2010-08-08 by George F. Litterst
Good evening, everyone.
Answers below:
On Aug 8, 2010, at 11:45 AM, mh180005 wrote:
> I have a Mark III and am very interested in the DKC 850. I have spoken to several Yamaha dealers but still have additional questions that I'm hoping can be answered from people that have already upgraded to the DKc 850.
>
> 1) Is the DKC 850 designed to be 'self installed' or is the installation required to be performed by a professional technician?
>
You can definitely do this yourself. All cables are included and directions are very easy to follow. There is nothing technical about this except for one thing: Make sure that you have turned off (and, ideally, unplugged from AC) your Disklavier before disconnecting the old control unit or connecting the new one.
Also, it is a good idea to check Yamaha's website and update the firmware of your instrument if a firmware update is available. Apparently that task can only be done with the old control unit.
It is a good idea to keep the old unit.
>
> 2) If an option exists for installation then what would be your recommendation?
>
Do it yourself! Spend the money that you save on having a Disklavier technician do normal action regulation and Disklavier calibration.
> 3) Where did you get the DKC 850 upgrade from? Your local Yamaha store or somewhere else?
>
Yamaha dealer.
> 4) I've asked about price several times and have gotten several different answers depending upon who I talk to and which dealer I speak with. Does a "standard" list price exist for the DKC 850 upgrade?
>
The suggested list price from Yamaha Corporation of America is $1,495. The price charged by the local dealer is a price determined by the local dealer.
>
> 5) Are additional capabilities being planned for the DKC 850?
>
>
Yamaha has not stated anything in this regard, but that is not unusual. The box, itself, seems to have updatable firmware.
Regards,
PianoBench
www.georgelitterst.com
www.timewarptech.com