they also offer it with an additional, unpowered speaker with matching acoustics for $550. For a small light setup this looks like a good deal.

Regards,

Many thanks to Alex, George, Roel and Uncle Dave for your responses. I value your opinions. Let me throw out one more option.
Is anyone familiar with Yorkville keyboard amps? (Yorkville.com) The Yorkville 200K has a 15" 2-way speaker and 4 input channels. While it lists for higher I can purchase one new for $500. Any thoughts on this are appreciated!

Bob

Bob,

I think that this is a good option. I am not familiar with that model, but the specs look good, and Yorkville has an excellent reputation.

Regards,