Kronos Build Quality?

[DJCobbSalad]

So I'm about to return my third (!!!) Kronos 61 in less than 2 weeks due to manufacturer defect. Is this normal? I need a keyboard that actually works for gigs, I was pretty stoked about the Kronos sounds but starting to feel like this was the wrong product choice.

The purchase history:

#1: Kronos 2 61 (Korg Refubished): Arrived DOA (System Startup Failed)
#2: Kronos 2 61 (New): Joystick issue (Caused pitches to change randomly)
#3: Kronos 2 61 SE (New) - 3 System Startup Failed messages in first 2 days, 2 last night during the first rehearsal with the keyboard.

So... is it time to look at a different brand of keyboard? What the hell is going on?

[KK]

I can't speak for the 61 models but my Kronos 2 88 works flawlessly since day one. Are you sure the "new" ones you were given to replace the first refurbished were indeed new ? Do they all come from the same store ?

[DJCobbSalad]

The refurbished one came from a different store. The 2 new ones both came from the same place. The most recent one is a SE which the brand "new" model that just started shipping this week, and now already appears to be out of stock again so I don't know if I'll be able to get a replacement anytime soon.

[GregC]

are you 100% sure you have steady power, and not using a flakey outlet that is swamped by amps, PA's etc ? Most gigging keyboardists have a UPS for their Kronos.

the defective refurb is not a surprise.

The other 2 are a negative trend.

To be clear, its not exclusively build quality. To me, its a bad component, possibly in the assembly process. If this is a case, we will hear about more defectives.

I am sorry your SE bombed, that's a bummer.

Are these sweet water purchases ? They sell volume every month and must know what the defective return rate is every month.

Typically a salesperson is not going to discuss this or have an answer. You might have to go to manager at SW who is aware of the bigger picture. Thats the best source.

[Sam CA]

So I'm about to return my third (!!!) ...

I have a clean steady power and yet I had to return the first 2 brand new K 88 due to that failure message I was getting. The 2nd replacement had a sticky key, so I was gonna return that one regardless. I've been using the 3rd one without problems.

[DJCobbSalad]

In my studio it's on a UPS, everything in there is. I'm not sure about the rehearsal space last night, but unlikely. It's had the system startup failure in both locations.

I've been using it a little bit today at the studio (on the UPS) in short sessions, then turning it off and coming back a little while later to reboot. So far it's given me the error 1 out of the 5 times (the 4th one). Under normal circumstances I wouldn't go off/on that many times in a day but I'm just trying to see if it's reproducible with any consistency. They're from Zzounds, I have had bad experiences with Sweetwater so I don't do business with them anymore.

[GregC]

In my studio it's on a UPS, everything in there is. I'm not sure about the rehearsal space last night, but unlikely. It's had the system startup failure in both locations.

I've been using it a little bit today at the studio (on the UPS) in short sessions, then turning it off and coming back a little while later to reboot. So far it's given me the error 1 out of the 5 times (the 4th one). Under normal circumstances I wouldn't go off/on that many times in a day but I'm just trying to see if it's reproducible with any consistency. They're from Zzounds, I have had bad experiences with Sweetwater so I don't do business with them anymore.

thats good to rule out any power inconsistency.

your choice of US dealer has no bearing on a factory defective. Which is what your SE is- a Korg factory defective.

There is a problem and you should exchange it with Zsounds. They should push your exchange to the top of the list. Thats what I would demand.

[DJCobbSalad]

thats good to rule out any power inconsistency.

your choice of US dealer has no bearing on a factory defective. Which is what your SE is- a Korg factory defective.

There is a problem and you should exchange it with Zsounds. They should push your exchange to the top of the list. Thats what I would demand.

Agreed, definitely a korg issue, dealer is irrelevant. I'll get it sorted once they re-open tomorrow. Thanks for taking the time to respond.

