Thank you for this analytical video. I upgraded from a KC-120 to a used KC-350 instead of a new KC-400 based on your review. And I am very satisfied with this decision.
I use a KC-880 with a powered sub (QSC HPR181). The 880 sits atop the sub and is about the same height as a 122. You just connect to the sub (stereo in/out), jump out to an amp channel, and it's time to play. That yields about a 1000 watts of power and should be enough for any player to hear him/herself. You need to use TRS to XLR cables for those connects. Balanced and quiet. I use this with a Nord C2D organ with pedals. To sound like a Leslie 122, it has to be faced away from the organist and bounced off a folded 5' plywood Gobo. I carpeted one side of the Gobo to give a softer reflection surface when desired. Sounds like a Leslie, gives the pedals 18" authority, and there is no mechanical noise. Amp controls are on the back of the amp for easy changes like it was designed for this application. Direct outs to the recorder and you're done. Serves as an alternative to the C-3/122 setup I take out. Great for opening acts (quick strike) and small stages.
I have a KC-350 + KCW-1 combination (both bought new about 4 years ago) which I'm absolutely over the moon with! I play in various ensembles at social functions (e.g. wedding receptions, pubs, etc.) and also for the occasional Sunday church service when the regular organist is unavailable. And these guys deliver each time, every time! The KC-350 gives me mid- and top, while the bottom end is handled superbly well by the KCW-1. This combination [of both amps] is almost impossible to beat - so there's no way I will be upgrading to anything else soon. Thanks again for your superb presentation/comparison - that's exactly what any keyboardist will need when contemplating which amp to buy! :)
I agree...There is not enough reason to fork out money to upgrade. I'm jealous that you have a KCW-1!!! I cant find one here in SA. I also have a KC350 and caters to all my needs...but the KCW-1 would just complete the sound.
The KCW-1 finished its production run just a few years ago; and I'm practically convinced that those who bought them and connected it to their KC combo amps have discovered that a whole new dimension of sound production suddenly became available - the entire keyboard spectrum - and understandably, most reluctant to part with them! From time to time, KCW-1's do come up for sale on eBay and other sales sites; but they are quickly snapped up for obvious reasons! I hope you can get your hands on one real soon.... :)
new kc 400: the intention of the review is good but there was a lot of changes if it is to analyze deeply, new wofer new horn..or depending on the sensitivity of the new speaker this will give more decibels and better response, and the input p2 with volume, sensational ..
Nice run thru If i were in need for an amp/monitor i would for sure take a look for a powered pa speaker instead, you can a great speaker for what these kc's cost.
I'm frustrated that when using headphones with the KC-550, sound is also heard through the amp's speakers for any audio device plugged into Channels 1, 2 and 3. Only Channel 4 allows me to hear sound from an audio device through just the headphones. Am I missing something here? Seems like this a major design flaw for an otherwise great amp.
Hello, I am looking for my first keyboard amp around 1000$. I have to ask, KC6 has 4 channels, so is it possible for me to plug 4 keyboards in, and send all to the main mixer as one single channel? This way I can balance the volumes of keyboards, and won't need a single thing from the guy who owns the mixer and PA. And is this model loud enough?
i have a pair of the 550's + one 350 which i find excelant axcept lacking slightly in treble so for the two 550 ive wierd up a top box for each of them very cheaply by useing a box with 6 pezio tweeters in each if you wish to buy seperately , pezios can be optained for around £ 6- £7, and all you need to do is wiere them directly across the bass driver, in serias/parrale depending on how many your useing/arrangement, which i did my self, what i did was open up the unit by taking out bass driver from the front and soldering wiers to the speaker terminals then lead a wier out to an inline jack socket, put it all back to gether, with jack socket hanging loose. so i just conect a simple jack to jack lead to the socket i had wierd up, to the top boxes, my top boxes i got a deal from maplins, end of the line ,only £20 each, so when a do my gigs i have all 3 amps stacked up on top of each other and boy are they loud. though point of interest they are not 180W as claimed, read the back plate "powere consumption 135W " amplifier companyes are required by law to state true power consumption but for output power they can quote what ever figure they think they can get away with/con the public,, the 550 is proberly allowing for inerficiancy in amplifiers, only 100 W RMS output, just about all amp companys do this con trick and they get away with it as most people no bugger all about electronics, you cant get more power out then power in.but withstanding, that i dont care as my system is f*ckin brilling ! ! ! good on roland ! !! ! cheers ! ! !
