Sorry, Ensnareyou, but I have NEVER seen you criticize the Abacus in any form whatsoever.
And, to be fair, every now and again (I know it's seldom, but he HAS done it) Ian will post about aspects of the PSR's and Tyros's that could use improvement. So much for the 'whore'.
Where is YOUR objectivity, that you so demand from others? Let's face it, were it the perfect keyboard, one would expect at least SOME music to have been recorded on it by yourself, by now....
Usually, when demoing an arranger for the first time (with a drive that far, it would have to be the last time, too
) you have little time to do anything than call up the presets, call up the factory styles, and listen to what it sounds like. Ergo, a recording of someone else doing basically the same thing should be an adequate substitute for that first impression. Tactile stuff is secondary, at least for me, to the basic SOUND of the keyboard.
And, having ripped and encoded thousands of CD's into MP3's over the years, I consider myself intimately aware of what the encoding process has done to the initial sound of just about anything. This puts me in a position to extrapolate what the REAL sound of an arranger is, even from an MP3.
And I NEVER use the built in speakers for anything, far preferring my HR824's for home, and my JBL SRX rig for gigs.
So, tell me once again, what is the point of driving that kind of distance again? To listen to those out of date styles and sounds in person? Or to contribute to Exxon's disgusting profit margin?
I already use most of the VSTi's that would go in the Wersi in the studio, and have already decided long ago that in a live situation, the difference is not enough to warrant the expense and difficulty, not to mention latency issues.
And lastly, I tend to discount the opinion of anyone that can't bring themselves to offer ANY criticism of a keyboard, when employed by the company, and ESPECIALLY when they are not. As, I imagine from your remarks, you do yourself.
It hurts, to find yourself in the company of those you deride, doesn't it?