Sorry I didn't post sooner..
Nigel the tube pre amp works great,, not over done but warms up the sounds..The overdrive can be overdone..if you wish..
Mo, vocals are crisp and clear...it actually reminds me of the Bose tower..and no ..the K4 sounds great on the floor..no need to pole it...besides bass is always better on the floor..
Nigel at high volumes this amp is full..
I compared the K4 with my other amps in my studio..I was surprised...Plus, and Minus..Let me explain...
I am used to using 15's in stereo for more than 20 years...and you still can't beat the bottom ....
The K4 is touted to even kick with most 15's...it doesn't kick with my old Roland Cubes..It is unfair to compare the bottom of a 12 to a 15..when both are high quality..
Compared to say a Peavey 15 I think the K4 12 can kick the same..
The full-nest of the speaker. tweeter array..gives a full clear sound that I do not get with the others...Vocals are super..MP3's sound terrific too..
I compared the most underrated Roland amp..ever..The Cube 60 [keyboard]..this comparison has made me sell a lot of new amps..after comparing to the 60..
The Cube 60 at moderate levels has just as great sound, volume, clarity as the K4..
The K4 offers many adjustments to take the sound to another level..but for an overall performance , the Cube 60 is still hard to beat[38 pounds]..
The Cube 60 is Donny's on Saturday...
Will I miss it...you bet your bippy..
The K4 offers so much for my solo jobs..and a single 50 pound amp , compared to my twin 70 pound Rolands..could be a good thing..
If I carry a sub woofer the K4 could really handle any room situation for me...without a sub woofer, it still has the power and quality sound to do rooms..other than the Big Dance rooms, where I am use to 700 watt sub woofer..
My Rolands cover the same Dance rooms well ..without a sub woofer..
Overall ..so far I give this K4 a thumbs up.. and I am sure I will grow even fonder as I use some features..
It has a voicing knob, that is interesting..it changes tone and EQ to match certain instrument environments..besides a bypass, it has a studio setting, live setting, piano setting and organ setting..each is distinctively different..
I would suggest if you are in the market for a single stereo amp with guts, check out the Traynor K4..You should be able to shop around and get one for $700..