Heideana Posted January 9, 2006 Share Posted January 9, 2006 I just purchased a Korg Triton Extreme that I patched it into my stereo and have been playing it thru a pair of KG3's. It sounds great and I'm thinking about getting another pair of Klipsch to use as stereo keyboard cabs for my home studio, maybe a pair of Forte's, as the KG3's run out of a bit of steam on the lower register. I'm pretty naive about keyboards, so don't know if there's any problems using Klipsch as keyboard cabs or if there's more appropriate models for home use? Also I'm thinking about getting a stereo tube amp as a head to drive them....Any suggestions appreciated! After pluging the Triton it into my guitar heads and playing thru guitar cabs I'm really sure that I want something more "hifi" to play it thru. Thanks.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-MAN Posted January 9, 2006 Share Posted January 9, 2006 Generally, the smaller hi-fi speakers are not quite as capable of power-handling as musical instrument speaker cabinets, but other than that - why not?! DM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pauln Posted January 9, 2006 Share Posted January 9, 2006 Why not? That is a great question. You are asking if using this speaker engineered for domestic use will be OK for severe commercial use. That's easy - No - because they are not made to be musical instrument speakers. This is not a tautology. The performance demands are much different. That running out of steam in the low end is trying to tell you something. A musical instrument speaker plays in a narrow range (or even one note) most of the time with no crossovers or tweeters. The energy level is way high in a narrow band of frequencies, and the drivers and box are made to take it show after show. Ordinary home speakers are built quite lightly by comparison and it would not surprise me if the tweeters and crossovers go up in smoke during your first practice. You should not use a home stereo listening amplifier as a musical instrument amp for similar reasons. This also you would destroy because it was never meant to take the input level or supply the power. I say this with 35 years experience as a guitarist. If you like D-Man's answer better; why not indeed? Just send him the bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrWho Posted January 10, 2006 Share Posted January 10, 2006 Are you doing studio work or playing live with a band? And how important is your stereo image? I would argue that you're probably better off finding a "synth amp" - especially if you plan on mic'ing your speaker instead of running direct outs. Also keep portability in mind - home speakers were built to sit in one place. PA equipment was designed to be dropped off trucks and still work. My favorite synth amps so far have always been 2-way designs using a 15" woofer and a hornloaded top section. You need that extra clarity provided by the horn for the higher registers, but you also need that beefy bass transducer for the lower registers. It's not as popular in the synth world, but I feel the synth to synth amp relationship is every bit just as important as the guitar to guitar amp relationship. Find yourself a great cabinet with a good head unit that allows you to really expand your available sounds - and then mic your cabinet and forget running direct outs. This is of course a much more expensive alternative. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Spinner Posted January 10, 2006 Share Posted January 10, 2006 I forget which organ mfg. used to ship a LaScala, as a keyboard speaker ...Allen Organ...?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heideana Posted January 10, 2006 Author Share Posted January 10, 2006 Thanks all for the comments! As I said, I'm pretty naive about keyboards, as guitars are my musical area. Thank-god I'm not playing live and so far the KG3's tweeters haven't gone up in smoke, probably because on current tube stereo amp is only 60-90 watts? It was on the low-end that I ran out of a bit of steam...although actually not that much to be honest. I looked at a few keyboard cabs, but wasn't sure of their quality and the stereo cabs were single cabs wired in stereo. Since I really like a wide stereo image, I tend to like to use two cabs, even for guitars (although a stereo cab is kewl for some guitar stuff). Also, all the keyboard amps I find were solid-state and I wasn't that impressed with their distortion ratings. All of this is what made I wonder about using maybe 40-watt stereo tube amp with older klipsch for home use (i.e. learning scales, chord construction and getting started with a new toy). Sounds like I need to do a bit more research... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrWho Posted January 10, 2006 Share Posted January 10, 2006 I wouldn't worry too much about distortion ratings on anything - it all depends on what the distortion sounds like and how well it mates with the instrument. For example, you should know real well how good distorting tubes sound on an electric guitar [] If you wanted to go klipsch, then I would recommend the lascala - which after all is originally a PA speaker. If you do get one, then I would right away suggest you do the ported bass mod so that you don't lose output in the lower registers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-MAN Posted January 10, 2006 Share Posted January 10, 2006 This is good advice. The Heresy would work, too (a commercial version was made) for PA use of a moderate nature. It would make an excellent compact little stage monitor or a "lightweight" front for small venues. It also has the bandpass that you want, too. That being said, ignore what PaulN said being that he directly pointed his remarks at me. Perhaps he is thinking of cone-type tweeters, etc, and in that case, he's right, but I also made that point - you shouldn't use cone-type hi-fi speakers - they cannot handle the power (like I said)... DM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heideana Posted January 12, 2006 Author Share Posted January 12, 2006 I did some more "web mining" last night and finally found a few threads about amplifying keyboards. The threads I found expressed concerned about poor sound quality from keyboard amplifiers/speaker combos and suggest using hifi equipment for home/studio with caveat about not turning the volume up too loud. Named usable hifi speakers were either Heresey, Forte II's or La Scala's...curiously, I didn't find any other brands named which must be a tribute to Klipsch speakers' clarity and ability to reproduce keyboards accurately, eh???? Seems that home sound listening is more critical then live sound where everything is loud and distorted and a few even mention experience using Carver heads for live keyboard performances. Also, a few threads noted that you needed to use a tube amp for digital pianos to accurately reproduce piano sounds... Dr. Who is right in that it seems most keyboard players aren't tuned into who speaker/amp combinations can color their sound... Thanks again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khorn51 Posted January 12, 2006 Share Posted January 12, 2006 Klipschorn in the 50,s were made with a built in roatating lesley adapter for organ use. Lascale were made with built in amps for key board use. Any of the vinatge klipsch and pro version will work great. If you use stock one just add some fuse to the high end if yiour going to crank it. I use stock 50's khorns for keyboard speakers in my studio. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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