Korg Forums

Space Girl · Junior Member Joined: 03 May 2021 Posts: 70

Considering Kronos is now discontinued, I have been wondering if I should buy another one new while they are still available as they won't be soon.
I'd probably have to store it as I have no room for another one right now, but at least then i'd have one spare. It's a huge amount of money to buy another new one though, is it worth it?

I assume that used ones will just go up in price as they will become rare. There does not seem to be many pre-owned ones available at the moment.

My Kronos 2 is still mint and only 16 months old but I wonder how long might it last before needeing repair and since parts are hard for Korg to get now, will I be able to get it repaired in future? How long do screens last in them and internal components?

I have the chance to buy one now before they dissapear in stores but I could just wait and look for a pre-owned one, just unsure how much they might cost by next year, maybe more than buying a new one now perhaps? What do you think?

I could just play till my Kronos dies, hopefully that won't be for years.... then I'd have to settle for a Nautilus, Fantom or Montage instead perhaps. I still like the idea of owning a Fantom alongside my Kronos, so should I use the money to buy a Fantom instead I wonder? All this wondering is now doing my head in and I still can't decide & time is running out.

I'm sure the Nautilus has some good points too but will it be good enough as a replacement for those of us that love the Kronos 2?

Will Korg make the Nautilus into a better version? Hoping for aftertouch, more GB's for future samples, ribbon etc. and one thats built to last?

Sorry I'm rambling.....ramble ON!

Happy Xmas everyone!

Falcon2e · Posted: Thu Dec 23, 2021 7:52 pm Post subject:

You have a lot of the same thoughts and questions that I share. I’m not sure if the Kronos is discontinued, although some models seem to be unavailable in certain areas. Will yours need repairs soon? Will parts be available? I don’t think anyone can answer your questions for sure. I think if you treat your K with care, my guess is it will last for a long time. At one time I had a 16 year old Triton that was still working great when I sold it. I’m hoping for the same reliability with the Kronos.

I did purchase a second K2 a couple years ago for the same reasons you mentioned, I’m a little paranoid though. I don’t want to take a chance of missing a gig if one goes down. If you can find one for a reasonable price…..well, that’s your call.

Meanwhile, keep in mind that nothing stays the same. Do frequent backups and enjoy your Kronos 😎
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Kronos2-61..(2) Triton Classic, Nord Stage 2, Previously owned lots of other gear dating back to the 70’s.

Xenophile · Senior Member Joined: 14 Nov 2017 Posts: 349

Korg's USA website still shows Kronos, Kronos Titanium and Kronos LS as being available. Though now they've got the snazzy-looking "Vox Continental 73 BK" stage keyboard featured up front.

https://www.korg.com/us/products/synthesizers/voxcontinental_73bk/

https://www.korg.com/us/products/synthesizers/

spottingjonah · Joined: 06 Aug 2013 Posts: 23

The struggle is real. My solution was to sell my Kronos 2 61 and buy a new one since the old one, bought in 2015 at the release, had seen a lot of gigs and a lot of travel time. The new one has never left my house. So It's good to go.

In addition, I did purchase a Fantom 7 in early 2020. It's been a fantastic addition for what I prefer. The Fantom and Kronos are very different in workflow (Learning Curve!!), but sound wise they complement where they don't overlap, although they do overlap quite a bit, as is expected.

Combined with an MP11SE, the setup is pretty much complete for what I do.

Best wishes, and Merry Christmas!!

Space Girl · Junior Member Joined: 03 May 2021 Posts: 70

Thanks for the quick replies. I am still pondering this morning on what to do. I would definitely wait if I knew for sure Korg was going to bring out a Nautilus 2, with after touch, more RAM, room for all the samples you want...etc...

I am temped to get a Fantom and sure I will love it too.
Bit unsure about the samples on the Roland Cloud, when compared to buying Korg samples which is for life, seems you have to buy a yearly membership with Roland so could cost more in long run. Unsure if Roland samples still work if you don't keep up the cloud membership, anyone know?

May take xmas to think it over a bit more before my decision. Maybe I should treat myself to a new Kronos 2 and Fantom 6 for my xmas present! Very Happy

Just wish I had a big studio to surround myself with multiple keyboards. I have 5 already, but want more. Synth addiction/ Obsession?

