Thanks Dan!

The important thing (to me) is if the 172 styles on the XD9 (vs 309 on the SD1) are 'the important styles' I would find most useful for my music specialty: jazz swing, brushes, lounge ballads, big band, and latin & blues/funk. Is there a listing of the XD9's styles and sounds available anywhere yet?

How much smaller and lighter is the XD9 compared to the SD1? The SD1 has a very small footprint for a 76 note keyboard. One of the reasons is because the pitch bend/mod wheels are located above the keybed. Are the wheels located above the XD9's keybed as well? I see that the weight is 35 lbs. Please provide the XD9's dimensions if possible. Great to hear that the XD9 has built in speakers too. I typically like to use them as a monitor. Any new speaker design enhancements compared to the X1?

Also, is the XD9's keyboard feel similar to the SD1 (hopefully) or more like the X1's?

I must admit that I've become pretty spoiled with the lightweight (24 lb) and compact size of the Yamaha PSR2000, so size and weight have become an important consideration.

Notlos & DanO: Looking forward to seeing (pics), hearing (MP3 demos), and reading more reports about the XD9 as they become available. This definitely looks to be an exciting year for arranger keyboards.

DanO: I hope you're right about the XD9 supporting the rootless voicings (like the SD1). I know this isn't important to many others here, but for piano comping jazz standard styles, it's essential. Can you possibly email Sandro to confirm that this will actually be implemented?

Dan: btw, I hope you can contact Justin (Guitar Center associate you used to work with in your Baltimore store) to arrange getting arranger keyboards (especially Ketron -Solton) in the San Francisco Bay area Guitar Centers: specifically the East Bay El Cerrito store. Unfortunately no one at the Guitar Centers around here knows about Solton-Ketron keyboards. Hopefully you can work with Justin to change that.


Thanks,


Scott