Hi!
I have a PSR 740 since about 2 years. im looking to upgrade. I know the Tyros is top of the line and am tempted to get it but for the cost. Do yu think the PSR 2100 would be a better upgrade now to the 740 or should I wait for some time till prices go down and get the Tyros.
Thanx a lot!

Both the 740 and 2000 are great keyboards, however, the 2000 was a big step up from the 740. If the 2100 does what Yamaha says it will, it will be significantly better than the 2000. I've read a lot about the Tyros, and looked at all the specifications of the machine. It's probably a big step up from the 2000, but I'm not sure it's worth the extra $2000.

If you're a performer and playing the nite club and private party circuit, the 2000 is tough to beat. When the 2100 becomes available, I'm reasonably confident that it too will be a great keyboard for performing artists.

Good Luck,

Gary

The 2100 isn't that much better than the 2000.

Either get a 2000, or wait and a get a tyros.

(The 2100 only offers USB connectivity and a few new voices. The usb connectivity doesn't do anything a midi cable can't do.)

The 740 and the 2000 are not that different either, unless MEMORY is your thing -- the 2000 has more user memory, which, does seem to be needed for live performances.

Sound wise, I'd wait and get the tyros, otherwise, you are not moving up that far from the 740.

OR, to add similar sounds to the mega voices (so called on the tyros) get a Roland XV sound module for $800 or so (XV5050) and play that with/from your 740. If sounds is all you really need. The XV5050 is a better soundset than what is on the ROLAND FANTOM keyboard. (Similar, but better.)

If you use alot of styles, the 740 does need help since it only loads 3 new ones. I use a PC to store styles and the program one man band to play styles thru the 740. Generally though I do my "own" midi backing and don't prefer to use styles at all.

hope that helps,
Cathy http://www.roncat.net/private.htm

Cathy,
I took a look at your web site. What is some of your other equipment or equipment wish list? The keyboard on the left looks like a Korg Karma. Is that on your wish list?
Starkeeper

I beg to differ - the PSR 2000 is a significant improvement over the 740.

I wouldn't use either one on a job, but the 2000 is way better than the 740..

I beg to differ with Fran.

I use the PSR2000 on the job every day, usually twice a day.

The PSR2000 isn't the sturdiest keyboard in the world. I own two. It has never gone completely AWOL on the job. I blew the internal amp once and had to rely on external speakers. I blew a speaker on the other one and had to rely on external speakers then too. Several times, I've had Style Control buttons start to go out, requiring harder and harder pressing. Once I had this repaired at a service center, but it took too long. The other two times, I had a tech geek friend fix it. He replaced all of the connections on all of the Style Control Buttons. So I've had these problems. But this is after using the keyboard for hours every day, week after week.

The PSR2100 will probably come with more onboard styles, improved harmonizer, slightly improved speakers, much more voice rom - so you'll get all of the Tyros voices except for the Megavoices. You get the USB - big deal. You get twice as much flash memory - a measley 2mb instead of 1mb. I think that's it. I don't think the PSR2100 will be such a step ahead of the PSR2000 that the PSR2000 was from the PSR740. But for me, these improvements are significant, and since I make my living performing, it's going to be worth it for me to purchase it. In fact, I'm going to buy two PSR2100s and get rid of my two PSR2000s.

Unless you have a lot of money, or unless you really need those megavoices and flash memory, I would go with the PSR2100. But to have fun in the meantime, maybe I would buy a used PSR2000. Sell it in July or August and get the PSR2100. The biggest improvement you'll experience with the PSR2000 over your PSR740 is that you'll be able to load styles lightning quick from the floppy drive. On the PSR740, it takes almost 10 seconds to load a new style. On the PSR2000 it takes 3 seconds.

Good luck,

Beakybird

I didn't find much of a difference between the 740 and the 2000 except ergonomically and chose the 740 because it was easier to use (and a bit cheaper). They both sound much the same to me. I would have preferred the 9000 (which really is much better) but didn't have the cash, and would still get one instead of the Tyros as it has more features and internal speakers. It all boils down to personal taste in the end however, so pick the one you like best.

Beakybird..I didn't knock the keyboards, the key word is "I". It doesn't meet my standards for a keyboard that I would use on the job..As for differences between the 740 and 2000, this one feature is enough for me , when I had a 740 ,I could not search for another SMF while playing one. The 2000 did this for me...The vocalizer in the 740 is useless compared to the 2000. BTW , I have lots of money, so I do not have to compromise, and I still prefer my nearly 5 year old Roland G1000..[maybe that is why I still have ten dollars in my pocket]..Fran

Fran - I wasn't offended - maybe I was very slightly offended - that it seemed like you were knocking my keyboard. But I wanted to set the record straight, that I think the PSR2000 is a good keyboard.

The synth engine in the PSR2000 isn't that much better than the PSR740. I think you get only 20 extra voices and that's it. But there are a lot of fantastic features that the PSR2000 has that the PSR740 doesn't.

I think that one would notice a difference in sound jumping to the PSR2100 because there every style would have Live drum voices - plus about 20 other voices not available on the PSR2000.

Good luck.

