keyboard sounds from speakers

[anon125]

watching videos of PSRs i found that Yamaha and others do NOT use microphones!
what you hear is not from the speakers.
they plug in the back of the keyboards directly to the recording device.
so the only way to hear them is to go to a store that has the one we like.
little stores round here the top model they would have in stock would be a 463. ( we can even rent it)
everything else would have to be bought with 10% or more deducted if we returned it.

presently we have an ancient one that sounds okay and a e313 that sounds terrible thru the speakers so we need headphones.

above the 463 e410 it is a big jump in price to the sx700/900 with nothing in between.
do all of these sound good enough in a house?
just for us two - no audience!

thanks all

PS i assume that the more expensive the better the sound!

[BogdanH]

hello,
Yes, you're right, usually sound on videos is recorded directly from keyboard audio output. Reason is obvious: to present best possible audio quality from keyboard and to avoid surrounding noise.
Price difference between E463 in SX700 is very big indeed. But these two are in totally different category, so comparison isn't fair.
As you seems to be interested on sound quality from built-in loudspeakers at affordable price, I can really recommend PSR-S670. I think one can still buy new S670 for less than 600€ (~US$650) and is worth every cent!
I had S670 in past and all I can say is, it's a real arranger keyboard which can do almost everything SX700 can (which I have now). And sound from built-in speakers is more than good/loud enough for average living room.

Bogdan

[anon125]

thanks
the old 670 sells for $900 here.
sx 700 is $1,599.99

[panos]

Hi Anon,
Can you ask them please in which side of the moon are they willing to deliver free of charge at these prices?

Likely at least in Europe the prices are by far better.

You can still find some covers on Youtube where the sound is recorded straight from a phone's or a camera's microphone (you can tell because you can hear the sounds with less bass).

For a room (of a...normal house  ) the sound of a psr E is sufficient.
A 300-400$ keyboard has a good sound for a 300-400$ keyboard.
Really "strong" sound from speakers that you can feel it,have the psr S-SX series.

[EileenL]

If you shop around in the UK the SX700 can be had for £700 with three year warrantee.

[anon125]

thanks all

[travlin-easy]

Well, I hate to tell you guys, but the sound that comes from the onboard speakers, headphone jack, main output and line out is all coming from the same sound board - it's what you listen with that makes the difference. Just look at the schematic diagram and it becomes obvious.

Good luck,

Gary

[anon125]

but what does it sound like from the speakers?
of course it all comes from the inside!

[Pino]

Anon, can I ask you

Are you a beginner or have you been playing for a few years?

Pino

[mikf]

Impossible question. It sounds ok for the money. Spend more on a great speaker system it sounds better.

[anon125]

thanks all

[andyg]

And it goes without saying (or should!) that listening to a clip on youtube and then solely using that clip to judge the quality of a keyboard's sound is a futile exercise! Even if the audio was recorded direct in maximum quality (as we do at Bonners, for example), it's degraded when uploaded to youtube and then you're dependent on the quality of the computer's audio system and the speakers or headphones connected to it. You'll get a good idea, assuming your side of the audio chain is up to the task, but no more than that.

If you want to know how good a keyboard really sounds, go into your dealer and stand next to it while someone demonstrates it properly!

[anon125]

"If you want to know how good a keyboard really sounds, go into your dealer and stand next to it while someone demonstrates it properly!"
not all dealers are as well stocked as Bonners!
if i could hear it i would.
thanks

[Oxford1035]

"If you want to know how good a keyboard really sounds, go into your dealer and stand next to it while someone demonstrates it properly!"
not all dealers are as well stocked as Bonners!
if i could hear it i would.
thanks

With an attitude like that you're unlikely to have anyone rushing to offer you advice.

Andy is advising you correctly that it's not just how a keyboard is recorded, but what you listen to the recording through. It's the same analogy with the film format. It might be recorded in 4K for example, but it makes no difference if you can only view it in standard definition.

Apart from anything else, you are asking for peoples opinion if an SX 700 or 900 will sound good at home. We all have different perceptions as to what we like, so person A might think a particular keyboard is the best thing he or she has ever heard, whereas person B might think it sounds terrible.

It's unfortunate if you can't find sometwhere close to have a proper demonstration, but that's the only way you can find out if the keyboard meets your needs. You're the one that will be spending the money and having to live with your choice.

Russ

[anon125]

Oxford, please explain what you found wrong with my attitude.
I only said no store here was as well stocked as his store!
My initial  post did state that no store here has that model.
Certainly, no offence intended

[blackpool]

I own an SX which, like any other board sounds completely different played in different rooms in my home.
Ironically ...I notice ... btw.... My korg EK50 which cost next to nothing ....can sound fantastic when connected to my Logitech z906 surround sound system ...
IMHO ....it's often about the amp., Speakers and and acoustic environment .... rather than the input sound source....
But then I'm no sound engineer...
Keith

[anon125]

thanks

[travlin-easy]

There are two things that make a keyboard sound great - a great player and a great sound system - nothing more, nothing less.

Gary

[mikf]

Well said Gary.
Mike

[blackpool]

Very true ..... I have heard real magic produced on the most basic boards by a good pro/user with a good sound system.....and by the same token a novice making a real 'pigs ear' on maybe a Genos or top end PSR.

I would also agree with earlier comments in this thread ... when your listening on Youtube and the like, your only getting as good as the outfit your using to listen at the time.

A friend just bought a particular board on my recom. I directed them to a dealer who i KNOW does a no quibble return ( as many do ) this then gives the buyer the opportunity to ensure the board is not only going to be suitable, but also sound the way they want it to in whatever environment they want to use it.

If at all possible, then this is the route i would take ....

Keith   

[SciNote]

This is very true.  My brother just gave me a small Onkyo bookshelf stereo system that he got a garage sale or something like that.  I believe this system has about 50-100 watts per channel, and I tell you, it makes a WORLD of difference when I hooked it to my PSR-E433, which is a keyboard that was $250 US when new!  It really makes me want to play the keyboards again!  Of course, I can really rumble when I also turn on the old 100 watt Realistic (Radio Shack) amp that is hooked to a Cerwin Vega speaker with a 15 inch subwoofer in it -- but as I live in a multi-unit apartment building, I am limited to how much I can use that!

If you do end up adding an external amp and speakers, make sure you use a stereo set-up, not mono.  These new modern keyboards are stereo, and if you mix the left and right output down to one channel and run it through an amp, you'll get loud sound, but you lose all of the spatial animation, panning, and overall quality that you get with stereo.