Chris Senner*Keyboardkraze now has a nearly 24/7 chat service directly with me should you have any questions regarding keyboard/plugin choices! This is connected directly to me and it is not AI.
Table of Contents
The Kurzweil K2700 was first introduced at the NAMM conference at the beginning of 2021. The Kurzweil K2700 boasts an updated version of its VAST(Variable Architecture Synthesis Technology) synthesis engine
Kurzweil’s K2 synths first debuted the VAST during the 90s, and it was renowned for its ease of use and control, which offered the basic layout and building-block approach to synthesis with digital controlled routing.
I rarely give out five stars. The K2700 is an incredibly powerful machine with some of the best stock sounds I have heard to date. I highly recommend checking this keyboard out if you like workstations.
I recently was able to get my hands on the Kurzweil K2700, and right out of the gates, I’m excited to bring you this review.
After multiple weeks of diving into it, this article will break down my full review of the Kurzweil K2700. I will also compare and rate it against today’s most popular keyboard workstations.
As a touring musician, I look at things differently than most producers/musicians may. I’ve always loved the sheer power that workstations possess and their key-beds. I’ve typically always run workstations when performing live, and I use them as a MIDI controller.
This is a big deal as I feel like workstations have proven to be highly reliable for me over the years of touring.
Note: The K2700 can do all of the bread and butter type things you expect from a workstation, such as composing, performing live, and providing excellent connectivity. Where it excels is in its editing and sound customizability. For example, you can tweak pianos/electric pianos in seconds to your liking, which is a significant selling point. The K2700 would work as the main keyboard in a rig for touring musicians exceptionally well as it can cover the main types of sounds you will be using.
I have reviewed the K2700 based on the following criteria:
- Keys/Action
- Sounds
- Effects
- Functionality
- How it compares to the rest of the field
- Design
- Connectivity
- Controller capabilities
How It Is Shipped/Packaging
The packaging that the K2700 came with from Sweetwater was superb. One of these reasons I prefer Sweetwater is that shipping has been smooth out of my 25+ orders with them every time.
The gear is always secured well, and Kurzweil also had their box, which was packaged correctly as well.
Pros
- Massive sound library
- Great for gigging and sound customization
- Reverb knob
- Incredibly deep and allows for musician growth
- Great-sized LCD screen
- Built-in audio interface
- FM
- Functions exceptionally well as a MIDI controller
- Has aftertouch
Cons
- Expensive
- Keys are on the lighter end
- On the heavier end
Note: I put heaviness as a con as most keyboardists I know prefer lighter weight keyboards as far as touring goes. My personal preference is that I don’t mind heavy keyboards, even when touring, as they are typically far more durable.
Specs
Let’s take a quick look at some of the specs that make this an impressive keyboard for serious musicians.
- Keys: 88 fully-weighted with aftertouch and Fatar TP/40L
- Display: 480 x 272 high resolution color LCD
- Polyphony: 256 voice
- Architecture: VAST sound engine
- Sound Engine: 6-operator FM engine
- Aftertouch: Yes
- Pads: 16
- Presets: 1500, Over 700 Factory Multis, Over 4000 User Multis
- Controllers: Pitch-bend, mod wheel
- Arpeggiator: Yes
- Analog/Digital: Digital
- Sequencer: 16-track
- Weight: 52 lbs
- Height: 5.5″
- Width: 51″
- Power Internal power supply
- Inputs: 2 x 1/4-inch audio input connectors
- Outputs: 2 pairs of stereo outputs
- Headphones Jack: Yes
- Controls: 9 sets of programmable knobs, sliders, and buttons
Kurzweil K2700 Overview/Design
The Kurzweil K2700 is the high-end successor to the K2600, and it packs a mean punch, ultimately bringing this series up to speed with the rest of the high-end workstations.
The Kurzweil K2700 is built like a tank. As a guy who played the Roland Fantom G8 for eight years, I can say it’s constructed similarly to that workstation, which is a good thing, in my opinion.
The K2700 is sleek, coming in a glossy black with blue, red, and green accents.
It’s heavy, but everything feels well constructed, for the most part. Although still fully weighted and equipped with hammer-grade action, the keys are on the lighter end.
I also want to note that the keys are relatively soft on your fingers. I’ve used this key-bed before on other keyboards, and it felt different. Those who like a more delicate touch will enjoy these keys.
