Kronos 2 61 Quality Questions!

[Windsofsoul]

I'm in a situation whereas my Kronos X appears unrepairable (only repair shop that I could contact can't fix it, so 3 months without) and I have 15 years of Korg experience with their OS layout language etc. I have projects that I must continue on and God knows I must create, but I'm at a watershed moment! I'm seriously thinking of buying a Kronos 2 61 because it's familiar and evolved further from the original with the cooling holes and the OS changes, but besides that I'm not sure that I'm not going to run into trouble again.

In any case it has to be financed, since my income is severely curtailed ... I'm taking care of an elderly parent which precludes me from working full time (I sell on Ebay and Amazon at a 75% reduced salary). So, I can't afford to be let down.

Kronos 2 owners what do you say so far?

Thanks for your input I really appreciate it.

Rog

[benbabylon]

I'm in a situation whereas my Kronos X appears unrepairable (only repair shop that I could contact can't fix it, so 3 months without) and I have 15 years of Korg experience with their OS layout language etc. I have projects that I must continue on and God knows I must create, but I'm at a watershed moment! I'm seriously thinking of buying a Kronos 2 61 because it's familiar and evolved further from the original with the cooling holes and the OS changes, but besides that I'm not sure that I'm not going to run into trouble again.

In any case it has to be financed, since my income is severely curtailed ... I'm taking care of an elderly parent which precludes me from working full time (I sell on Ebay and Amazon at a 75% reduced salary). So, I can't afford to be let down.

Kronos 2 owners what do you say so far?

Thanks for your input I really appreciate it.

Rog

I don't know if this is much help, but I have the Kronos88 2 and its build quality is astonishing. It really is a solid instrument. That being said, if you are going to be moving it around a lot, I would HIGHLY recommend a case for it — just because of all the knobs and sliders and whatnot; plus I wouldn't want it to get scratched! Even though I have the Kronos88 2, I have seen and touched and played a friend's Kronos61 2, and it's build quality is pretty much the same, just lighter keys which I guess are easier to break than the weighted keys of an 88. But still shouldn't be much of a problem. I think you should go for it! I love the wood side panels, they really look and feel awesome in my opinion. I'm sure you could get a great deal on eBay, maybe even a bundle with a case.
Hope this helped!
-Ben

[Bald Eagle]

I have the Kronos 2-61. I have not had any problems so far. I think the build quality is excellent, better that previous Kronos versions.

But that being said the Kronos 2 hasn't been around that long so only time will tell.

What exactly is wrong with yours that it can't be repaired. I have older gear that is no longer in production that I have had repaired. Your problem must be pretty severe.

[DeltaJockey]

Hi Rog,

I have an X 88 and a 2-61.
I haven't had them for as long as you've had your X, and I think impressions will be quite subjective, but I find the build quality of the latest to be excellent. Though I also find the X quality to be just as good. You may get varying replies on this depending on which size people have, because the 61 key version has a steel bottom, whereas the 73 and 88 have the composite timber base board.
That said, I find there is a little bit more flex in the 61 version, though this is not reflecting on its quality.
As far as the ventilation goes. Interestingly, in comparing my X88 with my 2-61, Iactually find the temperature of the 2-61 runs slightly hotter than the X, by a couple of degrees C, even though the 2-61 has the ventilation grill across the top. However, to be fair I haven't been able to compare 2 keyboard generations of the same keybed size, so the case size differences may contribute to this. It might be debated, but my impression so far is that the cooling efficiency has more to do with the latest software and it's fan management than the case redesign.
And my X having the latest firmware, apart from enabling slow fan settings for quietness when required, seems to control the ventilation more intelligently than before anyway.
I'm curious to know what is wrong with your X that can't(isn't worth fixing?).
The latest Kronos is, in my opinion an excellent investment, and I count on mine lasting many years.
Here in Australia, Korg offer a 3 year warranty, giving me some peace of mind, but is that the same in the US?

This is my impression so far, and I hope you get many replies!

regards


Chris

[Windsofsoul]

I have the Kronos 2-61. I have not had any problems so far. I think the build quality is excellent, better that previous Kronos versions.

But that being said the Kronos 2 hasn't been around that long so only time will tell.

What exactly is wrong with yours that it can't be repaired. I have older gear that is no longer in production that I have had repaired. Your problem must be pretty severe.

Thanks for your info, it helps! The problem I have is during boot up it won't pass the "s" I believe it was in "Music". This is the day after installing the latest firmware for the X (wanted the nifty icons) and the latest OS. It was properly installed to the best of my knowledge according to the instructions. Been so long I can't remember exactly. (close to 3 1/2 months now)
I scoured the forums, and after applying potential fixes, the problem still persisted. That's when I took it to the only Korg Authorized Repair center that would return my call. Guess they're scared of the big K. The first place wouldn't touch it and recommended a highly respected guy who's authorized, but after leaving multiple messages, I guess he was too busy or also afraid of the Big K. The repair center who has it now is at wits end, they want to give it back, they've replaced the MB, Pwr supply, SSD, SATA cables, Ram in MB and now they've been trying to get a mainboard KLM-3002 but Korg says they are discontinued. So don't really know where to turn, guess I could find another repair center farther away and start again, but don't know, time is of the essence and by the looks of it, might not have it for another few months. So that's where it's at!