Thanks for the info.. .. been waiting for them to upgrade the KC110 to larger drivers with additional power and then their new 220 comes out with exactly the same specs... wtf! When operated on battery power, available wattage drops from 30 watts to 20, on BOTH models. I use a power bank with a cable adapter to plug into the ac port when the venue has no electricity . It fools the amp into thinking it's plugged into a wall socket so it gives me the full 30 watts I paid for. Why they didn't fix this in the 220 is beyond me? Their other battery powered options don't do this, however I need a keyboard amp. Why would they think I'd want less? Unfortunately not many better battery powered/ac amps out there. C'mon Roland!!!
Could it be that they were no longer able to obtain certain parts for some models, or needed to change suppliers for certain elements of the build, so for the aid of anyone doing internal repairs, they "upgraded" the range and slightly changed the nomenclature? Admittedly, I don't know for certain, but I would imagine it could be the main reason why they didn't increase the spec on some of them.
Review without actual sound test is a bit silly, especially since Roland claims sound quality approvement for the new models. Example: the KC-220 has a completely new set of drivers, and sounds (even) better then the kc-110
Hi Arnlod, great reviews. If you were to go for an amplifier for a Nord electro 4 and vocals (50 watt minimum) for busking, what would you go for? thanks!
It would certainly be the KC400. The Nord has stunning painos, ep's and clavs... well rounded full sounds. The KC400 would compliment it beautifully. It has a big enough cone to drive stunning low end whilst staying true to the mids and high frequencies. The onboard EQ will also help to dial in the sound you want. But in addition. For small to medium gigs its great. But also extends to bigger systems if needed
Yup. Its a bit on the heavy side. I took off my rubbers at the bottom of the amp, thats on all 4 corners that prevents it from slipping, and fitted rubber caster wheels. Its the same wheels the bigger KC's has. So I push and pull my amp around. Works great. I'm just afraid if you go smaller, it would not do that Nord justice
i do have a question, first off this video was very helpful to me coming into trying to figure out the difference between all these different amps, considering i was coming into it relatively clueless to the history of these products. so thank you for that. but my question is, i‘ve been looking at the 550 for awhile and from what i’ve seen... it’s a monster, and i’m not quite sure i need that much power, and volume. but when i read all the reviews i’ve read that SOME people say that anything less than the 550 just isn’t loud enough. i’m probably going to be using whatever i end up getting for only 2-3 keyboards, maybe a drum pad, maybe. but i’m definitely not going to be plugging in my entire into this thing. so is the 350 a safe bet if i’m playing a show at a medium sized venue. or should i get a 550 to be safe, but risk paying extra for an amp i never really turn up in volume... hope someone can help.. thank you
I own a KC350. Its has bee more than enough for my needs. I have played venues of 250/300 people with it. The sound quality is perfect and the "shape" button is spot on. I thinm the KC400 would be good for gigs up to 300 people
Arnold Gelderbloem thank you so much. one last question, i remember you said in the video the 550/600 have line out. but the 350/400 do not? if you don’t have a line out on your 350 are you mic’ing it? does that sound good?
Hi there.. I'm getting a nord electro 6D. Somebody suggested that i get a Roland kc series amp to go with it. Can you help me with which one to buy to do the nord justice for its amazing sounds feel and what not!
Hey bud...You cant go smaller than a KC400. The Nord has some of the most beautiful full range sounds. You need something that accurately captures the nuances in all frequencies
Jean Renald Merina Hi! Its a great amp if you did NOT have one and you are buying for the first time...But its not worth upgrading from the previous version. Its too similar You are going to enjoy that 990! Good quality built and great sound. Just heavy!!!
I had peavy amps trade them for a kc 500 then later bought the kc 550. The kc 550 tweeter had a hiss I couldn’t get rid of. I sold both and now have two qsc k10’s they are excellent all around speakers and handles everything I give them. Although it was something about the Roland amp that sounded complete but I just couldn’t get the volume I wanted. Overall you would probably be better off with PA speakers and a good EQ to bring them to life
@@robertbradley3320 I just shared my opinion 3 years ago. My opinion could help someone and cause them to think of alternatives based on my experience. Alternatives could save them time and money.
Probably class d with a switching powersupply, what a big shame, nothing will beat the original with its old school linear power supply and class ab amplifier section....
