How to choose between Yamaha PSR-E473 and Casio CT-S500

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It turns out Casio has a proprietary file format for recording that cannot be shared with any other product lines.
Is that still the case?

I have a friend that works with choir voices, and needs to convert free hand playing to notes that can then be further edited, with a minimum of steps (and a minimum of technology). For that a raw MIDI file would be practical, or recording the playing via a sequencer application through USB.

I tried this on my SP-5600, playing a song with 2 voices, and then stored a standard MIDI file to a USB stick that I could then use e.g. Midi Sheet Music to turn into a multi-voice sheet and then let the application play the song from the notes. It sounded better than I had expected.
 
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Yes, that it is reference to the Hammond B3. I've also owned other early combo organs, and Hammond clones and modules. For years after I sold my last B3 I tried quite number of various "clones" and leslie simulators. At one point my ex-wife told me I had developed a "mania" about replacing my B3. Ergo the name "B3Maniac" in the forum. My favorite clone to play is my Korg CX3 (2nd Gen) running out to a Neo Ventilator (leslie sim) and stereo amp. (PS I'm 70 years old and started playing band keys with a Farfisa Fast 5.) Don
Hi Don, I have another post asking for advice on connecting a Boss FS-6 pedal to my Roland G70 to turn Leslie slow and fast on and off. Since you owned a B3 and my C3 is the same except for the cabinet, you may have a solution for me. On my C3, I have a by-pass switch I connected to my volume pedal allowing me to turn my 122 Leslie cabinet from slow spin to fast spin. I guess they would call that today a unlatch pedal? Any ideas you can give this 74 year old musician who be greatly appreciated.
 
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Hi Don, I have another post asking for advice on connecting a Boss FS-6 pedal to my Roland G70 to turn Leslie slow and fast on and off. Since you owned a B3 and my C3 is the same except for the cabinet, you may have a solution for me. On my C3, I have a by-pass switch I connected to my volume pedal allowing me to turn my 122 Leslie cabinet from slow spin to fast spin. I guess they would call that today a unlatch pedal? Any ideas you can give this 74 year old musician who be greatly appreciated.
Hi Robbie, I don't remember any details anymore. I sold my B3 about 40 years ago. My B3 was modified to use the Leslie 900 series pre-amp pedal to run 2 cabinets. The pre-amp pedal had the Leslie controls so the internal Hammond switching wasn't used.
 
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Hey there thought I'd chime in; I'm also waiting on the new PSRs to come out - I'm planning on the 76 key version EW-425. I really like the DGX-670, but it's so massive and heavy (50 lbs), and has no lineouts, so definitely not a gigging piano. On the EW425 I like the 76 keys vs 61, the line out ports, audio interface built into the USB port, mic in with gain & effects & a button to toggle between mute/effects on/effects off, improved polyphony, 24 watt speakers, improved piano sample over the PSR-E373, and the organ samples from the Yamaha YC's (you don't get those on the E473 just the 425), and 19 lbs not too bad for weight. They've also done a few things to help the user interface (panel buttons for octave shift - took them long enough to figure THAT one out, and category buttons for the voices and styles). I'm just hoping I can live with the synth action since I'm used to fully weighted keys that are on the light side.

I looked into the CT-S500 and while it looks cool, super portable and has added lineouts, still no USB audio interface, it doesn't have the mic port, and it's a shame there's no 76 key model. And the speakers at 5 watts is super low. I have a CT-S1 which has wonderful piano and e piano sounds, but no lineouts is a shame, and the audio in (wired or bluetooth) distorts very easily, so the keyboard volume ends up too high for a backing track.

I actually rented a PSR-E463 for a month to test out the features of the prior model and to see if I can live with the lighter action; had it for a couple of weeks, and while it's super light, if you set touch response to hard, it's actually quite consistent and predictable and you can get some decent expression out of it (once used to it).

I did have a Korg EK-50 for a bit and absolutely loved a LOT of things about it; the user interface is the best I've ever seen (by a long shot), the action was nice (and the keys are true full size piano width - 165mm octave not 159-160 like most "full-size" synth keys are); the speakers were awesome, it had line outs, and the panel button quick access for layers on and off is amazing. Only things I wish it had was a few more piano voices, a better rhodes, and a mic input & built in USB audio interface would add so much. The EK-50 definitely blows the Yamaha PSR-E463 out of the water though (although not a fair comparison where I am - the EK is an extra $100 USD or so); but with the EW425 having 76 keys, the USB interface, mic input and (probably?) much better sounds I'm hoping for that to be another step up. Supposedly available to order where I am in May ish.

