I played a SX900 today .. and I like 'm

[ton37]

Today I had the opportunity to play the SX900 for over an hour. My dealer had just received it, I was in the area and could not resist the temptation to test it out.Everything I write below is my personal impression, everyone must decide for themselves whether he / she wants to drop the choice on the SX900.
I'm not technical, but I whish to share my first impression:

The TOUCHSCREEN: mmm .. smaller than the Genos, well readable for me (no glasses yet). It is adjustable, but do not expect much from it. The sun shone on the display and the same problems with regard to readability as with the Genos. It did seem that the glass was a little more matted. The adjustment did not help. Yamaha make a liftable screen in the next model !!!
The KEYBED: noticeably better than the S models. It is now between the S models and the Genos. So without a doubt an improvement and less noisy/clappering. If you press your fingers between the black keys, it feels more comfortable than with the S-series.
The SPEAKERS: although I never use the speakers at home and play through my own speakers (Logitech Z2300 speaker set), the speakers from the SX900 just sound good. Whether it is sufficient for the gigger in a larger room, I doubt very much. Your own PA will certainly be preferred.
The SOUND: from the box ... mmm .. not really impressive. By default both the EQ and the Compression are set to 'Flat'. As soon as you change this, SX really comes to life. A world of difference with regard to the sound experience. That was / is the same with the Genos. Tweaking and Twirling are the keys to success ...
The PACKS: four are pre-installed: African (10 styles), Europe (ca.25 styles), Latin America (15 styles), Oriental (5 styles). A selection that you should not expect too much. I don't know if the free downloads at Yamaha have more styles?
THE USER MEMORY: The user memory turned out to be just 4 GB. So the installed packs do not seem to have any influence on that.
The FIRMWARE: On this demo copy was vs, 1.01. So upgrading is necessary. Whether that is irreversible (as with the Genos) I do not know.

In summary (Personal opinion!): I am impressed by the possibilities of the SX900. The touchscreen in particular is of crucial importance to me. A larger expansion memory also counts nicely. I am happy that the keybed is better (less noisy) than the previous S models and I have 61 keys as a home player. For the rest features are bonusses 

A personal remark:
My previous KB were: the Tyros5 (76) and the Genos (76). I sold both again because they were too big for my home studio. I'm not a pianist, so I don't need 76 keys. That is why I then bought (and sold) the S770 and S975. The S770 had too little Expansion memory for me. Hence the choice for the S975.
Now about the SX900. A feeling of 'coming home' compared to the Genos. I particularly liked the touchscreen. Much more intuitive: my mobile and tablet are also touchscreens. That feels familiar and can be operated quickly. For me that is actually the most important thing to switch to the SX900.For me, the SX900 is a logical purchase compared to the Genos, which is without a doubt a top keyboard.

That is why I have choosen for the SX900. I deliberately omit the financial assessment. I can't look into anyone's wallet, that's a personal consideration. What matters most is the pleasure that you derive from what you want and you can or want to afford, but most of all ... enjoy making music!

[Enildo]

Thanks for sharing all your impressions Tom. Increasingly I am convinced that the SX 900 is here to stay.
About 61 keys I have the same thought as yours, I do not need 76 keys, at least until today I did not need and the SX 900 serves me well with 61 keys.

Enildo

[beykock]

Good to hear you like the SX900 so much, Ton.👍

As I guessed before, the SX900 will become a huge commercial success for Yamaha and their dealers, IMHO.
See the year 2002 / Tyros1.

The trade-in prices and the second hand sales prices of the Tyros4, Tyros5, S770, S775, S950, S970 and S975 might be much lower than ever before due to the volume supply in the market, maybe ?

Will the sales of the Korg PA4X, PA1000 and PA700 fall dramatically ?

Will Korg come with an answer soon ?

I really do not know, hard to say ... time will tell ...

Babette

[Pino]

A PSR or a SX900 will never be a Tyros 5, far far far from it, and even further from the Genos, anyone downgrading from these keyboards are in for a shock, but, don't get me wrong, these PSR keyboards are doing an ok job on your average gig, a trumpet sounds like a trumpet and a sax sounds like a sax.The rest is down to your player.

I payed the 900 last week, the shop would not allow me to put my USB stick in the keyboard so I wasn't able to record anything, I will go back there again next week and see if I can record WAV and compare the sound to my other PSR keyboards, the main reason why I am interested is that the price is way lower than what I paid for my S975 1 year ago. That's a real bargain.

My impression sound-wise , it's 80% PSR950, same VAW sounds, There are new SA voicing but not voices that I would use that often.

I am a Ballads-Bossa's-BigBand player, now the keyboards from S975 are 50% EDM styles and sounds and the EQ & compression has gone that way, that's ok if your into EDM or more up to date music and I can't blame Yamaha for going that way, if they want to stay in business then they have to bring in the younger player but I still find that the older S910/950 plays BB and ballads better,  JMHO

Pino

PS- if YAMAHA launched a Genos 61 then I would be the very happy YAMAHA player. 😀

[ton37]

Hi Pino, I am only trying to explain in my experience what I think are (minor) 'improvements' in certain areas (hardware or software) compared to other models I have had. I absolutely do not want to interfere with what 'the best' is or what sounds 'the best'. I am very satisfied when I have something, even if it is not 'the best' or it doesn't sounds 'the best'. I like to leave that discussion to others .... 

[mikf]

.....I can't blame Yamaha for going that way, if they want to stay in business then they have to bring in the younger player .....
Pino

People are always saying this as if the current group older people is a fixed resource that never replaces. This not correct and like saying that care homes are a bad investment because the occupants will all die off and they will be empty.
The 40 - 60 year olds of today are always being replaced with new 40 - 60 year olds so its an endless supply of older people with more money to spend than the younger group. In fact given that people are living longer, its growing as well as being constantly replaced, certainly not a bad market to be in. 
Mike 

[Pino]

Yes, agreed, but the majority of 40 to 60 year olds of tomorrow will not want to play Beatles or James Last or  Big Band, they will probably be more into EDM stuff.

[ton37]

That just the advantage of the nowadays keyboards. You can choose with genre you wish to play. Purely a question of choosing the right styles/voices or Packs. Soooo flexibel. I like EDM as much as The Beatles or a Classical. Everything is within our reach ... the sky is the limit. Thanks keyboard producers 

[beykock]

Hi :

The SX900 looks to be a great, pro arranger with a great sound and if the specs are offering you what you need, plse feel free, buy one and enjoy it ! 😀

I am very happy with my Ty5 and there is no reason to replace it. I will keep it as long as possible but that is ... me.
I love my instrument. Why should I shoot a winning horse ?

Congratulations to ALL SX900 owners !
👍🎩💐.

I really hope you will enjoy your new baby, a great instrument with a lot of new features and a superb sound !

Enjoy your weekend, Babette

[pjd]

Thanks for the quick review, Ton!

I hope that the FSB keyboard bodes well for the Yamaha low- and mid-range synths, too. Those instruments would benefit from a better keybed, too.

All the best -- pj