Fran, I gotta tell ya. I'm really blown away with the way the S-950 sounds, and I wasn't really prepared to be blown away at all. As for baby steps, well, lets see, people asked for a multitude of things, and damned near all of their requests have been answered.
For example, people asked for more keys - preferably 76 - Yamaha produced the T5 76
People asked for a better vocal harmonizer - They did that too.
Players asked for hotter, more realistic sounding drum kits - they got em.
A lot of folks thought the keyboard should be black - The S-950 is definitely black.
A lot of arrangers had lousy displays - Yamaha stepped up to the plate and provided a fantastic display.
Players wanted realistic guitar, sax, horn and brass sounds - Yamaha hit a home run with this one.
Home players wanted a better onboard sound system - They got it with the S-950.
People complained that the MFD (Music Finder Directory) only was able access onboard styles - Yamaha again stepped up to the plate and provided the ability to access files from any USB source as well.
Old farts like me wanted a lightweight package, an arranger that weighed less than 30 pounds - Yep, they accomplished that with both the S-950 and T5.
Both home a pro players wanted an onboard player that would allow them to play .WAV and midi files directly from the keyboard. Well, not only did they provide a player, but they also provided an outstanding, user friendly recording system as well.
The list of new and exciting features is almost endless, the learning curve will be fairly steep for some, but the rewards are fantastic. At least this has been the case with every Yamaha arranger keyboard I've ever owned or encountered.
So, Fran, Diki, and anyone else that considers the above "baby steps" might want to reconsider. If these are baby steps, then Yamaha should be applauded for their baby steps, plus the time and effort to respond to their customer base requests. From MY perspective, they've done an incredible job in providing consumers with a fantastic product over these many, many years. And, while they, like all manufacturers, have experienced some technical problems, they have stepped up to the plate and provided outstanding service to their customers to rectify those problems, often at little or no cost to the customer and in some instances, even when the product was out of warranty.
If you recall, a few years ago Steve Demming posted a thread requesting members of this forum to provide Yamaha with a series of wants and needs for upcoming arranger keyboards. The list was pretty darned extensive, and not everyone got everything they wanted. For the most part, though, all of those requests were put in place to some degree. And, every two years, Yamaha comes out with something new, and quite often exciting. How many other manufacturers come out with a new arranger every two years? How many other manufacturers provide the same, worldwide customer service that Yamaha provides? Has any other manufacturer posted a request for user comments, and then provided those individuals with a product based upon those requests?
Yeah, I love my Yammies, but keep in mind that I've also owned Korg, Roland and a few others during the past 20 or so years. They were all pretty good at the time, but none have Yamaha's outstanding track record in this industry - NONE!
When the T5 does arrive on the scene, I suspect it will have many more of the features requested by consumers during the past couple years, touch screen, different keybed feel, hotter drum kits, etc... I'm fairly confident it will do more than the average player could possibly imagine, or has the technical expertise to do. I'm sure it will provide players with things they've never dreamed of, and produce some fantastic music for a large number of pro and amateur players alike. Sure there will be some individuals that refuse to say anything good about the product, but we've heard all that in the past from the same people.
I'm probably not going to purchase a new T5. In my case the reason is I'm rapidly approaching the end of my musical playing career. My voice is still holding up quite well, but asbestos has taken a nasty toll on my lungs, so that, along with advancing age, will soon make it physically impossible for me to continue. I hope I can get another couple years out of this old, outdated body and maybe make another long sailing voyage down to the Dry Tortugas and Bahamas on my boat.
Cheers,
Gary