Does anyone know about the PSR E-473 Yet.

[Keyboard Master]

I'm just following up with it. I see it's taking them awhile. I believe there putting a lot more features. IMO. I'm just curious 🧐

[Keyboard Master]

Every time I search it I only see the E463. I'm guessing it's in development at this point.

[Keyboard Master]

Hi guys back to this topic for the e473 here's a video from Gearfacts https://youtu.be/4HsXp848WZo

[Keyboard Master]

Based on this infomation we cab guess/predict when it might be released. PSR-E203 (15 November 2004)
PSR-E213 (11 October 2006)
PSR-E223 (30 June 2008)
PSR-E233 (26 August 2010)
PSR-E243 (28 June 2012)
PSR-E253 (1 January 2014)
PSR-E263 (29 March 2016)
PSR-E273 (1 January 2020)
PSR-E303 (15 November 2004)
PSR-E313 (21 August 2006)
PSR-E323 (30 June 2008)
PSR-E333 (6 August 2010)
PSR-E343 (28 June 2012)
PSR-E353 (29 September 2014)
PSR-E363 (31 August 2016)
PSR-E373 (26 February 2020)
PSR-E403 (17 November 2005)
PSR-E413 (10 October 2007)
PSR-E423 (1 May 2009, with touch response)
PSR-E433 (28 December 2011)
PSR-E443 (2 September 2013)
PSR-E453 / PSR-EW400 (17 September 2015, Stadium Rock is first style, SurfRock, BeachRock, CanadianRock, ChartPianoPop, 70sRock added in 8Beat, New Style Collection is Movie & Show and 38 styles including WildWest, Showtune and TapDanceSwing, etc. in Movie & Show and Another Style collection is Entertainer and 34 styles in Entertainer)
PSR-E463 / PSR-EW410 (17 April 2017, 758 high quality voices with 1 sample voice for sampling, 235 styles, 30 built in songs, 10 user songs, 8 banks with 4 registrations, and groove generator) The EW410 offers 76 keys and features phono jacks for connecting external powered speakers. The E463 has 61 keys.

[SciNote]

I'm not so sure about those dates above -- they seem to be about a year early for the PSR-E400 series, at least for the more recent ones.  I recall the PSR-E433 being released in 2012, the E443 in 2014, the E453 in 2016, and the E463 in 2018 -- unless countries outside the US got these models earlier.

But otherwise, these keyboards have been released like clockwork, every 2 years.  So, we would have expected the E473 last year, in 2020.  Okay, so Covid-19 has caused delays, but it's now well into 2021, and still nothing.  It seems like the cel phone companies seem to get their new models out, no matter what.  What's taking Yamaha so long with the E473?  I was hoping maybe something would've come out at the Summer NAMM show, but nope.  Not even a press release.

The video linked above is interesting, but just speculation.  I could speculate that it will have a thousand voices, 256 note polyphony, and 128 registrations -- but it would all be wishful thinking.  I'd like to see some real manufacturer information about this model at some point!

[Keyboard Master]

Yes I totally Agree. We will see whenever yamaha brings it out. what it would actully look like.

[Keyboard Master]

One thing I hope that they do is add two more knobs to make it look more advanced. And fun 🤩

[Keyboard Master]

Hi everyone hears my Google search results I keep trying to find out if Yamaha leaked an image https://www.google.com/search?q=yamaha+psr+e473&rlz=1CDGOYI_enUS599US599&hl=en-US&prmd=svin&sxsrf=ALeKk03R9cSk2g4A1msrbojNbdlvVC2LzA:1628377587593&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiQgaydg6DyAhXIKs0KHVx2BP4Q_AUoA3oECAIQAw&biw=414&bih=724&dpr=3

[pjd]

Okay, so Covid-19 has caused delays, but it's now well into 2021, and still nothing.

Hi Bob --

I started speculating about all of this myself. The only thing I could conclude -- the E473 sound set will probably be a superset of the E373 (which was a nice upgrade at that price point).

