Originally posted by keybplayer:
I can see your point mc. Although, the concern I have with your hypothesis i.e. "what's the big deal with shelling out an extra Grand" is #1. the Tyros3 does NOT cost 4 Grand, although it may cost that much in certain parts of Europe and/or Asia. Over here in the States you can get a T3 for roughly "3" Grand + any tax. I agree though with your concept that paying "extra" for a keyboard [as opposed to paying less for a different one e.g. the T3, etc.] can prove wise and indeed cost effective in the long run if the more expensive keyboard is superior in every way to the less expensive one. #2. But that is essentially predicated on "how much superior or better" the more expensive one is compared the lesser expensive one. I see what you're saying though i.e: "if I can afford a T3 I can certainly dig a little deeper in my pockets and get the more expensive Audya if I want or need to. Yes, but before doing so you have to weigh the positives and negatives of each one and make your decision based on what the rest of the competition offers e.g. (price, value, features, selection - 61/76 keys, sufficient memory, which one has the superior sounds, Sampler/no Sampler etc.) and if the Audya seems to meet or exceed those of the competition then by all means shell out the extra dough and get it if you think it will meet your keyboard playing needs and requirement(s).
In my own case, I like some the features and innovation(s) of the Audya but for the life of me I don't see how it can necessarily even compare or be ANY better than the "fully functional" and the $2,000 LESS expensive Korg Pa2XPRO. Sure, the Audya does have 77 additional notes of polyphony over the Pa2X and it also has the audio style functionality, but the Audya only has a "minuscule" amount of available RAM compared to what you can attain RAM wise on the Pa2XPRO. Plus the Pa2X's buttons line up. 
I think Ketron is basically trying to sell the Audya at such a ridiculously high price because they have incorporated the new audio style loop integration feature into it and think people will spring for that new technology, and because it took them forever and a day to "work out the bugs" so R&D went through the roof and they want to try and recoup as much of those production costs as possible. In the meantime the consumer is the one getting shafted and all because of Ketron's "inefficiency" and "ineptitude". Inefficiency: because the design of the poor thing is sorely lacking in my opinion, and ineptitude: because it almost appears that the engineers at Ketron don't have the foggiest on what they're doing and the fact that it has taken them a coon's age to release simply this, in my opinion, a dumbed down "beta" product that we currently witness before our eyes called the Audya. 
I could go on and on why I think the Audya lacks merit e.g. only has USB 1.1, poor design, many of the sounds aren't the greatest, lack of RAM, high price, etc. - but I will spare you the trouble and the bandwidth. 
Enjoy whatever you play! If that be the Audya then more power to you! 
For me, I will pass thank you.
All the best,
Mike
[This message has been edited by keybplayer (edited 05-05-2009).]Mike, Your right and this my take on the Audya thing:
It all depends on tastes, likes and what people needs are, nothing else. Me personally and these are my opinions on how the Audya will work for me if I purchase one. I will buy the audya sooner or later. I've always owned ketrons. I love their sounds and styles. That's the most important thing to me right now. I don't care about a 64 ram sampler, since I never used one when I owned X1 & SD1. The Midjay feature is a huge plus for me. Their midi playback has always sounded great. I will take a drive to Franks store and demo one.
As far as the layout the some like and some don't. Since I have owned many ketrons, on one model the buttons were on the left, the next model the buttons were on the right. No difference to me, I got use to it. What Ketron excels in (latin, ethnic styles) fits my exact needs.
I know many say that you can by a PA2X or G70 and keep a couple of grand in there pockets. For me (IMO) I find that the styles on the korg are horrible and the G70 even worse. I listen to G70 and it reminds me of the E86. There is nothing wrong with that because everyone has different tastes. So I'm not angry or take it personal nor should anyone else, since we are all different.
My advice is if you like the Audya and if you find its financially worth it. Great go for it; don’t look back. If not, there are plenty of other ketron models and other companies that may suit yours or anyone else's needs.
Good luck,
[This message has been edited by mc (edited 05-05-2009).]
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