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Monitors

Postby Vivelevin » 26 May 2020, 20:35

I just received and set up the Nordic Grand and am using it with headphones (Sennheiser 599). I bought it primarily for acoustic use. The Nord monitors are out of my price range plus, for reasons I won’t go into, physically too large for where I placed the keyboard. May I ask (hoping it is OK to ask) if anyone can recommend near-field studio monitors that are smaller in size and that will work with the Nord Grand. I want to be able to set them right on the top...not on mounts. Of course I am looking for some that reproduce acoustic piano well. Thanks!
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Re: Monitors

Postby cphollis » 27 May 2020, 02:38

Congrats on getting a ?Nord Grand! I have a real acoustic grand at home, so no real interest in a Grand for home playing at this point in time.

I think you'd be better served by finding a pair of good near-field monitors that work for you, and then spend more for a pair of stands that put them at the correct height. I'm a huge fan of Focal monitors, but others are good as well. Monitor stands aren't all that much.

You've spent big bucks on you keys. Spend a bit more on the amplification, no?
I think I have gear issues ....
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Re: Monitors

Postby Vivelevin » 09 Jun 2020, 20:35

Hi, I have spent a lot of money on the Nord Grand. The Nord monitors are prohibitively expensive...I can’t do that right now. I researched and read a ton of reviews of near-field monitors and I went with PreSonus Eris 3.5 speakers because I can put them on top of the Nord Grand, on acoustic pucks made for the purpose of reducing/eliminating any vibrational interference, etc. I also have an acoustic piano, a Yamaha studio piano. I bought the Nord Grand because it is purported to be great at reproducing acoustic piano sounds and it will allow me to practice at night with headphones or softly with monitors. Here is what I think: Whether through monitors or through my headphones, I do not find the Nord Grand to reproduce the sounds of an acoustic piano very well at all! I probably should have bought the Kawai ES11 (???...not sure I have number right) but that is not going to happen. If you or anyone else wants to offer suggestions for improving the sound...well...I am “all ears”! I do love the size and look of the Nord Grand and I am using it a lot when it would not be appropriate to use my acoustic piano.
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Re: Monitors

Postby tkmmusician » 11 Jun 2020, 11:01

I have the Nord monitors, but if I were in your situation I'd attach a pair of Audioengine HD3 speakers. They're small but pack a nice punch, plus they're Bluetooth so you can get double duty out of them. I have a pair and they're quite good considering size and price.

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Re: Monitors

Postby SteveNordP3 » 11 Jun 2020, 12:51

Vivelevin wrote:Hi, I have spent a lot of money on the Nord Grand. The Nord monitors are prohibitively expensive...I can’t do that right now. I researched and read a ton of reviews of near-field monitors and I went with PreSonus Eris 3.5 speakers because I can put them on top of the Nord Grand, on acoustic pucks made for the purpose of reducing/eliminating any vibrational interference, etc. I also have an acoustic piano, a Yamaha studio piano. I bought the Nord Grand because it is purported to be great at reproducing acoustic piano sounds and it will allow me to practice at night with headphones or softly with monitors. Here is what I think: Whether through monitors or through my headphones, I do not find the Nord Grand to reproduce the sounds of an acoustic piano very well at all! I probably should have bought the Kawai ES11 (???...not sure I have number right) but that is not going to happen. If you or anyone else wants to offer suggestions for improving the sound...well...I am “all ears”! I do love the size and look of the Nord Grand and I am using it a lot when it would not be appropriate to use my acoustic piano.


There’s a disconnect somewhere. Reaction to and appreciation for sound libraries is subjective of course but Nord’s pianos are in many people’s view the best of the best. Does your grand sound different than the samples you must have listened to on their website? If so, how? Are you playing back in mono not stereo? Do you have some EQ going on you don’t intend?is there something funky in your signal chain?
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Re: Monitors

Postby Vivelevin » 18 Jun 2020, 01:58

You are right...something was going on! When I got my NG, it was v1.05 when I turned it on. I had not yet visited the website to see what the latest version was. My ignorance said, “I have a new NG...must not have to do anything to it.” I was wrong! Then, at some point, it was on v1.06 so I started investigating. I found out that I was supposed to be using v1.50 (not 1.05). So, here is my latest assessment:

I LOVE the sound of the White Grand through my Sennheiser HD 599 headphones. I was and am afraid to spend the money on the NG monitors so I read reviews of other monitors, etc., and decided (since I have a small, small house/space, to purchase a pair of PreSonus Eris 3.5 near-field monitors. Well, they don’t do the job like the headphones do. I will see if I can make some adjustments to these monitors...there is some capability on the back for size of room, etc. What do I expect, right? For $100? I would pop for the NG Monitors if I could hear them In person reproduce the sound as well as my headphones. Otherwise, headphones it is 90% of the time. But I want others to hear this amazing keyboard and so I am disappointed the Pre-Sonus didn’t do a better job...lots of people advocated for them in their reviews of monitors although none was specifically for the NG. Anyway, I have no buyer’s remorse for this incredible keyboard! I love my NG just like everyone else does who plays on one.
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Re: Monitors

Postby Schorsch » 18 Jun 2020, 09:51

Yes agree, it's a significant price. However, the quality seems to be quite high and it also integrates very well into the setup both from a mounting perpective and color wise, so this may be a reason to spend the money if one likes or wants all of this.
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Re: Monitors

Postby Schorsch » 18 Jun 2020, 12:07

Understood - just for curiosity: are there other monitor speakers available on the market at an equal quality level and a significantly lower price which can be recommended?
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Re: Monitors

Postby Schorsch » 18 Jun 2020, 12:37

Yeah, looking at monitors that have an equal or better quality than the nord monitors at a lower price - not sure if the Behringer will be at equal level?
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Re: Monitors

Postby ajstan » 18 Jun 2020, 21:09

Schorsch wrote:Yeah, looking at monitors that have an equal or better quality than the nord monitors at a lower price - not sure if the Behringer will be at equal level?

I haven't heard the Nord monitors, but I think it would be reasonable to infer that there is a premium price on the Nord monitors for the custom paint job, branding and the attachments for the Nord-specific brackets. So yes, my guess is that there probably are monitors as good or better at a lower price.

As to which model would be best for you, it depends upon what you're looking to do. The expectation would be that the Nord monitors are tuned to make pianos sound good to the player. If you're looking for flat monitors to program sounds and mix music, or speakers to fill a small room with sound, then you would probably choose something else.

I use the JBL 305p MKII monitors (5" woofer, $300/pair) and I'm very happy with them for piano and programming sounds. The 306 (6" woofer, $400/Pair) and 308 (8" woofer, $500/pair) can go louder and deeper if that's your preference. A compatible 10" subwoofer is $400. In the US, I see them on sale multiple times a year. I don't have experience with anything else on the market today.
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