Donny, it has nothing to do with a particular brand...
Most people will admit the Ketron has superior drums...period..

My point about listening to your keyboard and compare it to the Audya..has more to do with it's class..

PSR canidates (and Prelude/GW8)..are not buyers of Tyros3 and Audya...simple math and economics...but don't think for a minute there are not differences between a $1.000-$1,500 instrument and a $4,500-$5,000 instrument..

Quality differences in construction, converters, samples..and other major differences we are not privileged to know about..Remember we are comparing within the same brand..

There will be a fair share of buyers in any class for many reasons...PSR910 buyers for lighter weight and a lighter cost..Tyros3 for the best they can get for their Yamaha investment..No right or wrong..just different frames of mind..and budgets..

The Audya buyer is interested because the board represents the best sounds/styles in a closed system arranger...and they can afford the price...So for every Don M, and Frank, and Semi...you have Me, you and Ian..

I've had the new sounds and styles for a while, but couldn't say much about them.
But, they are fantastic, particularly the sounds.
I don't know what they did to the styles, but they all sound better than before, and they already sounded great.
I love the new guitars, saxes, pianos and organs.
The Programs now have some useful, thoughtful combinations that sound fantastic.
I'm not certain whether my version is as complete as the just-released version, so I will probably reinstall it, but I will wait until I have some time off, because I'd sure hate to lost what I have.
Aside from the sound, my favorite thing about the Audya is the ease of operation, from setup, adjusting, saving, personalization to ease of recall.
For those who had previous Ketrons, this operating system is totally new and improved.
DonM

thank Frank,

any NEW synth/modern sounds?
this is one area Ketron should improve

DNJ,

Come on I don't class that little snippet as a good enough sample for any discerning KB player to make a position or negative judgment. You need to listen to a little bit more, but that’s the problem Dnj, Audya and AJ drip feed us like a patient on his death bed, and perhaps that when most of will get the new sounds, just before we depart this World or Ketron go bust, which ever comes sooner. I can hear them now at my funeral. “ He waited all that time for the new Audya sounds and he passed away just before they arrived, the usb sticks there, I just don’t have the heart to loaded it on for him, he would have loved them” wahh wahh wahh, “ many a true word spoken in jest “!

No matter how good it may sound ...I think the real problem at this point besides the high price is that people are skeptical and afraid to be left out in the cold with their support and service after reading all these stories...I hope things will change fast for them as the others are gearing up to release new gear as we speak in the near future.