COVID-related supply chain and shipping problems continue. I live near Puget Sound and the Seattle, Tacoma and Everett ports are chockfull of container ships. The ships are literally parked in the sound and are making so much noise at idle that nearby residents are complaining about the noise at night!

Another factor is the fire at the Asahi Kasei (AKM) semiconductor plant. The AKM plant made the digital-to-analog converters (DACs) and ADCs for Yamaha and many other vendors. This was the only AKM plant making DACs and ADCs. The Japanese police and fire authorities have only recently allowed AKM to begin clean-up. AKM has tried to shift production elsewhere as a stop-gap.

Many Yamaha digital musical instruments use AKM components, including E4xx models. Folks at YamahaSynth are complaining about delays and product unavailability, too.

Seems like a bad time to launch a new product and create demand that cannot be fulfilled...

Watch, Yamaha will make a monkey of me and announce it tomorrow. 

-- pj

[pjd]

Sooooooooo, let's really speculate. 

I saw some recent import/export data between India and Japan. The Yamaha PSS series is manufactured in India at Yamaha's Chennai OneHub plant. The number of export units is consistent with a shipping product (1000s of units). In addition to PSS, the Chennai plant manufactures the I500 for the Indian market.

Lo and behold, in the midst of PSS models, there are a few small shipments of PSR-E473. By "small," I mean 15 total units -- maybe prototypes, maybe pre-announcement demo units. Maybe, maybe, maybe.

Here's a totally wild speculation -- the 76 key sister will be called "PSR-EW425".

Well, now I've put my foot in it -- pj   

P.S. At least we'll see how fast Internet rumors travel.    I deny everything.

[SciNote]

Yes, you are correct about the shipping delays.  I have read about the closed plants and chip shortages, and yes, this is all even affecting the production of the ever-important and "all mighty" smartphone.

But what you're saying about the 15 PSR-E473s is starting to get interesting.  Even if we don't get the product for a little while, it will be nice to at least see some specs soon.

I would've thought that the sister 76-key unit would be called the PSR-EW420, but who knows?  Why did Yamaha skip over PSR-A4000 to call their new Asian-based keyboard the PSR-A5000?  Who knows why Yamaha numbers products the way they do?  In fact, why do the PSR-E series keyboards (not the EW) all end with a 3?  What does that mean?

[Keyboard Master]

Good point too. And if Yamaha already made a few Psr e473's they should release pictures to see what it looks like. I'm pretty sure it already exists but Yamaha hasn't released pictures of it yet.

[pjd]

Good point too. And if Yamaha already made a few Psr e473's they should release pictures to see what it looks like. I'm pretty sure it already exists but Yamaha hasn't released pictures of it yet.

Hi --

Yamaha (or any other manufacturer) never release pictures until the actual product launch. If customers know that a new replacement product is on the way, it would kill sales of the current product. Distributors and retail stores have inventory to sell off and Yamaha doesn't want to make them angry.

Sad to say, but that's the way it is -- pj

[pjd]

Based on all replies I found this Picture of the EW425

That's a nice find! Thank you! I found the original source, too, and I think this picture is legit.

Specs, of course, are completely unknown. It looks like they redesigned the front panel. My first thought was "That's looks quite professional," not just a home keyboard. The live control knobs are re-located to the upper left. That decision will be controversial! The lighted buttons look nice (light blue color) and the screen is black and white monochrome. Still only four registrations per bank.

The keypad to the right has been significantly redesigned. It selects voices and styles by category.

Well, who knows? Yamaha has been so slow to roll out the new models; they might have changed everything by now.

BTW, OneHub Chennai is the newest Yamaha factory, so there may be manufacturing and test set-up delays as well as supply chain delays due to the AKM fire.

Speculate away!!! 

Thanks, again -- pj

[Update: Apparently, Yamaha are peeved. I have self-censored this message.]

[SciNote]

Very nice find!  Yep, I also notice that there are still 4 registration buttons per bank.  The question is, did they increase the number of banks?  At least using "0" and "9" for bank numbers?