.... just to let you know - it`s not 15 kg Roland KC-220 Keyboard Amplifier`s Specs Width - 420 mm - 16-9/16 inches Depth - 244 mm - 9-5/8 inches Height - 320 mm - 12-5/8 inches Weight - 7.3 kg - 16 lbs 2 oz
allso the mic input on the 550 and i would guess all the amps in the range, are just about useless as the amount of noize as you turn the level up is just compleatly unexceptable, there is no way any one could pheesably use the mic input for a microphone, only way you could use this amp for voice/microphone is to use a quiter outboard mic preamp. then plug that into the keyboard line in. and following that you cant turn up mic input level even when useing a keyboard passed the marked extra gain part of the volume controll, or you will have to much noize on the keyboard, from that input.
I have a old kc 500 and it does everything I want it to do no reason to get the new generations they have inputs and sound good thats about it. Always buy older models your wasting your money for sure if you buy new
the 500 is discontinued, there was some issues, the 550 was its predecessor, its said to fix the problems that the 500 had. the 550 has improved mid range and more head room... but you know some people might disagree idrk
Thank you for this analytical video. I upgraded from a KC-120 to a used KC-350 instead of a new KC-400 based on your review. And I am very satisfied with this decision.
This was a very fun review hilarious and realistic informative and get straight to the point
Very good information and very sensible comparison. Thanks.
I use a KC-880 with a powered sub (QSC HPR181). The 880 sits atop the sub and is about the same height as a 122. You just connect to the sub (stereo in/out), jump out to an amp channel, and it's time to play. That yields about a 1000 watts of power and should be enough for any player to hear him/herself. You need to use TRS to XLR cables for those connects. Balanced and quiet.
I use this with a Nord C2D organ with pedals. To sound like a Leslie 122, it has to be faced away from the organist and bounced off a folded 5' plywood Gobo. I carpeted one side of the Gobo to give a softer reflection surface when desired. Sounds like a Leslie, gives the pedals 18" authority, and there is no mechanical noise. Amp controls are on the back of the amp for easy changes like it was designed for this application. Direct outs to the recorder and you're done. Serves as an alternative to the
C-3/122 setup I take out. Great for opening acts (quick strike) and small stages.
I have a KC-350 + KCW-1 combination (both bought new about 4 years ago) which I'm absolutely over the moon with! I play in various ensembles at social functions (e.g. wedding receptions, pubs, etc.) and also for the occasional Sunday church service when the regular organist is unavailable. And these guys deliver each time, every time! The KC-350 gives me mid- and top, while the bottom end is handled superbly well by the KCW-1. This combination [of both amps] is almost impossible to beat - so there's no way I will be upgrading to anything else soon. Thanks again for your superb presentation/comparison - that's exactly what any keyboardist will need when contemplating which amp to buy! :)
I agree...There is not enough reason to fork out money to upgrade. I'm jealous that you have a KCW-1!!! I cant find one here in SA. I also have a KC350 and caters to all my needs...but the KCW-1 would just complete the sound.
The KCW-1 finished its production run just a few years ago; and I'm practically convinced that those who bought them and connected it to their KC combo amps have discovered that a whole new dimension of sound production suddenly became available - the entire keyboard spectrum - and understandably, most reluctant to part with them! From time to time, KCW-1's do come up for sale on eBay and other sales sites; but they are quickly snapped up for obvious reasons! I hope you can get your hands on one real soon.... :)
Hi. Do you play the keyboard in a Stereo(L/R) with just one Keyboard amplifier or just run it in Mono?
Very nice video. Own a KC-100 myself, you missed out on that one, use it with my Roland drums and Korg Wavedrum. Great for Keys and e-drums.
how loud can it get?
new kc 400: the intention of the review is good but there was a lot of changes if it is to analyze deeply, new wofer new horn..or depending on the sensitivity of the new speaker this will give more decibels and better response, and the input p2 with volume, sensational ..
Nice run thru
If i were in need for an amp/monitor i would for sure take a look for a powered pa speaker instead, you can a great speaker for what these kc's cost.
Ture Pedersen Yeah...I hear you bud
I'm frustrated that when using headphones with the KC-550, sound is also heard through the amp's speakers for any audio device plugged into Channels 1, 2 and 3. Only Channel 4 allows me to hear sound from an audio device through just the headphones. Am I missing something here? Seems like this a major design flaw for an otherwise great amp.
KC-80 would be great for home use for me.
