Fall 2026 new stuff? - Sand, software and soundSand, software and sound

I’m going to leave ancient keyboards behind (for a moment), and leap into the future. Well, the maybe future.

Dirty ca$h: CK76?

Every now and again, an Internet search barfs up a tasty tidbit. Perhaps the Yamaha CK page cache is dirty, but two new CK-related offerings may be on the way:

A new 76-key model, CK76, in the CK line-up.
A version 2.0 CK update.

Let’s hope so. The Yamaha CK is a great value for budget-minded punters.

CK76 — Dirty cash I want you

CK61 and CK88 were announced in early 2023. We are due for a model refresh AKA “life extension” for the CK product line. If they had a 49-key CK that weighs less than 8 pounds, I would buy one in a heartbeat.

Pedal to the metal

I’m a fan of Teenage Engineering’s K.O. gear. Not long ago, I bought a K.O. Sidekick, too — and yes, I owe you a review. 🙂

TE know how to tease a credit card, and now, pictures of an EP-127 K.O.-PEDAL are making the rounds.

The K.O. EP samplers are ripe for accessorization. There is, of course, K.O.’s serial MIDI IN and OUT. The “BT” button in the picture screams Bluetooth. Perhaps Bluetooth MIDI is coming in a future EP update? CME make the CME WIDI EP MIDI interfaces, so TE does not need to re-invent that wheel.

TE label their inputs and outputs with tiny “I” and “O” markings. The picture suggests an expression (pedal) input and a MIDI output — no MIDI IN.

If — IF — the power switch position is similar to the EP-40, then the K.O.-PEDAL is about 18cm wide and 9cm deep. That is not very big. Perhaps the circular-disks are touch pads? That might open up the possibility of finger drumming. TE likes control gizmos.

I don’t think the K.O.-PEDAL will be very expensive, so start saving your pennies.

A place for your cold one

The other TE leak — and you have probably seen it already — is the TE EP-35 K.O.-AMP. It is a 35 Watt battery powered, portable instrument amplifier. There are many small personal instrument amplifiers like the Headrush FRFR-GO, Yamaha Stagepas 100BTR and a bajillion ultra-portable amps aimed at guitarists. Now TE will take the plunge.

Teenage Engineering EP-35 K.O.-AMP

The K.O.-AMP has LINE IN, guitar IN and XLR MIC inputs. There are MIC effects and guitar effects which can be dialed in independently (those funky thumb dials). All can be directed to the LINE OUT. The MIC XLR can supply 48V phantom power.

There are two physical USB Type-C ports: a computer/phone port and an “EP-PLUG” port (with its own MODE button). The main goes-in, goes-out and controls are on the top panel with several more controls hidden in the “storage compartment.” The EP-PLUG port supports USB audio devices, USB thumb (flash) drives and EP-PLUG accessories. The EP samplers got full USB audio with the last update, so I would expect the EP samplers and the EP-126 K.O. SIDEKICK to communicate with the amp over USB. The SIDEKICK would be a sick mixer for the K.O.-AMP.

In terms of wireless, there are Bluetooth audio and FM radio (true old skool wireless). The K.O.-AMP can broadcast audio to other K.O.-AMPs in Auracast mode. No doubt, all of this wireless stuff necessitated FCC testing and approval.

I think the K.O.-AMP is aimed at consumers more so than gigging musicians. Key specs are:

Frequency response: 50Hz – 20 Khz (-6dB) TBD
Max SPL @ 1m: 94dB (TBD)

That’s not a lot of bass and not very loud. You should plan on buying two for stereo.

Looking at the measuring tapes (centimeters!) in the picture, the front bezel is about 21cm wide and deep. Doing a little ratio magic, the speaker diameter is 10cm. The tweeter is 3cm.

TE gear is always fun and sometimes price-y. I don’t see the K.O.-AMP undercutting TE’s OB-4 portable wireless stereo speaker. The OB-4 sells for $580 to $680 USD. A pair of K.O.-AMPs should cost about the same — maybe $340 USD each?