To be honest...I haven't listened to the 970 through the onboard speakers since I bought it.

I have monitored it through my studio monitors and studio quality headphones. I'm amazed how the overall presence and full frequency response is reproduced without any apparent noise. I remember using the PSR-S900 for a while and being disappointed with the lack of high frequency response. Yamaha has certainly made some great strides in this area. Regarding the sound of the 970 and recording it in Cubase...all I can say is...Is it live...or is it Memorex!

Jingleman