I currently own a PSR-630. I'm quite satisfied with it, and it has served me well (yes, I gig with it, despite the fact that it is not a "professional" keyboard). When the 640/740 came out I was not impressed enough to upgrade, but the 2000 looks like a winner. I haven't had the opportunity to try one out yet (no local stores carry it yet), so I'd like to ask a few questions of the 2000 owners.

1) How does the quality of the panel sounds in general compare to the 630? The guitars in particular certainly leave room for improvement.

2) How does the quality of the styles compare to the 630? I know there are four variations as opposed to two. How live-sounding are the styles?

3) Can an XLR mic be used with the 2000?

4) How road-worthy is the construction of the 2000?

5) Is the AC adapter finally included with the keyboard? I thought I read this somewhere on Yamaha's site, but I can't seem to find it anymore.

Thanks for your help.

Marck,
1) The panel voices are similiar to the 740's but have additional "live", "sweet", &"cool" voices.
2) I haven't listened to the 620's styles, but most PSR styles are availible from the http://groups.yahoo.com/group/yamaha-psr-styles group. The 2000 has flash memory into which I have been able to load over 30 styles (depends on size). Nevetheless, I do like the internal styles.
3) Not sure about the mic.
4) I carry mine back and forth to church twice a week. Seems as sturdy as the 740. The power supply is external, but is now solid state and light weight.

Marc K,
I am a Yamaha dealer in Southern California and I will add a little more to your questions.
First, the quality of the panel voices in my opinion have been greatly improved on since the 600 series. So much more Rom memory has been added over the years. One of the major improvements is how the electric pianos and guitars respond to the touch sensitivity. If you play a sound soft you get a much different sound then if you play it harder. In the acoustic piano sound this makes it react so much more like a real piano. The breath of the sax and trumpet "lip" noise is really noticable.
Next, the styles are now much more realistic. The intros and endings are also greatly improved. You will notice much more going on within the styles in brass lines and guitar strums then in the earlier 600 series. It is also great how you can choose between 2,4 and up to 8 measure intro's and endings, but, if you want to keep it simple, there are simple 1 measure intro's and endings.
No, you can't use an XLR balanced cable with this model, but you can use a line transformer which goes from 3 pin XLR to 1/4" high Z inputs.
This keyboard seems to be really well made. In the past, we have had a really good track record with Yamaha keyboards and don't expect anything different with the new models.
Yes, the AC adapter is now included in the box. It made me laugh last year when it seemed like you had to buy the AC adapter seperately but each PSR740 and 640 came with the Yamaha Survival Kit included. After all, there was no way to run the 740 on batteries so you had to have the AC adapter. This year, the AC is in the same box as the keyboard and it is actually smaller than last years but more powerfull.
I have them in stock and ready to go! I sell mine with the survival kit which includes the sustain pedal, Yamaha volume control headphones, CD from Yamaha and I also include the Vocal Kit which includes a nice quality mic, case, chord, mic stand adapter and a floppy disk with 12 ready to play songs , some featuring vocal harmony and all featuring lyrics.
George Kaye
Kaye's Music Scene
Reseda, California

I used the 630 for awhile also, a few years ago.
The guitar sounds on the 2000 are outstanding! You'll want to throw rocks at that ol' 630.
Styles are much improved, with tasteful variations, fills and break. Choice of 3 intros and 3 endings.
Mic does not have XLR input, but the quality is really good. The vocal harmonizer is excellent. Mic has dedicated e.q., effects. noise gate and compressor.
Polyphony is much improved over the 630 as is the overall quality of the sounds.
It reads styles and songs very quickly from disk.
It's an outstanding value in my opinion.
DonM

Marc K,
I am a Yamaha dealer in Southern California and I will add a little more to your questions.
First, the quality of the panel voices in my opinion have been greatly improved on since the 600 series. So much more Rom memory has been added over the years. One of the major improvements is how the electric pianos and guitars respond to the touch sensitivity. If you play a sound soft you get a much different sound then if you play it harder. In the acoustic piano sound this makes it react so much more like a real piano. The breath of the sax and trumpet "lip" noise is really noticable.
Next, the styles are now much more realistic. The intros and endings are also greatly improved. You will notice much more going on within the styles in brass lines and guitar strums then in the earlier 600 series. It is also great how you can choose between 2,4 and up to 8 measure intro's and endings, but, if you want to keep it simple, there are simple 1 measure intro's and endings.
No, you can't use an XLR balanced cable with this model, but you can use a line transformer which goes from 3 pin XLR to 1/4" high Z inputs.
This keyboard seems to be really well made. In the past, we have had a really good track record with Yamaha keyboards and don't expect anything different with the new models.
Yes, the AC adapter is now included in the box. It made me laugh last year when it seemed like you had to buy the AC adapter seperately but each PSR740 and 640 came with the Yamaha Survival Kit included. After all, there was no way to run the 740 on batteries so you had to have the AC adapter. This year, the AC is in the same box as the keyboard and it is actually smaller than last years but more powerfull.
I have them in stock and ready to go! I sell mine with the survival kit which includes the sustain pedal, Yamaha volume control headphones, CD from Yamaha and I also include the Vocal Kit which includes a nice quality mic, case, chord, mic stand adapter and a floppy disk with 12 ready to play songs , some featuring vocal harmony and all featuring lyrics.
George Kaye
Kaye's Music Scene
Reseda, California

Hi Marc,

A world of difference I would have to say from a 630 to a 2000. . I just upgraded from the 740 to the 2000. I had gone from a PSR530 to the 740, but I never really embraced the 740 as much as I would have liked to. The 740 was billed by some as a light and portable version of the 8000, but I never saw it that way. The 2000 is a completely different animal and for the price, for me anyway, it is a very nice and relatively inexpensive "light and portable" alternative to a 9000, minus a few features and some voice rom of course. I agree that the panel sounds are better and that the styles sound more realistic than the 30 series and the 40 series as well. The guitar sounds were always a sore spot for me on the 740, particularly the amplified electrics. I'd say thay are much improved on the 2000, and I find some to be very usable for me now, though for composing I'll still probably stick with my PA80 for some of the guitar sounds. The 2000 also has many more functions than the 630/740. The mixer and sequencer functions are excellent in it's price range. I had a Casio MZ2000 for a time, and although many would scoff at it solely because of the name, I thought it had outstanding features for its price ( vastly superior to the 740 for features and comparable in that respect even to some of the higher end arrangers ), but while some of its sounds were pretty good, others were not really up to par, and Casio offers absolutely no support or upgrades for their products. I had wished that another manufacturer would have offered comparable features at the same price range, and voila, the 2000 is the answer to my wishes, with sounds to match the excellent features in its price class. I agree with Don M 100% - The 2000 is an outstanding value in it's price class, and it is all and even more than what I had hoped the MZ2000 was going to be for me. In tandem with my PA80, which has excellent sounds and styles, and pro level synth edit features, ( but can be a bit difficult to navigate in real time ), with the 2000, I feel that I now have a very nice setup to both compose and perform with. I was unsure at first whether it was worth it for me to upgrade from the 740 to the 2000, but after spending a few days with the new board, for me it is a no brainer. Much better than the jump from the 530 to the 740.

AJ


[This message has been edited by Bluezplayer (edited 11-15-2001).]

Thank you for your informative replies.

[This message has been edited by MarcK (edited 11-17-2001).]