"Muddy" sound from Yamaha S90

[kwhill]

My Yamaha S90 keyboard in grand piano mode sounds wonderful through $100 Sennheiser headphones, but sounds muddy and ringing through various amplifier/speaker systems. What is wrong? Impedance mismatch? How do I correct it? Do I go from high to low or vice-versa? What are good impedance matching transformers?

I have tried cheap $100 - $200 amplifier/speaker systems, and am currently using a good Pioneer receiver (amplifier portion) and very good speakers; this sounds better, but I can't get the sound quality up to an acceptable level.

Are there equalization issues that I need to address? Is there some adjustment to reduce the ringing? The S90 manual is very cryptic and doesn't help much. Is there a more instructive publication on using the S90?

I would like to get my present sound system working adequately, but would also like a recommendation on a reasonably priced and light weight portable PA system for the S90 with good sound.

[bugbrain_04]

is it the room that's causing the muddiness, by chance?

[paul999]

A lot of keyboards will get this ringing after tone in guitar amps where they excentuate(sp?) the mids. It will be there all the time but be more noticeable in louder speakers. A system that has better band width will mask it a bit more.

[lolzgreg]

Sounds like issues with room treatment.

[bozmillar]

any midi piano has a really tough roll to play. On one hand, you want to plug it into headphones/speakers and feel as much as possible like you are playing a real piano. On the other hand, you also want to plug it in and record it and have it sound like a well recorded piano.

A well recorded piano and a real sounding piano do not sound the same, so the designers of the keyboard have to decide which sound they are going to go for, or what compromises to make to try to get the best of both worlds.

My guess would be that the best way to fix the issue is to just add some eq to fix up the low end. Without hearing exactly what issue you are having with the sound, there's no real way of knowing how to apply that eq, but it should hopefully at least get you started in the right direction.

[P.P.T.]

What kind of amp and speakers?
Guitar amps are very low-fi.
A hi-fi will sound better, if it is really hi-fi. Much of the consumer stuff on the market these days is pretty bad.

Plug it into studio monitors.

[brandondrury]

It's just as possible that the headphones are tricking you as it is your various speakers.

If the sound of the keyboard is indeed muddy on systems you know well, you need to address it by:
a - changing the instrument
b - pulling the mud out via EQ

Brandon