Why does Kronos have so many problems out of the box

BobTheDog · Post by **BobTheDog** » Thu Jan 31, 2013 3:59 pm

I must have been pretty unlucky then to have had two duffs!

DocBambs · Post by **DocBambs** » Thu Jan 31, 2013 4:29 pm

pedro5 wrote:Perhaps the the thread topic should now read,
"Why does the Kronos have so many more problems out of the same box in the Uk ?"..........(apparently...)

I'm in the UK and have had one for about 8 months and no problems to speak of. I can hear the fan, but only when the room is very quiet.

Tangentine comment...

This forum is incredibly active - far busier than I've seen than for almost any other product or topic (perhaps Money Saving Expert tops it) and I think that is partly because there have been issues with the keyboard and users wanted to see if anyone else had the same problems. What they actually found was a global community of (mostly) enthusiastic Kronos users doing incredible things with their instruments and keen to share with the group.

I tend to think that users don't realise how good a company is until they have an issue. In this case Korg may not have covered themselves completely in glory (though I am sure they have been trying), but this forum has proved itself "pure gold".

DB

pedro5 · Post by **pedro5** » Thu Jan 31, 2013 4:33 pm

It is good to see a balance here,I'm sure there are more owners with fault free instruments out there,worldwide.
Although I'm one of the "10" or so with current problems,I still wouldn't want to have any other keyboard.

I'm sure the ones that are problem free are fed up with hearing about the "few" that have,or have had problems,which is regrettable and unfortunate.
Regrettable,in that I feel the need to share the experience with fellow forum members without intending to moan,too much,so, for that part I do appologise.
Unfortunate,in that we feel "caught out" and unlucky to have a faulty unit,whatever the cause or reason.

The Kronos is a "Jack of all trades",does many things.....and a "Master of....?? "....well,it's got to be the sound,which after all,it is why I and many others bought one.
I have no regrets in doing so,neither.

Also,as others have already mentioned,they too would not go for an alternative keyboard,regardless.
I realise some have abandoned the plot altogether,which is a shame,as they are missing out on having a versatile instrument,but in a way,I can't really blame them not wanting to face some of the hassle with the repair route etc.
I'm not looking forward to my turn with that part ,but I have some hope left, it'll get sorted.....eventually.

Best Wishes.

jimknopf · Post by **jimknopf** » Thu Jan 31, 2013 4:40 pm

The Kronos isn't just a "Jack of all trades", it seems to be a "Master of many" just as well. And that is quite something, isn't it?

Diego5150 · Post by **Diego5150** » Thu Jan 31, 2013 5:17 pm

Although I do not have any issues with my 73X (knock on wood), I do understand the frustration and would be an unhappy puppy as well if I had the issues some of you guys have had.
As stated many times before this machine is very deep and like a good wife / husband, if you find the right one you make it work!

pedro5 · Post by **pedro5** » Thu Jan 31, 2013 7:04 pm

I can't vouch for the Kronos being a Master of many as this is my first ever workstation,but do appreciate all it has to offer.
Have nothing to compare it with really,but it is of little consequence to make the comparison of all the onboard goodies,for me at least, as most seem to work just fine.

My real point was intended to act as a self reminder what it does best......that is...sound good.

Best Wishes.

kanout · Post by **kanout** » Thu Jan 31, 2013 8:47 pm

I had an off the record chat with one of Korg UK's top engineers and he said that while he admits there's a few people like me that have had 2 or 3 with problems (and said that it shouldn't happen) he also said they were surprised about how few Kronos have been returned to have their contacts changed.

If don't think it's true.
And i don't think it'a uk problem.

Here in france,we have a power user forum from a shop who sold some kronos to users.
When i said the kronos has more problem than the others,some of them laugh like fanboys.
But time after time,a big part af them who bough their kronos(before me or after me)told the truth:they had RH3 problems too.
A big part of them told that month after because like fanboys some didn't want to say the opposite when they post "no problem with my kronos,kronos is the best since prehistoric ages!""i ve made the best choice"

Some of them have problems only sometimes,they feel the keybed problem and they don't want to leave the keyboard in a service center because they need to play or the service center is far from them.

It's not a uk problem,it's more than that.
And this has nothing to do with this forum wich is great.
Look motifator,a very active forum with so many motifs build like a tank without problem.

Don't be too kind for reliability problems with a company like korg because the kronos need to spend money to have it.
Korg made a mistake,they have to assume and that's all.

Yo be honnest,i would like to know how will be the kronos with his keybed and motherboard 5 yaers after buying it.
It's a big question!
I don't have this kind of question with a motif xf,a nord or a jupiter 80...even 8 or 10 years after.

But i'm not guilty(i have in my story 2 sv1 sent back for keybed problems too..just an exemple)it's korg and only that.

jimknopf · Post by **jimknopf** » Thu Jan 31, 2013 9:17 pm

It never helps anyone to deny obvious problems. I also don't think the hardware problems were limited to the UK, because I noticed too many(!) here in Germany as well. Still most Kronos users I know here have no issues at all (though some replaced their fan fast, like I did).

