There is a reason I might consider getting whatever replaces S970, maybe sometime next year. It's because my aging wrists and fingers have less stress playing those little soft-feeling keys. Even the PA4X is starting to give me soreness after four hours a night, every night. I don't play hard, but you have to use enough pressure to make the touch and effects kick in.
What is a game-killer for many players, would be an asset to me.

Gary, while your statement is basically true IMHO....there is one thing you forget......if you are playing a nice slow love song or a song from musical theatre...if the arranger sounds are totally awesome and beautiful, you WILL sound a lot better, be more inspired and enjoy playing a lot more...remember I do NOT sing do not do dance music, play standards at N. homes etc...the sound is critical to me. I play at home just like I did all those years I played Thomas, and Yamaha organs...AND I bought new models regularly because of ONLY the better sounds.

On that we agree, Lee. In my case, when I was performing the nite club and restaurant circuits, my vocals were my only saving grace - I'm not by any means a musician - just an old, retired hack entertainer. To make up for some of my shortcomings of not being as pretty as Don Mason on stage, I dressed in the fanciest clothes, which the ladies absolutely loved. Keep in mind, however, that those of us that were on stage played exclusively for the ladies - not the males in the crowd. The guys, nite clubs and restaurants, honkeytonk bars, etc... were all there to get plastered and hook up. The ladies, on the other hand, wanted to party, have fun, dance, talk endlessly with the other ladies about kids, grandkids, other women, and hear the music - hooking up with last on their list of priorities. So, I figured, early on, if I looked good and sounded good to the ladies, I couldn't lose - I was right. The only problem with the nite club, restaurant, bar circuit was you could not make a decent living. I had a family to support, and too damned many boats (at least that's what my wife said) that needed constant attention.

On the senior circuit, there were lots of folks that emulated the ladies in the bars and restaurants - they loved to dance, enjoyed my singing, loved to party, happy hours took place daily at some locations, and as long as I looked good and sounded good, I had a well paying job as often as I wished to work.

For a creative, home-studio player, I believe the Genos will really outshine the competition, but until someone actually posts some of their Genos creations, we will really never know what this machine can do. I sincerely believe, however, that most arranger keyboards can do far more than 99.9 percent of the forum members ever dreamed possible.

All the best,

Gary

Don: You know you just caused Donny many sleepless nights😢

Nope doesn't bother me at all genos who?

A little short story....Once upon a time I had a Kurzweil K2600...I bought it over ALL others (Pro KBD, not arrangers) for ONE BIG reason...the sounds...they were awesome, very high quality, very real sounding etc...the very best orchestral voices in the industry. I loved playing it and the sounds were inspiring...But I'm not a piano player...I am a organ player.

OK, why is it gone...I don't play with a band!...it is only a 88 key piano like instrument...not an arranger. So I was not a one man band I was a part of a band without the others!

So, I sell it and get a T2...Liked it a lot...but sounds were just OK, some excellant....so I get a PA1XPRO...worse in the sound dept...but I loved the interface and player features....so I sell it and get a PA2XPRO...a little better but quite a few of the sounds I use were sub-standard once again.

So, I write up a 3 page detailed document to Korg about all the sound issues...send it through Sweetwater, found out Korg did get it. No response.

So I sell it and do a MIDI setup with some sound modules...sounds were good, but the content (styles, registrations etc) is missing..so I sell it.

If Kurzweil had an arranger...wow, but they don't.

For a lot of the music I hear folks play on arranger...the details of instrument sound quality is not that critical, lots of drums...dance music, and most important good or great singing voices...real entertainers for live audiences.

I'm still looking for an arranger with absolutely excellent sound, PRO all the way. And styles for music I play at home, like the home organ days.

Maybe Genos is it...we'll see. T-5 could probably work too...but I have been waiting to see the T-6 (Genos now).

I am anxious to hear the right demos(surely not Martin Harris playing music that would sound good on any arranger, and DJ stuff) that highlights a lot of sounds/styles I want to hear.

It will come in time, or one will land near me I can go hear.

Thanks for listening...I know this is a different thing than most of you guys are into.