The LCD screen in the middle of the keyboard caught my eye when I initially pulled the keyboard out. For laying out a set for live music and performing live, it is perfect, in my opinion. It might feel a little small to manage if you’re composing tracks directly on the K2700; however, I typically work with a DAW.
All of the pads are laid where you would expect them on a workstation, being on the right. There are 4 sets of 4, equaling 16 pads total, which is also common.
These sample pads are perfect for triggering loops and samples that you might have in your music/tracks.
The transport controls are also located on the right-hand side, which allows you to have seamless integration with which DAW you might be using.
On the left, we have the faders and control knobs, which allow you to tweak sounds onboard as well as through your DAW.
On the left side, you will also find my favorite effect on this workstation, the reverb knob. When you apply this to some of the pianos and electric pianos on the K2700, you will be taken away like I was.
Upon reviewing it, one of the first things I do with any keyboard is to immediately start touching/using all of the sliders/knobs/pads available on the instrument.
This gives you a decent understanding off the bat as to the quality of the keyboard. Also, while the top of a control knob that falls off isn’t the end of the world, it can quickly become problematic, as I’ve seen first-hand. Broken sliders can prove challenging should you use your K2700 as a MIDI controller, as they can start to change parameters in your DAW should they be damaged.
Overall, the sliders feel solid, and I don’t get the sense that I will break them easily.
In terms of durability, I believe this is built to last. I tend to enjoy heavier keyboards just due to my playing style when performing live, to the point where I don’t mind lugging something that’s a bit heavier if it’s going to allow me to perform how I need to.
Kurzweil did a great job making this keyboard extremely user-friendly. While it’s a very deep instrument, I was able to maneuver around pretty quickly, which allowed me to begin experimenting with the sounds.
When I sat down to play the K2700, my initial thought was to for the electric pianos and the pianos. I am glad I did so because I smiled as soon as I played the first preset piano, which is Bristol.
I was skeptical about the key-bed until I started playing and realized the action was really nice.
Keys
The first thing I noticed when playing my first few notes on the K2700 was that the keys felt light. Kurzweil used the Fatar TP40L for this keyboard, common among many popular keyboards.
So, how does the key-action stand up against the heavy-hitters such as Roland? I am partial to Roland’s high-end key-beds. This is because I grew up on them, and I believe they are the closest thing to ivory piano keys.
The K2700 plays beautifully; the action is crazy responsive, despite me being a little bit worried about the lighter keys.
On top of the keys feeling a bit lighter, they are also softer than other keys that I’ve played. The outside of the keys is also not as sharp as other key-beds, which many people might enjoy.
The keys themselves are not noisy, which is a good thing.
Speed
One of the frustrating things years ago with workstations was the time it would take to boot up and or change patches. The K2700 starts relatively quickly and features Flash-Play, which provides massive horsepower. There’s a zero-load time when switching patches, which ultimately allows pianists to be more versatile when playing live.
Sounds
Let’s take a look at my favorite part of the K2700. Until the K2700, I have been solely a MIDI controller guy. I’ve never found a workstation where I thought the sounds were comparable to what I could do with a DAW and a MIDI controller.
For this part of the review, I will break down some of my favorite sounds and highlight the eight different banks of sounds.
Please Note: I have a 9 minute video that I will link in this article that breaks down some of my favorite sounds.
Pianos
My favorite piano sound is the first on the K2700, called Bristol. My first thought with this piano is that it’s not overly bright. My personal preference has always been darker and warmer-sounding pianos.
Another piano sound I enjoy is the second preset, the dynamic 9-foot grand. This thing sounds massive and bright in the high-notes.’
Comparing the stock piano sounds from this to Roland’s workstations, the K2700 is much more to my liking.
Overall, there are 48 different piano sounds, most of them worthy of being in the presets.
Lastly, the K2700 has a few bluesy pianos, such as the New Orleans piano preset, which sounds similar to something you hear in a jazz or blues club.
Electric Pianos
The electric pianos are some of my favorite electric piano sounds I have heard. Again, the only thing I can compare them to is some of my favorite electric piano plugins, nothing on other keyboards.
