That's the rub with rotary simulators(and Leslie speakers for that matter). The sound quality is so subjective. For example: I have yet to play through two Leslie 122s that sound EXACTLY alike. But when you do find the sound that works for you, the results can be musical nirvana. BTW, I didn't know Behringer made a simulator; I'll have to check it out. Thanks for the knowledge.
As much as I hate to admit it (being a fan of Nord products ), I would have to say that the Hammond XK1C won the comparison contest. The Nord Electro 4D came in at 2nd place, then of course the Studiologic Numa Organ 2 earned 3rd place! Thanks for the comparison video.
Maybe it is just me, but out of all 3 of these boards I think that the Numa 2 has a more roomy, less compressed, more detailed and thicker sound to it. It sounds the most distinctive to my ears.
+Michael Richards I totally agree. although It would be interesting a comparison with the same "wet - dry" setting... We know that the reverb is such a deal with hammond sound and we can hear that the numa is with considerably much more reverbervered than the others!
The percussion on the nord sounded the best of the three. I know it wasn't the focus of the video but the nord also does a great piano and electric piano
They all three sound good in their own special way. The Nord is brighter but the XK1C sounds more like a 50s Hammond Tonewheel. To my surprise, the least expensive Numa 2 Organ was overall the winner for me. With the Nord being brighter, it also sounded digital.
Speaking as someone who owns and has owned many authentic B-3's and B-2 series organs, they all sound pretty authentic. You have to factor in room, speaker, organ age, condition, speaker age and condition. No two sound alike, so anyone who says one is more authentic isn't very experienced... Opinion on what appeals to you is an entirely different matter. Any of these would be suitable through a ventilator or real Leslie.
I can kind of agree, being I've played several B3s, C3s, & other Hammond models over the years (B2, BC, CV, RT3, A100, M3, etc.), but I would like to say, the Leslie effect on the Numa sounds very synthesized to me, like when I've tried to use a chorus pedal to make a Leslie-like sound on my M3. While the Nord sounds authentic, the tone reminds me of my M3's built-in speaker. The Hammond XK-1, from my playing experience, sounds the closest to the RT3 & Leslie that I currently have at home.
@@russellthompson8983 I think the Roland V-combo’s Leslie3 (on the VR09, the 730) is the best thing about those Combos, but I’ve been Ventillated for a long time. The Roland still sounds like a VK7. I creally don’t like the Nord’s sim, the XK1c’s is meh, and I haven’t heard a Numa live, so I have to find one. It sounds great in this vid. I really have to replace the VR09b I have! I haven’t t heard the SK1 Pro yet but there is a 73 key unit being shipped here.
I found that the volume on the Hammond was not as loud as the other two. The Nord and the Numa both had very bright sounds that were exaggerated while the Hammond had pure sounds. I would have liked to hear the pianos as well.
Congrats for this really excellent test from Germany. I do not believe that the sound of one of them is really better than the others. All are superb. For me another property is deciding. It is the way to choose different presets. This is so important for live playing e.g. as a single organ player. And for me the numa is here the best. And the price is the cheapest. So it should be an easy decision if you only need an organ and nothing else.
+MrArpSolina Yes, you're right, the best is the orginal Hammond B3/C3 which was build from 1955 until 1974 and the orginal Hammond A-100 that was built from 1955 to 1965. Nothing can beat this wonderful Sound. It's real warm Sound produced by real Tonewheels. I've changed my View, the Numa Organ Sounds best for Jazz, and the OLD Korg CX-3 Sounds best for Hard Rock. I'm a classic Hard Rock Musician, so the Korg CX-3 is the cheapest and best Organ for me. Even if it doesn't right sound like a Hammond C3, I love it's rich analog Sound.
If anybody knows anything about Hammond organs (if you have a good ear,) you're never going to hear two organs that sound completely alike. Saying that it should be accounted that these three different boards for modeled using three different B3's so while there might be one that is modeled better than the other, which you are hearing is mostly subjective. Settings can also be changed such as click, rotary mic emulation or even Leslie speed.
the nord sounds more compressed with more prominent mid harmonics. with eq adjustment and compression i recon they could be made to sound virtually indistinguishable, especially in the mix. i'd be inclined to to get the hammond, for the name badge.
