What is the best Yamaha keyboard that uses batteries?

[fantasyvn]

Hi everyone,

I'm looking to buy a Yamaha arranger keyboard with this requirement: It can be powered using AA batteries.

The PSR-E463 does include batteries.

But is there anything better than the E363?

Thank you

[Robert van Weersch]

Another option is perhaps using a powerful powerbank to juice a keyboard. Should be possible, in theory

[Pino]

Check this video out at 6:50

Pino

https://youtu.be/wyAO2APff9I

[travlin-easy]

Pino, that watts rating of this Guitar amp is peak wattage - not the true RMS wattage, which is just 8.763 watts. Essentially, this is a practice amp for home use and anything that sincerely believes this can be used as a full-blown amp is not seriously looking at the specs, or, has never played outdoors. I tested this amp and not only did it not carry very far before dramatic falloff, the overall sound was distorted at higher volumes.

The best advice I have is purchasing a DC/AC inverter and then using their regular systems. You can purchase a high-quality, pure sine-wave inverter for under $300 that will power a 2,000 watt system using just your car battery. Keep in mind that our keyboards draw very little power, and the Bose L1 Compact draws just 150-watts. With the Bose L1 PAS system, which draws considerably, I was able to do an outdoor concert at a 2-acre municipal park with an audience of 500 ppl using an inverter connected to a small tractor battery - worked like a charm.

All the best,

Gary

[voodoo]

For a portable speaker you should think about a Bose S1 Pro. It is a full blown PA speaker with builtin battery.

[travlin-easy]

With a $599 price tag, the Bose S1 Pro is a good choice if you want to spend that much. It produces a great sound, but does not project nearly as far as the Bose L1 Compact.

Gary :cool:

[pjd]

Hi fantasyvn --

I'd like to hear more about how you want to play and use the keyboard. There is quite a large range of folks on this Forum from so-called home players to musicians that play gigs. Consequently, you'll get a variety of answers.

One question that you've heard already is "Internal versus external battery power." If you want to go beyond Yamaha's entry-level keyboards that are battery powered, you will need external power. Many keyboards without internal amplification can operate on a modest amount of power. I've run USB bus-powered keyboards on a USB rechargeable battery pack!

The real issue for portable operation is amplification. How much sound volume do you need? For example, are you playing in a living room or a hall? As others have mentioned, there are battery powered amplified speakers for larger spaces.

Another big question is budget? How much do you want to spend? Or can spend?

Yamaha makes other battery powered instruments like the Reface series and the SHS-500 Sonogenic. I rehearse with a Reface YC and a JBL Charge 2 "Bluetooth" speaker. Everything fits in a trumpet case and the sound volume is enough for our mostly acoustic choir/group rehearsals.

So, more information would help us to answer your question better.

All the best -- pj

[voodoo]

I rehearse with a Reface YC and a JBL Charge 2 "Bluetooth" speaker. Everything fits in a trumpet case and the sound volume is enough for our mostly acoustic choir/group rehearsals.

Hi pj,

I find this topic very interesting. I have tried many speakers for mobile keyboard. The best choice I found is the Marshall Kilburn (1). See a picture of my typical setting attached.

I have tried the following speakers:

* Marshall Kilburn 1 perfect, no latency, manual input switch
* Marshall Kilburn 2: no latency, but input switches to buetooth after some seconds. Annoying.
* Sony SRS X3: Small old box, no latency, but not so good sound.
* Anker SoundCore 2: Medium latency, but not so good sound
* JLB Extreme 2: Huge latency. Not well suited.
* Denon Envaya (my favourite kitchen radio speaker):  Big latency
* Marshall Stockwell II: nearly perfect, small latency, manual input switch

See a picture of latency measurements attached.

PJ, do you have comparisons of speakers? Does you JBL have latency from internal sound processing?

Uli

[attachment deleted by admin]

[fantasyvn]

Hi pjd,

Thank you for your nice answer.

I am looking for a high-end Yamaha arranger, in the PSR-S or SX series.

I just wish that those high-end arrangers could be smaller and power with batteries.

As you and others have explained, the engineering requirements may be too much. But still that is my wish.

[pjd]

PJ, do you have comparisons of speakers? Does you JBL have latency from internal sound processing?

Hi Uli --

Those Marshalls look nice. I wish they were available when I was shopping around. I might have settled on the Stockwell based on size alone.

Thanks for posting! Unfortunately, we have to "kiss a lot of frogs" when shopping for powered speakers. Due to the tiny space that I now play in, I bought a Behringer B205D unheard and, fortunately, it's going to work out. (Thomann sells these for much less than USA retailers, so Thomann got the business.) Don't need battery power in church -- just a good XLR out.

As to latency, I never measured. The YC connects directly to the JBL Charge 2 AUX input as Bluetooth audio latency, of course, is horrible. But, I haven't noticed any significant latency due to internal DSP. I consistently play behind the beat anyway.   

Marshall has a nice range of models. If I ever get the chance, I'll try one out.

All the best -- pj