I also saw those relocated live-control knobs.  Not sure how I feel about that, but I'm leaning toward a thumbs down.  On the one hand (pun not intended), I can see how the new location makes it easier to use your right hand to make adjustments while holding down left-hand chords (or playing anything with your left hand).  But sometimes, I actually use some of my left hand fingers to reach over and tweak the knobs to change the sound while still holding down some keys with other fingers on my left hand (generally using one finger to rub against the side of the knob and move the knob while moving my finger).  This will not be possible with this new set-up.  Admittedly, I do not do this too much.

As for now using sound categories to select sounds, I realize that's how all the "big boys" do it, but I've always liked being able to just punch in a number to get to a particular sound.  And in either case, all of the similar sounds are grouped together, so once you're in a particular group, you can just step through the sounds one by one if you're searching for a particular sound.  However, I wonder if the "panel voices" and XG-Lite voices will all be grouped together, by category, now?  Then again, as I took another look at the photo, I see that each of those category buttons have a white square block next to them, and that there is also a button labeled "enter".  Maybe these category buttons can also be numeric buttons, as well.  That would be the best of both worlds!

I do also see that it appears that the style control and sequencer appear to have the same number of buttons as before, so there may not be much change there.  But then again, there is a big white button to the left of what I believe are the style control buttons.  If that big white button is a style start/stop button, then that would be a 7th button, and would imply an extra button.  Maybe a dedicated fill-in button that doesn't change the A/B pattern?  That would be nice!

[pjd]

Looking at the picture, again, Yamaha did majorly swizzle around a bunch of front panel controls with respect to the E463.

The quadrant to the right of the display has a 3x4 button matrix for voice and style categories. The buttons above the data wheel control selection mode: voice and style. I wonder if one of the mode buttons turns the matrix into a numeric keypad? The FUNCTION and PORTABLE GRAND buttons are below the matrix.

The control groups running above the keyboard are (left to right): master volume, SONG/STYLE control, TRACK control, registration memory, and quick sampling.

Quick sampling got more real estate. Quick sampling has several buttons: LOOP HOLD, A, B, C, D, and CAPTURE. I wonder if it's possible to capture four waveforms? Did Yamaha re-think sample control including sample zones? Do the lighted A, B, C, D buttons reflect sample status like a pad controller? Can we play the pads? Are they velocity sensitive?

The live control knobs are further away from the keyboard in the quadrant to the left of the display. I can't tell if there is an additional row or not. E463 has five live control rows; EW425 has 6 or 7?

The rest of the buttons in the upper left quadrant must be record, metronome, tap tempo, melody suppressor, voice control and all that miscellaneous stuff. I can't make out any of the legends.

Yamaha is still using an LCD with pre-defined, fixed legends. Do they really save that much money versus a full graphic, pixel addressable display? What do I know?  Probably simplifies the software, but it seems so 90s.

Should be interesting finally to see the specs, not just guess. 

All the best -- pj

Music tech blog: http://sandsoftwaresound.net/

[Keyboard Master]

Yes exactly. And I'm excited to at least see what the new models will look like. I still not sure if they added a voice Demo Button. Because to my knowledge if Yamaha added a voice demo button it would allow players to hear a demo of the selected voice.😎😁

[SciNote]

A few more thoughts...

Where the style control section is, it does look like the right-most button is labeled start/stop, so I don't know what that big white buttons is to the left of the style controls.  But if there are only six style control buttons, then I'm thinking we're still not getting a dedicated drum-fill button.

There appears to be 7 lines of text by the live-control knobs, so that implies quite a bit more functionality for those controls.  Unless they got rid of the "destination" control -- where you'd select whether you want to modify the voices or the style, and then some of the knob features (filter, reverb, chorus, etc.) would modify the sound destination (voices or style) you select.  Maybe they incorporated all of that functionality into direct selections of the main knob-assign button, instead of having a separate destination mode button.

What do you suppose that button is right above the "D" button of the quick-sampling pads?  It looks like it's labeled "alpha boost" or "mega boost" or something like that.

