Had a chance to have a go at the E-09 for an hour today. I had played it for 30 minutes 2 weeks ago. There was a g70 there as well but it was the same version 1 one that i disliked so i left it. The first thing that strikes u when u see it is its striking good looks. Most of the panel buttons light up like the va7. The second thing i noticed was the fantastic key feel for such a cheap arranger. Thank u roland. Then i decided to try the sounds. I set the Fx to enhancer for all the sounds.The default piano was very good. Accordions were FANTASTIC and realistic and many to choose from. Harmonicas were good. Most of the guitars were very nice with a few like the nylon guitar exceptional. This keyboard features some sounds from the xp60. I was very impressed with the xp saxes xp brass and xp strings. The vocal sounds are limited but i enjoyed the choir aahs. I didnt like the flutes that much although i did find the piccolo and flute vib good. All the synth sounds impressed. The world sounds were FANTASTIC.

Lots of good quality asian instruments in the world section. Then i moved on to styles. I started with the world section. Some beautiful indian styles in there but i felt the fill ins were too basic and similar. The intros on some were long...others short. But still they were new and fresh. In the traditional section i think roland has did an excellent job on the raggae country and polka styles. Slow waltzes could have been better. The dance styles of this keyboard are FANTASTIC.The 8beats were very nice. A few of the styles do sound basic but most are very well done. Navigation is a breeze once u learn the shortcuts. My conclusion. It is the best sounding keyboard in that price range. Good job this time Roland its a pity they didnt include usb.

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[This message has been edited by rolandfan (edited 05-15-2006).]

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[This message has been edited by rolandfan (edited 05-15-2006).]