Maybe members here more experienced in sound systems than I can help me make a sense of my SSV3. After a quick test, this is my impression. The test was done in my home office. I was sitting directly in front of the speaker 10 feet away.

1. Clean Sounds as many noted
2. Many said it is loud, and I agree.
3. Not too light for its size, but its small size makes it very easy to handle. I would rather carry this thing than the lighter but bulky BA330. I like my BA330, though.
4. Now the stereo image. Of course, sounds do not move back and forth like two speakers 10 feet apart from each other when I hard panned. First, I thought it sounds good, but where is the stereo? Only after I comapared it with the Maui 28, I felt there is indeed a 3D dimentional depth. Maybe this is a nice "compromise" or the only way to have a pseudo stereo effect with a single cabinet in live performance and still not affected by the narrow sweet spot issue.
5. Some say plenty of bass, others lack of bass requring a sub.
Well, I couldn't make up my mind. I played the SSV3 with the Maui 11. That way it sounded fuller but I don't know what the Maui 11 would do to the stereo image. I took off the Maui 11 column speaker and only used the sub. Certainly it added more bass but not much.
6. AC Hum. None of my Maui speakers had any hint of AC ground hum, but the SSV3 seems to be pretty subsetible to it.
7. Final listening. Monster patches I created with xPand2. The SSV3 could not handle the roaring timpani at all like the Maui 28(as expected), but the treble sounds on the SSV3 definetely had much more depth and dimention while the same sounded thin on the Maui 28. I figure that I could take my small, light Acoustic Image bass amp when I needed more bass, but that's for another test session.

Any feedback or thoughts would be appreciated.

Chris

In what setting do you plan to use it?

Torch,

I asked about intend use because that's an issue I believe.

My intended use is smaller solo gigs and rooms. I've been looking for an amp that has stereo inputs.

If there are perceived issues, they tend to be around the width control and bass response.

As far as bass response goes, again the gigs I'll use the SSV.3 in are smaller. And I've adjusted the master EQ on my Tyros to compensate. I've also used a single Bose compact in these smaller gigs, and the bass was OK but nothing great.

The other thing that seems to get attention is the width function. So far I've used that sparingly and let the room acoustics do the rest.

Here's the thing. To me, the SSV.3, without the width function is the same as using my Nano 300 or using one of my Bose Compacts. In all three cases, I get mono effect. My Nano 300 can produce somewhat of a stereo effect if I put the tweeters on a stand...and spend time fiddling with the EQ.....more hassle at a gig than I'm interested in doing.

The thing that's different on the SSV.3 is that I can add some width and get a much bigger sound.

I also realize that I'm a real rookie with the SSV.3 and will have a much better feel for how it works a year from now after I've used it for several gigs.

One other thought. I think the SSV.3 is one of those amps that a person just needs to use over time and in several different venues to give it a fair chance to see what it can do.

Thank you for your explnation. As I read more about the CPS, I am coming to understand and agree to every point that you made. I will be using the CPS in small to medium size rooms. I don't consider myself having trained ears for sound reproduction systems, and that's why I rely upon other people's opinions and experiences on forums like this to educate myself and make buying decisions. I can see myself using the CPS a lot and it's a keeper.

My first test of the CPS reminded me of when I first picked up the accordion about 30 years ago. I come from a piano backgroud. At first, all the treble switches on the accordion sounded the same to me! It is sort of like Asians all look the same to Westerners and all white folks look the same to Asians. Now that I have been around vary accordions for some time, I can tell minute differences. Even the paint and finish of the accordion will have an effect on the sound of the accordion. I understand how and why people spend as much as $5,000 for touch up work on reeds.

I think you hit the nail on its head with your mention about the width function. That seems to be everything about the CPS along with the sound source. I quickly realized that the Roland digital accordion is not a good test instrument for the CPS as its left and right bleed into each other somewhat. So I changed the accordion setting to "Wide" in the menu. I also tested using vArranger and the SD4. Dan has created many nice multi patches for the SD2/SD4. I panned hard left and right on some instruments. The 3D stereo image was more dramatic and I liked what I was hearing. Well, only this morning I read the single page manual (which I should done in the first place) and it confirmed my experience. I think arrangers and modules with a lot of stereo patches can sure take adavantage of the CPS. I remember having read on this forum that some Yamaha piano patches do not sound good at all in mono because they are in stereo. Speaking of the piano, piano patches of the SD4 sounded great through the CPS. It handled the low register very well. That's what threw me off. I thought the CPS lacked somewhat in bass, but not when I played the piano, but it did lack when playing organ patches.

Regardless of whether a particular individual can hear it, the bass response is not there. The frequency range simply doesn't go that low. I can readily hear it, and any discerning listener can hear it. It's not needed for vocals or piano or most lead instruments, but if you are reproducing bass sounds, such as bass guitar, it is simply not there. You will need a sub of some sort for a full band or combo sound.
Even the factory demos recommend and show it being used with a sub in such situations.

Agreed

So you need an Aditional Sub too with this so??

Well if at least part of your goal is to achieve optimum weight and ease of use, carrying an extra sub, then having to use a stand or manufacture a screen or deflector of some kind sort of defeats the purpose. But still, a lot of people love 'em! Whatever makes you happy and does the job!

I think it's better suited for solo keyboard not full own arrangers.....

I just finished a quick second test. This time I combined the CPS with my Acoustic Image Corus - a 22 pound, but powerful amp. I played a lot of differnt bass patches of the Ketron SD4 through vArranger. I don't know if my ears played a trick on me but I thought the CPS handled all the bass sounds well to the point where I can use it as is in many situations. When I combined the Acoustic Image Corus, of Corus, the Oberkrainer bass of the SD4 was plenty fat to satisfiy any German or Slovenian.

While at it, I played some multi patches that Dan created for vArranger. Two layers of piano - one piano set at 48L and the other piano at 48 R. I muted one piano at a time. It was interesting to notice the stereo depth when playing two pianos.