Found this today, others pondering about Nautilus and Kronos.
https://forums.musicplayer.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/3093224/3

Mr_SamDoogie · Posted: Fri Dec 24, 2021 11:48 am Post subject:

blazerunner · Senior Member Joined: 15 Nov 2017 Posts: 277

Korg is having a manufacturing problem at the moment.

The Prologues, MS20 Fullsize, and Kronos just to name a few haven't been out of stock or in short availability at a lot of places.

Other brands are also having similar issues. Part of the reason for the price hike on music gear.

tunaman · Senior Member Joined: 28 Nov 2019 Posts: 427

I’d watch for a mint used K2… there are a lot of them out there, and they pop up from time to time for sale at very decent prices - you can likely buy one lightly used for half the cost of a new unit.

Most of the users never get close to touching the potential, and many seem to get frustrated with the complexity.

mwiik · Joined: 21 Mar 2006 Posts: 41

Ok. Let me give my experience here.

I have a Kronos 2 88. Before that I had an Oasys 88. Both are just amazing in my opinion.

Now I wanted a second keyboard in my "home studio" and I bought a Fantom 8. I wanted to try something different and it is sure a nice keyboard but the sounds are from the 90's. Also I didn't like the keybed and V-piano. But it is personal things.

So, I switched it for a Nautilus 88. And so far I am very happy with that. Sounds just amazing as the Kronos and it is quite fast to navigate even if you have to press the Page button. Only thing so far I am missing is to have both volume and mute buttons on the screen at the same time. And also Chord Pads. Am I missing Karma ? No, actually not. Arpeggio and drum tracks is more easy to understand and is good enough for me.

As said, I still have my Kronos 2, but Nautilus is really nice for me as well, Korg has done a great job in my opinion, nice package for a very decent price.

I will buy Kronos 3 if there ever will be such a thing, but I believe so far that Nautilus is one of the best keyboards on the market, no doubts. I did choose actually between a Kronos SE and the Nautilius... And money was not really an issue.
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Regards
MW, Sweden

Mike Conway

rickster1 · Posted: Mon Jan 03, 2022 4:06 pm Post subject:

My 1st gen Kronos 73 will be 10 yrs old on presidents day, 2022. I've replaced the power supply twice, the first time it only lasted 6 months. This time around, it seems to be holding up. It's a great machine & I love it. Love the SEQ too.

I understand that the Kronos is now out of production, & if you want one, you must buy it from somebody that still has a few in stock - like maybe Sweetwater. New successor will be revealed at NAMM in June. ??

I'll buy the Kronos successor if it's a continuation of the great Kronos engineering. I had a Fantom X about 15 yrs ago - too heavy at 75 lbs. Also, not as user friendly as the K is.

The Nautilus is not a successor to Kronos.

Nautilus is to Kronos as MODX is to Motif.

Mike Conway · Posted: Tue Jan 04, 2022 2:11 am Post subject:

rickster1 · Posted: Tue Jan 04, 2022 9:17 pm Post subject:

Sorry, you're right Mike. I meant MODX is to Montage, not Motif.

JonSolo · Posted: Wed Jan 12, 2022 4:35 pm Post subject:

SeedyLee · Posted: Sun Jan 16, 2022 1:39 am Post subject:

I do wonder if a genuine Kronos replacement is on the way. It seems foolish on Korg’s part to let their significant investment in the Kronos software and architecture wither away, particularly when it can run so easily on commodity hardware. I’ve also been wondering if the recent announcement that Kronos sound libraries can be activated on up to three devices might be pre-emoting existing Kronos owners migrating to a newer model?
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Current Equipment:
Korg Kronos 2 88, Reface CS, Roland JV-1080, TE OP1, Moog Subsequent 37, Korg ARP Odyssey, Allen & Heath Zed 18, Adam F5, MOTU MIDI Express XT, Lexicon MX200 & MPX1, Yamaha QY700, Yamaha AW16G, Tascam DP008ex, Zoom H6, Organelle, Roland J6 & JU06A

Previous: Triton LE 61/Sampling/64MB/4GB SCSI, MS2000BR, Kronos 1 61, Monotribe, NanoKontrol, NanoKeys, Kaossilator II, Casio HT3000, Roland VP-03, Reface DX, Novation Mininova, MPC One