Dave I disagree. I owned one briefly. Much better than any low-priced Yamaha or older Casio. Yamahas can't even play slash chords, and the keybeds on the Casio's are rubbish.

Overall not as good as the solid MOTL E-50 / E-60 which preceded it. Loss of the touch screen and a buggy, clunky Style Composer are the reason I held onto my E-50 and let this one go.

Maybe not even as good as the entry-level Prelude as a lightweight compact arranger. The Prelude had a 16-track sequencer that the BK-5 lacks, although the BK-5 has a better menu system and IMO better controls for real-time arranger play.

Not as good as the E-A7 either. Only one screen on the BK-5 vs. two on the E-A7. Also, the BK-5 lacks the EA's multipads, sampling, or deep sound editing if you're into that kind of thing. (I'm not.)

My take is that it's ok as a pure arranger in a lightweight package. Downmarket in sound and features from the BK-9, and now eclipsed by the newer E-A7, I've seen these go for less than $400 used. At that price I heartily recommend it as a first board for a beginner.