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#96936 - 10/27/03 03:50 PM PSR 540 or 550 what is the difference
mikerr765 Offline
Junior Member

Registered: 08/16/03
Posts: 26
What is the difference between a psr 540 and 550. do they have the same piano and organ voices and speaker system ?? I cannot see a difference but have no way to try one out to hear if there is a difference?? Appreciate your input.

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#96937 - 10/27/03 05:18 PM Re: PSR 540 or 550 what is the difference
keybplayer Offline
Senior Member

Registered: 10/27/03
Posts: 2417
Loc: CA
Here ya' go mike. This was reviewed and compared to the 540 by our very own Squeak_D:

Price Paid: US $460.00
Ease of Use: 10
Not too sure on the software version, but then I don't think anyone knows either.(none listed in manual) Presets are very good to just ok. To me it sounds exactly like the 540. One thing I must state which is really false advertisement by Yamaha is that the 550 DOES NOT have more than twice the wave rom as the 540 did. The 540 had 6mb's and the 550 has 8mb's. If the 550 had more than twice it would have over 12mb's of wave rom making it more than the PSR-740 It's very easy to use too. Works exactly like the 540 with the addition of the music data base. Manual is written just like the 540. Clear and easy to understand. There is no patch editor (big bummer too) but there wasn't one on the 540 either. The only way to edit voices is through a computer and XG works software..

Features: 9
I think this is where the keyboard really shines. I paid only $460.00 for my 550. There is no other keyboard on the market in this price range with as many features as the 550. The poly is only 32 which isn't bad. Hell even the Korg Trinity only has 32 note poly. the keyboard action isn't too bad either. The board has a 16 track direct disk sequencer which isn't the best but also not the worst. You can actually make some really good compositions with it. There is also a style sequencer to record your own user styles (more user space would have been nice) The DSP effects are pretty good too. It would be nice if it at least had aftertouch or a modulation wheel. I don't understand why Yamaha makes a keyboard with as many features as this one and still leave out the modulation wheel. The song data base is ok. I noticed a lot of the songs are actually styles from the 540, 740, and the original DJX. The only room for expansion is adding user styles.

Expressiveness/Sounds: 9
Sounds are pretty decent. Again they range from really good to ok. Honestly it sounds the same to me. I can't hear any difference between this and the 540. They added some new voices which I honestly think the additional 2mb's went too. One sound I really hate is the slap bass. God is that sound AWFUL! One of the worst slap basses I've ever heard. Even the PSR-740 has that crappy slap bass. What's the deal Yamaha? All that sound technology and no decent slap bass..?? The Casio WK-1800/1600 have a better sounding slap bass. Overall the sounds are good. It would be nice if you could edit them a little though. Especially the velocity curve on some voices.

Reliability: N/A
Reliability??? HMMMM I wouldn't gig with it. It's got a cheap plastic case and seems more geared for home use. One plus is that it looks WAY more professional than the 540. They got rid of that ugly bright yellow demo button, the speaker grills are black, and the face is a goldish color. Looks way better. Also I wouldn't use ANY keyboard without a backup. Even the almighty Tritons and Kurzweils fail from time to time..

Customer Support: 8
Pretty good. Typical Yamaha, you call them with the problem, they call you back (assuming we all don't have lives and have the time to wait around all day for their call)

Overall Rating: 9
If it were lost of stolen I would buy another. It's a great board to have around to throw ideas down on, plus it has the XG sound set. Overall I give the board a 9 out of 10

Submitted by squeak at 10/01/2001 15:04

Best regards,
Mike

PS: Just ignore his obvious Flames at Yammy. He means well.
_________________________
Yamaha Genos, Mackie HR824 MKII Studio Monitors, Mackie 1202 VLZ Pro Mixer (made in USA), Cakewalk Sonar Platinum, Shure SM58 vocal mic.

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#96938 - 10/27/03 07:03 PM Re: PSR 540 or 550 what is the difference
squeak_D Offline
Senior Member

Registered: 10/08/00
Posts: 4715
Loc: West Virginia
Damn I was pretty harsh in some areas wasn't I? Thanks for finding this and posting it keybplayer Mike, here it is in a nutshell. Differences are that the PSR-550 adds a better cosmetic look, a few new voices, multi-color back lit screen, and a song data base.. The 540 is still a decent board... Of course the addition of the sweet and cool voices on the 550 are nice to have. You might still be able to find the PSR-540 being sold by some online or local stores, but the 550 is everywhere and priced good too. You can get it for $499. Which I think is a great deal. I paid less for mine buying from Music123 (of course this was several years ago too) Oops almos forgot to add this.. I owned the 540 at one time as well.. So I can tell you first hand how the two differ. I bought the 550 some time after selling my 540 because I wanted another inexpensive good sounding keyboard that had a lot of bang for the buck. Both the PSR-540 and 550 have a lot of bang for your buck