Hello, I am looking for my first keyboard amp around 1000$. I have to ask, KC6 has 4 channels, so is it possible for me to plug 4 keyboards in, and send all to the main mixer as one single channel? This way I can balance the volumes of keyboards, and won't need a single thing from the guy who owns the mixer and PA. And is this model loud enough?
i have a pair of the 550's + one 350 which i find excelant axcept lacking slightly in treble so for the two 550 ive wierd up a top box for each of them very cheaply by useing a box with 6 pezio tweeters in each if you wish to buy seperately , pezios can be optained for around £ 6- £7, and all you need to do is wiere them directly across the bass driver, in serias/parrale depending on how many your useing/arrangement, which i did my self, what i did was open up the unit by taking out bass driver from the front and soldering wiers to the speaker terminals then lead a wier out to an inline jack socket, put it all back to gether, with jack socket hanging loose. so i just conect a simple jack to jack lead to the socket i had wierd up, to the top boxes, my top boxes i got a deal from maplins, end of the line ,only £20 each, so when a do my gigs i have all 3 amps stacked up on top of each other and boy are they loud. though point of interest they are not 180W as claimed, read the back plate "powere consumption 135W " amplifier companyes are required by law to state true power consumption but for output power they can quote what ever figure they think they can get away with/con the public,, the 550 is proberly allowing for inerficiancy in amplifiers, only 100 W RMS output, just about all amp companys do this con trick and they get away with it as most people no bugger all about electronics, you cant get more power out then power in.but withstanding, that i dont care as my system is f*ckin brilling ! ! ! good on roland ! !! ! cheers ! ! !
GREAT Information, But There Is KC-500 USA?
Thanks for the info.. .. been waiting for them to upgrade the KC110 to larger drivers with additional power and then their new 220 comes out with exactly the same specs... wtf! When operated on battery power, available wattage drops from 30 watts to 20, on BOTH models. I use a power bank with a cable adapter to plug into the ac port when the venue has no electricity . It fools the amp into thinking it's plugged into a wall socket so it gives me the full 30 watts I paid for. Why they didn't fix this in the 220 is beyond me? Their other battery powered options don't do this, however I need a keyboard amp. Why would they think I'd want less? Unfortunately not many better battery powered/ac amps out there. C'mon Roland!!!
I agree
You missed the KC-100, Thats ok. Next time it might be a good idea to give a sound demo. Good info.
Could it be that they were no longer able to obtain certain parts for some models, or needed to change suppliers for certain elements of the build, so for the aid of anyone doing internal repairs, they "upgraded" the range and slightly changed the nomenclature? Admittedly, I don't know for certain, but I would imagine it could be the main reason why they didn't increase the spec on some of them.
Review without actual sound test is a bit silly, especially since Roland claims sound quality approvement for the new models. Example: the KC-220 has a completely new set of drivers, and sounds (even) better then the kc-110
Exactly
I am still looking for reviews about the kc-80
I heard the previous kc-60 was prone to distortion when volume passed halfway? Could it be an improvement on the kc-80???
Hi Arnlod, great reviews. If you were to go for an amplifier for a Nord electro 4 and vocals (50 watt minimum) for busking, what would you go for?
thanks!
It would certainly be the KC400. The Nord has stunning painos, ep's and clavs... well rounded full sounds.
The KC400 would compliment it beautifully. It has a big enough cone to drive stunning low end whilst staying true to the mids and high frequencies. The onboard EQ will also help to dial in the sound you want.
But in addition. For small to medium gigs its great. But also extends to bigger systems if needed
@@TheTriTonez Thanks for the reply Arnold, the only problem with that amplifier is the weight! as it would be for busking.
Yup. Its a bit on the heavy side. I took off my rubbers at the bottom of the amp, thats on all 4 corners that prevents it from slipping, and fitted rubber caster wheels. Its the same wheels the bigger KC's has. So I push and pull my amp around. Works great.
I'm just afraid if you go smaller, it would not do that Nord justice
@@TheTriTonez true story...I'll give it a thought, thanks man!
i do have a question, first off this video was very helpful to me coming into trying to figure out the difference between all these different amps, considering i was coming into it relatively clueless to the history of these products. so thank you for that. but my question is, i‘ve been looking at the 550 for awhile and from what i’ve seen... it’s a monster, and i’m not quite sure i need that much power, and volume. but when i read all the reviews i’ve read that SOME people say that anything less than the 550 just isn’t loud enough. i’m probably going to be using whatever i end up getting for only 2-3 keyboards, maybe a drum pad, maybe. but i’m definitely not going to be plugging in my entire into this thing. so is the 350 a safe bet if i’m playing a show at a medium sized venue. or should i get a 550 to be safe, but risk paying extra for an amp i never really turn up in volume... hope someone can help.. thank you
I own a KC350. Its has bee more than enough for my needs. I have played venues of 250/300 people with it.
