Hi,

Both the PSR S950 and Korg PA 900 are slyly marketed by the respective companies for riding on the "brand value" - created with the hardearned monies of amateur hobbyists or the odd struggling musician.. Now, am not being cynical (i own a Yammie S750) but lets face the truth - the 950 was touted to be the "mini tyros" but in reality it is just the 750 plus some "real" styles thrown in for the eyewash. And the now-released Korg 900 may be a good buy for a newbie but in reality it also is just a scaled up version of the PA 600.. So, these keyboards are just "version" releases.. and not new keyboards in their own right.
Now, look at the new BK9 that Roland has released - that's not a "version" update - you can never say that the BK 9 is a facelift given to the BK 5. BK 9 is a product in its own right. 76 keys + a dual screen is something that a true arranger musician wishes for in his home recording environ.
Now, i was reading another post that Roland has lost it due to the lack of a "touch screen" but a dual LCD brings a new feel and usage to an arranger right?
And from whatever i have seen and heard on Youtube, i would say that BK9 BLOWS AWAY THE 750/950 as well as the 900.

"BK9 BLOWS AWAY THE 750/950 as well as the 900". . .

I think that depends on your needs. If you need built in vocal processing and harmonizer, that lets out out the BK9. It also seems to have a lot of menu layers to get through--not conducive to fast on-the-fly live play.
I do like the Roland sound though. Can't comment too much on the BK9 because I haven't auditioned one, but I loved the BK7m and would expect the 9 to be as good or better.
There are also some other differences between 750 and 950. The screen, new sounds, memory, drum kits, and again the vocal processing.
BK9 does seem to offer a lot for the money though, especially if you need 76 keys! No other arranger options short of Korg PA3X-76 or Ketron Audya.
DonM

I own both the S950 and the PA900 so here is my 2 cents worth. It is really not
possible to do an accurate comparison of the two keyboards. Yes, you can compare sounds from each one and yes you can compare styles from each one - but that is not easy to do either because they don't contain the same styles. Each has it's own distinctive sound quality which you either love or hate. Frankly, I like both of them for different reasons. The PA900 is very easier to use for live playing. But, the S950 is not difficult to use live - I do it all the time. Build quality for the two is about the same and the footprint of each is roughly the same.

I favor the PA900 if you want to "customize" your keyboard because the PA900's OS is much easier to navigate than is the S950 OS. The touch screen on the Korg is really nice to use. The Korg songbook feature is easier to use, not necessarily better, than the Yamaha music finder. I find the Registration system easier to use than the Performance system - might be because I have not yet learned enough about the Performance system.

There is one area where NO ONE can compete with Yamaha and that is the thousands of FREE styles available for their keyboards. Also, Yamaha has maintained backword compatibility of it's styles which is really nice. I have not found that to be true of the PA900. I have attempted to load several of the legacy keyboard Korg styles on the PA900 and very few of them will play well
even though they do load.

So, in thinking about all of this - both keyboards are a good buy, both have good and bad points, both have good and bad styles, both have features that fit the various needs of most players.

Deane

So, like Don posted, it all depends on your playing needs.

Based on this video...I preferred the darker piano on the 900..

I thought the other sounds on the 950 were a bit lifeless..no punch..The 900 seemed fatter but they were swimming in effects..

If the player owned both of these keyboards..I would sell the black one..

My advice ..sell the silver one too

That BK9 is looking better everyday..

The biggest plus with the 900 is the touch screen...Why Yamaha hasn't figured this out yet

And Roland would have hit a home run if it had a touch screen...makes me glad I own what I own

BTW: Korg is still too synthy sounding to me....

Indeed, there're a lot of significant differences between S750 and S950. I've spent several days with both of them and unfortunately for me I fell in love with S950, although I tried to convince myself that they are pretty close. If the only differences between them was only audio-styles I would pick S750 and buy iPhone or something with saved money.

Why is it unfortunate?..Aren't you now a demonstrator for Yamaha after going thru the course in Russia & graduating with peter baarttmans?

As Donny said, nothing unfortunate about falling in love with the S-950 - it's a fantastic keyboard.

Gary

It surly is Gary!!

I think it's unfortunate to fall in love with the more expensive Instrument when your pocket can only stretch for the cheaper one!