I did a review on the EK-50 here if you want to check it out:
 
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MVF

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Hey there thought I'd chime in; I'm also waiting on the new PSRs to come out - I'm planning on the 76 key version EW-425. I really like the DGX-670, but it's so massive and heavy (50 lbs), and has no lineouts, so definitely not a gigging piano. On the EW425 I like the 76 keys vs 61, the line out ports, audio interface built into the USB port, mic in with gain & effects & a button to toggle between mute/effects on/effects off, improved polyphony, 24 watt speakers, improved piano sample over the PSR-E373, and the organ samples from the Yamaha YC's (you don't get those on the E473 just the 425), and 19 lbs not too bad for weight. They've also done a few things to help the user interface (panel buttons for octave shift - took them long enough to figure THAT one out, and category buttons for the voices and styles). I'm just hoping I can live with the synth action since I'm used to fully weighted keys that are on the light side.

I looked into the CT-S500 and while it looks cool, super portable and has added lineouts, still no USB audio interface, it doesn't have the mic port, and it's a shame there's no 76 key model. And the speakers at 5 watts is super low. I have a CT-S1 which has wonderful piano and e piano sounds, but no lineouts is a shame, and the audio in (wired or bluetooth) distorts very easily, so the keyboard volume ends up too high for a backing track.

I actually rented a PSR-E463 for a month to test out the features of the prior model and to see if I can live with the lighter action; had it for a couple of weeks, and while it's super light, if you set touch response to hard, it's actually quite consistent and predictable and you can get some decent expression out of it (once used to it).

I did have a Korg EK-50 for a bit and absolutely loved a LOT of things about it; the user interface is the best I've ever seen (by a long shot), the action was nice (and the keys are true full size piano width - 165mm octave not 159-160 like most "full-size" synth keys are); the speakers were awesome, it had line outs, and the panel button quick access for layers on and off is amazing. Only things I wish it had was a few more piano voices, a better rhodes, and a mic input & built in USB audio interface would add so much. The EK-50 definitely blows the Yamaha PSR-E463 out of the water though (although not a fair comparison where I am - the EK is an extra $100 USD or so); but with the EW425 having 76 keys, the USB interface, mic input and (probably?) much better sounds I'm hoping for that to be another step up. Supposedly available to order where I am in May ish.

I did a review on the EK-50 here if you want to check it out:
Hey thanks PianoTone, I've enjoyed your videos on YT!

I got the E473 about a week ago from Sweetwater, and while I'm very inexperienced and haven't had much time on it yet (my church wants me to play bass again and I've laid off for months so that's taking up my time), here's my impressions; I like the action as it was set from the factory - again, I'm not a keyboard player and don't play one on TV, so YMMV, but it feels very good to me - kind of solid but sensitive/responsive at the same time. I haven't even tried the other settings yet.

Some of the sounds are great, some not so much - I found the honky-tonk piano pretty disappointing, but maybe I'll be able to fix it when I learn more about the features. Trumpet, as usual, is disappointing (I'm an ex-trumpet player), and just for something totally random, I thought the bagpipes were so bad they should've just left them off - did they think someone would miss them? Got me all excited for a big letdown! Keep in mind, I may just not know what I'm doing and it may be my fault!

Although it may not sound like it, I'm actually quite happy with it. It has been easy to use, fun to play with, and does have many awesome sounds. Lots and lots to grow into and I feel like I got ridiculous value for the money. My only caveat is if you're a more experienced user, or looking for a particular voice, I would make sure to try it in person first - or be willing to send it back if you're not happy. I got tired of waiting for a local shop to get one in.

I feel like I might have given the wrong impression - this is a ridiculously good keyboard - in my opinion and for anywhere near the price. I am very happy with it, even with the flaws I mentioned, and look forward to many years of enjoyment from it. While there are many features I may never use, there is so much flexibility (being able to subtract individual voices in the accompaniment, for example) that it already has me thinking about doing things with it I had never considered. Things like the Mic input and USB audio are what made the decision for over the new Casio - and the more powerful speakers.

There! Now I feel like I've represented my impression a little better. If anyone has any questions, I'll do my best to answer them, just remember how inexperienced I am - you may be better off looking at the user manual!
 
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Hey thanks PianoTone, I've enjoyed your videos on YT!

I got the E473 about a week ago from Sweetwater, and while I'm very inexperienced and haven't had much time on it yet (my church wants me to play bass again and I've laid off for months so that's taking up my time), here's my impressions; I like the action as it was set from the factory - again, I'm not a keyboard player and don't play one on TV, so YMMV, but it feels very good to me - kind of solid but sensitive/responsive at the same time. I haven't even tried the other settings yet.

Some of the sounds are great, some not so much - I found the honky-tonk piano pretty disappointing, but maybe I'll be able to fix it when I learn more about the features. Trumpet, as usual, is disappointing (I'm an ex-trumpet player), and just for something totally random, I thought the bagpipes were so bad they should've just left them off - did they think someone would miss them? Got me all excited for a big letdown! Keep in mind, I may just not know what I'm doing and it may be my fault!

