List Price: $779.99
Sale Price: $549.99
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- Mic/line channel with 3-band EQ and effects send/return
- Two 10 inch speakers and horn
- 150 watts/200 watts with external speaker
- Stereo mixer with 2-band EQ and main effects send/return
- Headphone out with level control
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Before I explain why I've rated this four stars as opposed to five, let me begin by saying this amp sounds AMAZING. There is absolutely no buzz and only has a barely distinguishable white noise when listening in a quiet space. Both bass and treble are super clear; I've never heard my keyboard sound so good out of an amplifier. Is it as good as a full PA system? No, but for practicing, performing in space with no sound system or even using it as a monitor, this amp is fantastic.There are four channels, all with stereo inputs and high and low EQ do not impede on each other's signals at all, allowing you to have four different line level instruments plugged in at once! One channel also has an XLR input for a microphone. Yes, you can play and sing and have it all amplified, along with a couple buddies to back you up. A fifth channel exists that can allow for a monitor input that plays a pre-recorded track or click track. Better yet, this channel can have output sent just to a separate headphone mix, so that you can play with a metronome in your headphones without it coming out the amp speakers.
The amp also features send/returns for effects and pedal boards to either one particular channel or to all combined inputs or both. You can also connect the amp to another external speaker to create a real stereo sound if performing in a wide space or if you just need another monitor speaker. As if that wasn't enough, all inputs to the amp can additionally be sent via XLR outs to a mixing board and from there to a PA system, all with no discernible degradation of signal, allowing you to do volume and basic EQ mixing for a four-piece band right from the amp itself!
I just completed a theater gig that lasted for three weekends, having my keyboard and an acoustic guitar plugged into the amp and the signal sent to a mixing board and out to the house speakers. It worked great, and we were able to use the amp as a monitor. I will certainly do a similar setup again.
All right, so what's the problem? The amp is very heavy, which for the quality is kind of expected. However, the outer casing is in many places composed of a hard, dense foam material underneath the leather skin that seems to dent a little too easy. It is hard to set the amp down gently, even after rolling it (yes, it has wheels, but just two), and one of the stubs it sits on has already been dented into the foam shell and now it won't sit perfectly flat on a smooth surface. None of this has affected the amp's performance.
The other issue is that I had problems with the sound crackling at times and even briefly cutting out entirely (not affecting the signal sent through the XLR outs). Peavey customer support can be slow and was quite unhelpful, asking that they or an authorized specialist take a look, which there was no time for, since the theater gig was underway. A friend looked inside and tightened the colored wires going to the 10-inch speakers simply by pushing them in a bit snugger. The remainder of the theater run went without a hitch and it appears the amp is working perfectly now. Perhaps things got loosened a bit in transport and shipping. I am bothered by Peavey not knowing of this ridiculously easy fix despite how detailed I described the problem to them. If the problem returns, I will update this review.
The bottom line is that I love this amp, but have had a couple aggravating things happen regarding the denting, crackling and Peavey customer support. Really, this is a 5 star amp in so many capacities, but I would feel amiss to not share these stories in case anyone experiences similar issues.
Buy Peavey KB5 Keyboard Amplifier Now
I purchased this keyboard amp for our church youth group. We were setting up a sound system with separate amp, mixer, power and speakers, but it was more complicated than what we needed. This amp is super easy to roll around and has multiple inputs for instruments, mics, and other audio. The sound is excellent. With a guitar, bass guitar, keyboard and a couple of mics this amp works great for our needs. I also love the way it sounds with an acoustic guitar. Very clear crisp highs and rich lows. Overall, it has been money well spent.I have been playing keyboard and bass for years. This amp is perfect for either. I use an Aphex aural exciter/big bottom to control the high and low end harmonics on the bassuse the KB5 as my stage monitor with a line to a cabinet on the other side of the stage. Then direct out to the P.A. Dependable, quiet (very little noise), easy to move and powerful. A solid buy.Received this amp yesterday and yes it is heavy Peavey's usually are but they are great amps, I have other Peavey amps but this KB5 has a great sound and I love the new way of building cabinet and the option of using an extra speaker. I will be adding some rubber tacks because so when I put down it seems to hit a little hard, I had other options but Peavey has my trust in quality. My Yamaha PSR-S950 sounds great on this amps , rich basses and great highs for strings New Peavey models have a cleaner sound and great quality sound too!! I recommend this amp!!
