Roland XV-5050 vs. JV-1010

[mark4man]

People,

Looking to make a move up (maybe); & need some answers to the following questions:

How much better is the Roland XV-5050 than the JV-1010, in terms of actual sound quality?

Someone told me that the XV-5050 utilizes the same patches as the JV-2020...& it's my understanding that the 2020 was basically a newer version of the 1010.

So...what's different (in terms of sound quality, not effects) between the two. I know the 5050 utilizes a 24-Bit engine. Was this also true of the 1010 & 2020? Are the piano & drum sounds, for example, much nicer on the 5050...&, if so...is that a result of higher quality patches or the 24-Bit architecture (or both)?

Thanks very much,

mark4man

 

[mikeh]

I own a 5050 - I 've never owned a 1010, but have used them enough to compare the sounds.

While slightly overly simplistic, your assessment of the relationship between the 1010, 2020 and 5050 is relatively acurate. THe 1010 was replaced by the 2020 and the 5050 does use some of the same sound architecture. However, the XV series does create thicker richer shoulds than the JV series (I'm not much of a tech head - so I can't communicate the programming differences).

While the sounds in the 5050 are as a whole, "better" than the 1010 (and certainly there are a whole lot more sounds on the 5050) I'm not convinced the 5050 is a tremendous leap over the 1010 (based on pure sound alone).

The 5050 does have some piano sounds which are "better" than the 1010 - but as long as Roland has a "piano" expansion card they aren't going to provide top quality stock sounds. THe 5050 does have a wider range of drum sounds, which can provide more options in various musical styles.

The 5050 provide many more routing options (4 outs), better MIDI implementation and much more effects processing - which all justifies the costs variance from a 1010 or 2020 - but as far as the pure sounds, I don't know if I would spend money to "upgrade" from a 1010 to a 5050 (just for the sounds) - unless I was looking to increase the number of sounds available to me (vs. just to get a better piano or drum sound).

 

[mark4man]

mikeh,

Thanks much. Very helpful.

Let me ask you this (as a 5050 owner):

On the outputs...the JV-1010 outputs an unbalanced 1.1kohm signal that never exceeds -18dBFS to -15dBFS in level strength. Sometimes I record directly into the DAW (SONAR XL 2.2) & add gain to the track; & sometimes I preamp in.

On the 5050, are the outputs balanced?

How hot is the output signal?

With 24-Bit architecture, is the S/N Ratio better (lower noise floor in relation to the overall gain)?

And, in keeping with the 24-Bit question...since typical sound module output gain would render a low resolution signal, do they provide some means to beef up the gain at the digital outputs?

Thanks (& sorry for all the questions...I need to know this stuff before I make the plunge.)

mark4man

 

[mikeh]

The outputs on the 5050 are not balanced. I've never really analysed the precise output levels or signal to noise level of the 5050, but the 5050 has output gain about the same as other modules I've used. If I recall, the 1010 was known for very weak output (which naturally cound cause some noise floor issues when the signal was tweaked using gain on a mixer, etc.) - I've never A/B'd the 5050 and 1010 at the same time, but I think the 5050 does send a somewhat hotter signal than the 1010 did.

I have not used the digital out (I send all the audio outs from my keys/modules through a mixer) - but to my knowledge, there is no gain control for the digital outs.

Perhaps you've already looked - but the Roland site has a couple of product reviews on the 5050 (one being from an issue of Keyboard magazine - which you may find interesting.

I have been satisfied with my 5050, lots of sounds, lots of effects options,the editing software is fairly user friendly and 4 outputs beats two anyday. I've owned lots of Roland gear over the years and have never had a problem (other than a dead battery on a D50, after something like 12 years of serious use).

 

[SonicAlbert]

The 5050 does send a good volume level, definitely hotter than the 1010 and the 2020 too. The output of the 5050 is clean and does have plenty of level, not something that you need to worry about. As a matter of fact, I've done direct listening comparison tests between the digital outputs of the 5080 versus the analog outputs of the 5050, and they sound virtually identical. The 5050 analog outs are *very* clean.

I've owned at one time or another the XV-3080, 2020, 5050, and 5080. The 5050 sounds excellent in my opinion, and better than the 2020.

One advantage of the 5050 not mentioned yet is the two SRX expansion boards. Since Roland has been re-releasing the JV boards as SRX boards (approximately 3-4 JV boards on one SRX), you can cram a lot more sounds into the 5050 than the 1010. There are also some really good sounding SRX boards with new samples, that are not available as JV boards at all.

Another box to consider, if you can afford it, is the Roland Fantom XR. As far as an upgrade, there's *no* question that the Fantom XR is a major upgrade over the JV-1010. Also, the built-in piano in the Fantom XR is excellent. The Fantom XR is a one rack space unit like the 5050, but really packs a huge punch.