Hi All,

Finally took the plunge after a lot of contemplating and upgraded over my PSR S950 which was also very less used. Needed to get my music back on track and you know there's always a reason to buy a new board plus I got a super sweet deal on the new S970 and the S950 sold off at a super price!!
Now, my views on the S970...
1) Key feel has definitely improved subtly but noticeably. It gets better with each new iteration. Keys are a bot more springier and overall better to use.

2) The speakers onboard sound almost the same but now with the new EQ settings it can be tweaked to your liking. I still prefer the onboard sound of my old S900. Just my preference!!

3) Sounds..wow..here is a buffet of new sounds. Especially the choir sounds and the ones borrowed form the Tyros. The new DSPs make the sounds richer and fuller. Everything sounds more robust and better now.

4) Audio styles are better and more usable. Other styles as well.

5) Love the control knobs which can be assigned to different things. WHen I connect it to my PA system and use the new DJ styles....it sounds fantastic!!!

6) I just Lovveeeeee the new Screen. Super Crisp and clear. Everything more legible as I feel the screen is a bit more raised now. No more reaching for the contrast control knob!!

7) The new KB color which has a hint of gunmetal brown looks sleeker!

Summing up...

I think the PSR S970 is in the true sense a Professional arranger and its looks and sounds the part. In fact my wife who is a keen observer even complemented that this board looks fantastic. Even though the S950 and S97- look similar!!

I think even if people are on the fence thinking of upgrading from an S950. After using the S970 now I think its totally worth it if you get a good deal.

Hope my above thoughts help you in some way!

Cheers

Sunny

Thanks for your detailed review! I'm glad to hear that the S970 is indeed better than the S950.

You're the 4rd person who says the keys are better. It must be true. I wasn't too keen on the S950's keys, especially coming from a Motif XF, which has the same keys as the Tyros. That's good to to know.

Great review!

My S970 now goes out to gigs, most of the time, in place of my Tyros 4.

I had the S950...

To me the S970 is just a lot more machine

Thank you for your review. I have a 770 on a long-term rental currently deciding before buying. In the music store I could feel the better keybed of the 770 compared to the 970. Do you think the keybeds of the 770 and 970 are identical?

Hi newday5229,

The keybed of the PSR-S770 feels better than the PSR-S970?

It's the first time I've heard this. It would seem strange if that were the case, because the S970 is more expensive than the S770.

I hope someone else can verify this.

When I asked my Yamaha repair guy about this he said they have the same part numbers, so I suspect they are the same keybeds.

Gary

Thank you, Gary. Now, I wonder if the S970's keybed is exactly the same as the S950's?

I will try to get that information on Monday when the shop reopens.

Gary