Here's my 2 cents. Deciding between upgrading from the 740 to a Tyros or a PSR2100, is really dependent on one's personal playing style requirements. They both offer distinctly different advantages. If you require a super light EZ to transport keyboard with built in speakers, the PSR2100 may be the better choice. The 2100 offers 2MB vs 3 MB on the Tyros, but if you are content utilizing the kb's internal styles, 2 MB should sufficient to hold enough custom user styles to keep you happy. The PSR2000 only has 1 MB of user memory. The PSR2100 also includes many of the Tyros's new improved styles & sounds (except for the mega voice variety). The PSR2100 also includes USB connectivity. The main advantages of going with the Tyros over the PSR2100 (imho) is that the Tyros keyboard construction & feel is much improved, and the arranger function buttons are much larger & are illuminated (easier to read) and the bright color LCD screen and much larger character font size make it much easier to navigate. The Tyros also allows you to select any of the 3 intros/endings directly from dedicated buttons vs having to go into a sub menu on the PSR2100/2000. Another often overlooked feature that the Tyros has which both PSR2100/2000 don't, is a dedicated physical 'reg bank' button to call up Registrations files from any mode, such as while you're in Music Finder. The PSR2000/2100 don't allow you to do this. This (to me) is a serious limiatation. The other critically important Tyros advantage (for me) is that it supports 3 individual foot controllers vs only 2 on the PSR2100/2000. I need to assign one for sustain, another to trigger the vocalizer/or Reg Memory advance, and the 3rd to trigger fills. Another Tyros convenience (but not essential) is having the mic level setting conveniently located next to the master volume knob, whereas the PSR2100/2000 mic level is awkwardly placed at the back of the kb.

One complaint I have about the Tyros is it is a bit inconvenient (hassle) to have to drag along the Tyros speakers (with sub woofer) to gigs, personal monitoring, but I suppose it's a trade off to get a lightweight kb (27 lbs). The total weight of the Tyros KB & the Tyros speakers is still less than the 9000pro or PSR9000, so I suppose its easier to carry two pieces (keyboard + speaker system) than a single heavy kb.

I own BOTH the Tyros and the PSR2000 and utilize each keyboards for DIFFERENT situations. For casual spontaneous parties & gigs , I'll take the PSR2000 because it's so quick and ez to grab and go. For longer gigs and larger 'all evening' events, I prefer to take the Tyros as it offers improved sounds/styles, better arranger on the fly navigation, greatly improved keyboard feel (action) which = improved playing musical expression. In the end, it seems the audience is happy with whatever keyboard I use. Hmmm. after saying all that, I may consider adding a PSR2100 now.

Scott

I'm with the "PSR2000 better than PSR740 and worth the money" crowd, not because of the sound quality (which is better, but the 740's still pretty good) but because of the ergonomics, and especially the ability to be able to swap and search discs without interruption; in fact this was my major reason for switching from a PSR630 to a PSR 2k!

Scott's opening statement is really the key to all of this. There are several things to consider, and in the end what is important to me might not be the deciding factor for the next person. In my own case, I like the Tyros a lot and I would love to be able to just go pick one up, but as I play the board and consider the reasons I would spend the bucks on it, it really may not be the best choice for me vs a 2000 / 2100. Each has one thing that detracts from it for me. In the case of the 2100, it's the key feel. In the case of the Tyros, it's the lack of onboard speakers, which does not make me happy when performing live.

My next arranger will be a second arranger to go along with my PA80, and primarily in that capacity I'm looking for a board that will serve me well for live play. I already have the Motif workstation, so I don't need another Yamaha board for the studio, and none of the arrangers available will match it for the features that are important to me anyway, although the 9k pro would come closer than any of the others. For me, the PA80 does double duty, and is one of the only arrangers that I've played that meets my criteria for the studio ( lots of editing power ) and it is pretty good for live play to boot. My 740 was a decent board and the sounds were very good but it lacked a bit ( ok a lot ) in the features dept and really wasn't suited for me for live play. The harmonizer and several other features are vastly improved on the 2000.

I am going to wait it out and check the 2100 out when it becomes available. The Tyros is a fantastic arranger, no doubt, but I don't need to plunk down the money it commands right now. I can get by just fine with what I have already but I still like doing the occasional live thing and a second arranger would be nice to have. I have my eye on other equipment and synths for the studio as well, so for now there is no Tyros in my future. Someone mentioned the Fantom. Nice board but I agree, the soundset could be a little better, and there is no sampling onboard or provision for user arps. Roland plans a new version with sampling that is due out later in the year, so I'll be giving that a look to see if there are other improvements as well. In it's favor, it is a breeze to navigate functions vs the Motif. If I did have "Tyros" money to toss around though, I'd really be looking at the new Moog anyway. Awesome sounding analog modeling board ( I got to play with one yesterday )

AJ

You can't compare anything to the 2100 yet, because it is not out, and most probably not yet in it's finished form. If Yamaha follows their usual form, we won't see it for many more months.
Also, please consider whether the operating system will be in Flash ROM. As we know, it was promised and advertised on the 2000, but that was not true. ("Not true" sounds better than "a lie".)
DonM

Can anyone confirm the following.
I have heard that 2100 has NO flash ROM. Also SD Card has replaced the Floppy Drive (No Floppy Fitted)

Graham UK

It's my impression the 2100 OS is essentially the 2000, but with some added Tyros sounds & styles, USB connectivity, and User ROM doubled.

The 2100's price point is also similar to the 2000, so I would expect that the 2100 won't include flash ROM either. Hope I'm 'wrong' on this though.

It would be terrific if Yamaha switched from floppy to flash card memory, but my guess is that the 2100 isn't going the SD (secure digital) route though , because Yamaha already chose the Compact Flash format on the PSR1K. Also, the SD format is the proprietary owned format of their chief keyboard competitor: Panasonic Technics.

If (and that's a BIG if), the PSR2100 indeed incorporates both flash card memory (mass storage) and Flash ROM upgradeability as well, I'll be one of the first in line to get one, to add to my now growing collection of Yamaha arrangers.


Scott