Nord User Forum

Hello,

The QSK K10 sounds really GREAT imho, however I have something annoying happening when I play the Nord with it.

With some sounds like "Power Pads" and "Rhodes" (patch D:04:1 on the NS for instance) I have like a "sizzle" / "sputtering" when I play chords between C3 and C4 notes. It is fine on other notes, playing a D5 note over a ADGb chord reinforce the noise for instance. Playing a D3 too.

Being annoyed (cant get a clean rhodes ), I searched for the cause.
I have nothing vibrating in the room, tried 3 different places, when I put the ear close the speaker the noise is louder, comes from it.
It does not depend on the volume/gain/saturation, if I put the Nord's master output à 1/4 and the QSC at 1/4 too, the noise is still here and louder if I try to play at higher volumes. Nord is connected straight to the QSC K10. Cables are working fine otherwise too. I'm using line input, no mic, no "deep" bass (set to normal) and tried the 2 jacks and the cinch inputs => same noise.
The same sounds are clean on my other speakers (monitors) and with headphones.
The QSC seems to work fine otherwise, I do not hear the noise when I put music on it.

Well, this is very annoying because I can't get a clean Rhode or Pad even at low volumes.

I bought the QSC K10 about 2 weeks ago, today I'll go to the shop, but I don't see what they can do, I'll try to show them the thing, I am not sure that the speaker really has a problem or has something in its design that makes that kind of "resonnance" (which I never encountered). It could also be a defect from the coil, the filter ?

Any idea or advice would be very welcome !!!

Hello frantzkb,
It seems as if you have the problem narrowed down to being the qsc.
Have you turned the vocal Boost to flat?
Also try setting the front led activity to "limit" to see if it's flashes or illumination coincides with the noise artifact.
With the qsc, it could being three possible problems:
Defective preamp/ amp circuitry.
Defective crossover circuitry.
Defective speaker (the problem would be present based on volume).
If this a new item with a warranty, I think the choice of actions is clear.

If you can figure out what frequency (note) causes the noise artifact, it should be fairly easy to duplicate at the shop with instruments that they have there.

Please post back and let us know how this resolves.

Cheers, hanon

Hello Hanon,

I went to my local shop today (where I bought the NS2, the QSC the 17th of July, and other gears).

Can I name the Shop ( http://www.michenaud.com ) ? because they have good reputation and that is a positive after sale story

We tried a SR Technology Jam 150 Plus
We tried a FBT Jolly 8
Both had more resonance / vibration issues, even at moderate levels, with a NS2 sound "D:04:1" MkI Rhodes patch for instance (could be done with a synth as well), we just had to find the "bad" notes / frequencies.

=> The QSC K10 seemed to work quite well, we reproduced and heard my problem, but globally it handles better volume with less noise vibrations compared to the others.

I have the choice to exchange for another amplifier if I wish.
That is GREAT support and customer relationship I think !

I am really surprised about the "noise" it makes, was really thinking like you, about a possible "Defective preamp/ amp circuitry" or "Defective crossover circuitry". I'll ask to try the K8, and will make my choice between those 2.

@frantzkb: Please let us know your experiences of the K8 and K10. I'm very interested in the QSC speakers for my NS2.

Btw great service of your dealer. Those kind of services makes you wanna pay a few bucks more for their products in stead of shopping around for the lowest prices.

My $.02 ....I think the QSC's are great, I compared them side by side with the EV-112P's and I went with the EV's because they seemed to deliver a more natural and clearer sound without sacrificing any punch. QSC's seemed to be a bit to harsh in the mid/upper range.

But I guess when you get into that price range of high end PA speakers, it really does boil down to personal taste.

Hello,

I went back to the shop and compared QSC K8 and K10, on a NS2, mainly using that Rhodes patch I mentioned above.

I'll try to give facts and impressions :

- K10 : 100 € more. Low fréquencies are much deeper (in fact !). Can be put on its side.
My impression : I hear like a "hole" in high medium frequencies (at home, this already forced me to change the levels of some parts in my programms, if I had previously prepared them with my monitors or my headphones). I hear like a "grzz" noise as mentioned above.

