Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards Question about monitor speakers with keyboard

Good afternoon to all...
I have just purchased a pair of jbl 308 studio monitors. I have hooked them up to my Korg Krome keyboard. The sound quality of the monitors is great but I had hoped for more volume (especially with piano sounds). I know they are near field monitors but I have both turned up full volume with the keyboard at full volume. I am wondering if the output of the keyboard itself is weak. If I would like a bit more volume what might be a good suggestion or add on. Thanks ahead of time to all.

Monitors like that should be very loud (too loud for practical purposes) at full volume. Have you tried attaching some other sound source? Does the Korg have a line out volume control knob or software setting?

Agree. You may also want to test the power of the sound from the headphone output as opposed to the line out.
My Roland, for instance, has a weaker sound coming out of the line out than that of the headphone out. On the contrary my Korg Kross has a stronger sound from the line out than from the headphone out...
Having said that, thanks for mentioning these speakers, from what I have seen and listened on the internet they sound clearly better than the Rokit 8 while being at the same price or even cheaper.

Check the position of the Input Sensitivity switch on the back of the JBLs. The -10dB setting may give you more oomph, since IIRC the Krome has unbalanced 1/4" outputs.

Cheers,

B.

I do believe that the headphone out jack is louder... at least when wearing headphones. If that is the case what should I do?
Also, since the Krome does not have xlr outs I am using a quarter inch to xlr adapter and then running the other end of xlr into speaker... not sure if that matters either

You don't need the XLR adapters. The LSR308s have TRS 1/4" inputs which you should be able to connect directly to the Krome's outputs using either balanced (TRS) or unbalanced (TS) 1/4" cables. Again, the -10dB input switch setting should give you more gain.

B.

I am already using the -10db setting

Well, if there is no other solution (but it seems really strange) you could use an audio interface in between either the headphone out and the monitors or (to add gain) the line out and the monitors

I have the JBL 305's. I was expecting more volume (was using them on computer for about a week) but I can't max out the keyboard and speaker volume without hurting my ears.

I have a Kawai MP10 and use the aux out ports (which are volume controlled).

I have the JBL 305s - they are great - and they are plenty loud. I have had no issues with volume, and I have not maxed them out (not even close). My signal goes through a focusrite 2i4, with the speaker volume at 10 and the focusrite set to 40%.

Silly question but are you running into powered speakers? and are you using a power amp of some sort?

I am not running a pre-amp and the jbl 308s are powered speakers. I assumed they'd be plenty loud enough without extra amplification

I agree these monitors should get very loud when cranked up. It does seem that a good next step for troubleshooting would be to connect them to a sound source other than the Krome, as other folks suggested above. This would establish whether the problem is in the Krome's output or in the JBLs themselves. It seems a bit unlikely that both monitors would have volume problems right out of the box, but it really pays to be systematic when troubleshooting things like this.

Cheers,

B.

They should certainly be louder than the 305's.

Wait, did you say you are running into the XLR input on the back of the speaker? You should be in the Aux/unbalanced port.

Joe, I don't think it would make a difference. Both inputs on the LSR308 are balanced, according to its documentation. (The 1/4" connector is TRS.) The docs imply that the input sensitivity control operates for both inputs, as well.

Can you try the TRS port? I don't know that it does or doesn't make a difference, but I have a feeling the XLR could be balanced only, and the TRS could be balanced/unbalanced.

From the 3-series manual:
Input Panel
10. XLR INPUT - Connect professional equipment using XLR connector

11. 6mm INPUT - Connect equipment using 6mm balanced or unbalanced connector.

Note that earlier, under 'Audio Connections', it says "Connect professional equipment with balanced outputs to the XLR or TRS input" which implies to me that 'Professional Equipment' means balanced signal.

I wish I knew how balanced signals work. I read a simplified explanation but as an engineer I need real details. I'll have to look it up. Anyway, it seems plausible that the XLR port could always process/unbalance the signal between two of the pin connectors, and the TRS could have situational signal processing based on whether or not there is signal present in the Ring circtuit.

Edit: after reading a little on Balanced/Unbalanced signals, it seems that the XLR *could handle (depending on the amplifier, this is general info) unbalanced signal but only if the right adapter was used - which would have to be a TR to XLR for an unbalanced keyboard output, and not a TRS to XLR.

I still suggest trying the TRS input.

This is a frequent problem that is cured by placing a mixer or other preamp in the signal chain between instrument and speakers. Even low priced small mixers these days are of good quality and will not color the sound much. A $50 or $60 investment and the problem goes away.

Very possibly, but before the OP bothers spending even fifty bucks, it would be pretty easy to employ a couple of Troubleshooting 101 techniques to establish that the problem actually resides in Krome's output being wimpy, particularly because JBL goes out of its way to accommodate -10dbV levels. To wit:

1. As Joe G suggests, try the 1/4" inputs on the JBLs. It couldn't hurt. Balanced or unbalanced 1/4" cables should deliver the same results.

2. Connect a different signal source to the JBLs, to confirm that they have no problems producing healthy SPL. (A search of customer reviews on the usual web sites suggests that there have been a few instances of infant mortality and/or quality control issues on the 3-series JBLs.)

3. Check certain user setups on the Krome, to confirm Master Volume level has not been lowered by accident. For guidance, look on page 126 of the user manual as found here, for example:

http://www.americanmusical.com/ItemFiles/Manual/KorgKrome88_Synth_Workstation.pdf

4. If none of the above steps produces enlightenment, it's pretty safe to start spending money to goose the Krome's output level, as voxpops suggests.

Wow... thanks to all for all the helpful ideas. I went ahead and tried going directly into the quarter inch trs input... problem solved... now my neighbors have another reason never to talk to me
not sure why there is such a big diff. in volume between the two speaker inputs...
btw these jbl 308s are tough to beat