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 !