Fran thanx for explaining all this for us...

Just came from a visit to the toy store (Sam Ash-Edison NJ). Disappointed they did not have a pa500 or 800 to try out. They have a pa50, and an owner's manual sitting on top of it. That's because the guys there didn't know much about the navigation. I got the hang of it after a while, and it didn't sound bad making me more curious about the others. They did have a PA3X there and it was terriffic, except- the matte finish keytops was like a coating of wax paper to me, and they were a bit heavy. But loved the sounds/rhythms.

Tried the Roland BK5. At first, I hated the sounds until I took the advice of the brotherhood here and ran it through a KC550 while toning down the treble a bit. This filled out the sounds with the bass just above mid point, the midrange flat, and the treble slightly under midpoint. The strings filled out as did the saxes. But as was said, those speakers have to go. Navigation was simple; rhythms were a little thin to me in that they didn't seem flowing or smooth. It seemed that some were done very well and others not so just to fill up the menu, even on the highest variation level. Keypad felt better than the PA50.

Then it was the psr910 which I have played before. Superior sounds, particularly the ensembles for Big Bands, etc. Could use a thicker alto sax for me, but it may just need tweaking. Loved the rhythms, especially the accompaniment in the higher variations. And liked the much maligned keypad the best out of all. I have a heavy touch and it suits me. Smoother than the rest too..but it is an unfair comparison as it is not in the 1k price range. Would have liked to try a psr710. Lucky they have what I did get to try.

My 2 cents. Anybody have the psr710?

Didn't they have the new Yamaha PSR S650? Almost the same price as the BK-5.

I didn't notice it, but the PSR650 goes for $799USD and has no midi connectivity according to the description I read. The Roland BK5 is $999USD. The PA500 $1,099USD, the PA50 $899USD. The Yamaha PSR710 is $1,099USD. these are the most copmmon prices amongst retailers here.

That's cheap for the Yamaha. Yamaha's cost a lot more here in the Netherlands while Korg and Roland are cheaper. For example I can buy a Roland BK-5 for 763 Euro and a PSR S650 cost 819 Euro. Very strange.

As I said, Fran.... the kits aren't in the manual... BUT THEY ARE IN THE BK-7m!

Never take manuals as Gospel.

Could the "New" kits been added with a new OS update?

I don't believe the manual was wrong...so my guess is they added the kits at a later date....

We are looking for the reason..the BK5 should be more money than the BK7m...maybe it is as simple as ..the return on research and development..another year plus...could bring down the cost...

The demand for a module also could have brought a higher price for the BK7m....the BK5 may need to be more competitive..price wise.

I know I prefer the benefits of the BK5 over the BK7m...at the same price point..

John,
Pretty soon all boards will be equal to the i30.
Couldn't pass this up. I wanted to but, "the devil made me do it." LOL

No Fran. Those kits were in the BK-7m from day 1. But the current PDF manual (BK-7m_e2.pdf) STILL does not mention them. The addendum for v1.06 maps out the two new Greek kits (which WERE added), but still nothing for all the great E80 kits. Sloppy.

Roland's technical manual writing staff has gotten more and more sloppy. They used to be the industry standard for comprehensiveness, exhaustive sys-ex implementations and exacting correctness.

But lately, the details are getting lip service at best.

Mind you, compared to Korg or Yamaha, their manuals are still pretty good, but they aren't as good as they used to be..!