As I think about it more, I really hope they did not completely ditch the numeric keypad, because that will make it more inconvenient to select registration banks.  Right now, we can quickly push the bank select button, then a numeric key, to get to a whole new bank of sounds in just 2 key-strokes -- something that is quite handy if you want to do this while playing a song.  If we now have to hit the bank select button, then carefully turn the data wheel or repeatedly hit a plus or minus button to get to the bank we want, then that is a step backwards.

And I agree that a manufacturer won't want to give away too much information on an upcoming model while retailers still have the old model in stock, but this case is a little different.  People who just want to buy a relatively inexpensive keyboard for themselves or their kid probably aren't following the progression and introduction of new models that closely and will just buy whatever sounds good at a good price.  But the people who do follow the progression of the models, like us, know very well that Yamaha is quite overdue for the replacement to the E463 and EW410, so I would guess that many of us who would be in the market have been waiting to learn more about the new models before purchasing, anyway.  So, what will happen is what always happens -- the older models get discounted, giving people an incentive to buy the older model if they don't really need all the features of the new model, which will be considerably more expensive.

[Keyboard Master]

I agree too. And since I found a more believable picture I see it gaining attention. Which means we know that The PSR-E473/EW425 are on the way. I'll be excited to test them out.

[pjd]

but this case is a little different. 

I mean this somewhat humorously, but that's a little too nuanced for marketing managers, store owners and lawyers.  I expect the dealership agreement to cover old inventory in the face of a new product launch. Likely, there are dealer givebacks, etc. and Yamaha eats the price cut. Yamaha also has other tools like Sales Promotion Incentive Fund (SPIF) to move selected inventory. The lawyers probably have everything locked up! 

If Yamaha can settle supply chain issues, we might hear soon. They wouldn't want to miss the holiday selling season.

Thanks for all the comments -- pj

[vbdx66]

Sooooooooo, let's really speculate. 

I saw some recent import/export data between India and Japan. The Yamaha PSS series is manufactured in India at Yamaha's Chennai OneHub plant. The number of export units is consistent with a shipping product (1000s of units). In addition to PSS, the Chennai plant manufactures the I500 for the Indian market.

Lo and behold, in the midst of PSS models, there are a few small shipments of PSR-E473. By "small," I mean 15 total units -- maybe prototypes, maybe pre-announcement demo units. Maybe, maybe, maybe.

Here's a totally wild speculation -- the 76 key sister will be called "PSR-EW425".

Well, now I've put my foot in it -- pj   

P.S. At least we'll see how fast Internet rumors travel.    I deny everything.

Hi PJ,

I am dead curious. Where on Earth did you find this information?

I find this very strange that Keyboardmaster brings back this topic of the E473/EW425, that at the same time you mention this import/export data (whatever this means) and that Keyboardmaster finds so conveniently a leaked picture of the EW425.

Hi guys, doesn't all this remind you of the launching of the Genos?

I bet that there are malicious people out there at Yamaha's Sales department and that whatever leaks appears, is totally intentional and programmed.

As for the launching year, I think that the main reason for the delay is the launch of the E373/EW310. Yamaha wants to sell as many of these before launching the E473/EW325. Well I was myself tempted of buying one unit, which I certainly won't do if the launch of the E473 is programmed...

Did I hear somebody say "Winter NAMM"...?

Or "Christmas" maybe...? 

Well you see the line...

Happy speculation everyone 

Vinciane

[vbdx66]

Another comment in passing:

Of course the screen is still an old-fashioned one. A modern graphic screen would throw a shadow on the PSR SX600.

Vinciane

[pjd]

Hello Vinciane --

The source is definitely not Yamaha itself. I honestly don't buy into the "Yamaha leaks" conspiracy theory. They are the most secretive company on Earth (well, maybe not as secretive as Sony...  ) Leaks create too much disinformation that they need to counter. When they launch, they launch.

I'm still going with supply chain problems (AKM chip shortage) and production ramp up at the new Chennai plant.

Yamaha's entry-level is the classic 3 tier "marketing sandwich". Low end for the price conscious, high end for the feature nuts (errrr, enthusiasts) and a middle for those who want to feel "just right." Yamaha usually rolls out the high end first since that offering usually has the widest profit margin.

