£1799 = $3,387 which is the MSRP of course. If we're talking street price maybe around $2,500-$2,995 {£1,327-£1,590}.

The sounds are very good. Kudos to Ketron for putting in excellent sounds. The Drums are fantastic in my opinion. BUT there are only a few demos so my enthusiasm is a little subdued for now. Once more demos are posted it will give people more of a 'true' idea what the SD5 is capable of. They will sure give Yamaha a run for the money though especially if the price is indeed around $2,500-$2,995. The Tyros2 retails for $4,200 and can be had for around $3,499 boxed. The nice thing about the Ketron is the onboard speakers at 22wx2 RMS and it weighs only 5 1/2 lbs more than the Tyros2, which as we all know doesn't have any speakers. If you consider that a gallon of milk weighs about 8 lbs, then lifting 5 1/2 additional lbs over a Tyros2 should be a piece of cake. Also, since the SD5 has its own onboard speakers (and dandy ones at that ), it requires less stuff to transport and/or "buy" i.e. - an external sound source.

There is no mention of polyphony so I'm assuming it has 64 note polyphony like the SD1. Is that enough? You decide..

No 76 key version. No sale for me..

To those who only need 61 keys the Ketron SD5 looks like a real winner. Great voices, powerful onboard speakers, and not much heavier than a Tyros2. A few drawbacks are the small number of internal Styles at 120, 64 note polyphony??, no included Harmonizer (optional only) and no GM2 standard. By the "PC/Mac host Interface" I assume they mean USB instead of Firewire.

The street price is where the rubber meets the road. If it's significantly lower than a Tyros2 they should sell like hotcakes and give Yamaha a run for its money.

Best regards,
Mike

[This message has been edited by keybplayer (edited 06-02-2006).]

128

Glenn

I thought it sounded very good.

Tom

I like what I am hearing. Rock band has a lot of that old Kansas sound .. which I especially like. I tell ya AJ, if you guys can somehow ever manage to get one of these things close enough to me that I can go demo it, I'll give it some serious consideration..

AJ

... working on some more "unofficial demos".

Thanks,

AJ

That is good news if it is indeed 128 note polyphony Glenn.

The Ketron Specification page does not list the polyphony and I can't understand why they have chosen to leave out that important piece of information. If you've got it flaunt it as they say. By choosing to leave out how much polyphony the SD5 has Ketron unknowingly may cause some people to pass on the SD5 thinking to themselves that is has the same amount as their other products but not more.

I guess it's a similar situation to what Yamaha did when they chose not to list the WAV ROM amount of the Tyros2 on their web site. 300 MB linear is not the true amount because Yamaha compressed the ROM. Compressed we're looking at 160 MB or possibly even less depending on how much compression they used. Yamaha said they didn't want to 'confuse' the consumer by posting the compressed amount so they end up not posting anything on their web site choosing instead to let their spokespersons 'announce' the linear amount on various Forums i.e. the '300 MB' figure; and on their Tyros2 video demos with Michel Voncken. In my opinion Yamaha was and is being devious by leaving out the WAV ROM info on the Tyros2' specifications page on their web site. OTOH, Ketron is just being negligent by not posting the polyphony of the SD5. One thing to think about is even though Ketron 'says' it has 128 by word of mouth, there is still no concrete evidence to support their words however trustworthy they might be. If they post it for the world to see in writing then that written statement and acknowledgement is legally binding in a court of law and the consumer has legal recourse if the SD5 is found to not be what they stated i.e. 128 or whatever the case may be.

Also there was the PSR 2000 fiasco (remember that debacle? ) with Yamaha saying to the public [in writing] that the PSR 2000 could be upgraded over the internet and then shortly after they started shipping Yamaha reneged, reversing there original statements and started putting in non-Flash ROM chips in the PSR 2000 and making excuses left and right to a 'furious' public who had already purchased one.

But what can a guy do really? I suppose someone could have taken them to court. But with their high faluten attorneys and Yamaha's immense financial resources and the average joe's lack thereof it would have made it senseless and a waste of time and money for the average joe i.e. you and me. Just what Yamaha was counting on I suppose as I've never heard whether Yamaha was actually ever sued over the PSR 2000 fiasco.

What am I getting at you say? Make sure the facts ARE KNOWN to be true before you fork over your hard earned cash. I bought my PSR 2000 on good faith that Yamaha was telling the truth when they said the PSR 2000's OS could be upgraded over the internet. They misled the public and I got burned. It won't happen again I can assure you. Before I personally would even think of buying the SD5 I would have to know for 'certain' that the SD5 did indeed have 128 note polyphony. So if Ketron chooses not to list the polyphony on their web site and/or within the specifications pages of their Manual for the SD5, then I for one would have to 'test drive' the SD5 firsthand and put it through extensive rigors to see if notes easily drop out on it. If I put it through the most grueling polyphony note drop off test I can muster and don't hear any drop outs or just an occasional one then and only then would I reconsider and possibly get one. IF it had '76' keys that is. Which it doesn't sorry to say...

And I am learning to take a wait and see approach when a new product first comes out to see if everything is on the up and up and that the things stated by the manufacturer are indeed found to be true with the product in question. If that means waiting 6 months to a year so be it. I waited 10 months from the time it was released before I purchased a Tyros. The only problem now is Yamaha's shoddy support for the Tyros with not a single update being released for it in over two years! Now I know how the PSR 9000PRO users feel. And I can only imagine how Yamaha will treat Tyros2 owners when it comes to OS updates or enhancing the Tyros2' capability with added upgrades or bonus features. We won't go there...

Best regards,
Mike



[This message has been edited by keybplayer (edited 06-02-2006).]

No I would go to demo it based on the features not on the online demos.


A good player could give an online demo and make a bad sounding keyboard sound good. Likewise, a bad player could give an online demo and make a good sounding keyboard sound bad.

It is up to us as players to see how good or bad we can make a keyboard sound based on our playing levels.

I had the opportunity to witness the SD5 recently. In addition to dynamite voices, it has some new, very cool features.
http://www.synthzone.com/ubbs/Forum37/HTML/013089.html

Glenn

Remember:
Most manufacturers usually say specifications subject to change Without notice.

So they are not in the wrong if they state one thing in the specs and later down the road change their minds.



[This message has been edited by to the genesys (edited 06-02-2006).]

to the genesys. So am i right in thinking that most musicians whether amateur or pro demo every musical instrument in person whether the thing sounds good or not from the demos just because they want to see if it can sound good when they play it????? Is that how most people are influenced to demo a keyboard So if the demos sounded horrible you would still take a couple of hours outa your time to demo it ? In fact is that how most people are influenced to try any new musical product ? You have to agree that if the demo didnt at least wet your appetite you might be less han eager to demo the instrument or are the likes of yamaha ,korg etal just wasting their time ?

Listen i have no beef with you. It seems that there is a problem in the definition of marketing.

this is just one of many definitions of marketing

""Marketing is the process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion, and distribution of ideas, goods, services, organizations, and events to create and maintain relationships that will satisfy individual and organizational objectives."

-Contemporary Marketing Wired (1998) by Boone and Kurtz. Dryden Press.

The whole concept is that good marketing gets people to the point where they will try the product an hopefully buy and make repeat purchases.

A good demo is a good start. thats all i am saying.