Yesterday I have tried a PSR 2000 here in Rome; it's a nice keyboard, but from what I have read here I guess that there's much more inside than what I could gather from a short tryout in a crowded music shop.
In the past I had been really impressed by the 9000 solo voices and so I am asking to those of you who could compare the two boards: are the 2000 voices really the same as the 9000? I realize that Yamaha had to face a few compromises to keep the price low, but does this apply to the sonic quality too or are the sounds EXACTLY the same?
Thanks in advance
Andrea

Andrea,
I'm sure someone is going to tell me I'm wrong on this, but I had a 9000, I now have the Korg PA 80.
When I went to by another 9000 (trading in my Motif) I tried the 2000 having loved the sweet voices off the 9....could be just a feeling on my part, but I thought something was slightly missing in these patches sound quality wise. It's either that or I just remember them better than they were.
I thought they still sounded good...just not as good as I recalled and I was disappointed in what Yamaha to me is famous for the piano sound (grand etc.)
If all the patches are identical to the 9000, then perhaps it was just a speaker difference or power, in which case, external amp or speaker would resolve both.
Now you 2000 owners, don't get your underware all bunched up, I didn't say it was junk....just it sounded different than I remembered the 9000 as sounding.
Terry

[This message has been edited by Jocko (edited 11-21-2001).]

[This message has been edited by Jocko (edited 11-21-2001).]

DonM should be able to answer this one. He has had both. Tell us Don! Price and weight aside wouold you still rather have the 9000?

Tom

Of course I'd rather have the 9000 if the price and weight were the same.
The features I miss (to varying degrees) are:
3 lead voices ready at all times.
Easier to store OTS settings.
Easier to change and registration banks. Registration description displayed on main screen.
Video Out (just for fun)
Sampler (just for fun)
Hard drive
Aftertouch (don't miss it much, but might as well have it if the price is the same).
Some of the styles I used on the 9000 are not on the 2000, so I have to put them in.
Now, there are also some things I like better about the 2000, but they primarily have to do with the weight and price.
I honestly don't notice any difference in the quality of the sounds. With less memory available their SHOULD be a difference, but I don't hear any.
I like the RCA outputs--perfect for recording.
Back to styles, I think the Country Styles are much improved over the 9000. Even the ones that have the same name have been reworked for a smoother sound.
Yamaha has "tweaked" a lot of the styles and they are better than the ones on the 9000, but of course the 9000 has more available.
The 2000 is the best keyboard value I've ever seen. There is strong competition for the 9000 in its price range--SD1, VA7, etc.
I haven't seen anything close to the 2000 for 11-1200 bucks.
DonM

Terry and Don,
thank you for your replies; they are somehow conflicting and I wonder how the 2000 would compare to the 9000 in a side to side comparison, maybe through headphones.
Two days ago I tried one of the new Clavinovas and was surprised to find out that it sported some "Sweet" voices, which seemed to come straight from the PSR 9000. I was particularly impressed by the organs and the tenor sax; my guess is that a great part of the effect was due to the powerful sound system, which included a huge woofer. So, I wonder how the 2000 would sound when connected to a first class PA system.
Don is right when he emphasizes the very good price/quality ratio of the 2000; after all, that's what really matters when we buy something (and not just a keyboard).
Andrea

I have recordings of myself on minidisk using both keyboards. I can't tell which is which when listening.
The recordings of the PA80 and X1 sound quite different, mainly because of the "live" drum sound.
Some day a company will get it all together in one package--great sounds, great styles, great operating system.
On the positive side, the worst keyboard on the market is much better, and lower in price, than the best one from just a few years ago.
DonM