Francis

In that ongoing quest for the perfect sound, I read a lot of good things about the JBL LSR305 speakers. Keep in mind, my requirements are small footprint and a manageable (12-15 lbs )weight. I ordered a set of these and found all the positive reviews are actually true. These speakers are outstanding. The Roland Cube that I was going to settle for is not even in the same league. I have been through a lot of speakers and for me they have to past the test of all the PX 560's equalizer settings at 0. These passed the test immediately. They are very portable (although I'm going to add a handle) light weight and reasonably priced. I'm even thinking about throwing away the boxes.

I've tried several speakers mostly for the purpose along the lines of what you've described. In my case I play small venues and require a boost in volume once in awhile. Sound is the foremost consideration however size and weight are almost as important to me. I first tried the Roland Cube 30. Using the Casio 560 factory default EQ it sounded "just ok." A few adjustments were an improvement but I figured I could do better. I've then tried (and returned) the Roland KC110 and KC60. These two required too many EQ adjustments to achieve a balanced sound. Bass seemed "off" no matter what I did. I even tried Bose Companion speakers (mainly for computers) and returned those. I then read (either this site or Facebook) about turning off the onboard speakers when using a powered speaker. I tried this with the Roland Cube 30 and the sound improvement was dramatic. It was like the onboard amp was interfering with the sound going to the external one. There is surprising undistorted volume from the Cube 30 and my three EQ knobs are now at "0" ...all the time. All this and it's roughly 10" square and weighs 12.6lbs.

I want to add that the palette bar part of the display is dark when all other parts of the display are illuminated. Maybe there's a reason for this but it would seem more consistent and easier to navigate if all the options on the entire display were illuminated. Thank you.

Julian, I agree with your first post. Considering it's heavy usage, the palette bar is rather narrow. Just slightly wider would make a big difference. When practicing I use the erasure end of a pencil. Understanding it's not a firmware fix but maybe this could be taken into account when planning the next hardware upgrade. Thank you.

Thank you. Anxious to hear your sounds. Will let you know how I make out.

I would like to download some of the piano sounds available (in the download section) on this site for the PX560 but have not been able to figure out how it's done. Is there a link that provides a clear start to finish step by step guide? In particular, I want to know (in detail) the process of getting the copied file from the flash drive into the upper registrations. Any assistance would be appreciated. Thank you.

This may a stupid question but I'm wondering why piano tone volume on the demo is significantly louder than what I am able to achieve. (My volume setting is #127.) Is there a way to increase keyboard volume to match that of the demo?

Sailedaway: If you just put the pedals on the floor, the entire pedal assembly will tip and flop around when a pedal is pushed. The assembly is designed to be secured on each end. If not secured, the pedals are not usable. Hope that answers your question.

I use a PX 560 which I understand has the same piano samplings as the PX-5S. I've noticed that I never really know what the exact sound will be until I'm set up in a given room. i.e. When in my home office, (15'X15') I make certain adjustments and eventual concessions for the sound, particularly in the upper range. However, when in our family room (25'X28' with a vaulted ceiling) the sound is wonderful with virtually no adjustments. What's interesting is that I have a 6' acoustic grand piano with a warm full sound in this same room. Even with all the available adjustments, I am unable to get the Casio to sound like the grand in this room. Each has a sound of it's own and we like them both. The Casio provides something the grand doesn't; That is the opportunity to discover and develop your creative side by adding enhancements not possible with the grand. With the grand I have reached limitations; With the Casio the door is wide open. I sometimes play a venue in a large community room. Getting the sound right in this room has been an ongoing challenge. I use a Roland Cube here and have tried moving to different spots and adjusting almost everything adjustable. I'm shooting for my family room sound but haven't got it yet. It's just my opinion but I feel that where the instrument is placed can account for a perceived negative sound. Also, it has been my experience with the Casio piano samplings, the fewer the adjustments the better. Thank you.

I don't know if this could be of use to anyone but the attached is what I did to get the half pedal that I needed. I centered the SP-33 on my stand and cut off the excess at each end. Holes were drilled and tapped in the bottom legs of the stand. I used thread stock, washers and thumb screws to secure the pedal assembly to the stand. When disassembled, the pedal fits in my gig bag. Set up is fast and works good. I would much rather have just a single pedal, but as far as I know, the SP-33 is the only option.

I'm really a novice at all this. I'm really just a piano player. At home I have an acoustic upright, a baby grand and a Yamaha CP300. I got into the 25lb Privias so I could practice when at our cabin. The 560 has many more features than I will ever use. I got it mainly because I liked the looks and it would accept the SP-33 pedal that I definitely used on the 350 for classical songs. I liked the looks of the 5S too but not being compatible with the SP-33 was a show stopper. Sounds like your making great use of what Yamaha and Casio have to offer. Keyboard choices are hard and very subjective.

After a little thought, I think it possible that the registration issue may not be a negative thing. What follows is a hypothetical conversation between me and Mr. Casio that adds a different perspective: Mr. Casio: Hello Francis, what can I do for you. Francis: Well I'm disappointed that the many registrations I've made can not be referenced by the songs they apply to. Mr. Casio: I see. I'm wondering, could the registration numbers simply be written on each piece of sheet music for these songs? Francis: I play by ear and although I read sheet music, I don't use it when I play. Mr. Casio: I see. So about how many songs do you play? Francis: Around 40. Mr. Casio: And how do you remember the names of these 40 songs? Francis: I have a written list which is also on my smart phone and computer. Mr. Casio: So since you already have a list, couldn't Casio's registration information just be added? Francis: You're right it could. I refer to that list whenever I play so it would be easy to do. Mr. Casio: I might add Francis, that it is not uncommon for a digital keyboard to get "mixed up" to the extent that a reset is required. When this happens, all settings are lost. For this reason I would suggest a printed back-up and zip drive of the data be maintained and available. Francis: Excellent point Mr. Casio, I'm going to do that. Mr. Casio: I do realize that Casio could make this a lot easier for our user by providing this information in a digital format. I'm also thinking we could add a template to our user guide that would assist in physically logging in names and settings of all items in the registration. Thank you for bringing this to our attention.

When I first started using the tones and accompaniment I was truly amazed. The ability to adjust and fine tune these features was beyond my expectations. Also the look and finish is stunning. I went from a PX 350 to the 560 and so many little inconveniences not even advertised were also addressed. I'm hoping the developers can add an additional field to the registration feature and provide it as an update. Sounds like Casio is aware so let's hope it happens. Thank you.

I read the referenced post. Too bad. Without belaboring the point, requiring an user to keep track of a computerized 90+ registration feature with paper and pencil should be a little embarrassing for Casio. Let's hope a software update is possible...and a priority.

I'm assigning tones and rhythms for various songs to the numbered registrations and find I'm having trouble remembering which registration goes to a given song. Short of a handwritten list, does the software provide the means to name these registrations before (or after) they are stored?