I do all kinds of demos on Tyros and PSR, and most often I am presented with instruments just taken out of the box only minutes before my clinic.

It is nice to have an instrument that sounds great right away, and, that's just how the PSR's and Tyros's sound...great right out of the box.

They can easily be made (adjusted) to sound different, and the amount will depend on the personal taste of the end user. Some people are quite content with the factory settings, and some are more adventurous and like to experiment, but the settings used by some may or may not agree with those another likes to use. Sound is personal.

Yamaha's arrangers have an inherent characteristic sound...so do Korg's and Roland's, so it's pretty darn easy for someone to find the best platform to start with for the basic type of sound they want to hear coming from their speakers.

So, start with the right brand of instrument, and don't expect your new Korg to sound like your last Roland, or your Yamaha to sound like your recently sold Korg....the hearts of these instruments are different, and deliberately so.

Saying one is "better" than the other is simply telling everyone else what kind of sound YOU happen to like...nothing more.

Today's arrangers are all terrific sounding instruments, and, we are lucky to have such fine choices available.

Ian

I find I'm not able to trust my ears as much as I used to. I don't have a lot of hearing loss, but in an atmosphere where there is a lot of peripheral noise, I have some trouble.
I know what I like, just not sure if I'm hearing it sometimes!

DonM

My best thought here -- no out-of-the-box worries, that’s not for everyone. BUT keep growing with your keyboard as you use it. The keyboards today are capable of doing fantastic things when given time.

John C.

I have the Korg Pa50sd yes this maybe not the most up to date keyboard by today's standards. For its price it's a good budget arranger. Having owned it for 6 months now Im only scratching the surface of what it can do. Agreed a lot of tweaking is needed. Like breaking in a new pair of shoes. The Korg goes down great in Nursing Homes that I play in. And styles from the Pa1x and Pa800 work well after conversion with styleworks.

Though I don't own one now, I have to say the best out of the box sound and styles I have used are from ketron's sd series. I haven't looked at the audya, and won't until I can better justify the cost and they can better demonstrate reliability.. My friend's T2 sounds fantastic, but after 8 years has tons of "personalization". As has been said, it's a personal preference. I watched the recently posted PA600 vs PSR750 video and have to go with the Korg there. Both Pa3X and T4 have there good and bad to me that make it close. You have to go with your instinct, and first impressions do weigh heavy. Let's face it, out of the box is the first thing any potential buyers hear and what sways them initially. I did the same thing ,Having the BK5 for only 1 day before going Korg.