Roland KC550 Keyboard Amplifier

Feature:
You could go on forever adding features once you incorporate a 4 channel mixer in the system. However for the money I can add features like reverb, compression, and such. The only feature that I think is truly missing from this cabinet is the ability to switch the amp from 110 volt to 220 for international touring. These days anyone who misses that is living in the dark ages and I have to say that Roland is sadly remiss in many of it's products for not equipping their musical products with obvious dual voltage (preferably auto sensing) features.

Quality:
I just got the amp so I have yet to learn its weaknesses. New it looks great. I'd probably have preferred one of the newer rubberlike finishes instead of the more old fashioned carpet surface which looks great out of the box but on the road and even at home it picks up every speck of dust in the world and every piece of velcro that passes by grabs hold of it. Not to mention that my cats are constantly being reprimanded and sent outside for thinking I bought it as a scratching post.

Value:
For the price I paid there was no equal anytime anywhere at any price that I know of that could compete.

Desirability:
I loved everything about it except the carpet. The carpet looks great but it is hard to keep looking great. For those who don't smoke but sometimes play where there is smoke -- that stench always comes home with them and it never comes out.

Sound:
I don't think you can find anything that gives comparable sound in its unique category. It was like hearing a 19' Bosendorf while playing my FP3. The bass and mid bass were the most like hearing a real grand. I know I've owned a couple. The higher I went up in pitch the less the keys sounded like the real thing but that makes sense since there is no way to get the surface area of three grand strings into that tiny little compression driver lens they use on the horn in the 550. Now if they'd used a compression driver with a 4'' titanium lens then you may get the sound of a real piano because you'd be able to deliver the kind of air a real piano delivers off the strings. The sampled sounds in a realistic sounding keyboard synth have already captured the resonance of the surrounding reflective surfaces so the only thing left to do is deliver roughly the same amount of moving air to get the density of sound (presence) for the highs. In order to do that roland would have to charge another 500.00 to put in a high frequency driver of that quality and the price of the cab would be very high. Therefore the sound of the roland 550 is about as great as can be expected for the price.

Ease of Use:
It doesn't get much easier than this.

Support:
So far I have not needed support for any roland products. I once tried to inform them of an unscrupulous retailer (seriously criminal) in another country and Roland USA head office had no way to process my complaint nor did anyone ever get back to me.

Overall:
I just got it so it is hard not to like it at this point. It was the best I could find... in fact I'd ordered a 350 and they sent a 550. For a couple days I thought I'd just forgotten how large it was and then talked to the rep who said he'd upgraded me because there was a technical problem with the one I'd ordered.

Feature:
This amp has four channels, one of them being a mic input. I imagine it would be great as a solo gigging PA, but haven't tried a mic in it yet. However, I bought this for a guitar synth, so both the keyboard player and my synth are going simultaneously, and this amp handles us both with ease.

Value:
I didn't check out any other amps, but I'm pretty sure this one sounds better than just about anything else out there. But I still wish it were cheaper :(

Sound:
I knew of this amp's legacy long before I bought it, and it met every expectation. I tried it in the store, and it reproduced the lowest piano note with a true rich tone. TONS OF BASS!!!!ABSOLUTELY AMAZING PUNCHY TIGHT LOW END!!! I am using this with a full band, and it cut through the rest of the instruments even with half volume.