Hartke KM200

This is not sensible. Modern amp and speaker technology is superior to that of a few years ago and, happily, there are now many combos with sufficient power and punch to allow you to hear yourself above the Joe Satriani wannabe with the dual 4 x 12s who’s standing just a couple of metres away. What’s more, recent designs allow these combos to be used in at least two ways: as sub-mixers and personal monitors for players who use multiple sound sources on stage, but don’t want to trust the FOH engineer with anything more complicated than a stereo pre-mix; and as full-mix monitoring systems that sound rather better than the muffled old wedges provided by many venues. All of which brings us to the rather sexy Hartke KM200, which promises all of this, and more.

Starting at the back end of the signal chain (for reasons that should make sense as you read on) the output from the internal mixer drives three stereo outputs, each with its own level control. Firstly, there’s a stereo line out on both quarter-inch and XLR sockets, and this sends the internally mixed signal to the destination of your choice — most likely the main FOH mixer. A useful mono/stereo switch allows you to sum the left and right channels to mono if the number of channels available at the far end is a problem. Sensibly, this output has its own on/off switch, so you can fart around at your end without driving the sound engineer insane while doing so.

Next, there’s a quarter-inch TRS headphone output that allows you to monitor the mixed signal by ‘phones, or (if you’re a little naughty) to send the mix to another destination, such as a monitor mixer. Finally, and most obviously, there’s the local output (called Volume). This feeds the mixed signal to the internal amplifier and then to the internal speakers. There’s another on/off switch associated with this output so you can silence the KM200 itself while still sending audio to the line and headphone outputs, thus turning the KM200 into a simple on-stage mixer. All of which brings us to what we’re going to mix...

There are four primary stereo input channels, each offering dual inputs on quarter-inch jacks, and each with an independent level control. However, there are three flavours within these: channel 1 is different from channels 2 and 3, which are again different from channel 4.

Starting with channel 1, this offers the expected quarter-inch L/R line-level inputs but, in addition to these, there’s a monophonic XLR mic input and preamp for a low-impedance microphone. (Phantom power is not provided.) There’s a dedicated effects loop for the mic input, and this allows you to patch the effects of your choice into the microphone signal path. Channel 1 also offers a limited amount of control over the tone of the incoming signal, but this is a basic two-band (bass/treble) EQ, so don’t get too excited.

Channels 2 and 3 accept line-level signals only, and have no equalisation. This is acceptable when using modern keyboards and workstations that have onboard EQs, but it could prove to be a limitation for players who use older analogue gear that requires a little tweaking.

Like channels 2 and 3, channel 4 accepts line-level signals only. It has no equalisation, but does offers an auxiliary stereo input on RCA (phono) sockets, which is useful for connecting domestic audio equipment such as CD and MP3 players. I found that I could use these inputs and the quarter-inch instrument inputs simultaneously without problems, although, of course, there is no facility to adjust their levels independently. This channel has another trick up its sleeve, although it’s explained incorrectly in the manual which states that the “slide switch is used to turn off the channel 4 input signal in the internal amplifier”. This is nonsense, because it does the opposite. The channel 4 input signal (whether derived from the quarter-inch or the phono inputs) is always sent to the amplifier bus, but you can use the switch to determine whether or not it is also sent to the headphones and main outputs. This may be useful if you want to incorporate talkback or a click track into your on-stage sound without the audience hearing what’s going on.

If you don’t want to dedicate channel 4 to local monitoring duties or broadcast your click track across the stage, there’s another input labelled ‘To Phones Only’. Any signal presented here is delivered to the headphone amp only, and neither to the internal amp/speaker nor the main outputs. It has its own input level control, although this has a rather unpleasant feel at both the clockwise and anticlockwise extremes. If you’re happy to monitor your click track by headphones or in-ear monitors, this input is ideal.

Finally, there’s an input labeled ‘External Mixer In’. This is another quarter-inch stereo (TRS) socket, and it is suitable for use with anything that can deliver a line-level signal. Any signal presented here is delivered to all three outputs, so you could use it as a fifth instrument input, although you would not be able to control its level on the KM200 itself.

