LOL Steve,

No boat here either - the 800 keeps me too busy Have a great weekend!

"2. The 80 is a joke compared to the 800 - do the comparison and upgrade features. Songbook, Helicon, OS, etc (please)."

I am sorry, but I will have to disagree on this. Yes, the E80 sounds crappy right out of the box since Roland did not do a very good job in initial setup. That is why I was dissapointed initially and just could not believe that Roland let a board slide like that. After acquiring it for a second time and investing some more time into it, it sounds fantastic.
The PA800 is a great board, but the OS is a major drawback for me. There are issues if you are intending to work with samples. Style editing is a major pain in the A**, and I am not talking about adjusting the volume and EQ's etc (deep style editing). The factory styles are modern, but not very LIVE. For me they were just not inspiring and sounded very thin!
I miss however some of the style controls such as; being able to start the style with a fill, fill loop, the four configurable outputs and very good DANCE styles.
One thing that I don't miss is the poor build quality, cheap keys, and only 4 effects ( where Roland and Yamaha have the edge). If I had to pick between PA800 and Tyros2 (which you have), the choice would clearly be a Tyros ( more DSP's, more Ram, better styles, build quality, ~~KEYS~~). Instead of spending the money and going through another learning curve, I think it would be better to invest the time and deeper explore the Tyros!

Bottom line is that any of these TOTL arrangers can sound great depending on the amount of time invested in them!
Discussions of the type "which arranger is better" are pointless and not trully representative of the potential of each.

You have to spend some time in order to find out what will work for you!

P.S. The E80 has a SONGBOOK which is the same as on the PA800.

Hitman,
I think, Zuki was talking about a PA80, not an e80. I could be wrong on that but at least that's the way I understood his message.

If that is the case, I do appologize and agree with Zuki!

[This message has been edited by hitman (edited 04-17-2009).]

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[This message has been edited by Dnj (edited 04-18-2009).]

Hitman this post is so SPOT ON & Honest it ain't funny!!! good thoughts!! I agree with many of the things your saying. Everyone talsk but no one proves their point by posting a song or demo to show why?....until then its all BS.



[This message has been edited by Dnj (edited 04-17-2009).]

Even after the demos are posted, it's still mostly BS, Donny...

Well even a song or a demo is not really representative of the sound! Majority of players use arrangers for live performance and that is where they should be judged ( in the same setting, through the same PA system).

@ MIkey,

when it comes to a choice between PA2x and the 800, you have to decide how important the key quality and weight are. However, the PA2X will give you a slightly better sound because of the better preamps and balanced outputs(including optical out).
To me, the price difference was not justified by the inclusion of a few options (that's why I sold it, and stuck with the 800).
But than again, these things might be important to you!

[This message has been edited by hitman (edited 04-17-2009).]

I agree with Diki!
..while you posted, I was still typing

[This message has been edited by hitman (edited 04-17-2009).]

Yes, I was comparing the PA80 and PA800. Never have seen the E80 to comment, although I really like the way it sounds in demos. Great weekend everyone - finally, some nice weather