Korg - Triton Extreme EX 61-Key Music Workstation/Sampler - [Sam Ash]

There are a few things I'm unhappy about regarding my piano (Yamaha P-140), so I'm looking for a replacement.

Things I don't like:

  1. It has no 1/4" jacks for output,
  2. the built-in speakers are weak and crackly and have no bass,
  3. the headphone jack is 1/8" and noisy,
  4. there aren't enough sounds,
  5. there is an external power supply, and
  6. it's really heavy.


Things that I like:

  1. 88 key weighted action.
  2. very nice piano sounds (when listend through headphones)
  3. it's more portable than a digipiano with built in stand.
  4. built-in speakers (although this is a double-edged sword)


Oddly, the P140 was recently discontinued. The replacement is very close to what I want, the CP33. It doesn't have built-in speakers, but I've come to understand that this is not necessarily a bad thing, since the built-in speakers on pianos tend to be so bad anyway. It also has an external power supply. It's got the same action, and some really nice sounds (the piano is slightly better, there are some great bass and organ sounds).

Another option is a Korg Triton Extreme that was listed at a cheap price ($1000) on craigslist (street price is $1700). The big drawback to this keyboard is simply that it has 61 unwieghted keys. It's been a LONG time since I've played on a keyboard like that. The cool thing about this one is that it's a self-contained music workstation with sampling, recording, sequencing, etc all built in with a touchscreen to boot. One very cool thing is a built-in MIDI USB adapter, obviating the need for a device like the tascam US-122. This last option is less of an option if I do all-audio recording.

There are other problems with the Triton. I don't like the way it looks. It's blue (I prefer black), and it's got a gimmicky 'tube' window on the upper left. I have some issues with the whole concept of having a keyboard do so much work, when a PC with good software can do a lot more than a keyboard-bound specialty computer. OTOH it's nice to have a specialized peice of equipment that does one thing well.

I played with the CP33 on a Roland KC-60 amp at Sam Ash for a good long while. If the CP33 had an internal power supply and built in USB MIDI, it would be an easy decision.

OH, just found the Roland RD300SX ($1400)- it has USB MIDI but an external power supply. Ooh and it's only 35 pounds! I might have found a winner. What's up with these external supplies?

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