Has anyone heard both the BK-5 and the BK-7m? I am a little shocked to hear the BK-5 dissed so resoundingly. Can anyone tell me whether the BK-7m is noticeably better than the BK-5? As I said, I've had the PA3X and the BK-7m next to each other, and with regard to the styles and the overall sound, there is much that is quite comparable, IMO.

And, of course, what differences there are are quite expected when comparing a sub-$1000 arranger to a $3000+ one. Everybody is entitled to their own opinion of course, but much is often made of familiarity. If you are used to Korg's, you are going to think that a MOTL Korg sounds better than a BOTL Roland. And, TBH, yes, to me a BOTL Roland is going to sound decent up against a TOTL Korg. But I really try hard to switch off any manufacturer bias, and simply listen to the SOUND, and to the performance of the styles.

Maybe for us diehard users of one type of arranger, familiarity trumps sound? But Donny has gone through a plethora of different manufactures, all with effusive praise while he had them (and isn't exactly what I would call someone with a burning need for a full synth in an arranger!). Then he traded them. And wasn't so effusive any more! Let's face it, Donny wouldn't even be ASKING about alternatives if he were 100% happy and content with the PA500.

So before you all start telling him 'stick with the best' (YOUR idea of the best, not any empirical 'best' by any degree of imagination!) etc., maybe it is just better to let him try, buy, gush and then sell everything? He's going to be back on the next-gen MOTL Yamaha PSR as soon as it comes out anyway.

Just like he always has...!