does anyone here own the Roland E80 ? I went to a music shop today and jammed with one for about an hour using the onboard speakers. I messed about with the speaker modelling function and no matter what i did i could not get a decent well rounded and realistic sound from out of them. Its sounds like the instrument is being played through paper. Has anyone that owns the instrument actually managed to get a well balanced and authentic sound from the onboard speakers alone. I know what it can sound like through a mixing desk already.

Did you try every available speaker setting?
Sorry to hear that.....I would think the onboard speakers would be really good they are nice size! What else can you tell us about the E80?

I have E-50 and on board speakers arent very good in it. Maybe in E-80 are related speakers...

yes DNJ i tried every preset speaker model and then started to try and edit them and try as i might i simply could not get a decent sound out of them.

The key feel is lighter than the Korg that i play . It looks and feels as a whole pretty well built. I have said before i like the styles. I listened very carefully to the drums but they sounded stupidly thin because of the speakers.

The E80 is already weighs 50lbs. And you want BETTER (read 'heavier') speakers in it? LOL.....

T2 already figured it out: no-one wants to carry the weight. It takes a system with a sub to make any decent volume out of the hi-fi sounds in a TOTL arranger. Who on earth wants to run a $4000 arranger through tiny 4 inch speakers?

Save yourself 5 pounds, get a G70 and get a decent 76 note keyboard thrown in for free.... Then at least get a 2.1 speaker system that can stay clean at the volume levels you REALLY want to play at!

I know, I know....... somebody is going to chime in and say how wonderful the speakers are in THEIR arranger (PSR, anyone?). To which I say, if they were THAT good, why didn't Yamaha use them in the T2?

Perhaps they realized that after paying that sort of money, firstly, most are going to want to hear it through better speakers, and secondly, that customer COULD afford a decent system, or already had one!

Unfortunately, Roland have yet to understand that their target audience can't lift 50+ pounds!

"Unfortunately, Roland have yet to understand that their target audience can't lift 50+ pounds!"

Not so much "can't" as "won't" because there are so many options where it isn't necessary.

DonM

Arrangers were primarily designed for the home market, and adding additional speakers and amps does not go down well with other members of the household, (Upsets the furniture layout) and if they are into Feng Shui then you really are stepping on dangerous ground.
Enjoy whatever you play

Bill

I had a go at the e80 last november. Found the sounds and styles disappointing. I think when u play a keyboard...it either connects to u or it does not. And the store wanted 6000 us dollars for it as it was the only one in south africa at that time. Lol

Thats what i dont understand diki. I own the PAx and it weighs slightly less than the E80 but the speaker system is simply outstanding. Why build a keyboard as heavy as the E80 with built in speakers that sound so poor that you cant even justify the extra weight with its purchase ?

AS an aside, for the scarcity of time that i have in my busy life to play the instrument and the way that i have to grab moments to rehearse with choirs and small vocal groups, plus the fact that i take my 7 year old daughter every where with me , there is just no way that i would ever buy a keyboard that did not have built in speakers. For large venues play direct through the church pa system or an amp but why would i want the extra hassle when i just needed to grab a 30 minute practise with a group or if i had to move to another room because of shortage of space ?

Never mind the times when i feel inspired just before bedtime and want to get something recorded on the sequencer to expand upon in the morning ! For me built in speakers are esential.

I guess Roland have always assumed that their G-series WAS specifically for pros, who already have a sound system, and play at volumes that no on-board speaker system is capable of. I shall regret the day they take any notice of the hobbyists' and home players' needs, and produce some flimsy light-weight keyboard with little durability.

That is what the E-series and EXR-series are aimed at.

As you can tell from most posts here, few (if any) are willing to lift the 40+lbs of the PA1X or G70. But, OTOH, few are willing to pay those prices either.... For their target audiences (seems to be mostly background or retirement community jobs) these light-weight sounding as well as weight home keyboards do just fine.

But some of us are still in the trenches, doing the same kind of gigs any other professional keyboard player is playing - bands, duos, nightclub and big functions. The sort of place you'll normally find a big workstation and racks of gear. For us, weight is not so much of an issue. But durability and playability ARE.

Many feel that a 61 note keyboard is good enough. And for them, apparently it is. But if you are a working pro, you have to have the tools to be able to do ANY job you get thrown. Unfortunately, a 61 note does a poor job of full piano work (a 76 is a stretch, but it CAN be done), and is problematic when split. I prefer to have ONE keyboard I can trust (and get to know intimately) to do ANY gig. Or I start to have to carry around more than one keyboard. Talk about a weight penalty there!

Common misconception...size and weight equal quality and performance.

Don't be fooled.

Ian


------------------
Ambition is a poor excuse for not having enough sense to be lazy.

