Just came from a visit to the toy store (Sam Ash-Edison NJ). Disappointed they did not have a pa500 or 800 to try out. They have a pa50, and an owner's manual sitting on top of it. That's because the guys there didn't know much about the navigation. I got the hang of it after a while, and it didn't sound bad making me more curious about the others. They did have a PA3X there and it was terriffic, except- the matte finish keytops was like a coating of wax paper to me, and they were a bit heavy. But loved the sounds/rhythms.

Tried the Roland BK5. At first, I hated the sounds until I took the advice of the brotherhood here and ran it through a KC550 while toning down the treble a bit. This filled out the sounds with the bass just above mid point, the midrange flat, and the treble slightly under midpoint. The strings filled out as did the saxes. But as was said, those speakers have to go. Navigation was simple; rhythms were a little thin to me in that they didn't seem flowing or smooth. It seemed that some were done very well and others not so just to fill up the menu, even on the highest variation level. Keypad felt better than the PA50.

Then it was the psr910 which I have played before. Superior sounds, particularly the ensembles for Big Bands, etc. Could use a thicker alto sax for me, but it may just need tweaking. Loved the rhythms, especially the accompaniment in the higher variations. And liked the much maligned keypad the best out of all. I have a heavy touch and it suits me. Smoother than the rest too..but it is an unfair comparison as it is not in the 1k price range. Would have liked to try a psr710. Lucky they have what I did get to try.

My 2 cents. Anybody have the psr710?