Henni, first and foremost, I would not judge the sound quality using a pair of headphones, even TOTL headphones. I would use the sound-PA system that I use for the jobs. This is important for a host of reasons, the least of which if venue ambiance. Every venue, indoor and outdoor, has it's own specific ambiance, and because of this, we make adjustments to the EQs to compensate. I play several pool parties each summer, many of which demand different EQ settings because the pool is situated in locations where sound does funny things. In some locations the pool is located near a building and the sound bounces off the building walls, despite the fact I'm performing on the opposite side of the pool and well away from the building. I have another marina job where the pool is situated next to a wide expanse of water - totally different settings.

Now, I have no problem with the vocal processor at all on the PSR-S950 - for me it does an excellent job. The vocal processor of the 3000, though, was marginal at best, and the harmonies were just plain awful, which is why I used an outboard harmonizer. However, if you list to some of the vocals that Dan741 posted on the PSR-tutorial using the PSR-2000 the quality is incredible. Dan went to great pains making those recordings, using a very high-quality mic, headphones for monitoring, and a great recording system. Ancillary equipment can have an immense bearing on the final product.

Having played an Audya, just once, though, I thought there was a significant difference in the overall sound resonance - not the overall sound quality. Those Audya sounds sounded much harsher than I was used to with the PSR-3000 and S-950, they were very crisp sounding, which is one of the reasons so many players felt the drums were more realistic than Yamaha's Drums. For me, the sounds were just too crisp and brite, but for some folks, that's what they want, which is fine as long as their audiences like it equally as much.

Now, if my PSR-S950 were to die this afternoon, I would be able to go to work tomorrow using my backup PSR-3000, which has served me faithfully for more than a decade. I hope this does not happen, and I seriously doubt that it will. In all the years I've been using arranger keyboards, all brands, I've never experienced a complete failure - not once!

Good luck,

Gary