First impression of the Korg ek50



I liked the PA4x, but think it is over priced..

I did not like the PA1000...

I hate the EK50..


To say it is not for me would be an under statement.

It lacks too many things that I take for granted..

Yes I know it is an entry level,
but it could be improved for not much money..

Even the Micro arranger had better features..

Here are some negatives I found..

If you play back a song , even a SMF...
I had dead areas are the keybed,
silent not allowing me to play with the file.

I quess this helps the lack of polyphony (only 64).

Just about any modification while playing, needs both hands..
You need to hold down shift and select another button,
out of reach of one hand operation.

Every operation require two button touches.

The speakers are just okay.. 10 watts a side,
not as loud or useful as E-A7 (12 watts per side).

The biggest disappointment... Media player..
Limited to 99 songs in a file. Both SMF and MP3..

No lyric reads at all..
Limited arranger intros , endings, fills etc..


I will check it out closer tomorrow..

The E-A7 is 3 times the cost of the EK50,
but is worth the 3 times cost..
The PA4x is 3 times the cost of E-A7,
and they are close in comparable features.
Fact the E-A7 is better in many areas..

If you are thinking about the EK50,
I would give thought upgrade a bit to the PA700, BK5
or the next level, the E-A7.

I will check out my grandson's Yamaha E400 (?),
and see if the media player is just as bad or better..

I am pretty sure the EK50 is availble for sale.