Squeak

[This message has been edited by squeak_D (edited 10-27-2003).]
_________________________
GEAR: Yamaha MOXF-6, Casio MZX-500, Roland Juno-Di, M-Audio Venom, Roland RS-70, Yamaha PSR S700, M-Audio Axiom Pro-61 (Midi Controller). SOFTWARE: Mixcraft-7, PowerTracks Pro Audio 2013, Beat Thang Virtual, Dimension Le.

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#96939 - 10/27/03 08:27 PM Re: PSR 540 or 550 what is the difference
mikerr765 Offline
Junior Member

Registered: 08/16/03
Posts: 26
Thanks for the info guys,
I would probably buy a 550 if i could find a new one for $469 with the survival kit like many people have paid but I have not looked to hard. That seems like a fair price for a board that will soon be replaced if not by yamaha then by roland or someone else. Its just been out for too long and needs an update. If you see anyone selling them for that price let me know.

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#96940 - 10/27/03 09:47 PM Re: PSR 540 or 550 what is the difference
George Kaye Offline
Senior Member

Registered: 11/24/99
Posts: 3305
Loc: Reseda, California USA
Send me your email address and I'll send you a quote for a new PSR550. I own a music store in Los Angeles, California and I'd be happy to help you out.
George Kaye
Kaye's Music Scene
Reseda, California
818-881-5566
_________________________
George Kaye
Kaye's Music Scene (Closed after 51 years)
West Hills, California
(Retired 2021)

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#96941 - 10/28/03 06:23 AM Re: PSR 540 or 550 what is the difference
mikerr765 Offline
Junior Member

Registered: 08/16/03
Posts: 26
Does the 540 have the sweet trumpet (I think thats what its called) ??

Basically I found a new 540 still in a store they will sell for $350 and it just seems like the 550 is not worth the extra $ any opinions on that?

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#96942 - 10/28/03 07:00 AM Re: PSR 540 or 550 what is the difference
keybplayer Offline
Senior Member

Registered: 10/27/03
Posts: 2417
Loc: CA
I don't think the 540 has any Sweet! or Cool! Voices mike. If the one you're talking about is at a 'local' store, you might want to play it for yourself to see if it does have any Sweet! or Cool! Voices. Also mike, you would be doing yourself a BIG favor by purchasing a PSR 1100 over the PSR 540. It's a few hundred dollars more but well worth it imo. You can get a PSR 1100 at Music123.com for $899. They offer Free shipping and also NO sales tax. But if you're short of dough the PSR 550 would be a good choice. Give George a buzz mike. I'm sure he'll give you a great deal on that brand new PSR 550. He may even carry the PSR 1100.

Best regards,
Mike
_________________________
Yamaha Genos, Mackie HR824 MKII Studio Monitors, Mackie 1202 VLZ Pro Mixer (made in USA), Cakewalk Sonar Platinum, Shure SM58 vocal mic.

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#96943 - 10/28/03 07:56 AM Re: PSR 540 or 550 what is the difference
Starkeeper Offline
Member

Registered: 09/16/02
Posts: 1704
Loc: Toronto
I'm not sure about the sweet trumpet, but the PSR550 has the sweet flute (my favorite), and some extra guitar voices. I also owned the PSR540 and upgraded to the PSR550. The piano and organ voices are the same, the speaker system is the same as well. The PSR550 has more styles. IMO the acoustic piano doesn't sound great out of the box, had to add some reverb and chorus for my liking and the sustain button must be on (your mileage may vary).
Starkeeper
_________________________
I play Roland EM20 and Yamaha PSR550

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#96944 - 10/28/03 08:00 AM Re: PSR 540 or 550 what is the difference
Starkeeper Offline
Member

Registered: 09/16/02
Posts: 1704
Loc: Toronto
If your main voices you use are piano and organ, then it's not worth the upgrade. Let me know if you purchase the 540. There was a style on it called "British Pop" that I miss on the PSR550. Would appreciate if you could send it to me.
Starkeeper
_________________________
I play Roland EM20 and Yamaha PSR550

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#96945 - 10/28/03 08:17 AM Re: PSR 540 or 550 what is the difference
Dnj Offline
Senior Member

Registered: 09/21/00
Posts: 43703
Starkeper you got mail

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