I'm not sure if it was a smart move...not yet. I've been a yamaha user for so long it's a bit difficult to move on to Korg. There's a lot to like about the Pa800. The OS is not one of them. However once you get used to it, it's not that bad- just different. Korg styles vary in quality. They really shine in the ac. guitar - driven styles and a lot of the jazz styles are very good. Same goes for voices. Trumpets, brass, trombones, drums, guitars, strings, and synths are outstanding. Flutes and saxes are unacceptable to my ear. Oh how I long for that Yamaha Sweet Soprano sax. Korg really missed the mark in the sax dept.
So I was assuming that the DNC voices on the 800 would well outdo those on the 500, but basicallywhat they are is just same voices on which some are given special controls for more expression, but as far as I can tell, those bad saxes are just as bad - only with more expression/control. It's too bad because there are other features that are better than Yamaha...it seems the style loops are longer and contain more variety - plus they're not drowning in reverb- more in your face and live- feeling.
Just about everything is customizable on the Pa800 - AND upgrades, voices, and styles are free.
I'm considering taking the 800 back and trading it in for a 500, which is over $1,000 less and has the same engine as the 800 minus some features that are not that impotant to me. I look at the 500 as the "bang for your buck" version just as the S900 or now S910 is on the Yamaha side. I'll most likely end up with the korg Pa500 and Yamaha s910 when all the dust settles- two very excellent keyboards each with outstanding quality yet very different and complimentary. Maybe - just maybe I can then settle in for a while and work on that recording project I've been wanting to do- at least until the bug bites again. Thanks for reading my self-talk. It helped me, anyway.
Tim