Conference napalm::commusic_v1

    
    The TOA does has some neat features, haven't heard one though. $500
    seems a bit high to me...
    
    Mike D

    I have not heard the keyboard amp but I use a TOA MX-104 powered mixer
    head with TOA SL-15's for live keyboard mixing and have been very
    pleased.  I had a problem with one of my 15 speakers just after
    the 2-year warrenty expired, but TOA was very nice and replaced
    it at no charge.

    I have a 480 watt Toa powered board.  A Fender rep once claimed
    that the reason my Polaris sounded so dirty was the Polaris put
    out more high frequency stuff than other synths and the Toa's slewing
    rate couldn't handle it.  I believe this is bunk, as all my other
    synths sound great through it.  I got rid of the Polaris (for some
    other reasons as well, but the fact that it didn't sound anywhere
    near as clean as my Rolands had a lot to do with it).
    
    Anyway, I have had no reliability problems with the board (it's
    been used pretty steadily for about four years now).  It weighs
    a ton, so I'm glad I don;t have to haul it around.
    
    len.
    

I use TOA 380 speakers, and they are great. The midrange is a little week,
but I have some smaller RAMSAs to fill that in.

dave

    
    I have a TOA SM-25 monitor that I use as a vocal monitor on stage.
    I am very pleased with it. Plenty of power.
    
    Mike D

	Wurly's uses TOA sub-woofers (2) (with some EV's
	over in their Midi demo corner
		...and they sound excellent.

I've recently been looking at keyboard amps (notes 2705, 275), and in the
process was pointed at the TOA KD-1 and KD-2 (by Caruso's). They waxed
*especially* enthusiastic about the KD-2.

He's faxing along the specs, but from what I scribbled down, it has four
channels, includes inputs for XLR and CD/phono, individual "pan" for each
channel (which affect the units stereo outs), 100W, 15" plus a horn; price
quoted was $389 plus shipping. Size and weight were stated to be comparable to
the Peavey KB100. I didn't get many details about the KD-1, just that it's
rated at 50W and has a 12" woofer.

The *description* sounds pretty neat, but I haven't heard one. Has anyone else?

Bob

    I've got the KD-1, Bob, and I'm very happy with it. I haven't
    encountered the KD-2. The KD-1 is about 14"x20"x30" and maybe 50 pounds
    (all numbers +/- 30%?) and has a side-handle for easy hauling. I've used
    it a couple times for "instant party machine" - plug the walkthing into
    the TOA into the wall and start dancing. Mucho clean volume, in your
    typical basement anyway.
    
    These were carried by Wurlys on Rt. 9 (is that Framingham) a couple
    years ago. They tried to get me interested in the bigger models, too.
    $389 sounds like a good price; I think my KD-1 was about $300 in '89.
    
    - Hoyt (and it has two serial ports :)

Re .8:

Thanks, Hoyt. It turns out the fellow I carpool with also has the KD-1, and
he lent me the spec sheet on it today. He's also ben quite happy with it, BTW.
I also brought in the fax Caruso's sent me on the KD-2; it turned out to be a
copy of an '88 review from Keyboard, not the product literature itself. I
thought I might get a listen to the KD-1 this evening, but at the moment it
looks like probably next week.

Re KD-1, KD-2 features:

The KD-1 weighs 35 lbs. and has a 12" two-way speaker. Size is a modest
20 5/8 x 15 3/8 x 11. It's rated at 50W RMS continuous. There are four channels,
each with both RCA and phone jack inputs. Channels 1 and 2 each have on/off
switches for the built-in spring reverb and the effects return (i.e., one
switch affects both), and channels 3 and 4 have sensitivity switches which
allow 30dB attenuation of the inputs. There's an XLR input for channel 1 as
well, with a phantom power switch.

There's an external speaker jack (which shuts off output to the internal
speaker, and an AUX input phone jack. I'd guess that the latter is sent to all
channels. (?) Lastly, there are stereo out RCA jacks.

As implied above, there is an effects send/return loop, as well as a built-in
spring reverb. There's a single "cross-fade" switch which mixes these two
equally at mid-position, with extremes reducing either the effects return or
the reverb to zero.

Each channel has low and high EQ as well as level settings. There's a master
level control as well, of course.

KD-2 features, from the blurb I got, seem to add:

- 15" speaker plus a horn
- 100W rating
- individual pan controls for each channel
- direct outs for each channel
- master effecs send control
- individual effects level for each channel

I don't have the size and weight of the KD-2; the fellow (Tony) at Caruso's
said it was comparable to the Peavey KB100.

All in all, it seems like the added features of the KD-2 are worth the added
cost and then some. Given the advice I've received so far, the 100W rating seems
more realistic as well, as long as the thing doesn't prove to be too monstrous
to tote around conveniently.  Definitely more than I anticipated spending, but
it sure does sound sweet (the description, that is). Both the KD-1 and the KD-2
seem impressive in terms of features, and given two positive user
recommendations on the KD-1, I expect the sound to be good as well (when I get
to hear it...).

I have a friend who's checking out the availability and price at a local
(Manchester, NH) store as well- not *quite* the drive the Wurly's is for me!
I'll post something on how the thing *sounds* when I get to hear one. Meanwhile,
if anyone has any more info, I'm all eyes...

Thanks again, all-
	Bob