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So I just bought a used Roland FP8 that was not working properly (the sound was very low). Took it in for repair and was told it had a leaking capacitor, which was fixed. The volume of the piano now seems fine but there is hardly any low end to it so it sounds very thin and tinny. I took it back to the guy who fixed it who said that it's a limitation of the very small speaker that the FP8 has and that it really needs an external amp to sound good. So, a few questions (as I really don't know much about digital pianos)

- does this sound correct? Does anyone have a Roland FP8 and feel that the internal speakers alone sounds rich and full? Unfortunately, I can't find another FP8 to compare this one to. I asked the guy if changing the internal speaker would help and he said no (i.e. that it's simply very small and thus won't give off much bass).

- if it does indeed need to be hooked up to something else, what should I be looking for? An acoustic/keyboard amp? External powered speakers? A bass cabinet? Does wattage matter? Any suggestions? I'm just a bedroom player and won't be playing out with it.

Thanks!

An external amp will disappoint you!

You need to look out for a stereo-powered speakers (as in Left and Right split - not radio speakers) in order to get a full sound. A guitar amp has a more mid and upper level and virtually not bass, at least not one capable of carrying the bass of a keyboard. It takes usually only one channel and you'll just end up with a nonchalant mono tone.

It may be a feature of many digitals. My Yammy (CLP 470) sounds fantastic through good quality headphones but less good via its own speakers. As an experiment I just plugged in a cheap set of powered computer speakers, switched off its own speakers, and it sounded no worse.

Surely it must be possible to make a connection to your hi-fi amp and speakers, with the piano's amp acting as a pre-amp to help drive the whole thing?

Unfortunately my hi-fi amp and speakers are not connected yet (recent house move) so I can't test it but surely someone out there has?

Terry

i love Yammy (CLP 470) sounds. Its fell heaven.