[KK]

Before concluding too quickly, I wouldn't rule out damage during transport. Certain major companies (which I shall not name here, but they are often chosen by bigger stores) just don't know how to handle fragile stuff, which includes musical instruments. You can flat drop a big box way too harshly without damaging its external cardboard but its contents is likely to end up damaged or non-functional.

[GregC]

Before concluding too quickly, I wouldn't rule out damage during transport. Certain major companies (which I shall not name here, but they are often chosen by bigger stores) just don't know how to handle fragile stuff, which includes musical instruments. You can flat drop a big box way too harshly without damaging its external cardboard but its contents is likely to end up damaged or non-functional.

Thats possible. A freight co could get careless and drop the Kronos 5 feet off a truck- but thats an invitation to a freight claim.

The Kronos shipping carton 'should' protect the heavy weight Kronos from minor abuse.
The US retailers should be choosing reliable freight cos as the damage claim process is painful for all parties.

[DJCobbSalad]

Very good point. I was going to point out to ZZounds when I talk to them tomorrow that the 2 endcap styrofoam pieces were both broken in the SE box on the same side (what would be the back of the Kronos when inside the box). You couldn’t tell from outside the box at all, but when I unpacked it those pieces were broken. I may have to tape them together in order to be able to ship the unit back.

[Mike Conway]

DJCobbSalad"Agreed, definitely a korg issue, dealer is irrelevant.

I'm not sure about that. There is a strong possibility that your Kronos units were roughly handled at some point in the chain. RAM could have been jarred loose, etc. That would cause it not to boot up.

I took a chance and bought my Kronos X 61 from Musician's Friend, because of the 15% discount special. I much prefer to buy from Sweetwater, which is where I bought my OASYS and other units from. Those guys will check it out at their facility. When they send stuff out, they often double box it.

Did you notice anything about your packaging. Was the box in good shape? I'm not ruling out Korg, but I would think they have the process down, manufacturing the same type of product, all these years.

The first generation Kronos did have factory defects, particularly key space gaps, and the rotary wheel and end of the vector joystick coming off. Korg took a lot of criticism for it, so they fixed all of that, then released newer, more robust builds, like the K2, with metal venting and more angled screen.

After the release of the Kronos classic, Korg really took strides to rebrand the Kronos as top quality product. It is that, though I have no experience with the SE. Ask some other SE owners how they are doing. My Kronos X 61 has been a true workhorse, since I got it in 2012.

I did have a pitch issue come up, a couple years back. I even ordered a new joystick assembly, but did not install it. It turned out that it had nothing to do with the hardware. It's been a while, but I think the cause was either a pedal or USB item that I plugged into the back, or something globally. I loaded in a different file and Global settings, and the problem ceased.

If you feel inclined, you can reload your Global settings. In DISK mode, go to your FACTORY folder. Press OPEN, then find your PRELOAD.PCG. Press OPEN, then find GLOBAL SETTING and load that.

[KK]

Very good point. I was going to point out to ZZounds when I talk to them tomorrow that the 2 endcap styrofoam pieces were both broken in the SE box on the same side (what would be the back of the Kronos when inside the box). You couldn’t tell from outside the box at all, but when I unpacked it those pieces were broken. I may have to tape them together in order to be able to ship the unit back.

Well, I think you have just figured out what could be the cause of the malfunctioning Kronos. This is unfortunately a common problem with many types of delicate electronic devices, including musical instruments.

[Mike Conway]

the 2 endcap styrofoam pieces were both broken in the SE box on the same side (what would be the back of the Kronos when inside the box)

Some idiot dropped or threw the box. Imagine the force that broke those pieces and what it could do Kronos internals, as KK rightly points out.

[timbukktwo]

The ram being unseated is a likely culprit, even hopefully so in comparison to anything more serious. A number of people in the past had reported this, and will definitely cause a system startup failure, for sure. If it were the ram, too bad having to send it in for service for such a diy project that would void the warranty, even though there would be no downtime. It would be hard to believe multiple units leaving the factory new would have your issue, though possible for some reason. Nonetheless, sorry to hear of your troubles and good luck to you.