Some here might know of Eileen Lowery from the UK. Eileen has played Yamaha keyboards for decades and has a very good "How To" DVD about the Tyros series of keyboards. She is highly respected in the UK Yamaha community and has had her S950 for about 2 weeks now.

This is what she has reported on her Yamaha Players forum in the UK.
1. She has not been able to record audio styles in Midi or WAV format.
Looks like external recorders must be used for these styles.
2. All of her registrations from the Tyros 4 have worked as is.
3. Everything she has done with styles also have worked as is.
Caveat here: The S950 did replace sounds in the styles not found
on the S950 with very similar sounds.
4. Speakers are very useable for small gig settings.
5. The recording of styles without Audio Loops works just like all other keyboards.
6. Display is not as easy to read as other S9XX series displays but is not
impossible to use.
7. Overall sound resembles her Tyros 4.

Thought everyone would be interested in these points posted by someone who knows what she is talking about and actually has a S950 in her home.

Deane

Thanx Deanne...Aside from it being Black +1,...I don't know if what I'm reading is depressing or what? ....I'd like to know the motive of Yamaha for making the new S950 in the first place?

I think his little brother the s750 is the best deal. I don't need/want audio styles and if the overall sound of the s750 also resembles the T4 you get a good buy for about 1200 Euro's.

I think most people who tried s950 say the sounds is pretty much s910. So yes if s910 resembles T4 then s950 does it too...

I have a T2 and T4. One of my students has an S910. The 910 is an excellent instument. It sounds "kind of" similar to a T2 on many things. the 910 does not come close to the T4.

When I tried the t4 vs 910 the sounds that are common
To both keyboards eg sweet soprano sax sound identical. Same styles from my usb stick sounded almost the same with the
T4 sounding somewhat punchier. I can only assume
That the s950 will close that gap further. Now obviously
The t4 has hundreds of sounds not on the s910 or
S950. But now for the first time the t4 real drums
And vh2 makes its way onto the s950.

I guess each arranger player has his/her priorities in features. Even if the S950 is a warmed-over S910, the improved speaker system alone makes it attractive to me. I play many dinner gigs where the nearest patrons are within arms reach. I mean really tight quarters. No external sound system is required. So a better-sounding S950 sounds like the real deal.

I owned both a S910 and a Tyros 4 at the same time. Had the opportunity for 6 months to compare them side by side, exchange setup between the two and generally do a very good comparison.

I played both keyboards through my Bose L1 Compacts and used very similar mixer setups and what I found was the S910 just could not match the Tyros 4 sound in any way. I eventually sold the S910 - kept the Tyros 4. I now have the S950 on order and will do the same side by side comparisons when it gets here on Tuesday. If it even comes close to the T4 sounds I will probably sell the Tyros 4 - if not the S950 will be sold. Time will tell.

Deane

The PSRS910 has many of the Tyros3 voices but none of the Tyros4 voices.
The PSRS950 has many of the Tyros4 voices and all of the PSRS910 voices as well.
The PSRS750 has all of the PSRS910 voices and none of the Tyros4 voices.

Come ON! Does anyone in their right mind honestly expect a $1700 arranger to sound identical to a $5000 one? I got a bridge up in Manhattan you might be interested in!

Arranger manufacturers have ALWAYS squeezed more sounds into less ROM for their MOTL and BOTL arrangers. They have always used less expensive DA converters, less hi-fi output sections. They have always dropped whole Parts off of Upper and Lower sections (vital for more complex layers). And if you EVER did a conscientious side by side, same monitors A/B of them, you ALWAYS heared differences in tone, punch and quality of sound.

As well you should!

I'd be afraid to buy a bridge in Manhattan right now. It might be rusty.


I think that by the time you run the keyboard through the pa, add crowd noise, etc., the sounds on virtually every current keyboard are more than adequate.
If you get into a studio situation, with intricate recording of tracks, it would be a different story. Still it would take a fairly critical ear to find fault.
I'm still pleasing people with Roland E50 from time to time.
DonM

Don I remember working with a Cordivox Accordion going through a sound module, I loved all the different sounds he was getting.
When I listened from a distance of 15ft. all the little extras that made the instrument good were gone. I imagine a high grade amplifier might have captured those sounds.

John C.

I remember doing a VERY critical side by side of the G1000 and G600.

Night and day.

Sure, the had the same patch list, were on paper pretty much identical. But many, many of the tones went into the loop of the sample earlier, and the overall 'sound' was more brittle, played through identical cables, mixer and speakers.

And, I'm sure, you do that with identical Tones from any BOTL or MOTL arranger compared to the TOTL, you are going to hear pretty much the same thing. Take off ALL the Master effects, compression, Maxx-imizers and the other bells and whistles and listen to the RAW sound of your arrangers. That's where the comparison can easily be made.

The differences are subtle with some sounds, and markedly so with others.

In the case of the Tyros4 and S950, the latter has a lot of Tyros4 sounds, but it does not have Super Articulated II sounds, and some of these are absolutely the pinnacle in expressiveness.

On the other hand, in most cases, with a skillful player, the MOTL arranger will do any type gig just fine...I've done many with S910 and S900 as well as the old PSR-3000, and through a decent PA system, these keyboards are more than adequate.

However, some of us like to have even more control over expressivity, so we buy instruments with more versatile sounds and sound control, like the T4 and the PA3x, that have superior voices and aftertouch control, as well as a more pro synth feeling keyboard.

Plus, we can add more sounds, and in the case of the Tyros4, the SA2 voices can be used in the styles...the S950 having only SA, is at a bit of a disadvantage.

Do we need a TOTL to sound good and to cover our gigs?

Nope, we don't, but for some here on SZ, the high end stuff is what we WANT...G-70's instead of E-60's, Tyros4's instead of S950's, and PA3x's instead of PA-600's.

I can safely say that playing the Tyros4 is a far more satisfying experience for me, the player, than is a PSR-S910 or S950.

Instruments are very personal...even arrangers.

Ian

I'm enjoying reading all the insightful replies.
When our friend here gets his s950 next week I can't
Wait for his comparison with T4

On a side note my most utilised sound, the sweet soprano sax sounds exactly the same on s910 and t4.

Having had both S910, and now the Tyros4, and being able to compare, I'd say they are very, very close, if not identical.

I used that particular voice a lot, sometimes in place of the oboe, for a sweeter less harder sound...one tune I used it for was "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" by the Hollies.

With the Tyros4, I'm now using Pop Soprano and Ballad Soprano, both SA2 voices, and both very expressive.

One thing I especially liked about the S910's "Sweet Soprano" was the cool volume swell at the tail end of the note...not too loud, or too strong...always just right.

Ian