Besides obvious price difference and sampling, which one has better sounds (drums, piano, etc.) for someone who is a songwriter? A purchase is dependent upon the answer!

cam8neel,

No matter what response you get here, a personal & physicall try-out of both is recommended prior to purchase...trust me!
AJ

I am with Ketron_AJ 100% over here you will get biased responses from every where ! :-)

I realize that. Problem is no dealers in my area have either one in stock! Arghhhhhh!

If the rumors about o.s. 3 for PA-80 are true I would recomend that but if you can wait till january 2001 I would sujest you to do so winter NAMM will bring newer keyboards and newer o.s. for many keyboards but if you are in a hurry I will sugest that download the manuals for both keyboards (2000 and PA-80) and compare them keeping your needs in mind.

cam8neel,

I have heard lots of Demo's of the PA80, but none of the PSR 2000 - because I don't think there are any online demos yet for this.

However, since I rate the PA80 very highly "sound wise" against the Yamaha Pro 9000, then my impression will be that it is better than the PSR 2000. It has TWICE as much memory for starters (16MB on PSR 2000, but 32MB on PA80). This makes a big difference when it comes to the sounds alone.

Another reason. The PSR is a "passing" keyboard (IMO) for those that can't afford the much more expensive (and heavier) 9000 models. It is a Budget keyboard in other words. The PA80 on the other hand is a Pro keyboard in its own right, and is KORG's BEST arranger. So from a neutral point of view, I would definitely go for the PA80. If you can't try one out, then DO listen to the Demo's of the PA80 (if you haven't done already that is), and see what you think.

J5

The PSR 2000 has almost all of the same sounds as the PSR 9000. I think they are fantastic. The piano, while it doesn't have the depth of a real grand, sounds every bit as good as my 2 gig gigastudio piano when it is within an ensemble. I am super happy with these sounds.
I have been able to create some very moving pieces using the PSR 740 and Cakewalk Pro Audio 9. I have heard that Yamaha styles are better than the Korg.
I am super happy with the Yamaha's sounds and styles.
Now if you are going to do your sequencing all with the keyboard, you better do your homework, because the Korg might have a lot going for it that the Yamaha does not. But if you are using your computer, I would say that the Yamaha is a safe bet.
And as far as performing, the old folks I play for at the Park Districts, senior centers, and nursing homes go gaga over the music that comes out of my PSR 740. I already purchased the PSR 2000, because it has a few extra goodies that he PSR 740 doesn't have.

I can't really speak about the Korg PA80. All I can say is that I am absolutely in love with my Yamaha.

If you are doing computer based recording as a songwriter, you have to also take into account, the difference in price and what you can get for the money. If the PSR 2000 is at least $600 cheaper when you factor in purchasing the hard drive and vocalizer for the PA80, you should consider what you can get for that $600. I purchased Gigastudio and some great piano samples and acoustic guitar samples. When I edit my songs, I use my PSR 2000 to trigger the lush acoustic guitars and real bass sounds that Gigastudio can offer.
All in all, you should think about what goodies you can get for the same price. For example, even though a Mercedes beats a Toyota Camry, you can buy a family sized boat with your Camry and still pay the same price.
You should do a search at this website with keywords so you can find out more about what other peoples' impressions are of these keyboards. Well, since almost no one has the PSR 2000, you can search for PSR 740, and realize that the PSR 2000 is a souped up version. It has about 20 more of Yamaha's newest voices, 20 more onboard styles, the capacity to hold about 20 more user styles, easy access to styles on your floppy disk, and improved access of voice and style registrations, and better sequencing features.

I own both the PSR740 and the PA80. For my own tastes, overall, I prefer the sounds of the PA80 over the 740, but as many have said before me, sounds are subjective and a matter of personal taste. In particular I like the drums, organs, and electric guitars and basses quite a bit better, with most of the other sounds fairly close. I also like the full synth edit capability of the PA80. This is not to say that I don't like most of the sounds on the 740. I do like them. I haven't tried the 2000 yet, but having played around extensively with the Motif and 9000 series, I wouldn't expect that the sounds will be much different on the 2000, although I realize that there are a few new ones that the 740 doesn't have. I cannot comment much on the features, suffice it to say the PA80 has many more than the 740 but still could benefit from a few upgrades to the current O/S. The PA80 has much more detail in the styles than the 740..many 8 bar styles as opposed to 1 and 2 bar yamaha styles. I guess for some, simpler might be better, depending on what you want to use the styles for, ( simple styles work very well on many of the standards that gigging musicians might play for an audience ), but for me the PA80 styles are much more complex and varied and for me that works well. The 740 is a very good board to just plug in and play though. It is a very simple board to operate, and I too have made quite a few good sounding tunes with it, enhanced by my xg editing software. Although the 2000 will have more features than the 740, I would expect that it too will be an easy board to work with. The PA80 has a steeper learning curve and is quite a bit more complicated, especially in using the different sequencer modes and also in editing sounds and creating new ones from scratch using the raw samples.

Like so many have said before, it is very beneficial if at all possible to try the boards out side by side. I also realize that this is not possible for some of us. The next best thing is to compare with what you can find on the net, operating manuals, sound samples ( the 9000 and 740 series should give you a fairly good idea if not completely accurate ), and then when you do make a choice, be sure to order your board from a dealer who will accept a return within a specified period ( 30 days is a good time period ), so that if you do not care for the board you can return it for full value. Good luck..


"Korg" AJ



[This message has been edited by Bluezplayer (edited 10-06-2001).]

Hi everybody...

Yesterday I had my first session with a PSR2000. Absolute fantastic board for this low price. And I made a comparision to the PA80, cause both boards stand in the same room of my local music dealer. I think both boards are really good, with their special features. Therefore you have to hear it first. My decicion was to order a PSR2000 cause I like the lightly weight, the superb user Interface and the fantastic price (about 1500 DM less than the PA80)

If somebody want to hear a demo of PSR2000, check this:
www.psr2000.de sorry only in German

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