They all sound like they would fit in a mix well. I heard a kind of bell-like drift from the Nord. The Numa I personally thought had a deeper sound and the Hammond the most melodic sounding of them all. Thanks for the video, I enjoyed it!
I think the Hammond XK1C sounds most like a REAL Hammond, but anyone comparing pricing is not taking into account the Nord has multiple piano and organ sounds in it, not just a Hammond....
I will be in the market for a organ within the next year, so I am really expressing my true opinion. The Nord sounded the brightest, but synthetic, The Numa was surprisingly good, especially for the price range . The Hammond sounded the warmest, & slightly more realistic . In my opinion, I would take the Hammond 1st, the Numa 2nd, then the Nord . I wonder how the Roland V organ would've compared ?!
mrinnervisionz I don't know how the hell people be having their settings to have Nord sound that way but I turn the organ click down and if I need anything else I can change it on the fly through the EQ settings. You can do a ton lot more stuff with Nord as well as add a Leslie speed switch now on the NE5
After having tried Nords and Hammonds, I bought an XK1-c. However, the leslie and overdrive on any of them leave a lot to be desired. But ally the XK1-c with a Neo instruments Ventilator (or even my modern Leslie), and it's a whole different ball game. The Hammond is much closer to the dry tone of a real organ. But only the Ventilator gets close to a real driven leslie for my ears.
+Tony Edwards I have to reply on this. I love my XK1C - but, out of the box the Leslie Simulation was just a little off and I could not hear the Chorale Speed to my satisfaction. In reading the manual, I found that I had all kinds of options to tweak everything about the organ. I have my Neo Ventilator and yes, out of the box the XK1C sounds much better thru the vent but when I got done with all the tweaking, I no longer needed the vent. The tweaking on the Nord is much less than the Hammond. Sorry, I do not have the experience with the Numa Organ. I once saw one at Guitar Center and spent about an hour with it. For the money, it was a pretty good deal but you can't do much tweaking with it - that was a bad deal for me. I have had quite a few Nords and at first when you think they sound great - it becomes obvious that is just sounds digital. I have always thought they were over rated and way too expensive.
I have owned multiple B-3s..A-100's...147/122 Leslie etc etc since I been playing since l967..I had a KeyB full tilt..amp/legs/base the whole monte..all gone now...I bought a Numa 2 about 2 years ago..love it...ordered a SK 4 it sucked and was so darn complicated and difficult to operate and just plain confusing i sent it back after two hours or irritation...the Numa is a perfect blend of easy to use features and sounds great..I run it in stereo..beautiful..does it sound perfect? NO, it's a little thin in the upper registers however, if you crank it up with a Lounsberry Tall Fat And Wide pedal it kicks total butt...cranked.
@@michelangelobuonarroti916 I'd say it's down mostly to the Leslie simulation quality for me; the Hammond is the weakest in that respect IMO. Note that I don't necessarily mean it sounds less authentic, it just sounds comparatively thinner
The Numa sounds great but remember the Nord is really good too and gives you great Pianos and other sounds like Mellotron, Clavinet etc so that for me the Nord is The Deal!
The Leslie sim on the Hammond sounds like the Microphone placement setting is narrow (almost Mono) I'll take the XK1C and use the Leslie Sim from the Nord if I could! As it is I usea Nord Elecro 3 with Neo Ventilator = Great
The percussion on the Nord is set far too loud and this is spoiling it. The Hammond sounds nearer to the original than the Nord and has a good Leslie sym too. The Numa has a really nice warm full sound which is probably the closest to the original, but it's Leslie sym is not as good as the others. Maybe the Numa witha Ventilator would be a winning combination ?
At 9:25, the Hammond sounds better than the Nord at 9:23 and Numa at 9:26. I like the Nord a lot (for features), but when it comes to organ tone, the Hammond really has it.
+25musicmaker I just think the gain was a little down. The Nord has a volume and a separate gain. I had compared my XK1C to my vintage Hammond 54 B2 thru a 122 and the Nord was played thru to Mackie stereo Ref monitors. The comparison was almost identical. I had a Nord 4D and got rid of it. I do have a Nord Electro 4 HP that I do like and use it a lot especially with rehearsals - The pianos still bother me but I exchanged two of them from the library and it is better.
