Sweetwater has the BK-9 listed with a price of $2,499.00
That is up there!

we all knew it would be around the $2500.00 mark...
check out SZ dealers Frank at Audioworks CT or George Kay Music for great deals as always.

Man... they have the dimensions messed up!!

Sweetwater site has...
Height 12.2"
Width 49.3"
Depth 17.6"
Weight 20.75 lbs.

Rolandus has...
Width 1251 mm 49-5/16 inches
Depth 345 mm 13-10/16 inches
Height 345 mm 13-10/16 inches
Weight 9.4 kg 20 lbs. 12 oz.

12 or 13 inches high?!? Doesn't look like it to me... 4 inches Max with the knobs.

Hmmm?!?!?

To be fair some of my criticism is premature and in some cases unwarranted. For instance, the price of the BK-9. $2,500 is a lot of dough but it's actually less than half the price of a Tyros4. And of course the BK-9 also has 76 keys which is preferable to many people. Although there is no after-touch as I stated previously.

There are probably many excellent sounds on the BK-9. We heard a few already but we also heard some less than stellar sounds. Which gives the impression... right off the bat I might add... of a 'mixed bag' sound palette that could hinder its overall effectiveness as a live performance keyboard. Time will tell.

Again, I like several things about the BK-9. I like the physical Drawbars. The sound apparently doesn't cut off when you change patches. I like that it has 76 keys and that it is very lightweight making it extremely portable. I like that it has micro-editing capability and an XLR mic input. But it also lacks several things considered vital to arranger keyboardists. No harmonizer, no speakers, no color LCD screen(s) and very low resolution, no on-board lyric display, no Sampler, no after-touch and perhaps sounds that could be 'iffy' in several categories. But regarding the overall sounds we'll have to wait until it hits the store shelves. I'm hoping some of these early sound demos are an anomaly. If 90% of the sounds are considered excellent then the high price of admission may be worth it. We should probably start seeing them sometime during the summer. Or winter if you're in the southern hemisphere.

At least Roland is making a concerted effort to satisfy the higher-end arranger market. Although claiming that the BK-9 is a high-end arranger could be stretching it a bit. It might be the Flagship of the BK series but the mother of all arrangers it's not. I think the Audya, Tyros4 and PA3X still hold those distinctions for now. I'm also guessing Yammie will probably pass on a Tyros4 successor until probably next year. Ketron also needs a successor to the aging Audya. No telling when that will be though. Hopefully they'll give it at least USB 2.0 next time around. And more internal memory. And at a price that won't break the bank. Same goes for Yamaha.

All the best, Mike

Mike it does have lyric display...only MP3/CDG needs external screen to show lyrics..

I have eyes as old as most here...and I read lyrics on the same BK5 screen, without a problem

BTW: I can't find any "iffy" sounds on my BK5...so why would they be on the upgraded model..

Also... It looks like they only have one USB for Thumb Drive OR the Roland Wireless Connect. On the back, they only have the USB to hook to a computer.

Must I use a USB hub to use both a Thumb Drive with all my audio tracks from other keyboards I own and the Roland Connect dongle...

More questions will come up, I'm sure of it.

On the downloadable brochure, they have the correct dimensions...

- Dimensions
Without music rest:
1251 (W) x 345 (D) x 123 (H) mm
49-1/4 (W) x 13-5/8 (D) x 4-7/8 (H) inches

Including music rest:
1251 (W) x 445 (D) x 308 (H) mm
49-1/4 (W) x 17-9/16 (D) x 12-1/8 (H) inches

I am not ready to make a comment poss or negative I just sold my Fc-7 pedal now i am wishing it did not I would like to hear more of the overall sounds as a Bk-5 user I like the piano sounds on it I am hopeful the put more piano sounds and useful type sounds in the super natural sound set I keep hearing people say no lyric display but my bk-5 displays chords and lyrics on smf files so why would they not do it on this unit esp since there are 2 screens what would be the use for additional screens if they where going away from that . that is a very Important thing to have on a arrag keyboard I see they are displaying lyric display on a Ipad that is the way the trend is going and it seems they will have a lot to offer in this area I hope to play one soon. I am in Los Angeles and Roland is pretty close bye I might see if I can go bye and play one.

Ron if you get to Roland's building...and they actually have a BK9......check under the keys for metal weights...that would make it the Juno Stage bed..

Also I have no doubt the BK9 reads lyrics and shows on the internal screen..only the CDG needs external screen..according to what I have read and seen on video...

Style programming and especially bass programming (lack of dynamics) is poor.Although drums samples themselves are not bad.
What a shame. Great hardware/weight factor etc.

Supernatural sounds still have alot of homework to do,No where near SA IMHO.

Thay also need to hire someone who knows the strengths and weaknesses of the keyboard.

As for now, Yamaha has nothing to worry about,YET!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3ndtpqaFpE