Well, got the E-50 today. It is a beautifully laid our board, with everything in reach for live play. Here are some pros and cons (IMO):

- Small keys & suspect keypad (but time will tell on the latter)
- Lighted buttons are very pretty, but not sure if they are for the long haul. I guess I'd need some reply from an EM user, because they seem to be the same
- The speakers are extremely weak - I was disappointed. The enhanced bass just makes things noisy

- The styles are to die for - just absolutely fabulous
- The overall sounds are very good, but the pianos are a bit disappointing, just like Ian claimed
- The variation and fills are the best I have found on any Roland product, smooth and useful
- The touch screen is vintage VA series and with the extra panel buttons, it's a welcomed feature in my book

This is just after a couple hours. I am hooking up to my home stereo to check on the pianos and overall power. Is it a keeper? I really love it so far

zuki

Have you played a G70/E80, zuki? I am interested in finding out HOW different the pianos are. A lot of my recommendations for arrangers are based around the piano sound (it's the backbone of most non-techno music) and I would like to know how big a corner Roland have cut in this department (Roland are VERY difficult to get square answers from about sample compression and D/A converter quality).

You used to have a VA? How's the self-noise and audio quality in comparison?

It has been my experience that Roland cut a lot of corners between their high-end and mid-line arrangers in the amount of sample compression and audio converters, often lending the mid-line a more 'brittle', thin quality (although I imagine that's the case for most manufacturers). I had a G1000 and a G600 next to each other at home for several weeks, and even on identical patches, there was a definite change in timbre. Subtle, but thinner and brighter.

Bad news about the speakers, so many buy these things without a good home PA....

I look forward to seeing more of your comments soon......

Zuki,
Glad your keyboard arrived today and I'm happy to hear that there's enough about this keyboard that you like. More are arriving from Roland Tuesday or Wednesday. Thank you for your business.


------------------
George Kaye
Kaye's Music Scene
Reseda, California
818-881-5566
www.kayesmusicscene.com

Diki,

I have not played the E-80 or G70. I can imagine the pianos being better in those instruments.

I'd say you might be correct about the difference in price range. My VA and E-600 blew away the pianos on the E-50 series. In fact, I liked the EXR pianos better too.

But, I am totally satisfied with everything the board offers. I like the styles WAY better on this board than the VA series and all other Rolands I've had. There are new styles and some past cool ones like in the EM-2000. They are very crisp and definable and a joy to listen and play to. They do not miss a beat.

I hooked up through my home Bose and can imagine this board would serve well through a good PA. With that said, the pianos are just a tad weak, but nothing really major. All the other instruments are great and some will WOW you.

There are some awesome music finder songs, which use the great Roland styles. These arrangements are "in your face", as discussed before. In my opinion, there is no better style maker.

In the days ahead, I'll explore even more. The stuff I haven't really tapped are all extras for the price, such as the cover, sequencer, editing capabilities, touch screen, OTS, guitar mode and much more.

Overall, I am pleased. This thing SMOKES the EM and EXR series. It might be a tad less powerful than the VA, but MUCH more user friendly.

In this price range, the PA50 and 3000 are the alternatives. I've had both these and liked both, but the E-50 styles alone would make it my preferred board - THIS IS JUST MY TASTE AND OPINION AND NOT A SUGGESTION.

Based on this, my next board would probably be the E-80.

more later....

zuki

did i tell you?

i agree with you zuki in almost everything, except:

- pianos were not that bad! not a steinway, but good enough, i think. there is a lack of definition, but expected for mid range class. i dont think exr pianos were better... what i noticed is that not only pianos, but also other sounds have the same problem as earlier g70 os... too much reverb/effect on them. if you take that out, you might be surprised how much clean some sounds become.

- speakers were ok for me, even impressive for their dimension. the bass was not noisy at all, but deep and pleasent. could it be different speaker in your e50? it is possible...

happy playing zuki!

Thanks for the review and your opinions Zuki - It seems like Roland are bringing out the type of arranger that appeals to me now.

I haven't had a Roland arranger since an RA90 module which I loved and I'm getting quite excited at the new stuff they are bringing out.

Good stuff - Keep it coming Zuki

Regards - Keith

[QUOTE]Originally posted by George Kaye:
Zuki,
Thank you for your business.




George,

You are welcome. Thanks for the great keyboard and speedy delivery.

I would say this is a real winner for both live and especially those that like the exr/em/va/gw/e09 series and want a SIGNIFICANTLY upgraded product.

This board is really inspiring. Of course it's the new love affair, but it has so many things to explore, I will not grow tired anytime soon.

Again, the styles are absolutely fantastic! It is such a joy to have the variations at your left hand and they DO NOT miss a beat, as mentioned before. That makes it such a pleasure to play.

I hooked up through me Bose and it is blowing me away.

I know you'll sell a lot of these.

Regards,
zuki