Beck’s retro EP is my favorite preset regarding electric pianos on the K2700. Another pretty interesting preset is the mellotron. Mellotrons are hard to get right, and I think Kurzweil did a great job. I found myself writing 3-4 new ideas with this preset.
Clav
Some nice sounds in this department. I didn’t find myself using these sounds as much as others; however, I didn’t have any complaints. The harpsichord preset did surprise me with this being said.
Organs
The organ section is one of the sections I was looking forward to checking out. It didn’t disappoint. They are modeled after classic organs with nine drawbars, including rotary speed, chorus/vibrato, and percussion.
Nord gets a lot of attention with electric organs. With this being said, if you’re looking for an alternative to Nord, I highly suggest the K2700.
Strings
The string section has some warm sounds overall. With this being said, I don’t find myself using the strings too often as I’m typically using the pianos/guitars.
When it comes to adding effects, you can create some extremely fat sounds in the string department with the K2700.
Pads
The pads are warm and easy on the ears. They are also vast. If you’re a fan of the classic Roland pad sounds, you will find yourself liking the customization and overall sound on the K270.
Synths
The synth section is solid. For making tracks on the K2700, they are perfect. I would go back to a couple of sounds for song ideas; however, I would likely use a synth or VST for some of these sounds.
Brass/Wind
The brass sounds were not harsh on my ears. I typically don’t find myself using brass sounds on workstations as they usually sound cheap to me. There were a few sounds in this department that I went back to a couple of different times in my tracks.
Guitar/Bass
The guitar/bass category was one of my favorite categories with the K2700. Some of the sounds are crazy realistic, especially when playing solos using the mod wheel.
Chunky vintage is the preset I found myself using the most. It’s excellent for crunchy low-end and also for lower solos.
The guitar section is legitimately the most impressive guitar section I have played on any workstation.
Percussion
The last area that I was genuinely surprised by was the percussive sounds. Some of the sounds of these kits was on par and better than most drum VSTs I’ve used in productions.
These kits help make this workstation viable when it comes to tracking directly to the K2700.
Ribbon Controller
The ribbon controller is located in the middle of the K2700. It is set to pitch-bend out of the box, but this can be changed to whatever you feel.
With this being said, the pitch bend wheel is one of the most accurate wheels I’ve used, and it also feels nice on my fingers.
Built-In Audio Interface
The audio interface is perfect for electric guitars/bass guitars. I suggest checking the manual for specifics regarding gain levels with the interface. Should you plug in a microphone, it requires phantom power.
Kurzweil K2700 VS Fantom
The Fantom and K2700 are currently my favorite choices on the market in this department. In terms of overall sounds, I am highly partial to the K2700. However, when it comes to tracking, the Fantom gives it a run for its money.
The Fantom has incredible keys and action, so I’m partial to the Fantom here. The K2700 is in my opinion, the most impressive sounding workstation by far on the market.
If you choose between these two, you are making a good decision either way.
K2700 VS FA 08
In terms of internal sounds and effects, the K2700 gets the nod, in my opinion. When it comes to performing live, the K2700 outperforms the FA 08.
The FA 08 gets the win in the keys department. The FA08 is equipped with heavier keys that feel closer to ivory keys. This being said, the action on the K2700 is still top-notch and competitive.
K2700 VS Nord Grandstage
I know a lot of people are in love Nord and their Grandstage. I’ve played them for years and they are definitely high-quality. With this being said, I would take the sounds of the K2700 over the Grandstage.
You can also do far more on the K2700 as it is a much deeper instrument in terms of sound design. If you’re looking for a keyboard to add to your studio, rather than just use live, I would pick the K2700.
Effects
The K2700 doesn’t disappoint when it comes to effects. The effect I found myself falling for was reverb. I love being able to add a little warmth to my pianos and electric pianos, and reverb always seems to do the trick for me. Overall, the K2700 has very powerful effects including the following:
- Delays
- Chorus
- Reverb
- Amp simulations
- Phasers
- Flangers
- Compressors
The coolest part of this is that all of them are entirely editable, as well as the signal processing chain. To me, the effects department is what truly takes the K2700 to the next level when compared to some of its competitors.
Rear Panel
The rear panel from left to the right consists of:
- Power switch
- Power jack
- MIDI In and Out ports
- USB ports
- LCD knob
- Audio out left/Right
- Audio In left/Right
- Sustain and SW2 ins
- Headphones jack
Workflow
The transport controls work for both the 16 track sequencer and for controlling all mainstream DAWs such as Ableton, Cubase, FL Studio, or Logic.