- K8 : Low fréquencies are really lighter. There is no handle on the side, cannot be put on its site.
My impression : It has a more concise sound, no need to modify my programm settings and push a little some sounds like "Pan Flutes" or "Trumpets" for instance. I can't hear anything really annoying.

Overall, the K8 sounds really "smaller" than the K10.

On both you have a "Ext-sub / Normal / Deep" setting. It really works and sounds like a HPF. On the K10 low frequencies are still very present ( emphasis is often made by the room ).
I find with the K8 a speaker that is easier to use for practicing (repeating) in rooms that are not acoustically treated for low frequencies most of the time.

For 100 € more, I would recommend the K10 with no hesitation (especially if it's outdoor), but honestly, with the K8 I just get the low frequencies I need, no "rumble", and cleaner medium frequencies.

I don't know if I am right or wrong in my choice, but it was really important to me that it sounds the same when I prepare and when I practice with the band. The K8 will also make an easy stage feedback. The main PA for live will always be something else, the one of the band, and I'll know the sound I'm looking for and make things to get it closer at this time.

Another thing : I do not want to take a mixer with me (so no equalisation), only the NS, the stand, and the K8.

A last thing : choosing an AMP is very personnal and very important, the instrument is nothing without it, maybe that was the reason why K10 seemed to best choice ...

One more thing ?? having a too big amp for practice ... then play on more reasonable band's speakers ... could be desastrous, could lost a part of the feeling when playing (which is not very good), maybe K10 was too much in my case, not designed for me. I am sure the K10 I had will be sold to a customer who will be perfectly happy with it.

@frantzkb: Thanks for this great comparison.

I'm still in doubt between the QSC K8, the EV ZXA1 and maybe the JBL EON 510/515. Why so many choices!!!

EV ZXA1 is technically very appealing, less expensive, and only 8.6 Kg, you could take 2 for that weight (stereo). Depends what you do, how it sounds ...

On the K8, I do appreciate the stereo RCA inputs, I also used the 2 jacks line inputs (one from Nord's output 1, another from Nord's output 2) and can still plug my phone (or any stereo line source) on the RCA to practice (cover) a music.

If you can, try both and please tell us what you think of them !

Thought I'd jump in here since I've experimented with quite a few different speakers for piano.

Like I mentioned in the Nord Piano thread, I'm not a huge fan of the QSC K series for reproducing AP sounds. The can sound boxy and harsh, especially in the critical mids. I think the K10 is the best of the 3 models though.

You might try the older but still in production (as far as I know) EV SXA360s. It's a plastic box but for piano, I thought it was good. They are 12" two ways.
Have heard the ZXA-1 and I thought for the price it was very good. Being an 8" it isn't going to give you the overall fullness that the 360s do but for smaller rooms and maybe more Acoustic type music like Jazz, they would be more then fine.

I just heard those new EV 112s at NAMM 2011 with loud pre-recorded RnR being pumped through them. They do go LOUD, but don't know how they sound for producing the subtleties and colors of the Nord Piano or my CP5.

As I said in the NP thread, I have the RCF speakers. They are an Italian company and well regarded in the speaker industry. I invested in the two models of the TT series (Touring & Theatre) but I've heard some of their lesser wood boxes, the NX series, and they sound excellent. A cut above even the EVs for sure. The NX-10 in particular I A/B' d with my TT08A and it was a hard call but the TT08A won out for more clarity and definition. I'd think most people would be very happy with the NX10s for piano.
http://www.rcf.it/en_US/products/pro-sp ... s/nx-m10-a

Generally speaking I do think that the wood cabinet offers more resonance and has a *tighter* sound to it then the plastic boxes, especially for piano. That being said, I think the plastic RCF ART boxes probably are the best if you are going with a lightweight plastic enclosure. But I've noticed with plastic boxes that it's really hard to avoid that *honky* sound which can plague anyone trying to get a good AP sound.

Now there is another alternative to this QSC K-8, K-10 serie

Yamaha has released (Namm Show 2012) a new serie of amp, with a very similar design and features : the DXR-8, DXR-10 ...

589 € for a DSR 10 ...