I still haven't heard a decent reply to the question regarding the E80 onboard speakers. Looks like we've successfully turned this thread into another famous bitch session. Doesn't anyone have an answer to the original question?

I agree with Ian. I hate when that happens!!!!

I had the E80 before part exchanging it with my G1000 for the Wersi Abacus duo pro.
The E80's onboard speakers are terrible, most of the music retailers in the UK advise purchasers about this, but if you take the outputs into a good PA or sound card on the PC then something like Logitech speakers, the E80 comes to life. It's got great sounds and styles, with plenty of depth to them

So that is why the T2 doesn't have speakers? I'm sorry, guys, but I can't remember the last gig I ever played where any built-in speakers would be even audible over the PA, yet alone clean enough for monitor purposes.

I really DO understand that maybe most of you play in very quiet gigs, or just at home. Unfortunately, I don't play those kinds of gigs. A very light portable keyboard with built-in speakers is perfect for those kinds of gigs. Nursing homes, background music, dinner music, in-store demos, all these would be a great match for a home arranger.

But some of us don't play those kinds of functions. I know this is kind of a OMB forum, but there are people using arrangers that don't fit into that bracket. They might be younger, and unfazed by a 45lb lift. They might play high volume, high energy gigs. They might play outdoors, and need powerful PA's....

Just because these people don't do the same thing as you, don't expect (nay, demand!) that your equipment choices are going to work for them. I mean, just trying to get a decent piano performance out of a 61 note keyboard is enough to make any pianist cry! How many light weight 76 or 88 note arrangers are there? The E60 I think is the lightest at about 30lbs. Then they go up sharply. And don't even ask Craig what his Abacus Duo Pro weighs!

You may have decided that compromising your performance for the sake of convenience (c'mon guys, how many of you HATE playing piano parts on a 61 note?) is OK. But some of us haven't, yet. Give us a break. This is a GENERAL arranger forum, not the 'Nursing home OMB' forum. It should be able to encompass views from ANY arranger user.

I won't lie to you..... if they made a lighter 76 note arranger with as good a key-bed, and as sturdy as my G70, I'd already have it. But they don't. So to do what I gotta do, I use what I gotta use. When I start my nursing home career, I'll probably change, but even then, I won't deceive myself about being HAPPY about it.

Let's face it, if someone were willing to move it around for you, what would you prefer..... a lightweight portable home keyboard, or a Steinway D, a B3, a Rhodes, some ARPs and a Minimoog and a great rhythm section to play with? Maybe SOME of you would STILL prefer to play your PSRs and Casios, but I've got a sneaky feeling that some of the real players amongst you would LOVE to play the 'real thing'.

So, let's not kid ourselves. If a better, but heavier alternative exists to what you already play (me, I'd LOVE an Abacus Duo Pro, but can't afford it!), you are only making that decision out of expediency. And different people have different degrees of 'expediency'.


-------------------------------------------------
Laziness is a poor excuse for not having enough sense to be ambitious.

Diki,

I know in the midst of your frenzied and wordy reply to justify using heavy and outdated equipment, there must have been a lesson of sorts...but, I guess I missed it.


Some of us have the ability to adapt and reap the benefits of lighter equipment...others just can't grasp the simple concept...size and weight do not always equal quality and performance.

Having said that, it is high time that this thread hijacking should stop, for I fail to see any reference in your post to the quality of the speakers in the Roland E-80.

Your quote at the end of your post....is it a rule you live by?

I like mine much better.

Now...back to the topic...please.

Ian


------------------
Ambition is a poor excuse for not having enough sense to be lazy.

I'm sorry. To where should I address the get-well card for Nigel? Presumably, he is sick and you HAVE been appointed forum moderator?

No, can't be.... my posts are still here.

------------------
Ambition is a poor excuse for not having enough sense to be lazy.

Ignore the Fly Ian and it will buzz away...hopefully...

It's primarily Ian's small minded posts that attract the flies. The smell reminds me of something......

Presumably, EVERYONE that uses anything bigger and heavier than a PSR3000 is outmoded, outdated and out of touch. I've got lots of company there. Watch the TV any day, listen to CDs, go out and see a real band. Talk to a Wersi owner, or a Yamaha 9000Pro, or a PA1X owner. I guess they are ALL outmoded, too.

Plus, that isn't the lightest arranger on the market, Ian. If weight is the only criteria, why not a Casio...? Let me guess - it's the lightest arranger that you LIKE. For me, the G70 is that same thing. Please don't blame me for making the same decision as you have.

Size and weight don't always mean better.... No doubt. But sometimes they do.

Now let me see is the weight issue gonna make you a better player? I think not...either will MANY of the other features.... If anyone wants to believe that be my guest ...I'm from the "let me hear what you got" school no matter what instrument you play & how you utilize it....either you got it or not bottom line .......make me think otherwise?....I'll be waiting.....probably a very long time to change my mind....talk is cheap....common people post up your demos shall we?

