Hi Ian,

Good question and to be honest I just wanted a TOTL arranger from Korg. I really didn't needed one as I am not a Pro but I could afford one at that moment so I did buy one.

Also I paid a lot less then the PA3X cost now. I wouldn't buy it for 3200 Euro that is to much I think especialy considering what you get with the PA500 and the PA800.

It is great you got a good deal on it, Frans.

What features are on the PA3X that drew you to make the switch? There must have been something about it, that made it appeal to you, instead of a getting PA-800, or staying with the PA-500?

Is there a noticeable difference in sound and in the styles that you feel justifies it over the PA-800/PA-500?

What speaker system are you using?

Congratulations on your PA3X, by the way...it would be my very next choice after the Tyros4, and, if I had lots of money, I'd have them both. I really like the panel layout on the PA3X...very ergonomically done, especially the sliders.

Ian

Has anyone heard both the BK-5 and the BK-7m? I am a little shocked to hear the BK-5 dissed so resoundingly. Can anyone tell me whether the BK-7m is noticeably better than the BK-5? As I said, I've had the PA3X and the BK-7m next to each other, and with regard to the styles and the overall sound, there is much that is quite comparable, IMO.

And, of course, what differences there are are quite expected when comparing a sub-$1000 arranger to a $3000+ one. Everybody is entitled to their own opinion of course, but much is often made of familiarity. If you are used to Korg's, you are going to think that a MOTL Korg sounds better than a BOTL Roland. And, TBH, yes, to me a BOTL Roland is going to sound decent up against a TOTL Korg. But I really try hard to switch off any manufacturer bias, and simply listen to the SOUND, and to the performance of the styles.

Maybe for us diehard users of one type of arranger, familiarity trumps sound? But Donny has gone through a plethora of different manufactures, all with effusive praise while he had them (and isn't exactly what I would call someone with a burning need for a full synth in an arranger!). Then he traded them. And wasn't so effusive any more! Let's face it, Donny wouldn't even be ASKING about alternatives if he were 100% happy and content with the PA500.

So before you all start telling him 'stick with the best' (YOUR idea of the best, not any empirical 'best' by any degree of imagination!) etc., maybe it is just better to let him try, buy, gush and then sell everything? He's going to be back on the next-gen MOTL Yamaha PSR as soon as it comes out anyway.

Just like he always has...!

Donny, thanks for starting this thread. I'm now going to keep my MicroArranger instead of buying a PA500. I'm so used to playing and enjoying my S910 that I don't think I will replace it after all. The PA500 would not give me any more sound versatility than I already have. As a matter of fact, I'm going to experiment using my XK1 with the KMA and maybe alternate rigs instead of looking for something new or different. Thanks for saving me $1000 or more.

Diki,
I owned the BK-7M - liked it a lot and it sounded really great. I sold it because it was difficult for me to use live. I bought the BK-5 and returned it after only 4 days. I was very disappointed in that it in NO WAY sounded as good as the BK-7M. Functionally it was just fine and the keybed suited me. I recorded about 20 songs with the BK-7M and doing a side-by-side comparison of styles and sounds was very revealing. I had no complaints about build quality or button layout- just the overall sound. NOTHING like the BK-7M. My advice for folks is to buy the BK-7M and a really good controller with lots of buttons to assign things to.

Deane

I got the PA3X for 2600 Euro and the PA800 still was 2200 Euro so the choice was easy. Now you can buy a new PA800 for 1700 Euro new a big difference in price. The PA3X does sound better then the PA500 or PA800 but not that much it is worth paying the double price a PA800 cost at the moment. PA500 and PA800 are still great boards and even the 10 years old PA50 still sounds great to me.

I also listen to the new Yamaha PSR s650 in the store last week and this board sound also better to me then the BK-5. I know I have said no Yamaha more for me but maby the new PSR s950 will be my second board if the price is right.

Frans

Cass your welcome.........after reading all this a Korg player I will stay for obvious reasons.......hard too beat....sound, songbook, navigation,Keybed, editing......all combined is closer to my needs on stage at this point.

If you're after different sounds, try an adjunct module- the roland sound canvas or better yet the ketron sd4. Then you can add layers or substitute sounds at will. Both have drum sets too.

I am quite frankly torn between the BK7m and PA3X. I really like both a lot, and there are advantages both ways. I particularly like some of the Roland styles, but then, I also like a lot of the Korg's as well. The Korg as so many great real-time operational features, that it shines in that category, and of course it has great vocal processing.
If the BK7m had a vocal processor it would be ideal.
It's great to have so many good choices, and I don't believe there is a wrong choice.
I did try the BK5 in the music store for maybe 30 minutes, and it didn't seem to sound as good (I was using headphones). Could well be e.q. and setup tweaks were needed though. I also didn't like the user interface. I am able to do so much more with an external controller and the BK7m.
I would not trade my E50 for a BK5. I have played it for the past four nights, while I do some tweaking at home on the Korg, and the audience couldn't care less.
DonM

Don,
I doubt the difference in sound was caused by "tweaking" concerns. While I had the BK-5 I used headphones, played with the built-in speakers, ran it through both of my Bose Compacts and nothing made a big difference in regards to comparing it to the BK-7M I owned. The BK-5 simply did NOT produce the same quality sound as the BK-7M. Now that I know how to properly use and setup a midi controller I am thinking about buying another BK-7M.

Deane