Latest Mk 2 Kronos Realibilty ?

[mintjamman]

Ok so I am considering the Kronos either the 73 or 88, love the sound and feature set. Had a few Korgs over the years having had a DW8000, a EX8000 which replaced the DW and still have a fully loaded Triton Pro which looks like new although it's been on the road since I bought it new.

What's holding me OFF the Kronos are threads here on this forum as well as chatter elsewhere about Kronus being cheaply built, the RH3 key bed issues, Power Supply issues, long boot up times.

My only experience of the RH3 keyboard was when I used a SV1 88 note for a few weeks that instrument was brand new and what immediately struck me playing it was how flimsy and cheap the RH3 key bed felt, you could wobble the keys side to side and that particular key bed was also clicky. Compared to the key bed on my Yamaha S90ES the RH3 felt cheap and nasty and certainly not in the league of a Pro Keyboard action.

I of course realise that a lot of complaints date back to around 2013 about the key bed issues but what I need to know is that with the arrival of the new Mk 2 K88/73 have Korg really got the key bed issues resolved or is it hit or miss that you might end up with a key bed that has issues ?

Exactly how long does the latest Kronus take to boot up and be ready to play?

For anyone who has a Mk2 Kronus are there any issues that a new purchaser should be aware of ?

[Falcon2e]

I have only had my K2-61 now for a month. The first 10 days I had it, I had a message appear on the screen (3 times) telling me that "a problem has been detected", requiring a reboot. After contacting Korg support, they suggested updating the OS & firmware. Since the 'new' updates, I have not had an issue. I'm hoping that was the fix. As for start up time, I think it's about 1:30. I have a bunch of samples loaded in it, and I think start up time with sample auto-load, is 1:45. I'm sure others here will help answer your other questions. I DO enjoy the new Kronos. Good luck!!

[dfahrner]

I've only used the original KRONOS, but it's essentially the same instrument as the later versions...I have both weighted (RH3, 88 and 73) and unweighted (61) actions; I had the key bounce problem with the 88, but resolved it by replacing the key contacts a couple of years ago...other than that I've never had a problem, and have been gigging with the 73 for several years now...I don't have any problem with general KRONOS build quality, it seems about the same as other current workstations...

The Yamaha weighted keybeds might feel better to some people, it's a very individual preference, as has been noted many times here...but I like the RH3, it's not as heavy as the Yamahas, and I sure wouldn't call it "cheap" or "nasty"...there may be some variation in individual RH3 keybeds (my 73 and 88 feel exactly the same), and maybe the newer versions of the KRONOS are more consistant (?)..."all those complaints" came from a relatively few people, I think...if it wasn't pro quality, pros wouldn't be using the KRONOS...

The boot time is long (like 2-1/2 minutes for mine, loading several additional libraries) but I don't know why boot time is a problem except for accidental reboot during live performance, where you should be using a UPS anyway...you get a cuppa coffee, or set up other equipment, or ???, and then leave it on...

df

[mintjamman]

Two and half mins ? Really !

Could that be to do with the basic atom CPU being used ?

On stage ten seconds is a long time and two and half minutes is all day,
I really need to get my hands on one to evaluate the build quality and how road worthy it is. All my gear gets flightcased and nursed and handled with care so I really would not expect any failures due to user errors.

In all my years of live work never had to use a ups but of course we are in computer land with many instruments right now.

I take your comment about the Kronus and use by High profile artists, the likes of Spike Eddy using one with Queen but of course they have five K88s on hand so will always have a ready spare unlike the more humble jobbing player. Thanks for you input very useful

[evimidiman]

Hello,

Mention has been made about the long boot time on the Kronos- I purchased a CyberPower CP850PFCLCD Uninterrupted Power Supply for use with my Kronos. The Kronos uses a SSD just like a computer and if a power failure should occur during the boot process OR while playing a sound (like a grand piano) that streams samples from the SSD, it could certainly corrupt the data and cause you to have to re-install the OS and all of your samples & data. I have used my UPS from day 1 with my Kronos. It can be had for under $150.00- it is good insurance and will save you a lot of headaches in the future. One IMPORTANT note- make sure any UPS you buy supports Active Power Supply technology (pure sinewave) - don't buy anything that doesn't or you could damage your Kronos power supply board.

Hope that helps somebody

[mikeyd]

I have a KRONOS X 88 with the RH3 key bed. No issues ever.

In regards to boot up time. I've never played a gig that I didn't have time to turn it on and have it boot or if it was a gig that I would walk on stage, it would already be on.

There have been huge improvements in this keyboard since the original. It's hardware and eventually there could be problems down the road.

But 3 OS updates later, numerous free patches/sounds, some by Korg, a ton of libraries for purchase, software like PCG Tools, etc. I've never seen a board supported like this.
.
So I say it's gotta be right for you but this is an excellent keyboard and IMO on the market.

Good luck with your decision

[GregC]

Ok so I am considering the Kronos either the 73 or 88, l
My only experience of the RH3 keyboard was when I used a SV1 88 note for a few weeks that instrument was brand new and what immediately struck me playing it was how flimsy and cheap the RH3 key bed felt, you could wobble the keys side to side and that particular key bed was also clicky. Compared to the key bed on my Yamaha S90ES the RH3 felt cheap and nasty and certainly not in the league of a Pro Keyboard action.

