I just wanted to comment on something here that's often brought up on the Zone regarding our keyboards. The main thing we always discuss is how the PIANO sounds are in the keyboards we own. There are the di-hard Yammie fans who swear by them, Ketron Fans, Roland, Fans, and even Korg Fans.
Here's the the thing. What really justifies one piano being better than the other in sound quality considering this is such a "subjective" opinion by all?

A few examples here. First off a Yamaha acoustic piano sounds differernt than a Baldwin. A Baldwin sounds different than a Steinway, and a Steinway doesn't sound like a Kurzweil. Being that these are ALL good name brand acoustic pianos, they ALL sound great. We just all have our preference.

It's the same with our keyboards. Be it a Casio WK 35/3700, Yamaha Tyros/PSR-3000, Korg PA (any model), Ketron SD-1, or Roland G-70. Thing is they ALL sound good and sound like a real piano. Even the low end Casio's now have REALLY good piano samples. Again we just all have different taste in piano sounds.

Squeak

My favorite arranger piano sounds are:
1. Casio WK !!
2. Yamaha Tyros (haven't heard t2)
3. Roland
4. Ketron
5. Korg PA80 (haven't heard the PX
Also haven't heard the NEW GEM.
As you say, it's very subjective.
DonM

Squeak, what I look for in a piano....a good tone in the bottom and mid range[usually where they falter] ..Also the high end has to be crisp without the electronic sound..
As for playability, velocity[touch response] has to change the tone when hit hard...not just get louder[this is the biggest problem with most, and I am not going to name those guys again]..
It also has to have a natural decay....

My favorite piano patch[in an arranger] so far is the Roland E-600..
My favorite in a non arranger is the Roland RD700[new model]..
I haven't heard live the G70[favorable opinions], or the Tyros2[said to be the same as the original Tyros]..

The Casio[I have the WK3000] isn't bad, but I think it is thin....more like a rock piano [brightness].

Fran,

I agree with you.

Roland E-600 Fantastic
Roland VA-76
Roland EXR7s

That's all I care for that I've played/owned.

zuki

I don't really agree.

I, for example, (an avid Yamaha fan), played an old korg last night, and the piano sound was great, in your face, live, and chunky. It wasn't as clean, bright, and 'English-proper' as the Tyros piano, but it was much more alive.

If I were to record a CD, I'd use the Yamaha; if I were to play live, the kord hands down.

- all this from a Tyros owner who is about to order a Tyros 2.

Chony

I had to buy a stage piano for our church a year or so ago. I spent a day trying out the various offerings and bought a Yamaha P200. The Rolands were ok but the Korgs were uniformly nasty and thin (brittle sounding). This was a shame because the Korg pianos generally had better facilities.

I haven't regretted the decision since.

On other keyboards (that weren't specialised pianos), I always prefer the Roland sound - this may be partly due to the improved keyboard action which is always an important consideration when trying to play a piano but not such an issue when playing other sounds.

I also have a Kurzweil and love that piano sound too.

I have never heard a Korg piano sound I liked yet (yes I know it's a mater of personal taste). Even the piano expansion boards don't cut it for me. Again a shame as otherwise I might like a Korg (and I do own other korg keyboards without pianos like the Z1) but I use the piano sounds a lot in my performances and particularly when composing. The poor piano sounds in Korgs therefore puts me off using them and it seems to me that whilst Yamaha lead the field in specialised pianos (they make the acoustic versions too after all) they don't seem to put the same care into their non-pianos such as the PSRs and Tyros sounds.

[This message has been edited by andrewpowell (edited 11-02-2005).]

From my limited experience, the Roland grand piano in the VSti Orchestral is by far the best I've heard/played, (a friend heard me play over the phone and said something like "sh%t, is sounds like a real piano"

better than the WK 3500 which I have tried for maybe half an hour in a shop,

and MILES ahead of a Korg Electric Concert Piano EC 150 a friend has. (the one I was playing in the photo I send here).

I cannot judge the mp3's that i have heard here of other various instruments, nor I am a piano player, but the Roland had even better sound, and more "soul" even than the only REAL piano I have played ( an upright one another friend has).
Can't imagine what a 2 GB Bosendorfer sounds.

[This message has been edited by trident (edited 11-02-2005).]

99% of what I play is piano-centric with no vocals so a great piano sound is of primary importance to me. I look for a nice clear overall tone with a full midrange especially in the soloing area where many piano emulations tend to suck. Also I look for smooth sample transitions across the keyboard.

By far the best piano sound in my collection today is the Steinway B in Colossus. That's probably why I am so keen on trying to integrate softsynths into my live performances. But there's a balance between perfection and practicality and I'm not yet ready to go the lengths it would take to use Colossus on stage... "yet" being the operative word - I haven't ruled it out.

I still rely on the Yamaha PLG150-PF piano expansion card in my 9000 Pro for my live piano sound currently. Not only do I like it but I get a lot of positive comments from other pianists about it. There's very few digital piano sounds I like better, but I am determined to go back to playing an 88 note weighted or grade hammer action keyboard in the near future so the 9000 Pro/PLG150-PF's future with me is limited (although I have considered using the PLG150-PF in an S90 or S90 ES).

The best piano sound and keyboard feel I've experienced lately in a hardware keyboard came from the Casio PX-555. I was highly impressed, especially since it's a fairly lightweight $899 arranger, but the 32 note polyphony killed it as an option for me. I look forward to seeing Casio improve upon this further in the future.

I thought we were talking piano sounds in ARRANGERS, so my answer was my opinion on those that I've heard.
DonM

My Favorite Arranger Piano sounds (outta the box):

1. Technics KN7000
2. Yamaha Tyros
3. Ketron SD1
4. Roland G70 (would've be rated much higher if it weren't for all the added reverb)
5. Korg PA1XPro

Scott