Hey, Synthzone!!! Let's have some fun! Rank these very comparable arrangers in your own 1-2-3 order.

Korg Pa900 - Roland BK9 - Yamaha PSR-S950

They all have their pros and cons. I have played 2 of the 3 and own one of them at this time. So, at this time, this is my ranking for my needs.

1 - Roland BK-9 (76 Key... Light weight... USB Audio WAV Player... Playlist)
2 - Korg Pa900 (Great touch screen... Great drum sounds... SongBook... TC Helicon)
3 - Yamaha PSR-S950 (Great on board speakers... Great sounds... Easy interface)

All of these arrangers are close to the same price. They all have close to the same features. They are not in the same class as the Korg PA3X or the Yamaha Tyros 3, 4, or 5. So, it all comes down to your needs within this budget.

Let the fun begin!!!

That's easy....

1 - Yamaha PSR-S950 (Great Styles,fills, Great on board speakers,. Great sounds,. Easy interface,.Support Third party styles)Mp3 Player, Lightning fast keybed.

2 - Korg Pa900 (Great touch screen... Great drum sounds... SongBook... TC Helicon)

3 - Roland BK-9 (76 Key... Light weight... USB Audio WAV Player... Playlist)

1.Korg PA900 - great sounds(same as pa3x) - usabillity - tweakabillity - real time controlls - top styles
2. Roland BK9 - super natural sounds - 76 keys - great styles
3. Yamaha PSR 950s - Some SA sounds - good ootb - most high quallity styles to choose from

But in the end, all three make great arrangers ...

So far we have three opinions and three different #1's. I think you would have to have some time with all three to make a good judgement and I don't know how many people can do that. They're not in stores and who is going to buy all three ?

I'm happy with the BK9 but know nothing of the other two.

And you have to ask yourself will any of these three make you a better player?.....only your own talent can make them shine. There's only a few AR Kb's left & that is dwindling fast too...case in point No S-Series MOTL model released as of yet & way over due if at all,....Companies are rethinking production & selling practices for the future.....the old farts, organ/arranger players are slowly going and the new generation needs to be fed more modern ways to make their music.

Good point!

Don't have either arranger, but have a Pa3x 61 and a T5-76, tough call......... love 'em both. When the wind blows out of the west I prefer the Pa3x, when out of the east it's the T5, both outstanding instrurments.

In keeping with the subject of this thread and knowing what I now about Yamaha and Korg.....................it's a tie S950 and PA900.

Never played a BK.

I've owned the PSR-S950 and the Pa900 and they are both great keyboards, but it really boils down to what do you want to do with the keyboard?

They both sound very good and both have some good styles.
I particularly like the touch screen on the 900 and will not ever have a keyboard without it now, but more than that, I like being able to do everything promised but never really delivered on the Tyros keyboards with the 900. I'm a tweaker and you can do that to your hearts content on the 900.

I liked the S950 for playing and the styles too. I think it is the best PSR Yamaha has produced. Mine worked perfectly from day one. I know many folks think the documentation is awful, but I think the Yamaha documentation is the best on the market.

Years ago, Roland was first on my list, but I moved to an area where none of these keyboards are available to try out before purchase and I managed to try out a Yamaha while on an extended trip - so I stuck with the Yamaha for the last 12 years until the 900 came out and I was able to read the documentation for it - I knew it was what I was looking for in a keyboard for me.

Bill G

Hard call... I like the touch screen and VH on the Korg, chord sequencer and Latin styles on the Roland, and RH voices and OS of the Yamaha.

I recently had a week or so to get into the PA900, and got to know it..

Although I owned the BK5, but never tried a BK9 yet...but since I liked what the BK5 did..a lot, I am sure the BK9 will be on my want list.

I had some time on the PSR, but honestly, I can.t get pass that "lightning fast keybed"

So here is my rankings and why.

1: Korg PA900..Touchscreen, keyfeel,VH(although I think it needs updating), packed with features, but poor OS..

2: Roland BK9, site unseen, because the BK5 would have this slot in this list, and most likely the BK9 will easily jump to the top of my list, if all is confirmed when I play one.