I of course realise that a lot of complaints date back to around 2013 about the key bed issues but what I need to know is that with the arrival of the new Mk 2 K88/73 have Korg really got the key bed issues resolved or is it hit or miss that you might end up with a key bed that has issues ?

Exactly how long does the latest Kronus take to boot up and be ready to play?

For anyone who has a Mk2 Kronus are there any issues that a new purchaser should be aware of ?

I think you are digging back into ancient history of the rh3.

Then again, if you cannot adapt to the rh3 , it's not for you. Keep in mind, 1000s of rh3 Kronos have sold and the sky has not fallen.

[Mike Conway]

What's holding me OFF the Kronos are threads here on this forum as well as chatter elsewhere about Kronus being cheaply built, the RH3 key bed issues, Power Supply issues, long boot up times

Years ago, the original Kronos did have some issues, like the keybed, data wheel, and loud fan. Korg fixed these and then released the Kronos X. The X version is solid and I'm not aware of issues with the X series, save for being finnicky about power flow. (The UPS recommendation still applies.) Korg then made some big updates to the OS and released an even more improved model, currently the Kronos 2.

All models use the same OS, but there are some minor hardware differences, for instance, the X model came with full ram (laptop style, I believe) and a larger SSD. The Kronos 2 chasis has holes in it, for better air flow, the screen has more of a tilt, and of course the wood side panels. I'm sure there are more, but you get the idea- each version is a different production run, with slight improvements.

[dfahrner]

...On stage ten seconds is a long time and two and half minutes is all day...in all my years of live work never had to use a ups but of course we are in computer land with many instruments right now...I take your comment about the Kronos and use by High profile artists, the likes of Spike Eddy using one with Queen but of course they have five K88s on hand so will always have a ready spare unlike the more humble jobbing player.

The long bootup time is only a problem is if there's an AC mains glitch or somebody pulls the plug and the KRONOS shuts down inadvertently, and this is why you have a UPS...like mikeyd says, there's always plenty of time for the first bootup at the gig...I've never carried a spare KRONOS to the gig, and never had a reboot since I started using a UPS (the only time I had one before that was when the singer accidentally switched off my power block)...

One IMPORTANT note- make sure any UPS you buy supports Active Power Supply technology (pure sinewave) - don't buy anything that doesn't or you could damage your Kronos power supply board.

This has been discussed here before, and I think the consensus was that you don't need an expensive pure sinewave UPS, any inexpensive 150W battery UPS works fine...I use cheap Cyber Power units and have never had a problem, and they've kept the KRONOS running when other things have glitched, reset, or shut down...

df

[SanderXpander]

I've even booted up backstage at festivals, using my UPS, so that I would be ready to go as soon as the keyboard riser was driven on stage.

[mintjamman]

Thanks for all the useful comments, I can play most boards but when I tried the RH3 couple of years back I was comparing it with the keybed on my S90ES and P200 both great actions compared with the RH3 at that time, imho

I could get used to the feel of the RH3 as it is now as long as the issues with retriggering and noise has been addressed by Korg. I am certainly going to go try it out as I think the Kronos offers some great sound possibilities. The boot up time only becomes a issue if the Kronos were to throw a fit mid gig and two minutes would then be a real issue. The UPS is great advise and I will factor that into the scheme.

I want to slim my rig down getting rid of modules and the S90ES for road work and maybe keep the triton pro, or I could get the K61 or K88 which would allow either two boards using either a K61 on top with the S90Es which would allow the S90ES to work as a 88 note controller for the K61 plus the flexibility of two boards or take to using a K88 and drop to a single board and then plan my splits and layers as necessary.

Decisions, Decisions !

[SanderXpander]

I haven't seen any issues up here with the Mk2.

I also like the P200 even though it's heavy. Honestly I think what's most important is how a board translates to the sound engine. If you've ever played a piano softsynth with a few different keyboards you'll get what I mean. For the most part I think the Kronos does that very well.

[dfahrner]

I agree with SanderXpander about the keybed / sound engine interface: I tried using a K61 with various weighted-key boards (including a Yamaha S70XS), and they never "felt" quite right with the KRONOS SGX-1 piano...then I got a K73, and the RH3 / SGX-1 combination immediately worked perfectly for me...

df

[mintjamman]

I have to agree with you both about translation to the sound engine and Piano samples. Just sometimes using them on other key beds just doesn't work that well but there's always room for some experimentation.

[NuSkoolTone]

I've been gigging with the Original Kronos 73 for over 2 years and never an issue (Over 100+ gigs). Yes I'd recommend a UPS for the boot up time, but if you remember to boot while you're still setting up I've never had to wait for it.

It's proven durable too. Long drops on concrete in a case, and a 3 foot drop from a stand that got moved the wrong way and didn't even shut down! Not that I encourage these things, but the Kronos has proven road worthy IMO.

For anyone who has a Mk2 Kronos are there any issues that a new purchaser should be aware of ?

I also own a Mk2 Kronos that I'm about to start gigging (My original was stolen and recovered) and it's a nice upgrade. Easier to read, buttons seem more solid, slightly more compact, might weigh a pound more is the ONLY negative.

This is a bit tongue n cheek, but get used to the idea you really won't "Need" another keyboard for a very long time. I'm serious! You really can grow with this keyboard. Requires some time investment to maximize the limited program banks (And that's only because there are so many possibilities that it's easy to "Run out") but there's really not much it "Can't" do. One of the biggest challenges is finding a board that properly compliments it.