Just wondering about your thoughts on your PA800 vs the Roland G70?...

Good luck with it!

Comparing the PA800 to the G70 is something that can hurt the feelings of die hard PA800 fans
like Uncle Dave and Zuki..

The problem with the die hard Korg fans..they don't have the G70 to A/B..
and most cases they never touched a G70..

If the only keyboard I had or played was the PA800..
I would believe it to be a fantastic instrument (and it is)..

The problem ..comparing shared features..the Korg comes up short to the Roland..

First thing that is glaring..the OS of the Korg is all over the place..too hard to locate and make changes,
especially on the fly..The G70 is much more user friendly, and has much more in the features at hand..

Sounds, collectively I find the Roland better in most if not all categories..as examples compare the scats...
The newer 2.01 OS apparently improved the acoustic piano on the Korg...it is not bad (as in good)..
it seems to only have 2 layers compared to 4 layers for the G70 piano..

I think the G70 has a better selection of pianos including EP..

Sequence playback, edits, and managing SMF's and styles..the G70 remains the best..
not just compared to the PA800..

The covers and make up tools are hard to beat on the G70..


Another area the PA800 comes up short..Effects (only 4 effect modules compared to 9 on the G70..)

The mic input and harmonizer..compared to the G70...sorry no contest..
Roland uses a smart harmony control that recognizes
the chords, in any offering..Style, Vocoder, sequences etc..
The Korg needs direction as does Yamaha and Ketron.

Personally I find the G70 harmonizer better than all offerings..

The audio inputs are a major disappointment to me..you can not run 2 mics with effects..
or a mic w/effects and another source at the same time..
The audio inputs on the G70,allow you to add eq and effects.On another mic or any source.
Speaking of mic inputs..1/4 inch on the Korg..Neutrik on the Roland.

Speaking of edits,, altering a sequence on the fly and wanting to resave it during a performance.
apparently is a no no...you need to load the tune manually into the sequencer ,
make changes and then save..
Roland definately has the better idea...

I heard from some folks how the "songbook" is superior...
sorry I don't see any advantage over the "user proram" of the G70.
They both do the job..

The major and single feature that makes the PA800 a feasible instrument for me..
is the MP3 encoder board.

It is not as quick to use as the player found on the Prelude..but it will transpose MP3's..

Korg had to design the dual player to get around down time with extra button pushes..
Evident when trying to medley
tunes on the fly..The Prelude out does the PA800 here..

But comparing the PA800 to the G70...Korg wins hands down with MP3 play..(None on G70)..


Don't get me wrong..I like the Korg PA800..unfortunaely the question asked..
to compare the PA800 to the G70..it doesn't
..and almost the same price point..
The PA800 at 29 pounds and decent speakers..
is a nice choice for a compact all in one instrument..
Sure I find the OS not suited to today's standards
and the lack of editing the G70 gives..a big negative..

Fran, I have to agree on just about every point. The 800 wasn't for me. I can see how some people would love it, but not for my kind of music and use.
I'm hoping the PA3X will address a lot of these areas.
Ketron Audya certainly did, particularly in the area of the mic inputs, vocal harmonizer and operating system.
DonM

I did like the smooth jazz styles in the Korg's though... They have that in spades over most other types.

Fran, give us a review on the strengths and weaknesses of the styles themselves...

Well, there is one thing that makes the PA800 the winner over anything in it's price range, SAMPLER, period. Now speaking from the other side of the sea, the oriental community does not care about a good piano or more effects to make the sounds better. To each his own, the G70 is a great keyboard but the PA800 is a different beast, also G70 is heavy, no speakers, and should be compared more to the PA2x as far as keys,weight,price,flagship arranger etc

The comparison between the PA800 and the G70...is because I own both units..not because they are like models..Yes the PA800 has a basic sampler and speakers..the G70 has a better keyfeel and more keys..Yes there are differences..I tried to compare shared features and sounds..

BTW: the converted PA800 styles sound better on the G70 then they do on the original PA800..After A/B ing this I was totally surprised...This is not the usual results with converted styles..

The styles do not sound bad on the PA800, but more so..sound more live played on the G70..Just another observation..

Also I agree the PA800 is more suited for the oriental market..than the G70..

Diki, I agree with you...Overall I think the styles on the PA800 are better than on the G70..Although the G70 has many great styles, it also has some styles I would never use..

The problem with the PA800 styles..they seem to be 2 variation styles combined to make a 4 variation style..in other words ..variation 1 and 2..seem too different with variation 3 and 4..The latter 2 variations always seem to be more useable...They are not as consistant as on the G70..Both have their strenghts..as you mentioned with the smooth jazz styles on the Korg...

When I get a chance I will record samples of the PA800 style played on each instrument and let you guys determine if I am correct..

Roland does make great keyboards it's too bad that the flagship arrangers have been discontinued from what it looks like, because if Roland made another high-end, it would be a killer, which would probably included some kind of sampler and maybe even audio drums.

Don' t Count them out yet..

I'm not trying to be smart here...but, it does sound like the G-70 is super and I might even want one...
SO, why the 'H' did the dumb folks at Roland quit making them?

Did sales die? If so, why if it is so super??

No, I don't want a well used one.