Roland KC series of speakers v's powered sound reinforcement speaker

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I use the Behringer B112W powered speaker (1,000 watts) with my Roland BK-9 Keyboard. Would a Roland KC-200 keyboard amp and speaker give a better sound albeit perhaps not as loud. At home I play the Roland BK-9 through my Cambridge Audio amp to Klipsch 3 ways speakers. The sound is a good as headsets. But, when I'm out playing the keyboard for ballroom dancing through the Behringer B112W the sound is pretty ordinary.
 
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Welcome.

Maybe feeding the keyboard via a Graphic/Parametric Equaliser to the B112W will enable you to have custom settings to suit each venue you play at.

Or if more rudimentary control will suffice you could add in a mixer that has at least a three way graphic equaliser.
 
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Roland KC-anything keyboard speakers are generally awful (my two cents). So to answer that question you're better off with the Behringer. From the way you wrote your post it would seem to indicate that you are using only one Behringer (''.. I use the Behringer B112W powered speaker..") while at home it sounds as though you are playing in stereo ("...Cambridge Audio amp to Klipsch 3 ways speakers..). So it is possible that you are comparing playing at home "in stereo" vs. playing out "in mono". It could be that the summing of your outputs from stereo to mono is causing phase cancellation which would indeed make your output sound ordinary at best. My other guess is that the Klipsch aren't dialed up that loud at home but the Behringer is dialed up louder on a gig. Typically as the speaker gets louder the sound quality declines. Both of these situations could then be potentially cured by purchasing a 2nd Behringer speaker; this will accomplish two things: 1) removes the potential stereo to mono summing causing a phase cancellation issue; 2) allows you to decrease the output of the Behringers since now you'll have two of them so the overall volume needed as output of each speaker would be reduced allowing better quality. Under no circumstance would I use a ratty Roland KC-200 speaker; they just sound awful. My two cents.

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Welcome to the forums Cliff. I am an older gigging keyboard player playing in a 7 pc band. I have owned a good cross section of keyboard speakers and amps which has allowed me to play my keyboards through many combinations. In my opinion, most of the amps marketed for keyboards are nothing special, and they do not compare to a good self powered speaker. I assume you are not using a mixer between the BK9 and theB112, which is not optimum for that class of speaker. I assume you are also running in mono with the B112 for playing out, but at home you use a high quality 3 way stereo set-up but you gig in mono (?). Also assume that you depend on the B112 as your sole sound of gig amplification (?).

For live keyboard music performance , self powered PA speakers generally sound much better than packaged keyboard amp units. I've had PV, Roland, Fender etc combo amps and they served me well, but they aren't up to date technology. I don't recommend a packaged amp for keys if you want the best quality sound. However if you have to buy a packaged amp, check into Motion Sound keyboard amps (which are self contained stereo units). The stereo will sound much better to your ears, especially with organs sounds. These amps are not cheap but will do a good job. (Not as good as a self powered PA though). Is Motion Sound gear available in your country (?).

Your cheapest way to experiment is to buy a second B112 and a small stereo mixer (with tone controls and channel EQ). Set-up the mixer and speakers as you would a stereo system. Pick any 2 adjacent input channels on the mixer to use. Run LEFT OUT of BK9 to the ist channel, then run RIGHT OUT of the BK9 to the second channel. From the mixer, run one cable from MAIN OUT RIGHT to one B112 and run MAIN OUT LEFT to the second B112 speaker. Be sure all volumn controls are turned down before powering up. Put the mixer "PAN" control for both BK9 channels in "CENTER" position (equal L and R output). This sets a basic starting point to experiment with powered speakers connected to your BK9. * If there are any "mono" samples used in your keyboard, that sound will still be in both sides of this monitoring system. You can use the mixer to adjust the sound to your taste.
Just be reminded, the more gear you add the more work add to your set-up.

Mono versus stereo monitoring is an individual choice. I do it because my keys sound great in my stage space, and that is what I want to hear. My pianos, strings, horn etc really sound great and it inspires my playing. YMMV Don aka B3maniac
 
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I basically agree with Dave, typical EQ has very limited ability to make speaker X sound like better speaker Y, and the Roland amp is unlikely to be a step up from the Berhinger... The differences you are hearing are most likely primarily from differences in stereo vs mono, differences in speaker quality (esp. at the required volume), or both.

First, I would try playing mono through your home system. If that still sounds good to you, then the issue is more the speakers than the stereo-ness. If that sound is similarly disappointing in the same way the Behringer is, then the issue you're hearing may well be at least as much the stereo-ness as it is speaker quality. One can address both speaker quality and stereo-ness, but if you're on a budget, you may need to choose which is the more important thing. If you do go with the 2nd B112, I'd suggest getting it from a place with a good return policy, in case it is still disappointing (esp. when driven to the levels you need), despite having addressed the stereo-ness. You don't want to sink more money into a setup that, even if improved from the stereo, is still ultimately disappointing in its tone. At that point, you'd be better off getting a better quality single speaker, and adding a second for stereo when budget allows.
 
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Thanks to everyone! Wow, how helpful was that! It's great to feel supported by such a group of knowledgeable musicians.

Firstly, I have walked away from the Roland KC-200, or similar alternative. Thanks for clearing up that matter. Much appreciated. Secondly, I should have mentioned I do have 2 Behringer B112W speakers but only use the second one if I think I need the volume, but only in mono. As musicians would know there are often multiple issues to sound quality. Yes, stereo was one of them. Thanks for highlighting it. I should have thought through that one. The "Leslie", sound now is magnificent! Thirdly, I would like some control over volume at different frequencies. I thought the Roland BK-9 would have an equalizer. But, I've not found it. I will check out some options.

Finally, with all this talk of equalizers I suddenly realized, and to my shame, that I had not factored in an important piece of gear! I use hearing aids, but generally not at home! So all my instrumentation balancing now needs revisiting! Bother!

In summary, thanks to all for talking me around some of these issues. A good result!

Cliff (Melbourne, Australia)
 

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