Bad Mister has mentioned this I’m sure many times before, but yesterday I was able to confirm
the fact that when you audition a keyboard, you really need to listen in stereo and perhaps
after tweaking the velocity curve to your liking.

I am in the market for a new keyboard to replace my aging Korg T2.  I’ve been looking at the
Yamaha CP4, MOXF8, Motif XF7, Nord Piano2 and Nord Stage 2.  I’m still on the fence
between a digital piano and a synth workstation, but I am leaning towards the synth
workstation because there is so much fun to be had with the arpeggios and performances.
I am by no means a piano player, but on my synth I primarily like to play AP’s,
EP’s, left hand bass lines and string or pad layers.  I only play at home and am really
a hobbyist.  I need to get back to GC in Boston where I can try out all of these choices
again with headphones.

But, back to my main point.  Yesterday I listened to the MOX8 at GC, but they only had
one monitor hooked up, so it was in mono. I just wasn’t impressed. Then I listened to a
couple of lower end Yamaha keyboards, and the pianos sounded much better.
Both had internal speakers, so I was listening in stereo.

barrydmd

When next in a GC thus (so poorly) set up ask for a pair of headphones - or better still, bring in a pair you already have, know and like. That’s probably the best way to audition in a store anyway as you’ll have more of a consistent ‘sound system’ on which to judge the various instruments.

MM