3: Yamaha PSR s950, some good sounds, does not sound as realistic to me, even the Korg sounds "synthy".


My current ranking, with noted remarks ..

I have owned all three and spent extensive time with each. They all have their good points for certain.
I sold the Yamaha and the Roland, so the Korg is the best fit for me at this time.
It all depends on what you need. No wrong choices.

I'd only be able to say what I'd like to have, and only from internet demos and reviews. Yes, lame, I know.

1. BK9 - because I like the styles, the drums and the 76 keybed
2. Pa900 - because they have a ton of feature and Helicon VH
3. S950 - only if the first two options would be totally unavailable and I had the cash itching in my pocket.

Hello all,

This is tricky because I own two out of the three keyboards mentioned and have no experience or idea of the third, the third being of course the BK9. Therefore I don't know if my contribution would suffice by not having any knowledge of the BK9 apart from what I've heard online. I must admit to being surprised at never even hearing a Roland in real life let alone owning one, that does surprise me!

Great feedback and discussion!!

What I take from these responses... If the three companies merged together, we may have something that fits all of our needs. These three models all are wonderful.

Pa 900 than BK9 and at the end S950.Pa900 has editing that even Roland doesn't come close because of nice touch screen.S950 is nice too but not in the same league as the other two.

The S950 seems to be the third choice by most although I am not surprised given that I have seen many posts in the past for disliking certain things about Yamaha arrangers. One thing is for sure you cannot go wrong with any of these arrangers, and even though I've never seen the BK9 I am pretty sure I would get on with it just fine as well.

I wasn't going to compare but I may as well do a very brief comparison now whilst I'm here! For me the PA900 and S950 (sonically) is a very close call; I enjoy both in their uniqueness of their sound however I can quickly list the things that I feel immediately stands out either good or not so good..

What I like on the S950:

- Intro's, endings, fill ins of styles.
- The simplicity of the styles makes them very playable
- Dance/Ambient/Ballad selection of styles are fantastic
- Backwards compatibility of styles from older Yamaha keyboards is either very accurate or in most cases improves upon
- Mellow, smooth, warm, realistic sounding voices
- GM/XG voices sound better than they do on Tyros models
- Easy to navigate OP system and initial load from start is pretty quick

What I dislike about the S950:

- Only 1 USB port
- No options to add any form of additional media such as SD Card
- No touch screen
- Very limited in choir / vocal sounds
- The black finish isn't very attractive as it could have been

What I like on the PA900:

- Unplugged styles are unmatched from anything I've heard, they are simply awesome
- The Latin styles are a big stand out too!
- Drums are very realistic, solid and almost audio like!
- The arrangements of the newer styles (that is PA3X or PA900 exclusives) are so releastic and sound very professional on another level
- Can sound both live and mellow to suite
- Touch Screen and it's size
- Keys feel solid
- Good media options
- Editing functions are endless
- The keyboard design and finish is slick

What I dislike about the PA900:

- Display quality (to me) looks a little blurry than I remember it on the PA1X, it seems a little stretched and low res.
- Takes a while to load up from boot
- Slightly more complex OS
- Some of the voices are a bit too thin sounding
- Would prefer if the colour was black
- The control knobs, I don't like them at all
- Backwards compatible of older Korg styles although acceptable doesn't usually improve upon the quality


These are just my own personal opinions, I'm sure a few will disagree! For me it balances things out perfectly by owning both, what I can't achieve on one I know I will get close to it on the other.

I, personally, have no dislikes about any of them. I sincerely believe that in capable hands, all three will do an outstanding job for any arranger keyboard player/entertainer/singer. For me the S-950 is probably the most versatile, best sounding, easiest to work with arranger keyboard I've ever owned. It does it all, doesn't weigh a ton, don't require a second mortgage to purchase, stands up quite well to a heavy, pro schedule, and it's a pleasure to play.

Guess I'll stick with my S950 for now, but I'm sure that if someone were to give me one of the others, I would give them a try. That said, I don't think I'm really qualified to actually rate an arranger keyboard - I can only tell you what I like and if it works for me.

Gary

I couldn't agree more !