Need amplification for RD-88 (beginner who doesn't speak amp) :)

[jtsousa]

I'm an intermediate player who has taken up piano lessons again as an adult. I just traded my Roland RP501 for an RD-88 stage piano, as I needed something portable that would take up less space in my living room. I love playing the RD-88, but I'm realizing that the speakers are much quieter than my previous piano (which I get makes sense, since it's a stage piano). This is a problem for my Zoom lessons. So I need to find a way to amplify it. I have very little space, so if I get an amp it needs to be small. Ideally I would love to be able to plug a mic into it as well because I sing and play. I am a total beginner to amps and sound amplification, so I don't understand all the sound and amp jargon. All I know is that I shouldn't buy a guitar amp. I was reading some old threads here and someone mentioned the Vox VX50KB. Do you think that would be the best option? Does anything exist that's even smaller that I can still plug a mic into? I also read somewhere that a PA speaker might be an alternative, but I don't get the difference between the two. If someone could give me some advice, I would really appreciate it. Thank you!!

[Stuart100]

Hi.

I use Yamaha active monitor speakers and an active sub woofer which are great. Active means there is an amp in each speaker. But if u need portability then a keyboard combo Amp or small PA would work. They would probably have a mic input too. But it really depends on how much you want to spend. Try them out with a piano if you can before you buy.

For zoom you could always take the Rd's output to the mic in on your Zoom session but you would need to mix it with your voice(mic)? If you did that you could use headphones which I prefer for home use. Get a good set. I use Sennheiser HD600. They are fantastic.

Cheers

Stuart

[rockyroad]

QSC KS8 powered monitor. I use a KS10 but the KS8 is smaller.

It has two inputs and they can be switch to mic or line level.

https://www.qsc.com/solutions-products/ ... eries/k82/

[anotherscott2022]

Alto TS408 is pretty small and light, thought not as small and light as that Vox. It will sound a lot better, though. The Vox is nice for what it is, but it doesn't sound great for acoustic pianos (which is where most of the low cost amps fall down). Everything else I like is at least double the price of that Alto. (Keep in mind that these are mono options. If you want stereo, you'd need two of them.)

If they are only for your living room (i.e. you won't be taking them out of the house for gigs/jams), you could look at getting a pair of small studio monitor style speakers. The iLoud Micro Monitor is a very small speaker that sounds surprisingly good. However, these kinds of speakers do no have mic inputs, so you'd have to add a small mixer. You could use something like a Mackie Mix 5, which is small and inexpensive.

[peternh]

Agree with anotherscott, particularly about small monitor-style stereo (hifi or computer) speakers, if you don't need portability. You can also plug a cheap microphone ("karaoke-type") into the rd-88 (or XLR dynamic mic with a XLR to mono jack connector) - I often use that method anyway for singers at gigs.
For portability, Alto range or cheaper Yamaha active speakers (DBR10 etc) are great value.