[Windsofsoul]

Thanks everyone for your input, it'll help in my decision. javascript:emoticon(':D')

I'm surprised that the K2 runs a little hotter, wouldn't have expected that at all. I know it has a different motherboard, I believe a ASROCK, so not too sure that's a good thing. Would expect the Intel would be better but time I guess will tell.

The unit sure looks nicer and the angled screen is a benefit, and the new CC by Sweetwater could be a winner too LOL, so will think it over. God knows I have no use for 2 Kronos since I don't play out, I just sequence and jam.

Peace out!

Rog

[Broadwave]

I scoured the forums, and after applying potential fixes, the problem still persisted.

Daft question maybe, but did you try reinstalling the original OS from the DVDs? I had a similar boot freeze problem when I installed my first OS update.

My 1st gen Kronos 61 ran warm and had the annoying fan noise issue - the K2 is very quiet and much cooler. I had both Kronos'ssss (!!!) running in my studio for a while, but couldn't see the point of keeping both either.

[Windsofsoul]

I scoured the forums, and after applying potential fixes, the problem still persisted.

Daft question maybe, but did you try reinstalling the original OS from the DVDs? I had a similar boot freeze problem when I installed my first OS update.

My 1st gen Kronos 61 ran warm and had the annoying fan noise issue - the K2 is very quiet and much cooler. I had both Kronos'ssss (!!!) running in my studio for a while, but couldn't see the point of keeping both either.

Yes, strangely enough once in a while it would boot to DVD (intermittent) and I reinstalled twice, once reformatting, but it still won't boot completely.

[Bertotti]

I am curious, can't it be sent to Korg themselves for repair?

[JPROBERTLA]

I recently purchased a Kronos 2-88 and recently parted with my original Kronos 61 which I had for 4 years. No problems with either and I play regularly. I believe that with a hard case a UPS and proper care these are as good and reliable as any keyboards around. They are essentially computers with a keybed and need to be treated as such.

[danatkorg]

I'm in a situation whereas my Kronos X appears unrepairable (only repair shop that I could contact can't fix it, so 3 months without) and I have 15 years of Korg experience with their OS layout language etc. I have projects that I must continue on and God knows I must create, but I'm at a watershed moment! I'm seriously thinking of buying a Kronos 2 61 because it's familiar and evolved further from the original with the cooling holes and the OS changes, but besides that I'm not sure that I'm not going to run into trouble again.

In any case it has to be financed, since my income is severely curtailed ... I'm taking care of an elderly parent which precludes me from working full time (I sell on Ebay and Amazon at a 75% reduced salary). So, I can't afford to be let down.

Kronos 2 owners what do you say so far?

Thanks for your input I really appreciate it.

Rog

It sounds to me like you may not have contacted your national Korg Distributor, which from your profile would be Korg USA. I'd strongly suggest that you do so; they should be able to help you get up and running again.

[danatkorg]

I am curious, can't it be sent to Korg themselves for repair?

In most cases, yes, it can.

[Bertotti]

Thanks Dan! That is the route I would take in this situation.

[Windsofsoul]

I'm in a situation whereas my Kronos X appears unrepairable (only repair shop that I could contact can't fix it, so 3 months without) and I have 15 years of Korg experience with their OS layout language etc. I have projects that I must continue on and God knows I must create, but I'm at a watershed moment! I'm seriously thinking of buying a Kronos 2 61 because it's familiar and evolved further from the original with the cooling holes and the OS changes, but besides that I'm not sure that I'm not going to run into trouble again.

In any case it has to be financed, since my income is severely curtailed ... I'm taking care of an elderly parent which precludes me from working full time (I sell on Ebay and Amazon at a 75% reduced salary). So, I can't afford to be let down.

Kronos 2 owners what do you say so far?

Hi Dan thanks for the reply, yes I did contact Korg USA and explained the situation to a rep. named Mike in Technical support. They told me they'd call the service center Thursday and try to intercede to quicken the process, but they never called according to the service center. The service center now is trying to source a KLM-3002 main board that is no longer available according to the depot's online ordering system for service centers. Talked to the service center today and they said they still have received no reply for their request for a cross reference part number for that board as of yet. It's been almost 2 weeks since they sent the email. So frustration is at a peak for all parties involved.



Thanks for your input I really appreciate it.

Rog

It sounds to me like you may not have contacted your national Korg Distributor, which from your profile would be Korg USA. I'd strongly suggest that you do so; they should be able to help you get up and running again.

[Windsofsoul]

I am curious, can't it be sent to Korg themselves for repair?

Yeah that may be the only option at this point. I live in the Greater Philadelphia area which you'd think would have favorable coverage, but if I have to send it to Korg I'm willing!