StagePas 250M for HA76

[danrv]

Hi
I'm thinking of swapping my Roland KC350 for a Yamaha StagePas 250M or 400i for my new Stage 2 HA76.
It would be mainly for live band monitoring but also for small jazz gigs.
In another post, I've been advised that the KC350 won't authentically reproduce the Nord piano sounds so I'm looking for
an easy to setup stereo system.
This really narrows it down to the Yamaha StagePas 250M as It has onboard stereo mixing like the KC ( I use 2 keyboards), L/R monitor outputs for FOH and can be expanded to stereo by adding the MSR250 powered speaker.
I'm not sure if it's still available though as many stores state that it's discontinued.

Any help or advice from StagePas users would be welcome.

[costaseglezos]

Go stereo with the nords, go for the stagepas.
It's very nice, small, lightweight, with a handy trolley case and very nice sound.
I own the 400i. I 'd say it's a little bassy, but it has very nice eq to adjust it the way you want it to sound.

[danrv]

Thanks for the reply.
I tried the Stagepas 600i in a local store today and was impressed with the sound. I found the EQ mid control useful for the Nord piano sounds.
I'm hoping that the 400i would be sufficient as it's a fair bit cheaper but lacks the 3 band EQ.
Do you notice the cooling fan much? I heard it in the store but it seems pretty quiet.

[Johannes]

Hi danrv,

I own the StagePAs 250m and like it quite a lot. I specifically decided for this one because it does not have a Fan.
From my research (at the time), it seemed that the units that had both speakers powered by the amp in the mixer (StagePAs 500 or 300) DID have a fan as it is probably just too much power, whereas the 150M and 250M did NOT have one.
The 400i/600i seem greatly enhanced units, and as it seems there is not anymore the one speaker only option, which could be extended to stereo by buying a second one (250M+250M or 250M+MSR250).
Yammies EQs are definitively not among the worst. As for the noise of the fan, I clearly found it disturbing when in a silent room, e.g., for home practice or accoustic rehearsals. For not too silent gigs or monitoring on the other hand I would not worry too much.
You could even consider getting the older series used, should be fairly cheap compared to the i series.
Or have a look at the QSC's K10, though they also have a fan, or one from EV.
In any case, will be a huge upgrade from te KC, especially for Piano!

Cheers
Johannes

[danrv]

Thanks. A very useful feature that the 250M has that is not on the 400i/600i is an input that can be switched out of the
sub outputs for a click track or monitor feed from the main desk.
I use this all the time on the KC350.
The 150m/250m plus extension MSR cab would be perfect as it's designed more for keyboard use than the 400i/600i.
Problem is finding one.I think it may be discontinued.

[danrv]

Considering the Yamaha DXR8 or 10 now as they're more widely avalable and also have handy stereo I/O options.
Also cheaper than the QSC K series.