Korg EXB-PCM-08 Concert Grand Piano

You open the hatch... Slip in the expansion card and load up the programs and combis in any spare bank you have. Easy

It is what it is... An expasnion board.

I read the reviews below and I just want to add a little balance (no disrespect to the other revierws intended). I think that this board is a valuable addition to your Triton if you are looking for a better piano sound. If you are looking for "The" piano sound, look elsewhere.
The sound is actually very muffled - I have read that someone refered to it as being "played thru cotton wool" and I have to agree. I have tried to brighten the sound and manipulate it to get it sounding more believeable but to no avail. The sounds on this board are better than those that are in the Triton's factory settings but are still below average in my opinion.
I pose a question to you... If the piano sounds on this expansion are so good, why did Korg go thru the trouble of putting an all new stereo sampled Steinway on the Triton Extreme? They even go to the point of comparing the sounds on their website to prove that the new sample is clearer and better. Which it is.
The only way to get a really good piano sound into your Triton is to grab one of the free sampled ones that is floating around on the internet. I have an Akai Steinway 16mb stereo multi sample that I downloaded for free that is already in korg PCG format (thanks Irish Acts) that blows all the korg factory stuff away.
Summary
This card is better than what you will find inside your Triton standard. This card has some nice sounds but still is not "that great" and does not provide what I was hoping for... a great piano sound. It is an ok sound that may sound passable in a mix but to my ear, by it's self sounds kinda flat and lifeless.

Don't see anything going wrong with it

Its ok but does not compare to free samples you can download off the net and does not compare to...
New sound on the Triton Extreme
Roland XP/ Fantom piano sounds (and these sounds are pretty crappy too)
No where near as good as Yamaha Motif sounds or even those found on a cheap $300 psr model yami.
Would I buy it again? Nope! I would simply download the combi info of the net, load it in anyway and change the piano programs to the free sampled ones I have, and be better off.

This is a must for any Triton Owner.
As most of you know, the stock acoustic piano preset on the Triton is horrible, this EXB Card will provide all the piano needs.
The C Piano Grand can compete with the motif, and it is an incredible improvement over the stock triton sounds, especially in the low end. This is a must have for any classic triton owner

Very easy to install. Downloads are available Online if you buy used or lose them. Don't forget to save your programs before loading new .PCG's

Doesn't add Polyphony. Most programs are stereo so they actually cut polyphony because you are using two samples at once. No added effects just new piano sounds which are better than stock. Once they are added you can use the new sounds just like any of the stock sounds when you first got your keyboard.

They are better than the stock sounds by far. Some of the programs they have created don't sound better but the actual samples are way better so you can pick the ones you want or create or edit to your own taste. Some guy at Tritonhaven.com has actually created a sound bank of the EXB08 programs which use the stock pianos instead. Now that I have the EXB08 in my Triton I can tell you that some of these converted programs are almost as good as the new EXB08 board itself. If you don't have them go get them and compare for yourself. I created a program using a little of both as my main Concert Piano sound. Piano sounds are very subjective. A classically trained pianist might not like any keyboard piano sound but if you compare these to other keyboards they are fantastic. If you compare them to a real piano you might be critical. I have a baby grand that I love the sound of but I can't take it to practice or gigs and even if I could I would have a difficult time micing it so that I was happy with the siound that eventually came out of the PA not to mention being heard over a set of drums. I have a Yamaha S80 and this board sounds better. The s80 sounds way better than the stock Triton piano so there you go. I played the EXB08 programs via MIDI by using the s80's weighted keys and compared them. It is funny how the piano programs actually seem to sound different when you are playing a wieghted keybed instead of the waterfall keys on the Triton Pro. I find that it is way easier to compare piano programs using the weighted keys. I tried an S90 at the store and it has a fantastic Piano voice. I wish I could try it side by side at home with the EXB08 since it is also the primary piano voice in the Motif. I actually think the EXB08 is a little better than the S80 and the S90 is a little better than that. We are talking about great piano reproductions for a keyboard in any of these boards. There will always be room for improvement but we are a lot better off than just a few years ago for sure! If you love everything else about your Korg then get this EXB board for sure. Icing on the cake to me.

No problem

Never need customer service. The Korg website is great and so is Tritonhaven.com

I would buy this EXB for any Korg product that doesn't already have it installed.

I am using a Korg Triton Rack. The EXB board was quite easy to
install and the pcgs are (as always) easy to load.