If Yamaha rolls out the middle before the high end, they cut into high end, higher margin sales.

I'll be curious to see the date on the MIDI implementation chart. That usually gives a clue to the actual development freeze date.

Hope you're doing well and good to hear from ya -- pj

[Keyboard Master]

I agree too. I know once launched it becomes a fast seller. But after it launches Yamaha will probably lower the price of the remaining e463s and ew410s. Now that a picture leaked this means that Yamaha will launch it very possibley by next month.

[Roger Brenizer]

Hi Keyboard Master,

I have removed your post in Reply #12 above, dated August 15, 2021, due to a Copyright violation notification I received from Yamaha today.  The notification follows, in RED:

Dear PSR Tutorial Forum, 

Pursuant to the Terms and Policies posted on PSR Tutorial Forum's website, users "agree not to post any copyrighted material unless you own the copyright or you have written consent from the owner of the copyrighted material."   Please be advised that "Keyboard Master" has posted copyrighted material owned by Yamaha.  "Keyboard Master" has not obtained permission from Yamaha to use or post this copyrighted image.  This serves as notice to PSR Tutorial Forum to remove the copyrighted image posted on its website.   

Thank you in advance,

Yamaha Brand Protection

Please refrain from such practice in the future.  Further violations of our forum rules could result in you being banned from our forum.

[Keyboard Master]

Oh wow I didn't know that. Thanks for the reminder.

[Keyboard Master]

Hi everyone back to this topic. Any news from  Yamaha yet I'm still following up for the new Psr e473/ew425

[SciNote]

None that I know of.  Still looks like they're dragging their feet against the ground hard enough to dig gorges that rival the Grand Canyon.

I'm sorry if that sounds negative, but they are a year and a half beyond when we would have expected the E473.  Yes, there have been unprecedented situations, such as Covid-19 and the fire at the chip plant.  But in my opinion, this is when Yamaha should be supporting their loyal customers by bringing us some official information, so that they would not have to get so upset about an image floating around on the internet.

Would this possibly eat into E463 sales?  Maybe, but as I've said before, I don't think it would be that dramatic.  People who are just looking for something of good quality at a good price for their kid or to learn to play keyboard themselves are not going to be overly concerned about getting the latest model.  And those of us who are familiar with Yamaha's previous product cycle and have more dedication to this product line will continue to wait to see what the E473 is like before we make a discretionary purchase for a new keyboard.

This is not unheard of in the business world.  As the launch date for the new version of a car approaches, more and more details about the new model get released or dug up and published in the automotive media.

The fact is, when it comes to keyboards like this, Yamaha is second to none.  Look at the list of my present and previously owned keyboards, and you can see that I am no stranger to Yamaha keyboards.  What is the competition?  Casio?  Good sound with lots of features, but with a user interface with a steep learning curve and (in my opinion) a very inferior keyboard feel.  In fact, I recently saw their flagship (among portable keyboards) CT-X5000 in a store, and the keyboard felt and sounded like a $50 toy (when I say "sounded", I mean the plasticy sound of the keys themselves, not the tone generation circuitry).  You could say that it was due to being a display model with dozens of people messing with it over time, but I don't see that kind of key-feel degradation on the display models of Yamaha keyboards.  And I know there are similarly priced models from Roland and Korg, but I have yet to see one in person, and from what I've read, they generally don't have the sound shaping capabilities (like filter and envelope) and long list of features that the Yamaha keyboards have -- though someone correct me if I'm wrong.

So, we'll see what it is eventually.  Will it be essentially just an E463 with S.Art Lite and additional DSP effects?  If so, it will be a hard sell for me -- especially if they don't improve the keyboard feel from that of the E463.  Or, will we see some genuine innovation?

[Keyboard Master]

Oh I see. I agree too. Just lots of stuff going on causing the delay. I believe it be available whithin the next few months.😎😁

[Keyboard Master]

Hi everyone back on this topic once again. I'm curious if anyone has access to the data list of the upcoming psr e473/ew425. So we can see the Voice and style list.