Hi There Walt:

It's great that Technics is taking past KN models composer styles and converting these into the KN7000 format. This indeed will increase the rhythm library for all who have compatible KN7000 units. That's the catch phrase, "For all who have KN7000". Poor souls who don't...

But what about the people that don't have the compatible KN7000 units? Those people will still have to get a KN7000 in order to be able to use what's on the Technics site.

For those people for some reason or in other can not get the current models each time one comes out. So after awhile their KN will not be able to play other peoples music. Thus if the current models were backward compatible, then those who don't have the current model still can play, because it was saved in lets say a KN5000 format.

Now, there will be some loss of features, sounds, depending on what the older has or does not have compared to the newer model. I think the KN7000 is 128 Polysound and the KN5000 is 64. Of course when converted to KN5000 it will no longer be 128 but 64. Things like that, but hey, they can play it. Better than nothing.

Anthony