Krome 61 First Impressions

[russd1977]

I have had the Krome 61 for a few weeks now, I'm very pleased with it, but wanted to post an honest and balanced review on my blog. Its not overly technical, but it perhaps it will help someone who has the same requirements as me when trying to decide.

My first impressions were very positive. The quality looked good, with nicer polymer plastics used and an aluminium fascia surrounding the top panel. The joystick (replacing the pitch bend wheel for real time modulation and pitch bend adjustments) felt nice and solid and is coated in a rubber feel plastic, which makes it feel more comfortable to use. Some might say it has a plain design but I quite like this understated look. I also have to mention the weight. At 7kg its fantastic for transporting to and from gigs and carrying up flights of stairs, especially if like me you have several instruments to transport and a PA system...

Continues... http://www.russdavey.com/3/post/2013/01 ... board.html

[Thoraldus]

Russ,

Regarding the power connector. Be sure to use the power cord loop near the power connector to remove any strain on the power cord. Using the power cord loop on my Korg has removed any worry about intermittent power for me over the last 2 1/2 years.

Korg like many other manufacturers of electronic equipment have gone to external power supplies in their designs. There are myriad government safety agencies that a manufacturer must submit their designs to for approval in order to sell their product around the world. It's much more efficient to purchase an external power supply from a third party manufacturer who has already jumped through all the bureaucratic hoops. This saves KORG time and expense in bringing a new design to the market.

It is also MUCH less expensive for the consumer to replace an external power supply than to return a keyboard to a service facility.

p.s. Great review!

[michelkeijzers]

I hate external power supplies. I have an M50 which also has one and I take always care of the thin cable belonging to the supply.

I rather have a default euro(european) plug which cost nothing, if one breaks I have a spare for about E 2 (and always carry spares with me).

But luckily every more professional instrument has still the external supply.

[Thoraldus]

I hate external power supplies. I have an M50 which also has one and I take always care of the thin cable belonging to the supply.

I rather have a default euro(european) plug which cost nothing, if one breaks I have a spare for about E 2 (and always carry spares with me).

But luckily every more professional instrument has still the external supply.

I wasn't talking about power cord replacement --- what happens if the power supply inside the keyboard goes up in flames. You have a distinct chance of losing the board.

If I remember my statistics correctly, power supplies are the number one failure mode for most electronics.

[michelkeijzers]

I hate external power supplies. I have an M50 which also has one and I take always care of the thin cable belonging to the supply.

I rather have a default euro(european) plug which cost nothing, if one breaks I have a spare for about E 2 (and always carry spares with me).

But luckily every more professional instrument has still the external supply.

I wasn't talking about power cord replacement --- what happens if the power supply inside the keyboard goes up in flames. You have a distinct chance of losing the board.

If I remember my statistics correctly, power supplies are the number one failure mode for most electronics.

It's true that if there is a problem with the power supply, you have to have the synth fixed.

On the other hand, I never have experienced a power supply problem ... at least not with Korg (having 5 synths from Korg, ranging from about 20 years back till recent).

So for me, the chance for a power supply problem is far less than the chance of an adapter plug being broken (becasue someone bumps to the back side of the synth while playing on a small stage), or even more likely: a thin adapter power cable has broken. It would be better if external power supplies existed with thick cables and sturdy plugs. But I don't mind about the normal internal power supplies.

[Thoraldus]

...

So for me, the chance for a power supply problem is far less than the chance of an adapter plug being broken (becasue someone bumps to the back side of the synth while playing on a small stage), or even more likely: a thin adapter power cable has broken. It would be better if external power supplies existed with thick cables and sturdy plugs. But I don't mind about the normal internal power supplies.

A qualified electronics tech could beef up your external power supply fairly easy. He could also mount the external supply inside the keyboard with your preferred IEC C14 connector on the back of the rig. Would take me about an hour or less.

[russd1977]

Thanks for the comments - my review isn't overly technical but I wanted to post my thoughts about it.

With the power supply, I prefer not to use the loop because I have to quickly set up and break down my equipment at gigs. If I had it in a studio I would use it though.

My Korg N5 has an external power supply but it connects firmly and securely to the keyboard with a large circular socket and 4 pins. Once its plugged in there's no movement in the socket. The Krome on the other hand has a strangely loose fitting socket and the plug moves about in it quite freely. I just can't see it lasting that long on the road - thank goodness for the 3 year guarantee.

I'm a little reluctant to go down the modding route with an electrician, as I don't want to void the 3 year warranty.

[summers2]

Unless the other shoe falls, I see the krome as a winner. I enjoy playing it and I enjoy the sounds. I haven't had any trouble with mine to this point and considering all, I feel like I got my money's worth. I will certainly report on any problem areas that I encounter.

I must admit, though, that I do very little studio type work with mine. I just tweak and play(gospel music). I practice, using the unit, from 30 minutes to two hours every day. I haven't taken the board out to play as of yet, but I would not hesitate to do so.

[michelkeijzers]

...

So for me, the chance for a power supply problem is far less than the chance of an adapter plug being broken (becasue someone bumps to the back side of the synth while playing on a small stage), or even more likely: a thin adapter power cable has broken. It would be better if external power supplies existed with thick cables and sturdy plugs. But I don't mind about the normal internal power supplies.

A qualified electronics tech could beef up your external power supply fairly easy. He could also mount the external supply inside the keyboard with your preferred IEC C14 connector on the back of the rig. Would take me about an hour or less.

I'm only using my M50 at home so it does not matter ... now I have a Kronos which has an internal power supply. But yes, if someone wants to gig heavily with a Krome, making the power adapter internally would be something to think about.

[russd1977]

Yeah... trouble is, the moment you cut a hole for an IEE plug the 3 year warranty is invalid, so its not something I'd ever do in a hurry.

[jasperdog]

Maybe it was a typo, but the review said that the 1/4" outputs were balanced. The spec says they are unbalanced.

Apparently the back panel of the Krome is grounded to the wall outlet through the "flimsy" power connector. This might seem improbable, but you will notice that the AC side of the power adapter has a 3-prong plug. I'm using a home theater receiver for amplification, and this caused a ground loop and hum in my setup. It was solved by modifying a short 3-prong extension cord so that the "ground" prong was disabled. Voila! Instant relief from hum.

[russd1977]

Maybe it was a typo, but the review said that the 1/4" outputs were balanced. The spec says they are unbalanced.

Apparently the back panel of the Krome is grounded to the wall outlet through the "flimsy" power connector. This might seem improbable, but you will notice that the AC side of the power adapter has a 3-prong plug. I'm using a home theater receiver for amplification, and this caused a ground loop and hum in my setup. It was solved by modifying a short 3-prong extension cord so that the "ground" prong was disabled. Voila! Instant relief from hum.

Thanks for the correction - I'm sure I read somewhere that they were balanced, but you're absolutely right the spec says unbalanced, so I've fixed the review.