I'm not surprised the BK7m sounds better then the BK5......
but there has to be a good reason that the BK7m module sounds better then the BK5 arranger.. is it price, or something technical inside, sound engine, etc,?...

BK7M sound better than the BK5 ??? I posed this question to what I think are some knowledgeable people including calling Roland Support and what I got are two answers ---"maybe the D/A converters are better on the module" To " there's definately no differance because they both use the same sound engine " No explanation for them being the same price. I wish I knew because I've been kicking this around for awhile.
I'm caught between a good keyboard like a Privia with a BK7M module or the conveinence of an all in one BK5 with the terrible toy keyboard.

I think the Privia with the BK 7m is the best solution. And you have some very good Casio sounds extra.

Bill,
I did not do any recordings with the BK-5 when I had it. But I can assure you the two of them DO NOT sound the same. The BK-7M was far superior. I had both - no doubt in my mind.

Deane

I agree with FransN. That way you have a better sounding engine, better keyboard and Casio sounds thrown in as well. Sounds like a win-win.

I never tried the BK-7m but I sampled the BK-5 in a music store for about a half-hour. The BK-5 sounded fine to me through borrowed headphones--about the same as a GW-8, which I owned for a while. However the on-board speakers are lousy, way inferior to a Yamaha s900 or Roland E-50.

Could the better sounds from the module be due to AFTERTOUCH? If a good controller sends aftertouch messages, the BK-7m can process them, enhancing the sound of at least the Lead voices. However the built-in keyboard of the BK-5 doesn't create aftertouch. The best experiment would be to listen to an SMF in both boards, or play both with an external controller, and through headphones.

Also, I noticed that an OS update was recently released for the BK-5. Recent Rolands have been notoriously buggy, perhaps a consequence of using what seems like different programming teams for each new model. With the recent OS patches, I would now consider one of these. I would like to know what the difference is too. I believe I would miss the lack of a style composer on the BK-7m. Why Roland doesn't release this in software is beyond me! -Ted

Yes, I agree with Nigel and Frans - the Privias are a good bit of kit for the $'s and the action is not too bad either!

For anyone on a budget, a Privia and BK5m would be a killer rig!!

Here are a few differences between the BK7m and the BK5..

First let me mention again,,the BK5 keybed is not toyish..it is shorter key lenght compared to the G70 (half inch)..and is about the same as the PSR and PA keybeds..it is like the Juno G keybeds..and Roland controllers...Not great, but far from toyish...Much better than the mini keys on the little Korg....

Here are important differences between the BK7m and BK5..

The BK5 reads all .kar and .mid lyrics on the internal screen..(the main reason I passed on the BK7m)..

The speakers on the BK5 are okay..12 watts a side and they do not break up at full volume...I have never heard on board speakers that I could use as monitors on stage with a PA system...Studio and home use the BK5 works great..

The difference some folks think they hear, could be the "master tools" settings, and default effects...

I am sure most folks do not know the drums are different between the two models....The BK7m are taken from the G70..The BK5 are from the E80...

The kits sound better on the BK5 because it has the 5 or 6 "new" series drum kits...(new pop, new rock new brush perc etc)..

The tones are from the E80 on both models...

Both models have the "make up tools"...but the BK7m has the "covers" for SMF and styles.....Don't know why they dropped the covers on the BK5..it is a quick realtime change tool.

The lastest update on the BK5 improved the mobility of the operating system on stage...This was on my wish list...it is easier to go to other folders and back to lyric page without extra steps..

The BK5 has a decent search feature for songs etc , where the BK7m will only search performances.....I can scan 32 gigs (my thumbdrive size)..completely in about six seconds and shows the entire list with the search word you looked for..Both SMF and wav/MP3 ...I can even use this when DJing....(I have about 50,000 songs on the thumb drive..).


The GW8 is not the same sound engine as the BK series....The GW8 is the Juno/Sonic Cell engine ( inferior to the BK engine)..

Fran thanx for the explanation I knew you would come thru !!
Next I have to play it in YOUR studio this week and put it thru it's paces just to sooth my curiosity.

The smartest guy in the bunch in my humble view. No offence to anyone but I have always advocated the use of two keyboards of a different brand and I think that a Korg + Yamaha combination is a winner at whichever level. I do think that Cassp's combination of the PSR910 with the Micro is fantastic value for money. I know that Roland folks like Fran may not want to hear this but "the times they are a-changing ......"

regards
John Smies