The sound quality is perfect and the "shape" button is spot on.
I thinm the KC400 would be good for gigs up to 300 people
Arnold Gelderbloem thank you so much. one last question, i remember you said in the video the 550/600 have line out. but the 350/400 do not? if you don’t have a line out on your 350 are you mic’ing it? does that sound good?
The KC350 & 400 Does have lineouts to go to FOH
Arnold Gelderbloem oh. i must’ve misread then. i suppose the 350 is more up my alley then. thank you!
Actually the KC series was launched back in the 90's. I was in school when our school got two KC amps.
Hi there.. I'm getting a nord electro 6D. Somebody suggested that i get a Roland kc series amp to go with it. Can you help me with which one to buy to do the nord justice for its amazing sounds feel and what not!
Hey bud...You cant go smaller than a KC400. The Nord has some of the most beautiful full range sounds. You need something that accurately captures the nuances in all frequencies
@@TheTriTonez what do u prefer between the kc 550 and kc 600
Thanks for replying too. Wonderfully made video and very informative at it too btw! Thank you
If you dont have to carry it around, Id go with the KC600.
If you have to carry it around, go KC400
Do you know this chap has done his Job quite well and quite exact I completely agree well described shame it's us customers that have to explain this
Hi is there a way to get vocal reverb on the kc 200. If not which model can I get vocal reverb on ?
Hi Steven...no. Theres no DSP onboard. It would have been nice
Thanks
You're welcome.
Improved sound
I just bought the KC 990 and that baby sounds nice. I understand you wouldn't upgrade but what do you think about the 990
Jean Renald Merina Hi!
Its a great amp if you did NOT have one and you are buying for the first time...But its not worth upgrading from the previous version. Its too similar
You are going to enjoy that 990! Good quality built and great sound. Just heavy!!!
where is the kc300??
have tested the new KC amps?
yes.
can i input a roland digital piano to this amp, thanks
Sure! Of course
Wat about kc300?how much wat
I had peavy amps trade them for a kc 500 then later bought the kc 550. The kc 550 tweeter had a hiss I couldn’t get rid of. I sold both and now have two qsc k10’s they are excellent all around speakers and handles everything I give them. Although it was something about the Roland amp that sounded complete but I just couldn’t get the volume I wanted. Overall you would probably be better off with PA speakers and a good EQ to bring them to life
One of you ALWAYS shows up. Is this a video about PAs?
@@robertbradley3320 I just shared my opinion 3 years ago. My opinion could help someone and cause them to think of alternatives based on my experience. Alternatives could save them time and money.
Would you be able to send me the PowerPoint you used for this video ?
yes.
Probably class d with a switching powersupply, what a big shame, nothing will beat the original with its old school linear power supply and class ab amplifier section....
Which one amp is bests for korg pa4x or pa1000
Reply me
Hey guys, whoever sees this. I impulsively bought the KC 600 for my Yamaha reface Dx, Is it worth it?! 😩
Definately!
.... just to let you know - it`s not 15 kg
Roland KC-220 Keyboard Amplifier`s Specs
Width - 420 mm - 16-9/16 inches
Depth - 244 mm - 9-5/8 inches
Height - 320 mm - 12-5/8 inches
Weight - 7.3 kg - 16 lbs 2 oz
allso the mic input on the 550 and i would guess all the amps in the range, are just about useless as the amount of noize as you turn the level up is just compleatly unexceptable, there is no way any one could pheesably use the mic input for a microphone, only way you could use this amp for voice/microphone is to use a quiter outboard mic preamp. then plug that into the keyboard line in. and following that you cant turn up mic input level even when useing a keyboard passed the marked extra gain part of the volume controll, or you will have to much noize on the keyboard, from that input.
I have a old kc 500 and it does everything I want it to do no reason to get the new generations they have inputs and sound good thats about it. Always buy older models your wasting your money for sure if you buy new
What about the 500
the 500 is discontinued, there was some issues, the 550 was its predecessor, its said to fix the problems that the 500 had. the 550 has improved mid range and more head room... but you know some people might disagree idrk
Who cares about your philosophy of "Making Videos"! Get to the point