I understand that the speaker system on my PA800 is a 3-way design, which incorporates the woofer, tweeter and mid range speaker.

If so, perhaps the Roland KC series that has that 3 way would replicate the keyboard speaker sound system?

Curious what others might say - I really have no idea.

Also, have done some research on 3 way powered speakers, but they all are over 75 lbs.

Anyone know of a light weight 3 way powered speaker that sounds good?

Roland BA300


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afzkkXvRFIg

It is likely not the number of drivers involved, three-way, two-way, that makes the difference in what you are hearing.

Most keyboards with built-in speakers use an INFINITE baffle design. This is not ported but a box where the speaker is placed that has no other air relief port to the outside world. When the speaker cone is pulled into the box by the signal, it compresses the air inside the box a wee bit and that compressed air actually helps the speaker cone return to its normal position. The opposite applies when the speaker cone is pushed outwards, a wee bit of a vacuum is created, which then helps the speaker to return also.

Some keynoards have small ports in their interior speaker enclosures as well, a bit of tuning for bass response, but most I've encountered use the Infinite Baffle arrangement.

The Infinite Baffle will typically favor the midrange of the audio spectrum a bit more.

That midrange peak alone can yield the sonic illusion that the speaker has a better sound when used in the nearfield, which is what is happening when you are seated at the keyboard in the playing position. Problem with that is that you are the only one likely to be able to be in that nearfield of the built in speakers.

You could try to duplicate that sound through any reasonable amplification system (PA, Instrument Amp, etc.) with the use of an EQ and sculpting the spectrum such that it favors the midrange area a bit more than the FLAT setting, but be advised that this is NOT a condition that will also work well with mics and singing. So don't use a Master EQ if your amp system has to do the mics as well as the keyboard. You might try a separate EQ inline with the keyboard's output and your amp/mixer's keyboard input such that the EQ only affects the keyboard's sounds.

And a well-designed two-way system should be able to do the job just as well as a well-designed three-way system could. It is not the number of drivers.

HTH,


--Mac

Thanks Mac, finally someone who has explained why keyboard speakers sound so terrific. I'll experiment with your suggestions

Nah, been there, tried that and SOLD. I'm experimenting with QSC now.

Zuki I see your up to your old tricks and ways.....what happened????
I thought you loved the Roland BA330?....
please elaborate?...

What are you trying to accomplish with your sound? What is lacking in the external amplification compared to the PA-800 internal speakers? Are you aware that your internal speakers do not reproduce frequencies accurately, but are a rather cheap convenience.

You have to adjust your sounds, styles, performances while listening through your actual PA system. In most cases, once it sounds good through the external PA you will notice that the sound is very crappy when reproduced on the internal speakers and vice versa. However, keep in mind that different venues will sound differently - room acoustics. You don't have this problem when you use internal speakers, because the sound source is right in front of you and mostly unaffected by the environment.

Instead of wasting money on different speakers, I would advise you to spend some time adjusting your keyboard settings. Remember to take breaks after every hour of listening and tweaking, as your ears will likely start to favor certain frequencies over others!

I have a couple of Barbetta 31Cs that you can have for $675. I believe they are the finest powered speakers every made considering size, power and sound. Except I prefer the Bose for my current needs.
DonM

[This message has been edited by DonM (edited 09-23-2010).]

I'm just curious why anyone thinks the built-in speakers DO sound terrific...? My experience of them has made me feel they are anything BUT!

Once you play an arranger through a GOOD set of nearfield studio monitors, you immediately start to hear what you have been missing, and you finally get to hear what your audience is going to hear (assuming you have a reasonably decent PA) when you play out to them.

Some of them DO sound a bit better than others, but, as has been said, ONLY from the playing position, and definitely only up to a certain volume, but even the best of them is a poor substitute for even a medium priced set of studio monitors.

Try playing high quality .wav's through the built-ins, or high bitrate MP3's of well recorded music (my fave is always the old Nightfly album, by Donald Fagan), then compare to even the sound of a modest home stereo, let alone a good set of studio monitors, and you start to hear JUST how uneven and gutless these little pint-sized speakers actually are, IMO...

I hear all too many user demos that are tubby, and lacking in mid-range presence, with high's that sizzle out and fatigue you, and usually know that the culprit is listening to the performance through the built-ins, and compensating for their poor performance. But once the same recording gets played through REAL speakers, the hyped curve of the little speakers becomes all too obvious.

Don't get to like them TOO much!

I'm not sure about other brands because my recollection don't seem to go back that far, but every Yamaha model I've owned with built-in speakers sounded excellent, and they were all ported with vents beneath both sides of the keybed just for that purpose. The speakers were extremely high quality, well balanced, and situated in such a manner to provide outstanding fidelity--almost as good as headphones.

The only problem I ever encountered was getting my external sound system to sound equally as good. That took quite a bit of tuning, but it can be accomplished.

Cheers,

Gary

I'm always amazed at what kind of BS our SZ members can come up with. Speakers on keyboards are designed to sound good to the player's ears. Anyone who thinks two 10 watt speakers will fill a room with adequate sound for a party or whatever are dreaming. When one adds amplification and other speakers then the true sound of the keyboard come out. Keyboards and amps need to be EQ'd to meet the listener's ear. Everyone has a different deffinition of what sounds good. Some like Bose, Roland, QSC, etc. Don't expect miracles from under-powered systems.

I'm pretty impressed with the speakers in the S910...as you say, well balanced, nice bass (because of the ports) and loud enough for personal play.

Ian

BS or not, play a decent CD thorough an arranger's built-ins, then tell me it sounds even REMOTELY flat...

'Good' is definitely in the mind of the listener. If it's good enough for you, that is fine. But allow those of us with REALLY decent speakers to make the comparison, even if you are not too happy with the opinion...