Still refusing to accept reality, eh Diki?

Now it's out with the insults when someone doesn't agree with your narrow-minded views.

Oh well, it's not surprising to see you resort to cheap shots...but if that's the best you can do, then it certainly suits your personae...and I don't have much to worry about.

It's a good thing your G70 doesn't weigh as much as your ego...

Ian



------------------
Don't be afraid to talk to yourself. It's a good way to find out what you think.

Just refusing to accept YOUR reality, Ian.

A little late to get upset about the tone of replies to your one-sided views. You burned that bridge behind you weeks ago.

Several points in my last post. You want to respond to any of them, or you just playing hurt? Why aren't you playing a lighter arranger?

Diki,

Sorry...it was rather hard to find any valid points in your last post.

Having said that, I'm beginning to believe there is such a thing as re-incarnation.

There is no way you could have achieved such an air of utter unpleasantness in one life time.

I'm surprised that you're not using a heavier arranger, one with roughly the same dead weight as your ego....

Hurt? No. But I can see that you're beginning to limp a little.

Must be all that weight...ego plus G70 equals one sore Diki.

Ian

------------------
Don't be afraid to talk to yourself. It's a good way to find out what you think.

Can take it then that no one knows how to get a better sound from the E80 speakers ? Or are they just crap ?

Probably crap if no-one has posted, yet, spalding.

Get a PSR..... keep Ian happy. You wouldn't want to be outdated, would you? (He'll send you some literature)....

Sorry for taking your thread off on a tangent Spalding.

It does appear that no one has had an E80 long enough to figure it out, or maybe,there just isn't any way to improve.

Ian

------------------
Don't be afraid to talk to yourself. It's a good way to find out what you think.

thats one of the most sensible things someone has said for a long time...

I have already posted 2 demos a couple of days ago from my T2... let that be a start...

what has anyone else got?

Spalding, Fortner at Keyboard mag states that the E80 has a superb sound system, the best of all..So I would think that you had a poor setting and apparently the same problem with Craig's UK settings..I hope to check one out soon...I have never run across a Roland with a poor sound system...I can't imagine the E80 to have one..

PS: forgot to mention..Roland included a ridiculous setting called "Radio" in the sound system....maybe that was the setting you listened to...It would be like playing your keyboard thru a portable radio with 2 inch speaker..

dunno if this helps, but i had a bit of a listen to one when i was last at the music store i deal with, and i must admit to thinking the speaker system sounded quite good and "ballsy" especailly for built-ins....prob a bit better that the PA1x speakers, mind you the speakers with the tyros 2 that was also on display also sounded alright,(albeit with a powered sub running with it)..its always hard to quantify an opinion on sounds via text isnt it??

Most high end keyboards these days have awesome sound systems and they really 'pump' but still, you will always notice a big difference in punch and clarity when you hook them through some decent external speakers / PA equipment...

Fran i have been to four music shops in birmingham and have tried the E80 in each shop using all the speaker modelling settings but the sound is really poor through the speakers.I tried the E60 through its speakers and the result was the same.

I dont want to believe that Roland skimped on the speakers but i dont know how to arrive at any other conclusion

Hello Spalding
Sound is a very personal thing, so it may be that the type of speakers/amplification onboard Roland boards is just not for you, it’s just like Quality Audio/Home Cinema Systems, people like different speaker/amp set-ups to produce what they consider to be an accurate sound. (This is one thing that hasn’t changed since speakers/amplification were invented)

Bill

I hear you Bill but i have heard the E80 through a mixing desk and it sounds great . The piano sounds through the inbuilt speakers are simply not recognisable and this is after trying ALL the speaker modelling set ups. I know sound is subjective but i am not saying that the E80 sounds better than model X or worse than model Y. It simply sounds poor through its speakers.For its price tag £2200 , thats a very poor show . I have heard the drums through a mixer and i totally get what Squeak and Diki are saying about the dynamics of the kit. It sounds nothing like that through its internal speakers though. Its as though someone covered the speakers in paper and everything sounds thin . Its such a shame really becuaes i am certain many people will try and demo the unit as it is set up and decide not to delve any further with it. It would not surprise me if the E80 sales are worse than the original G70 was. What a shame becasue through headphones or a mixer the instrument kicks ass. I hope Roland are reading this. Whats the point in fitting cassio speakers to a two grand keyboard ?????

Hi Fran.

I had the E80 long enough to test out all of the speaker settings and to be honest the internal ones are nothing special (they are better than the set you can purchase for a Tyros 2 though).

The E80 is best played through a PA, good sound card/speaker setup or a decent set of headphones.
After spending that amount of £/$ on an E80, would anyone really want to use the internal speakers alone anyway?
It still remains an excellent arranger