Speakers for RD 700-GX

My Favorite speakers for playing loud with lots of low end and clarity are the JBL EON 510,s. These are PA speakers like the stage pass.

They only weigh 17lbs each and really belt out the low end for a 10" woofer.

I use the KRK Rokit 8's 2nd Generation with my 700gx. These are really nice sounding units. These are $500.00 for a pair. Obviously JBL's have always been my favorite speaker systems, so I agree with Beagle about them having a great sound. I just didn't want to go quite that high in price at the time, as I only needed a pair of nearfield studio monitors. I also run mine through an 8 channel mixer for a bit more control.
John Sr.

Thanks guys, this is helpful. As noted before, I am leaning towards the Stagepass 500, they are about $950 cdn for the pair.

if you can foresee yourself gigging at some point then by all means go for PA speakers.. you will get volume and rugged construction at the expense of of sound quality.
If you do not see yourself at pubs and clubs then you will get far superior sound reproduction (lower coloration, better imaging, smoother response) with studio monitor speakers..

John, do the Rokit 8's have plenty of volume for a home environment?

Keep in mind, the bi-amps on nearfield monitors are more about clean power than mind numbing bass. Also, as the name suggests, nearfield is meant to be in a particular arrangement - relatively close and aimed at your head. The fact is, monitors are typically used at lower volumes and are generally not for enjoyment, rather a precision tool. Not to mention, their off-axis frequency response can differ greatly.

You may find your needs better suit a portable PA or even a Roland Amp.

Beaglemania,
The monitors will provide more volume than you will ever require in a home/studio environment. I've used them straight from the RD to the monitors, and also from RD to mixer to monitors. I like the latter setup because it gives you a little more EQ control.

dbijoux is correct though, that these are for providing a flat response to be used for mixing, and therefor lacks any coloration of the sound like you find in a regular pair of listening speakers. I persoally love the clarity of the nearfield monitors. I'm just using a cheapo Behringer UB802 mixer.

Let's face it; this whole things can get into some pretty serious bucks, if we want to achieve the perfect sound that we're after. As it is, we've all shelled out 2000+ for the RD700. I personally have not heard 1 keyboard amp that I deemed good enough to incorporate into my signal. Motion Sound probably has the best KB amp though. Keyboards are more difficult, in my opinion; to amplify, and get a great full sound out of, than guitars,ect.

John

John & dbijoux,

Thanks again guys.

This is great advice for one who is somewhat of a newbie to this scene. I've had a Yamaha Clavinova since 1992 and added a 1991version of a Roland Sound canvas in 1998/99. Since then, my goal was to secure a Roland stand alone piano, as I loved the tones and other features. Along came the RD-700 GX, at a time when I could finally afford it. I'm 55 years old now and didn't begin playing until I was 39. I'm a hobbyist, but very young at heart (I still referee hockey and recently earned my 1st Dan Black Belt in TaeKwonDo).

I plan to play a lot more when I retire this or next year. I like playing rock music mostly, but was trained at first in jazz, back in 1989.

I'm thinking the Stage Pass 500 might be the way to go, as my daughter sings from time to time, and I have a few friends who play guitar (I also play guitar), so this opens up a few more options than if I went with the power speakers. From the comments I've read, the 500 seems to have a solid stereo sound, with great bass for a PA type of system. Also comes with a bulit in mixer. It's used by many keyboard players, and I understand this is for mostly gigging (which I also hope to do down the road).

I'm still going to listen to both types of sound systems before I order either.

Beaglemania.

Glad to help. Unfortunately I'm not very familiar with the Stage Pass rig, so I can't offer much opinion there. Except that I'm glad to hear you are older than younger - now I don't have to warn you about your ears as they maybe blown out long ago.

On a serious note, be careful, but the back story does help offer a suggestion - monitors don't seem like the answer unless you plan to do some recording for demos, etc.

I was thinking a bit and the thing about a PA is, if you don't have gigs lined up that need it(ie: no house system), you're probably going a bit overboard for jamming with friends and family and might not have enough for a medium sized venue. Guitarists usually have amps/effects. Vocals could easily punch through a mixer/amp.

A cheaper, more focused solution might just be a keyboard amp(KC-150, KC-550). They also have Mic inputs. It may not be the quality of reference monitors, but it won't have the drawbacks either, and it will be most useful in a live setting, alone or used as a monitor.

It's something to consider and add to the playlist. I doubt one sounds much different than the PA combo.

All in all, good luck in finding what you like best! It sounds exciting.

stage pass is not too good for keyboard.

I'm also looking at the KRK Rokit 8's, which John has spoken to in one this thread. Long & McQuade will have them in over the next week and I hope to try them out.

Currently I'm renting a pair of Yorkville NX25P's, which is a PA system, similar to the StagePass 500... not bad sound at all, but they do take up a lot of room for a home environment, and they aren't designed for such. For PA speakers they have a decent bottom end.

I'm anxious to hear the KRK Rokit 8's sound... after testing these, I should be set to finally make a decision. They would also fit nice on the end of my bar near the RD 700!

Thanks.

Beaglemania,
If you get the Rokit 8's; look into a pair of these stands to go with them. They are buy one-get one free. I bought a pair, and they are solid steel, and are really nice stands.

http://accessories.musiciansfriend.com/product/OnStage-...
Good luck.
John

Thanks John! That's quite the good deal.

I listened to Yamaha HS80's today in a music store. Not bad at all. They are probably in the same range as your Rokit 8's. I've read a lot of great reviews on the Rokits.

I too, have read a lot of good reveiws on the Yammi H series monitors. I can't comment on them myself, but they have long been a staple in many a studio. I wasn't able to listen to the Yammi's to test them out, as no one had them locally at the time. Good luck Bro'.
John