X500 vs Yamaha A3000

[MichaelL]

I'm new to Casio Forums and was very interested in the discussions concerning the X500. I have a Casio AT5 and have pushed it to the limit. Now I am looking for a new keyboard. I am living in Istanbul, so choices are limited but Casio and Yamaha are well distributed here. I have looked at the Yamaha A3000 and loved the key bed. However, with continued play I was disappointed with its super articulation sounds. Perhaps my expectations were too high, but I didn't get the realism Yamaha touts it for having. An example was the French horn. Even my AT5 seemed to do a better job. Trumpet was also a let down. The strings lacked immediacy, seemed to be coming at you from a distance.

 

So,my question is, does the X500 do a better job at producing realistic sounds than the Yamaha? Also my AT5 uses AWN sound technology. How does this compare to the MXi?

 

It's very interesting to get a picture of Casio's brand image and the struggle it must be involved in as whether to try and compete with more pro arrangers and workstations or stick to the casual home user. I personally think they should go for it. I owned a Privia once and that sold me on Casio. I think of the Korean car makers in the US. Who wanted a car made in Korea? Well, lots!

 

 

 

 

 

[AlenK]

Not to disparage the X500 but if you are looking for articulated sounds that are better than what the PSR-A3000 provides I do not believe you will find them in the X500. You will need to look at a higher-end Yamaha board that provides SA2 voices, which are in general superior to SA voices, or look at software virtual instruments. 

[MichaelL]

Thanks for the insight. It may be that the x500 is no longer available in Turkey anyway. I will look into SA2 s you suggest