The overall workflow is pretty solid for a workstation. In terms of using it with Cubase, it was fantastic and provided a great workflow.
It is excellent using its sequencer; however, the screen size is tough to get used to after using a DAW for so many years.
MIDI Controller Functionality
The K2700 worked the same way as my FA08 does when it comes to connecting it as a MIDI controller.
You are able to use the pads to switch sounds on your DAW as well. It also comes with a USB cable to connect to your laptop or PC.
Mod Wheel
The mod wheel is highly accurate and allowed me to perform incredible pitch-bends with the guitars. I spent a few hours multiple times just riffing with the mod wheel, and it’s not only accurate, it’s also durable.
About Sweetwater/Kurzweil
You might already know that Ray Kurzweil created the first computerized instrument to faithfully capture the sound of the grand piano, the legendary K250. You might not know that the K250 was also the beginning of Sweetwater! After its first appearance at the June ‘83 NAMM show, the K250 became an immediate, runaway success.
In 1985, Sweetwater became one of a select number of Kurzweil dealers in the US. Sweetwater founder Chuck Surack, ever the experimenter, began building his own sound libraries for the K250 from scratch, eventually sharing them with amazing artists like Stevie Wonder and Dolly Parton. The rest, as they say, is history!
Kurzweil History
Kurzweil is a bit of a unique and impressive story. It was created by Stevie Wonder, Ray Kurzweil, and Bruce Cichowlas in 1982.
My experience with Kurzweil has been very much so positive over the years. One of my good friend’s tours with a couple of Kurzweil boards, so I’ve learned a lot from him about the sounds and the company.
My Experience With The K2700
After two full weeks with the Kurzweil K2700, I can genuinely say it exceeded my expectations. Being someone who has played the best Korg, Roland, and Yamaha keyboards, I have to say, the K2700 competes.
While the feel of the keys might not be my favorite, the action is still there and allows pianists to play at a high level.
Where I believe the K2700 truly shines is in the sound department. The K2700 fills the void for a solid piano sound from crisp, punchy pianos to verbed-out pianos.
I have typically relied on piano VSTs to fill this hole as I haven’t found many stock piano sounds that I genuinely love from workstations.
My problem with workstation keyboards in the past was always that I would find one with a great key-bed but sub-par sounds when compared to VSTs.
The K2700 is the first workstation that has blown me away and left me wanting to use its internal sounds for live music and recordings rather than averting to VSTs.
If you’re someone who hasn’t checked out Kurzweil keyboards and you’ve stuck to the classic Korg’s or Roland’s, I suggest getting your hands on one and having some fun with the sounds.
I can’t state enough how impressed I am by the internal sounds on this board. Look for the K2700 to shake up the workstation industry going into 2022.
Should you have any questions about the K2700, leave a comment and check my Instagram and Youtube channels for a video I will be releasing on it.
Chris Senner
26 comments
Thanks Chris for the detailed review. I am even more excited to get this board. It’s been on order with Sweetwater and should have it in a few more weeks. Like yourself, I play Rolands, Korgs, and Yamahas. I am hoping it will have a couple Killer 80s sounding synths to cover Van Halen and Journey strong synth sounds. Thanks again.
Thanks for the comment! You are going to love it. The electric guitar sounds are incredibly fun and real.
Chris,
Thanks for the honest review.
I am up for some more equipment in early 2022. Is it going to be a new tube compressor
or an MPC x or the Kurzweil K2700.
Well I am primarily a keys player/ synthesist/ songwriter/ producer.
I already own the Fantom 8 and its a great board to sequence and get a full track going.
I guess I want something to augment my tracks with a little more than 16 tracks.
Someone was saying that the K2700 effects are on par with the Eventide H9000. .I want to be able to plug in a good mic and use the effects and sing while syncing these two keys.
Ill have a Mac Pro to move around samples over USB or to capture the two track.
I just want a finished product without having to use recording studio all the time.I find that the sound that comes out of the Fantom is crystal clear and once going into Pro tools or Logic and round trips of plug ins, latency and AD/DA roundtrips are killing off the overall vibe and my idea of a mixdown.
