Well I could not wait until weekend! I went to my dealer this afternoon to pick out a new board.
I went to audition the G70, Pa1x and the Ty2. I had already half dismissed the Ty2 before I even got there as my last arranger was the Ty1 and I wanted a change. Playing the Ty2 whilst an exceptional sounding board juat made me feel like I had got my old Ty1 back with a few (very nice) extra's added on so I passed on that.
Next I moved on to the G70 fully expecting to hate it (mostly because of the slating people tend to keep giving it!). However I adored the keyfeel and when playing I thought the sounds excellent (this could be because I am used to playing my roland synth) and the styles extremely natural for the most part. The operating system seems to me to be intuative and logical and I have to say I spent the most time playing this board. It really invited me to play the more I sat there.
I moved onto the PA1x and if I'm honest I had partly made up my mind before I got there to buy it. However I found the OS difficult to navigate and not at all user friendly. I loved the sounds and the styles but again tyhey seemed a little too polished for me. The more I played it the more I wanted it to work like the Roland. Again this may be due to the fact that I have been using the Roland synth for months.
In the end I told my dealer to bring me out a G70 and put it in the car. I can't help it......I like it! It has OS v2 and also has the SRX expansion board fitted. I'm still getting used to it (it's only been unpacked two hours!) but I am sure I'm going to love this board.
I'm not trying to make a point here or say that any of the above boards are any better than the others but for my needs and for my ears the G70 won it! I've really missed having an arranger so was determined to make the right choice for me. I don't believe in brand loyalty anyway...I just buy what I like whoever makes it! I don't keep them long but I need to love them while I have them!
Ok I'm off to play now and set it up properly. (it's perched on a table at the mo!) Just wanted to share my news
Best wishes
Tony