Hi Marc,

A world of difference I would have to say from a 630 to a 2000. . I just upgraded from the 740 to the 2000. I had gone from a PSR530 to the 740, but I never really embraced the 740 as much as I would have liked to. The 740 was billed by some as a light and portable version of the 8000, but I never saw it that way. The 2000 is a completely different animal and for the price, for me anyway, it is a very nice and relatively inexpensive "light and portable" alternative to a 9000, minus a few features and some voice rom of course. I agree that the panel sounds are better and that the styles sound more realistic than the 30 series and the 40 series as well. The guitar sounds were always a sore spot for me on the 740, particularly the amplified electrics. I'd say thay are much improved on the 2000, and I find some to be very usable for me now, though for composing I'll still probably stick with my PA80 for some of the guitar sounds. The 2000 also has many more functions than the 630/740. The mixer and sequencer functions are excellent in it's price range. I had a Casio MZ2000 for a time, and although many would scoff at it solely because of the name, I thought it had outstanding features for its price ( vastly superior to the 740 for features and comparable in that respect even to some of the higher end arrangers ), but while some of its sounds were pretty good, others were not really up to par, and Casio offers absolutely no support or upgrades for their products. I had wished that another manufacturer would have offered comparable features at the same price range, and voila, the 2000 is the answer to my wishes, with sounds to match the excellent features in its price class. I agree with Don M 100% - The 2000 is an outstanding value in it's price class, and it is all and even more than what I had hoped the MZ2000 was going to be for me. In tandem with my PA80, which has excellent sounds and styles, and pro level synth edit features, ( but can be a bit difficult to navigate in real time ), with the 2000, I feel that I now have a very nice setup to both compose and perform with. I was unsure at first whether it was worth it for me to upgrade from the 740 to the 2000, but after spending a few days with the new board, for me it is a no brainer. Much better than the jump from the 530 to the 740.

AJ


[This message has been edited by Bluezplayer (edited 11-15-2001).]