Even when I use the Fantoms limiter it sounds crisp.
Im over the use of and expense of studios.
I think as stated both the Fantom and K2700 are capable of doing everything within its box being the the only thing to worry about being the vocal.
Your thoughts greatly appreciated.
Cheers
Hey Andrew,
I’ve been primarily using VSTs for the last 4-5 years, even though I own a few different great workstations. The K2700 is the first board that I’ve really loved the internal sounds on in years. It’s similar to VSTs in which each preset I hear a new song idea in my head, refreshing!
Cheers and best,
Chris Senner
Thank you for your review, Chris. Your approach is very consumable and I can easily relate to how you break down each element of the board. For 25 years, I have been a Kawai, Alesis, Korg, and Roland guy, with just purchasing my first Kurzweil (used K2000vp) a couple of years ago. I have decided I have too many buttons, sliders, knobs, and configurations (is that even possible?!) so I am downsizing to just two boards – my Alesis and this K2700. From everything you shared, it certainly seems like the one-stop-shop for a home studio. I won’t be gigging out with it, but only composing and playing for family and myself, as well as recording family compositions for their own pet projects. I will look forward to following your site and hopefully being able to contribute for the benefit of others once my board arrives. My only question remains: how in the world did yours arrive so quickly? I pre-ordered mine from Sweetwater (where 90% of my gear comes from) in August. Man, you played your cards right.
Props and cheers to you in this New Year,
Mark
Thanks for the detailed review! Shared it in the K2700 Facebook group. 🙂
You got a little mistake in there, it’s a KORG Grandstage (not NORD). 😉
Hi Valentin!
Thanks for the comment and I hope everyone enjoys the review.
I need to change it as it’s confusing – I’m referring to the Nord Grand series!
The action on the PC 88 was top notch in its day. I’m always curious as to why keyboard manufacturers deviate from a winning design once they have dialed in a keybed that provides a great feel for many playing styles. The Yamaha KX 88 is a great example of this. Why Yamaha would change that perplexes me. Your comment thst the FA 08 feels “better” than the k2700 makes me reluctant to drop 3k on it. Feel is SO IMPORTANT. But of course so is sound. If the sounds (sound engine) are really a step above what’s currently out there it may overcome the impression si sm getting from a sub par keybed. In my opinion it’s not hard to beat the outdated sounds in the new over priced Fsntom. If the organ, piano, electric pianos, clav, brass, strings,pads, and synth sounds are top notch, (meet and/or exceed vst quality) the Nord stage 3 may have a viable contender to deal with. Especially when the Nord comes in at $4699. My Motifs,Kronos,Nords, and Prophet 10 (and various VST’s) has cut it for me so far. I’ll check k out the 2700. Hopefully it will give me something the others have not.
Hey Daniel, thank you so much for checking out the article.
Totally agree with you. One thing I will say is that I have always loved Roland’s key-beds. The action itself on the board is solid, but the feel is different than what I’m used to. This doesn’t mean in a bad way, just different in the same that Yamaha and Korg feel different to me as well!
Hope that helps and I think you will definitely like a lot of the K2700!
Thanks for your review. I owned a K250 (1986) and K2500 (1997) both purchased from Sweetwater. Over the past 20+ years I moved away from playing and transitioned to FoH work lboth locally and regionally. That said, I’m tiring of the hours that requires and need to focus on other aspects of my life.
If I’m going to walk away from that creative venture, I need another one to take its place. So I’ve been researching new synths/workstations. There’s no one local to test drive any current offerings save for Guitar Center. So I’ve been relying on reviews like yours. Your well thought out and concise review has sealed the deal for me on the K2700.
What difference in sound is there between the K2700 and the PC4?
Is it the same only much better hardware and more presets or an improved sound all around?
Thankyou for a great review!
Good question, Dave.
No one seems to do a comparison between these two quite – on the paper – similar synths ?
Pc4 lacks some memory, USB audio interface, Ribbon, some presets, Pads and USB-to-PC and another keybed.
AFAIK, the VAST sound engine is the same = same sonic (VAST) possibilities ?
PC4 has VAST but owners of the K2xxx series had been clamoring for a true successor – not the bolt-on that was the PC3K8. So the K2700 finally ticks all the VAST boxes without the limitations of the PC3K8 & PC4.