I must say that if you are using a Korg Triton (or rack) and need
use pianos in your music, you MUST get this expansion board. The
stock pianos that come with the Triton are absolutely horrible.

However, this expansion board is really excellent. I have absolutely
no idea how Korg put such great sounding pianos on just a 16MB board.

The expansion board comes with many piano presets, many of which are
excellent emulations of the real thing. There are effects put on the
piano patches, such as reverb, but the effects are very well done.

EXCELLENT! I REALLY am impressed with this expansion board. As I
said earlier, it baffles me how Korg compiled so many great samples in
just 16MB. Very well done.

Granted there are some really useless presets (those that try to
combine synth with piano, or give it a spacey sound). But the
acoustic emulations are OUTSTANDING.

Not an issue with expansion boards that I know of.

NEVER had a problem with Korg products. I've owned them for many, many,
many years...LOVE them.

I couldn't live without this ROM. I have waited for it for so long.
If it were lost or stolen, I'd absolutely-positively-without-a-doubt
buy another.

V2.0 Karma... Just snap it in and go.

127 Prog and 126 Combis

I would give it an 11 if I could. The one bloody thing the stock KARMA lacked was a decent piano sample. They all sounded like absolute crap. This board was the shot in the arm the KARMA needed. Alot of people are turned off by the fact it has not been KARMAized. I think that is trivial since you can build your own.. I mean are you actually going to use a factory preset combi in a song???<snicker> dont answer that.

So far so good.

11. I love it. I was hard pressed to find anything outside of the Yamaha Motif 8 pianos that could even hold a candle to it.

Installation is painless, insert into EXB slot, load diskette and go. Preset sound is significantly better than the stock Triton piano, which would explain why this board is built into the Triton Studio series. Editing patches is as easy as editing any other patch on the Triton. It can be as easy or as simple as you want it to be. I just use the Concert Grand patch mainly and adjust the Master and Insertion effect accordingly.

The board doesn't add any polyphony to the Triton's standard 62 which for using a single program at a time is plenty. I haven't run out of voices when using combis either. The board uses the built in effects which i feel are excellent.

The other reviewer said it sounds like a Yamaha, and I agree that's a good thing, depending on what kind of music you're playing. The sample is a Borsendorfer grand though. It's a little less bright than the stock Yamaha grand sample on the Motif but is still able to cut througha mix fairly .

The board itself is protected pretty well. The triton is pretty durable so far so good.

never dealt with korg support.

The price at $99 is most certainly worth it, however I would not pay any more. If you use pianos on your Triton/pro/proX this is almost a must. Granted the Studio is better than the Classic in pretty much all manners, the price differential is significant such that if you're using the keyboard more live than in the studio, the Classic with EXB's will be way more than just fine.

This is KORG's 8th EXB expansion board for the Triton and Karma product lines, with the final 9th slated to appear in the US shortly. Installing the KORG EXBs are simple for anyone who has ever upgraded anything in their PC - turn off your power, unplug your unit, slide the ROM into the slot just like a PC's EDO RAM, load up the .PCGs provided via floppy, and you're good to go. The slip manual includes basic instructions on installation and a voice name list.

The EXB-PCM08 features a striking 16MB Bosendorfer grand piano sample, captured at mezzo-forte and fortissimo levels. Includes 32 Programs and 64 Combinations. This sample ROM is already present in the Triton Studio and Triton Le 88. I was somewhat disappointed to find out that this EXB-PCM has not been voiced with KARMA GEs as of yet. Supposedly KORG will be adding that in at a later date.

The ROM is double-strike, and many of the piano sounds appear to be stereo. It responds very well to velocity and is one of the most realistic piano sounds I've ever heard. Despite apparently being sourced from a Bosendorfer (German) piano, many of the Programs sound very Yamaha-like (which is a good thing, in my opinion). Combis are varied and you have a decent selection of piano pads and strings to choose from. I have noticed a slight hiss on some Combinations at low volume - this is a major turnoff, especially if you're looking to use said Combi(s) in a recording situation. Low notes are very full and bassy, high notes are sharp with just that right 'click' sound that you'd expect from a real grand. Again, the lack of preset KARMA GEs is a disappointment. Support your products, KORG!

For those looking for a great alternative to the disappointing stock Karma/Triton piano, EXB-PCM08 is well worth the money ($99 at most stores). You won't find a better piano sound for the Karma/Triton line in any other KORG EXB.