And since my Kronos 73 with serial 72 is working without any problems since 1 1/2 years now, being transported and being played (the latter daily), I am also sure that this is no general problem with the Kronos design. It seems more a problem of varying build quality and of very few crappy components (like the original fan, which definitely is quite a mindless design flaw IMHO), and of lousy bad quality control during the first wave of selling the device in numbers.

A Kronos with ok components (keybed etc.) is no problematic hardware at all, and since at the same time it is the best synth far and wide from the view of most users, chances that people listen too much to unsound rumors, far beyond the real problems, are small: it continues to be the best selling big synth/workstation here in Germany since more than a year now.

Sorry for you, Kanout, but even considering undeniable problems (which were much bigger in the first time than they are now), most people who still prefer the Kronos do that for good reasons: there's simply nothing comparable out there, take it or leave it. I wouldn't even consider buying something else to replace it.

kanout · Post by **kanout** » Thu Jan 31, 2013 9:45 pm

Sorry for you, Kanout, but even considering undeniable problems (which were much bigger in the first time than they are now), most people who prefer the Kronos do that for good reasons: there's simply nothing comparable out there, take it or leave it. I wouldn't even consider buying an alternative.

I totally understand the pleasure you can find with your kronos(and others here)
I honesty think i would have keep a kronos or buy another one if i was sure with this product.
That point is now a personal feeling with a personal story.

Jimknopf,you're a kind person i know,and i'm happy to believe in your passion with younr kronos.
But don't forget kronos isn't the only one,there are so much musicians and music,and diverses way to play.
I have some pro keyboards(from nord,roland and kurzweil)and i'm really not sad because i don't have a kronos.

Reliability is the basic.
We can speak thousand of pages about all the technology and the great quality of the kronos...i'm ok and don't want to say bad things.
But reliability is the first thing....

jimknopf · Post by **jimknopf** » Thu Jan 31, 2013 9:51 pm

Kanout, you see from my signature that I also like various sound sources. But I also can't deny that the Kronos has become the center of my whole music making.

Of course there are endless possibilities with other gear: nothing wrong with that.

kanout · Post by **kanout** » Thu Jan 31, 2013 10:22 pm

Ojustaboo · Post by **Ojustaboo** » Fri Feb 01, 2013 12:24 am

I probably am not making myself clear (nothing unusual there)

I don't think the keybed fault is a UK problem and I do think there was a quality control problem with the first few batches.

I also think some of the problem ones are still in the supply chain sadly.

What I'm saying is that in the last 6 months, very few people have reported problems on this forum, which points to the problems being solved in later boards with just a few unlucky buyers my self included who got faulty ones.

I can't say exactly what korg said to me, but the figures quoted to me imply that out of all the Kronos sold in the UK, only a small percentage ended up being returned for keybed upgrades. He said that they were very surprised at this, expecting most back after all the reports. He also admitted that this could be due to many synth/workstation users not being proper piano players hence might not notice the fault due to their play style.

I'm the last person that's going to stick up for korg over this, I personally think the way they handled the PR aspect was diabolical.

But I do think escpecially with the X version that the keybed fault is finally solved.

The fan is another matter and if they let us change it with out voiding the warranty, while having to do so is obviously not what we would have hoped for, being able to spend twenty mins doing it ourselves rather than returning it to korg or wherever and being without it for two weeks or more (and sometimes getting it back with a louder fan) would mean that its a quick solvable problem for those experiencing it.

Those that have an original Kronos with a low s/n that haven't had any problems, you might actually be mising out

. As I've (and others) have said before, our replacements had a completely different keybed, completely different texture keys and a completely different feel/action. Personally the difference to me was like chalk and cheese and I much prefer the newer action.

Melodialworks Music · Post by **Melodialworks Music** » Fri Feb 01, 2013 4:48 am

Melodialworks Music wrote:
I'm in the same situation, hoping that with my FORTH attempt, I'll get a working board.

1st Kronos returned - keybed issue

2nd Kronos returned - keybed issue

3rd Kronos X returned - fan noise issue

I've ordered another Kronos X, which should arrive this week. All units 88 models. Strangely, no fan noise issue with the first two.

Today I picked up another Kronos X, and am thrilled to report that the fan noise is not an issue! So, so far so good with my forth attempt!

I believe this is going to be one sweet machine. I almost immediately got stuck on one sound, improvising and adjusting parameters from the control surface. So nice, but also, so much to learn!

Lawrence

jimknopf · Post by **jimknopf** » Fri Feb 01, 2013 1:29 pm

@Ojustaboo
I had no problems understanding your well meant intention, I just added my own obverservations from Germany - not aimed at you.

@melodiaworks
you will have a terrific time once you get your Kronos going!

Davidb · Post by **Davidb** » Sat Feb 02, 2013 12:39 pm

BobTheDog wrote:I must have been pretty unlucky then to have had two duffs!

Well, I´ve got FOUR duffs!

FOUR non keybed working Korg 73 units, with non consecutive serial numbers.

So no, you are not unlucky at all.