What are some good amplifier recommendations for the SV-1? I've been running mine through a hot-roded Bugera V22, but this is my primary guitar amp. I'm afraid the speaker might blowout someday.
Thanks!
Amps for SV-1
Moderators: Sharp, X-Trade, Pepperpotty, karmathanever
Hi, I recently went through a similar decision of what amp to buy for my SV-1. I tried the Roland KC-150, which was OK, but I really wanted to have stereo sound and didn't fancy lugging a pair of amps around. So I tried (and then bought) a pair of active speakers - Wharfdale Titan 8 Mk2. They produce plenty of volume and are relatively lightweight at under 6Kg each and the casing seems pretty rugged. So far, I'm very happy with sound and glad I went for a pair of active speakers instead of an amp.
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billbaker
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Tom
This is a long standing debate, an the best answer seems to be that you need to treat your keyboard as if it were a whole band -- look, your keyboard generally plays both higher and lower and with more tonal variety than the bass, guitar, or voice, and probably (most workstations) plays drums in addition to a variety of keyboard, synth and orchestral/acoustic instruments. Your speakers should be capable of reproducing that wide spectrum without coloration.
Guitar amps are all about coloration - consider, the latest thing in guitar FX is amp modeling, which should give you an idea of just how much influence the amp has on the sound.
You won't ever see keyboard amp modeling because the best possible circumstance would be flat response, good PA grade, zero-coloration and that should be the end (or beginning) of the debate.
How far you get in pursuit of flat response will depend on the amount of money you're willing to throw at the problem. Most keyboard players go direct to Front Of House (FOH) or in other words, straight to the main PA or into a board and flat response monitors if you're in studio - so +1 to Peter's recommendation if you're in that environment.
Depending on how you route signals, diverting a mix to in-ears or headphones is fairly simple - many people prefer that to help reduce on-stage volume. I have a pair of Bose in-ears (~$99) that have worked well for about two years now. You can also get dual-driver (extended bass response) in ears now.
In most cases I feel like a decent set of headphones will give you a better, more accurate sound picture than a guitar amp ever will.
My two cents.
BB
This is a long standing debate, an the best answer seems to be that you need to treat your keyboard as if it were a whole band -- look, your keyboard generally plays both higher and lower and with more tonal variety than the bass, guitar, or voice, and probably (most workstations) plays drums in addition to a variety of keyboard, synth and orchestral/acoustic instruments. Your speakers should be capable of reproducing that wide spectrum without coloration.
Guitar amps are all about coloration - consider, the latest thing in guitar FX is amp modeling, which should give you an idea of just how much influence the amp has on the sound.
You won't ever see keyboard amp modeling because the best possible circumstance would be flat response, good PA grade, zero-coloration and that should be the end (or beginning) of the debate.
How far you get in pursuit of flat response will depend on the amount of money you're willing to throw at the problem. Most keyboard players go direct to Front Of House (FOH) or in other words, straight to the main PA or into a board and flat response monitors if you're in studio - so +1 to Peter's recommendation if you're in that environment.
Depending on how you route signals, diverting a mix to in-ears or headphones is fairly simple - many people prefer that to help reduce on-stage volume. I have a pair of Bose in-ears (~$99) that have worked well for about two years now. You can also get dual-driver (extended bass response) in ears now.
In most cases I feel like a decent set of headphones will give you a better, more accurate sound picture than a guitar amp ever will.
My two cents.
BB
billbaker
Triton Extreme 88, Triton Classic Pro, Trinity V3 Pro
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+E-mu, Alesis, Korg, Kawai, Yamaha, Line-6, TC Elecronics, Behringer, Lexicon...
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EinsteinBarbie
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tonebars888
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whirlyberg
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I went the route of amps instead of a PA. In some respects, I wish I had gone for a PA instead -- Stereo would be easier to control, and it just seems to be a cleaner set up.
I have the SV1 and a CP80 that I both use simultaneously. I wound up going a bit different (and although I can record or send to a PA in stereo, I hear in Mono)
We have a "ghetto studio" setup in our house, and I have a two Keyboard amps I both sourced used. The first is a Fender KXR 100, which is built much like a PA speaker -- it has both a 15" and a 1" horn. I use this pointed directly at me from ~10' away, whereas my other amp, a Roland KC 500 is behind and to the right, but pointed to the side -- This provides the rest of my band with sound. (My guitarist, great guy but he loves to play loud lol)
I worked this by using a mixer through it all -- so I have an Allen & Heath 8 channel mixer that can record all my midi off my computer, my korg and my yamaha. I use the Aux to my speakers and utilized a DI with two outputs to keep my "monitor" speakers clean. The nice thing about this, is that I a can take my set up--or parts of my set up, and have a clean send to FOH if I need, while still maintaining a good monitor setup.
I would explore the possibilities of a PA if I were you. The amp set up is great (and loud/clean...the mixer really makes a difference imo), but the PA just feels more versatile, plus you are still likely getting a mixer out of the deal. All in all, I've spent $1000 keeping up with the rest of the band.
If you have money burning a hole in your pocket, might I recomend 1 (or 2!) of the Bose L1 systems. They are by far the best I have ever heard.
I have the SV1 and a CP80 that I both use simultaneously. I wound up going a bit different (and although I can record or send to a PA in stereo, I hear in Mono)
We have a "ghetto studio" setup in our house, and I have a two Keyboard amps I both sourced used. The first is a Fender KXR 100, which is built much like a PA speaker -- it has both a 15" and a 1" horn. I use this pointed directly at me from ~10' away, whereas my other amp, a Roland KC 500 is behind and to the right, but pointed to the side -- This provides the rest of my band with sound. (My guitarist, great guy but he loves to play loud lol)
I worked this by using a mixer through it all -- so I have an Allen & Heath 8 channel mixer that can record all my midi off my computer, my korg and my yamaha. I use the Aux to my speakers and utilized a DI with two outputs to keep my "monitor" speakers clean. The nice thing about this, is that I a can take my set up--or parts of my set up, and have a clean send to FOH if I need, while still maintaining a good monitor setup.
I would explore the possibilities of a PA if I were you. The amp set up is great (and loud/clean...the mixer really makes a difference imo), but the PA just feels more versatile, plus you are still likely getting a mixer out of the deal. All in all, I've spent $1000 keeping up with the rest of the band.
If you have money burning a hole in your pocket, might I recomend 1 (or 2!) of the Bose L1 systems. They are by far the best I have ever heard.
I have gear - I think.
I just checked,
Yes - it's still there.
I just checked,
Yes - it's still there.
+1 for me...although I went with QSC K8s...Crystal clear with no noise...and so light weight...my back thanks me.tonebars888 wrote:QSC K10 for me... light, loud, clear and closely replicates the sound of the SV1 as heard through headphones... oh yeh, expensive, but then so is the SV1 and i figured why spend a fortune on a board and put it through a cheap amp?
Dave
I often run mine through a Bose L1 linear array tower that I picked up used. The e-pianos sound excellent, the acoustic pianos are okay -- the SV1 doesn't do as well in mono as my Kawai ES4's samples, but it's perfectly usable. The SV1's dedicated mono piano just sounds strange to me, so I tend to use the Steinway samples from the L/mono out jack. The Bose L1 has a quick set up with minimal wiring to deal with, so far no feedback issues, and I can also run two microphones in and use it as a PA for piano, fiddle, and voice in pretty large rooms.