Sozo,

I bought a Korg Triton Pro w/MOSS and SCSI options last year. It's a beautiful instrument and has amazing string sounds. I tried it for about 3 weeks, then returned it and got a Yamaha PSR9000 instead. Here's why . . .

First, Korg buries settings beneath multiple screens. The Triton looks sleek but that's because they put very few buttons on it. I had to go from screen to screen to screen to screen to screen just to make minor changes. Needless to say, if you plan of playing "live" before an audience, then screen-hopping becomes an annoyance and interferes with your performance.

Second, the Triton has two arpeggiators to create drum loops, etc. but you've got to pre-program every single song and on the Triton that takes a lot of screen-hopping, time, and effort (for every single song).

Third, I felt that the PSR9000 gave me the best features at a better price than either the Solton X1 or the VA-7. As you read the posts on this forum you'll find that each of us is pretty biased about which Arranger Keyboard is the best. Yet, I still believe you can't beat the PSR9000 in a price/feature comparison.

Fourth, ease of use and reliability are two important categories for me. Sure, I like to create my own voices from scratch like a lot people on this forum but I also want to be able to sit down and PLAY MUSIC without scoping out manuals, hunting for the right buttons, or worrying that my keyboard will shut off for no apparent reason. I feel that the PSR9000 is the best in this category too.

I'm sure you'll hear from others that will disagree with me but I've had my PSR9000 for about 7 months, and so far its NEVER disappointed me in any way. It's extremely powerful and versatile, has great sound, beautiful voices, and terrific onboard styles. In fact, I'm so enamored with this keyboard that I'm planning on buying the 9000PRO model very shortly (the pro model has 76 keys and no speakers while the PSR9000 has 61 keys and built-in speakers, otherwise they're pretty much the same).

I'll probably open the flood gates with this statement but X1 owners gripe about how bad their manual is, they buy extra videos on how to operate them, and then still end up asking a million questions on how to access features but PSR9000 owners rarely ever need to bother with a manual. Everything is user-friendly and intuitive.

I know very little about the VA-7. Not too many people on SynthZone have one, and its only rarely discussed but I'm sure you'll get feedback on it shortly.

RECOMMENDATION: Go to a music store and TRY before you buy! Try a PSR9000, an X1, a VA-7 and a Korg. You'll know very quickly which one is for you and which isn't. I'm betting you'll find that the Yamaha PSR9000 is a keeper.

regards,
Steve