wurlyfan

I'd have to agree here, because when comparing the fidelity of the sounds in the PX-5S to say my Kurzweil PC3LE6 which is in a similar price range here in Australia ($2,000 retail) the Casio sounds seem to be sampled at a much lower bit rate and don't sound as clean and crisp.Now, while some people may be really disappointed with this, I tend to see the PX-5S keyboard as the ultimate excersise in compromise by the Casio engineers. I mean we have so many features packaged into a board featuring 88 superbly weighted keys with crazy polyphony limits, making it an amazing gigging instrument. Forget lugging a Hammond & Leslie to gigs, for some of us older folk, even lugging a Kurzweil or Roland is too much What I'd really like to see is the ability to turn off polyphony so when you play solo instruments like woodwinds and some retro synth sounds the phrasing is more authentic. For example, think of playing the synth solo in the classic 'Nutbush City Limits' Finally I want to add that this is one rare moment where I have not experienced buyers remorse and I've owned a lot of boards in the last 35 years.

Hey thanks Joe, I just got home from a gig so I'll check it out tomorrow. So just used the the PX-5S at a gig for the first time and it did not disappoint I play in two bands and the stuff for both is retro pop/rock classic covers. While the grand pianos sound great in the studio, all the subtleties tend to get lost in a live band situation so the EQ settings need to be tweaked. My favourite is the LA Grand because it has that Yamaha CP sound character and cuts through the crowded mix of a large band. Oh and something I'm embarrassed to admit now, is that I discovered how to access more than just the 10 Stage patches in bank '0' wow some really great sounds in there. Also some of the Hammond stage patches are actually pretty good! Anyway, too. tired now, falling asleep I can talk about some more stuff tomorrow.

Loved this honest review, but the above quote was my absolute favourite and something I can absolutely relate to. I just got mine today, quite prematurely I might add because I'm still waiting to sell my Kurzweil PC3LE6. Hopefully it will be a smooth transition and the dragon won't notice LOL!!! Just based on the couple of hours I've had this keyboard... PROS: LOVE the ivory texture feel on the key surfaces and the weight of the keys is a good compromise for both, piano & organ/synth style playing. (I play a Yamaha 105 which has very heavy action) The piano sounds are amazing and the string resonance feature really adds to that realism A resounding YEAH for the lack of workstation/DAW features weighing this keyboard down, I just want to gig with it, I don't want to take a studio on the road It's so light and easy to carry!! The EQ & FX knobs & sliders are simply an awesome addition for live playing and editing sounds Great retro style synth soundsIn so many ways this keyboard is like a budget version of the Kurzweil PC3 series and I think that's why I love it so much. CONS: Display too small, we really need an iPad/iPhone app to do more serious on the fly adjustments and editing The Leslie sim & Hammond sounds are a bit ordinary (I'm comparing to Nord & Kurzweil here) The Rhodes EPs are pretty good but the Wurly is kinda weak, it lacks that aggressive reedy 'boing' sound on the lower notes that differentiates it from other EPs As a live player I need the Transpose function to be assignable to a button/knob on the front panel not through a menu - Is this possible? The Clav key release sound happens even while the sustain pedal is pressed LOL!The potential for this keyboard is mind blowing!!!!!! Thanks for reading