I think the Numa wins at 4:00, it sounds fake when he switches back to the Hammond XK1C, it seems like the Numa needs more gain, it's disadvantaged in the mix ...
could make all work easily and sleep more than happy. I'd be ecstatic. But from this example the Hammond just drips with vintage warmth! ( but that is not necessarily a concern that proves best! if such a category of sound can said to represent hands down superiority when all these digital solutions are superior ) Just that when I reach for Rhodes Clav Vintage sounds I am usually searching fer that vintage analog warmth authenticity fer that zeitgeist appeal.
They all don’t sound that close to a Hammond B3, but they can work if you’re looking for a Hammond sound at minimum. The Studiologic has a key click/attack that sounds good but also very plasticky. It comes with a very nice Leslie emulator which for me sounds more like a chorus than a Leslie but still sounds pretty good. The tonal character is a little thicker and bassier than the other two. It, unfortunately, has the worst leakage emulation of the three which the performer doesn’t even seem to use. The XK1 has the nicest *organ* sound, but the Leslie is less than amazing. It sounds really digital but also has the Leslie ‘throbbing’ characteristics that the Studiologic misses. The Nord here is my favorite. It has a very woody sound which is also very warm, if not slightly boxy.
and i liked the E4D best. Punchier, more powerful, "sweeter" high frequencies, better overdrive color (not all the way though), Leslie sim....matter of taste i guess :)
At first, thanks for upload video. 1. NordElectro4D 2. NumaOrgan2 (very good buy for half price of a NordElectro4D !) 3. Suzuki... (rather similar with a transistor-organ, but not a Hammond...) :-((
Why does the Hammond's presence seem further removed from "front & center" than the Nord's & the Numa's? Is it simply that the volume on the Hammond was lower than the other two? Or is there more to it than that?
The Nord definitely has the most tube-like warmth of the three, followed by the Numa. That the XK-1 was the most digital/hi-fi sounding of the three is both surprising and a bit disappointing, especially given the B-3 organ is their namesake's invention. Wonder what the three would sound like run through a Neo Ventilator?
A beautiful instrument this NORD and it rings rather well connected on a LESLIE 122 or 147 or 760, but the legend is always here? more than ever with the best clones HAMMOND. I want to speak formidable HAMMOND series XK / XK3 C and SK made by HAMMOND. For the same price, why to buy a copy. The lovers of HAMMOND will not get lost with products which touch the forgery. In the resale, HAMMOND does not stay on classified ads. I forgot wonderful NEW B3, years of searches at SUSUKI and its greatest HAMMOND engineers (owner of the mark HAMMOND) to produce one truths and stunning new B3. The key point of this clone, it is its manufacturing of very beautiful European building. Numa I don't know, It's Italian product... I believe it's good.
Well the Nord is brighter for some reason. But I just purchased the Hammond xk1c recently so of course Ima say Hammond. But I'll tell you one thing. Ask him afredson for his 1954 Hammond settings and download it into the Hammond xk1c and clearly Hammond beats all at that point!!!
To me Nord sound is superior in every way and that comes from someone who played organ since 7. The other two sound way too shiny and cheezy at some points and the Hammond has the worst Leslie ever but, I’m sure with tweaking all of these could be nice for anyone.
I just read the online reviews on forums. It seems 9 out of 10, people keep having to send these back for various issues. That doesn't sit too well with me. It's a shame given they sound awesome.
As you bring in more Drawbars you can tell the Nord is the most accurate B3 modeling, authentic right down to the key contact noise. The others by comparison tend to sound flimsier and more brittle. The Numa sounds downright watery.
The amplification system and recording are so bad that it is impossible to draw any meaningful conclusions from this video. It was good of them to try but the implementation of the idea is just not useful. I have Nords, Numa 2's and Hammonds and none sound anything like these.
I'm no expert but I am sure this has been done at the factory and try out and comparing sounds after programing and suspect copy the sound ...I mean the original sound from who you want to beat JA JA JA .. do not waist your time !
The Hammond is no good. Then again the Nord and the Numa are different from each other. I cant say is the Numa or Nord better. both are good. They are different as a console hammonds are different from each other. Ill own one C3 and the Numa is close to it? the Nord is not?? But the sounds are good??
