Suggested AMps

[kozmo]

So i have a nord 5 d and its great...love it BUT Ive tried several amps and really don't care for the sounds of the pianos throughout these amps...TInny, harsh tones....I tried a roland 550 and a qsc 12.2....

What would be a better amp that would create those nice real piano tones....?

[harmonizer]

I had a Roland KC-150, whose harsh sound led to my purchase of an Electrovoice zx-a1.
There are many who dislike the sound of Roland amps for acoustic piano.
I have never tried a QSC, so I can't comment there.
One thing about the Electrovoice zx-a1 is that it has a low gain level, while the Nord keyboards tend to have a lower line output level than other keyboards. This combination may not matter if you will use it at home, or just as a stage monitor, but it might matter if you intend to use the zx-a1 to create the live sound that your audience will hear.
You might consider getting stereo amplification if you want to get the most out of your Nord acoustic piano sounds.

[afroskully]

I can't rave enough about my brand new QSC K8.2s. I've played through a whole bunch of keyboard combo amps throughout my life. Peavy KB100, KB 300, Roland Cubes (probably all of them), motion sounds, and lastly a Traynor K4. That was the best of the combo amps as far as volume and clarity. I got a little tired of carrying around that behemoth, and on a recommendation tried out a couple of K8.2s. Completely blown away by what my Nord sounds like now, as is everyone else in the projects I play in. The prospect of setting up in stereo and carrying that second speaker may sound daunting, but it's actually easier to carry two K8.2s than one Traynor K4.

[Rusty Mike]

There's been a somewhat general agreement that the QSC K10.2 and K8.2 are better suited for keys than the 12. I have a pair of the first generation K8's as well as a K10, and I prefer the smaller speakers, even if using only one (but two sound amazing). Even though I understand the new models sound better, I don't have a whole lot of incentive to trade up right now.

Another general agreement is to stay far, far away from anything that calls itself a "keyboard amp." The powered PA speakers from QSC, EV, RCF, Yamaha, etc. all sound much better.

[chatfd]

Rusty; AMps, etc: I've a question .... using two amps - I'm guessing in stereo as well, how far apart do you place the 2nd speaker? Any set-up issues or cabling ideas that have worked for you?

I started with a Roland KC-550 but alas, it was too heavy wheels or not and would not fit into the car I purchased (LOL - that was a speaker gone issue!) Tried the EV's and have used them but I've stuck with the QSC K12 so I can compete with my guitarists. I hear ya about tones and sounds, yet every venue makes it different too. But even 20 lbs lighter (the QSC is compared to the Roland KC-550) ... I am now ready for either a pari of 8's or one K8 and one K10. Thoughts on that mixture? I've seen a person do that & I thought it was a good idea as well. Thanks!

[anotherscott]

I think the EV ZXa1 sounds better than the QSC K8, but the QSC K8.2 is better than the ZXa1. There is a new EV coming out that looks very promising, the ELX200-10P. Though for portability, the ZXa1 is unbeatable at 19 lbs. It isn't as loud as the others, though if you're putting your boards through a mixer first, that pretty much solves that. Otherwise, it's still fine as a stage monitor, but maybe not if it's the only way the audience hears you. Anyway, these are all way better than a Roland KC.

[Rusty Mike]

Rusty; AMps, etc: I've a question .... using two amps - I'm guessing in stereo as well, how far apart do you place the 2nd speaker? Any set-up issues or cabling ideas that have worked for you?

I started with a Roland KC-550 but alas, it was too heavy wheels or not and would not fit into the car I purchased (LOL - that was a speaker gone issue!) Tried the EV's and have used them but I've stuck with the QSC K12 so I can compete with my guitarists. I hear ya about tones and sounds, yet every venue makes it different too. But even 20 lbs lighter (the QSC is compared to the Roland KC-550) ... I am now ready for either a pari of 8's or one K8 and one K10. Thoughts on that mixture? I've seen a person do that & I thought it was a good idea as well. Thanks!

Speaker placement is kind of gig and venue dependent. I actually like them flanking me, each about 3-4 feet away and 4-5 feet back. The QSC's all sound better from a distance than they do up close - their projection is amazing. I have gigged with both the 8's in stereo and one 8 and one 10. I put the 10 on the left channel, as the Nord piano stereo images favor the lower end of the keys toward the left channel. The K's are voiced similar enough, but you do get a bit more bottom end out of the 10.

The horn dispersion between the K8 and K10 is slightly different. The K10 has a 90 degree pattern, where the K8 has a 105 degree pattern. So the 10 will throw slight further but slightly less wide. In my experience, this difference is not all that drastic in application. The K12 is a different beast - it's got a 75 degree pattern, and is pretty beamy by comparison. The 8's or 10's will give you a nice presence both on the stage and in the house.

I only bought the second K8 recently. Having one K8 and one K10 gave me a lot of flexibility for effective setup in a lot of venues.

[andymay]

If you're on a slightly tighter budget, I picked up a Yamaha Stagepass (the little one) last year and it sounds pretty great with the NS2. Certainly it blew any amp and any single-speaker setup I tried out of the water.

Seems kinda overkill to use a whole mini PA but you could easily spend as much on an amp that sounds worse!

cheers
A

[cphollis]

Take a tour through my blog on this subject?

http://chucksblog.typepad.com/late_bloomer/

Lots of posts on this subject, also illustrating my journey.

BTW, you just can't go wrong with a pair of QSC K8.2 units. My current bang-for-buck favorite in my fleet

About 80% of what my high-end RCF TT08-a units can do, for a fraction of the price. No regrets.

The extended fleet includes a SSv3, K8s, K10s, K12s, K8.2s, FA 12acs, a RCF sub and a pair of QSC KW-153s. And that's not including all the stuff I bought and sold later

[HokieKev]

I can't rave enough about my brand new QSC K8.2s. I've played through a whole bunch of keyboard combo amps throughout my life. Peavy KB100, KB 300, Roland Cubes (probably all of them), motion sounds, and lastly a Traynor K4. That was the best of the combo amps as far as volume and clarity. I got a little tired of carrying around that behemoth, and on a recommendation tried out a couple of K8.2s. Completely blown away by what my Nord sounds like now, as is everyone else in the projects I play in. The prospect of setting up in stereo and carrying that second speaker may sound daunting, but it's actually easier to carry two K8.2s than one Traynor K4.

I have been thinking about getting some QSC K10.2s. They only cost a little more. They are about 32 lbs each, IIRC. Did you listen to those or think about getting them?