Pardon my butting in here. I have the EA-7 and it is a good board with many things to recommend it. The main drawback is the styles. I am speaking strictly for the type of music I do (old country and pop 50s to 90s). I have been working on the styles Donny sent me using the makeup tools and Style Creator but it is a slow process. Yamaha has probably 50 styles ready to go out of the box. Also, Bachus makes a good point-where are the Roland supernatural sounds on the EA-7?
I am still learning and in no hurry, but I'll be watching the Yamaha announcement this fall-if it really happens.
Bill, try the Vietnam styles .. there are some that may meet your needs.
BTW: for Bachus and others... The E-A7 does have samples taken directly from the "high end" boards... namely Super natural sounds..
I have A/B'd these sounds.... as an example "pure EP"...
I realize you may not have access to these sound sources to compare.... this alone may be a reason not to comment as a matter of fact..