So, what of the sound? It’s good... perhaps very good. I connected a stage rig comprising a Roland XP-80, a Korg Z1, a Roland S-760 sampler and a Roland piano module, and everything sounded clearer, brighter and punchier than through my existing, and rather aged, TOA KD3. In particular, the timbre of the piano module was much improved, exhibiting greater presence and depth, both in the local sound and through the FOH mix. To be fair, the on-stage sound of the KM200 is not quite as a neutral as I had expected, but this is a consequence of the speakers (which were developed for Hartke’s range of bass guitar amplifiers) and the enclosure. When monitoring the output through the headphone channel, the audio was largely uncoloured and true to the original.

The KM200 generates a certain amount of background noise, but this is not excessive. With no cables inserted, channel 2 was the quietest, with little hiss even when the input gain was set to maximum. Channels 3 and 4 were not quite as well behaved, with a hum apparent at high gain, while channel 1 was the worst, with a higher level of hiss than any of the others. Nonetheless, the noise levels were always acceptable, and it would not be apparent at the sound levels implied by these gains.

Of greater concern is the lack of EQ on channels 2, 3 and 4, and the lack of any onboard effects or even a stereo effects loop. These are significant limitations that could render the KM200 unsuitable for you. Equally frustrating is the lack of balance and/or pan controls. I realise that the KM200 is designed for use with stereo instruments, but these controls would allow you to position your sounds in the stereo soundstage or mix up to eight monophonic instruments with a moderate degree of control.

Although the KM200 is marketed as a keyboard mixer/combo, it has at least three further uses, most obvious of which is as a stage monitor. Thanks to its ‘kick-back’ design (hence 12 corners, not eight) I found it to be ideal for this. On three occasions when performing live, I took a monitor return from the stage box and inserted this into channel 1 of the KM200. It handled the full mix without any complaints and, due to its clarity and excellent projection, I found that I was able to monitor at a lower level than when using the band’s wedge monitors. There’s just one thing to be wary of. If its wheels are pointing backward when you push it into its kick-back position, it will tumble right over onto its back. There’s no danger here (unless this tears out overly short cables), but the solution is to roll the KM200 backward a few inches so that the wheels rotate into the correct position before rotating it.

Shhh... up until now it’s been a secret but, like many keyboard players, I yearn for the more physical side of rock & roll, and I’m a closet drummer with a Roland TD3-KW set up where nobody will discover the guilty pleasures it affords me. Hartke suggest that the KM200 is suitable as a drummer’s monitor, so I decided to give it a go using the electronic kit. This is a tough test most general-purpose amplifiers have difficulty handling the extremes of, say, a kick drum and hi-hats, but the KM200 came through with flying colours. If I were to own one, I might be tempted to leave it permanently connected to the kit, even though it’s over-specified for this use alone.

It’s less of a secret that, like almost all keyboard players, I also yearn to be a guitarist. Indeed, I have even been known to inflict my guitar playing on audiences. However, I’m not dedicated enough to be able to justify a high-quality guitar rig stuffed full of vintage pedals and those bright, glowing things that guitarists seem to adore, so I use a Line 6 POD XT played through my keyboard amp. I tried this with the KM200 and the results were excellent. Whatever you may think of modelling systems such as PODs, the KM200 has the clarity and presence to reproduce their sounds faithfully, and I rather liked the results. No, that’s not fair. I loved ‘em. The KM200 handled everything that the POD threw at it, from clean tones to screaming death metal (the kind probably played on guitars shaped like coffins).

Nonetheless, I was impressed with the KM200. I liked its brighter, punchier sound, and I found it to be free from unpleasant surprises. Despite being gigged as a stage monitor, used as a keyboard amp for a number of rehearsals, and used for a few weeks as an electronic drum kit monitor, it performed faultlessly during the review period. Conclusion? If you need a greater range of facilities, you’ll have to look elsewhere. But if its limitations do not affect you, you should consider the KM200 very seriously.  0