Vintage Synth Explorer Forums

What are the differences between the different versions of the Kurzweil K2000. The versions I know of are:-

Kurzweil K2000
Kurzweil K2000 S
Kurzweil K2000 VP

Me is confused!

I'v got a K2000 v3 - but as I'm at work will have to answer from memory.

I don't really think there's any big differences till you get a sampling option. Kurzweil still make what is esentially the same instrument. I tried one out a few weeks ago and the interface felt very familiar.

So basically they got it right first time and then kept going with upgrades - probbaly more for sales/marketing reasons than anything else.

There may have been inprovements with the keyboard quality - the one I'v got isn't so special. Which is a shame considering the quality of the piano sounds. Sorry not to be of more help.

Tom is right, the 'S' is just the original model with a sampling input socket.
The 'VP' was an upgrade on the other two that updated the OS with better file management and more allowable RAM.
The one I have, the K2vx, has the fully expanded PROM and both sample ROM expansions daughterboards.
I think all of them allow the full PROM expansion and sequencer options, provided you update the OS with a different chip.

You can upgrade a K2000 to any spec by adding the sampling option board, PRAM board, Orchestral ROM and/or Contemporary ROM. At one software revision the K2000 got the K2500 presets. What you have to check is how old your K2000 is, because the Engine board had a major revision (reportedly due to copyright when Young Chang took over). The early K2000's had a "Calvin" mother board and the later machines had a "Janis" mother board. They require different EPROMS and GODOT and PSUDO PAL chips to update them.

From memory you can tell when you turn the machine on the Janis board displays a "J" after the K2000 on the splash page. Otherwise you can go into the diagnostics page and look at the tests, the Calvin board shows tests for the Calvin and Hobbs chips, the Janis machine shows tests for the Janis chip. Otherwise, if you open it up and look at the Engine board (the smaller of the 2 boards), you can see either the Janis chip of the Calvin and the Hobbs chips.

Do all versions of the Kurzweil K2000 have the same presets?

White wrote:Do all versions of the Kurzweil K2000 have the same presets?

No. It depends on which OS you have in there. The later update pretty much took the first 200 slots to the same as the K2500 set. Also, if you have the Orchestral and/or contemporary ROM set you will have those banks in the 800 /900 slots. You can load the earlier banks into the K2000 from floppy disks.

OK, I've got my eye on one. Sorry for all the questions, but can the Kurzweil K2000 read Akai S3000 disks? (programs not samples)

I know it can read S3000 floppies for sure. This is how I converted some S2800 samples to wav back in 1997.

I've found a Kurzweil K2000 on ebay. But, there's an issue, it does a reset every time it's turned on and takes about 20 minutes to settle. Is this a common problem?

White wrote:I've found a Kurzweil K2000 on ebay. But, there's an issue, it does a reset every time it's turned on and takes about 20 minutes to settle. Is this a common problem?

It will re-initialize everything on power-up if the batteries are flat or missing, if you want to you can also put the machine into diagnostics mode and run some tests also.

OK, I have been informed that it is the battery as the message "Low Battery" shows on power up. Is the battery easy to change and what type, is it, for example, a CR2032?

If it is keyboard, flip it over and there is a compartment on the bottom that takes 3 "AA's". If it is a rack version there is a compartment on the back, you unscrew the top and the batteries slide out. In either case you don't even have to open the machine, it is just AA batteries into a holder.

Steve.

Is there no lithium battery then? Oh well, if it's just AA batteries that makes life a whole lot easier.

OK, can the Kurzweil still read Akai disks WITHOUT the sampling option?

White wrote:OK, can the Kurzweil still read Akai disks WITHOUT the sampling option?

no.