Here’s a comparison chart from Kurzweil. Note that the K2700 comes with more memory, more storage, more patch locations, etc.
https://kurzweil.com/2021/09/02/comparison-chart-workstations/
Hi Chris, you seem to really like both the K2700 and the Nautilus. I’m interested in both of these (as well as the Kurz SP7 Grand and Dexibell S10). How would you compare the K2700 and Nautilus in terms of keybeds and patch quality?
I’m surprised you found the Fatar keybed to be quiet in the Nautilus. Fatars always seem very noisy to me compared to Roland, Yamaha and Kawai. Perhaps Korg did some additional custom damping.
Thanks, Mike
I’ve had a PC4 for 2+ years. and love it. I perform and write on it. Thought I could use it as 1 keys live but to help, picked up a used pc3. The PC4 is quite a leap from the PC3 2x polyf, 88 keys and weighs less. I was at Sweetwater and played the K2700. Nice but, is the 2700 that much better to justfy the extra cost and weight? Kurzweil keep up the great work! Kevin
I much prefer the heavier keys of the K2500XS and PC3K8 over the PC4. Dave Weiser (Broadway performer) is a bigger fan of the lightweight feel of the PC4. I’m curious to learn if the K2700 is closer to the PC4 or the earlier K-series.
Thanks for the review! I can’t find the k2700 anywhere in Los Angeles. Not a single music store has it in stock. Not Guitar Center, not Sam Ash, not anyone. Not sure how Kurz expects me, and others, to demo its great features when we can’t play it.
I wanna use the 16 track sequencer on the K2700 inconjunction & together with the 32 track one of a classic K2kv3: surely it’s possible, just wonderin’ what would be the best way tooo configure that setup of these two & the connection(s) schematic necessary for exucuting this scenario thanx dude(s)
Hi Chris. I love your review, approach and clarity. I have a Yamaha Montage 8, and a ROland XV5080 with a Kurzweil K2500. I can upgrade the K2500 to the K2700, but am concerned about throwing money away, when not really needed. I no longer play live, only studio writing and creation for my own pleasure. Should I stick with what I have, and not duplicate the Yamaha and K2700, i.e. overkill. What do you think? Thanks
Hi Joe,
That’s a great question. I think the K2700 is such a great keyboard that works great as a MIDI controller and also has fantastic sounds/key-action. It’s really totally up to you, but I don’t think you would be disappointed if you’re able to swing the K2700.
Kind regards,
Chris
Hi Chriss. How would You pair K2700 internal soind to one found in Korg Nautilus (that You have reviewed also and gave “only” 4.5), esp. in the acoustic piano department?
It seems that ti many reviewers Italian grand on Nautilus gained very positive marks.
The internal sounds of the K2700 paired with the built-in effects are to my liking. As mentioned, I have both keyboards right next to each other and my personal preference always brings me back to the K2700. The piano sounds and guitar sounds especially. These are just my personal preference as to what I think sounds better and what I would rather use for Vinyl Theatre songs. This does not make me correct, just my personal opinions.
Kind regards,
Chris
Thanks. I own Forte and have an excellent offer for K2700 and Nautilus also.
It seems that (to my ears also) it is not all in Mb or Gb od memory occupied by samples, but internal structure of DSP, clever programming.
You helped me make my decision.
Thanks once more!
Of Course! Also – if you ever have any questions – I’ve opened up a 24/7 chat service that goes directly to me. I believe I’m the only keyboard review website that gives you direct access to professional advice!
Please spread the word.
Kind regards,
Chris
I was close to buying a Korg Nautilus. I had not really even considered the K2700 because at first it was my intention to buy a 61-key for reasons of less space on stage. I’m primarily a guitarist, and both of my bands have keyboard players, but I’d like to add some keyboard parts on top of what they are doing, particularly on songs where there’s not much guitar to cover.
But after reading your review I looked at a lot of sound demos on the K2700, and I loved how they sounded. AND the Kurzweil had more controls which can be helpful when I am recording in my DAW at home.
So in the end I decided that the problem of space/stage logistics be damned! I need the best keyboard (for doing covers) that I can afford and I think this is it.
Hey!
Thanks for the comment. I totally agree with you here. The K2700 was the first workstation in years to make me really freak. I logged a solid 10 hour day the first day I got it haha.
Chris