Well it's been several hours and I was able to scurry on down to GC and play not only the PSR-S950 but also the S750 and believe it or not they also had a Tyros4 on hand in the professional keyboard section ready to demo.

By the way thanks for the greetings. It appears everyone is doing well and I see Diki hasn't been banned permanently from the forum yet. That in itself is reason to rejoice. He brings an added dimension to the forum that keeps everybody on their toes. Especially Nigel. lol

Back to the PSR-S950. You guys are right. The key action just doesn't cut the mustard for me but the keys are at least a little bit stiffer than the S750 keys are. Although one of the employees had just set up the S950 while I was there so it could be just a matter of it being brand new, whereas, the S750 could have been on the shelf quite a bit longer and played extensively by customers in the store. So perhaps that's why the keys felt a little mushier on the S750. They could have the same exact keybed in other words. Only the S950 keys hadn't been "broken in" yet. Although only Yamaha knows for certain I suppose.

Regarding the sounds. I thought the sounds on the S950 were very nice overall and I think some of them were even comparable in quality to the Tyros4. I tried the audio styles and if you ask me there's not much of a difference between them and the regular midi styles in my opinion. The styles themselves were excellent in many cases and I think the PSR-S750 or S950 would make a good choice for beginners or even more advanced players who want a lighter package with relatively good sounds. As in Don's case. The S950 is half the price of a Tyros4 and it has a few additional features that the Tyros4 doesn't have. So if you don't mind the slightly cheesy keys the S950 and S750 could make a valuable addition to someone who doesn't already have an arranger keyboard or to someone who may just want a back-up.

I think the best path forward for me is to probably wait until one of the Big Three releases a 256 note polyphony arranger that won't break the bank. I noticed the Tyros4 was on sale at GC for $3,749 and with my superb bartering skills I'm sure I could haggle them down even further. But I really want something in 76 keys or even 88 keys if the weight isn't an issue. I really like the PAX3PRO but I just can't get over the realization it only has 120 note polyphony. Some of Casio's Privia line (although not arrangers) have 128 note polyphony and the prices are around $500 bucks or thereabouts. I'm really hoping Korg puts it in gear and will release a next generation arranger with 256 note polyphony. Arrangers today are so complex with so many advanced features that 128 note polyphony really isn't sufficient any longer in my humble opinion. I realize the Big Three are milking 128 note polyphony for all it's worth. But eventually they need to smell the coffee and wake up to reality that 128 note polyphony just doesn't cut it any longer. Although if something came along that was the bee's knees yet only had 128 note polyphony, I would seriously consider getting it. If I had my druthers though I would much prefer a 256 note, 76 key model, that won't break the bank. I know I know. I realize that may be next to impossible. At least in the near term. Once 256 note polyphony arrangers have been around for a while the prices should drop accordingly.

All the best, Mike

PS: Happy holidays everyone! I'll try to check in more often. I may have to buy a cheap Casio WK-7500 just so I can say I have an arranger and be able to feel more at home on this forum. I feel a little out of place not having an arranger and posting on an arranger forum. By the way, my Roland Fantom G7 is still plugging away. I really miss arrangers though. There's a lot you can do with an arranger that you obviously can't do with a traditional workstation. Hello! Auto-accompaniment for one. Easier on the back in most cases too. I'll keep my fingers crossed that something will come along in the near future. These are exciting times and the technology keeps getting better and better. Now if the prices would just go down a little.