Although it may not sound like it, I'm actually quite happy with it. It has been easy to use, fun to play with, and does have many awesome sounds. Lots and lots to grow into and I feel like I got ridiculous value for the money. My only caveat is if you're a more experienced user, or looking for a particular voice, I would make sure to try it in person first - or be willing to send it back if you're not happy. I got tired of waiting for a local shop to get one in.

I feel like I might have given the wrong impression - this is a ridiculously good keyboard - in my opinion and for anywhere near the price. I am very happy with it, even with the flaws I mentioned, and look forward to many years of enjoyment from it. While there are many features I may never use, there is so much flexibility (being able to subtract individual voices in the accompaniment, for example) that it already has me thinking about doing things with it I had never considered. Things like the Mic input and USB audio are what made the decision for over the new Casio - and the more powerful speakers.

There! Now I feel like I've represented my impression a little better. If anyone has any questions, I'll do my best to answer them, just remember how inexperienced I am - you may be better off looking at the user manual!
Sounds cool congrats and enjoy! With the honky tonk sample, try messing around with chorus settings (you can often take a normal piano sample and add ludicrous chorus to it and end up with a honky tonk sound), and also play around with DSP effects to see if you can tweak it to your liking.

Cool to hear you like the action; how is the main piano sound, and how are the e piano sounds? I see looking at the voice list they've added a few since the E463 (13-Cool Suitcase, 15 Phase e piano, 16 Cool Tremolo etc).

Thanks!
p.s. ex-bass player here too :D I used to gig with a metallic red peavey dyna-bass (had active pickups- blew my mind in 1988) and a long but narrow neck - absolutely loved it
 

MVF

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Keeping in mind that I have no idea what they're supposed to sound like, I like the sounds you listed. To show you how much to trust my opinion on the main piano sound, I'm going to say "It sounds like a piano" - just not qualified to judge.

I've never gotten to try a Peavey (though I had one of their guitars waaay back when that I wish I'd never sold), but I've heard nothing but good things about them. My number one is a Stingray 5HH with Sadowsky flats on it and I fall in love with the tone every time I pick it up!
 

MVF

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Hey there thought I'd chime in; I'm also waiting on the new PSRs to come out - I'm planning on the 76 key version EW-425. I really like the DGX-670, but it's so massive and heavy (50 lbs), and has no lineouts, so definitely not a gigging piano. On the EW425 I like the 76 keys vs 61, the line out ports, audio interface built into the USB port, mic in with gain & effects & a button to toggle between mute/effects on/effects off, improved polyphony, 24 watt speakers, improved piano sample over the PSR-E373, and the organ samples from the Yamaha YC's (you don't get those on the E473 just the 425), and 19 lbs not too bad for weight. They've also done a few things to help the user interface (panel buttons for octave shift - took them long enough to figure THAT one out, and category buttons for the voices and styles). I'm just hoping I can live with the synth action since I'm used to fully weighted keys that are on the light side.

I looked into the CT-S500 and while it looks cool, super portable and has added lineouts, still no USB audio interface, it doesn't have the mic port, and it's a shame there's no 76 key model. And the speakers at 5 watts is super low. I have a CT-S1 which has wonderful piano and e piano sounds, but no lineouts is a shame, and the audio in (wired or bluetooth) distorts very easily, so the keyboard volume ends up too high for a backing track.

I actually rented a PSR-E463 for a month to test out the features of the prior model and to see if I can live with the lighter action; had it for a couple of weeks, and while it's super light, if you set touch response to hard, it's actually quite consistent and predictable and you can get some decent expression out of it (once used to it).

I did have a Korg EK-50 for a bit and absolutely loved a LOT of things about it; the user interface is the best I've ever seen (by a long shot), the action was nice (and the keys are true full size piano width - 165mm octave not 159-160 like most "full-size" synth keys are); the speakers were awesome, it had line outs, and the panel button quick access for layers on and off is amazing. Only things I wish it had was a few more piano voices, a better rhodes, and a mic input & built in USB audio interface would add so much. The EK-50 definitely blows the Yamaha PSR-E463 out of the water though (although not a fair comparison where I am - the EK is an extra $100 USD or so); but with the EW425 having 76 keys, the USB interface, mic input and (probably?) much better sounds I'm hoping for that to be another step up. Supposedly available to order where I am in May ish.

I did a review on the EK-50 here if you want to check it out:
For anyone considering this keyboard, PianoTone has an excellent long review on YouTube. It's over an hour (it's indexed so you don't have to watch the whole thing if you don't want to) and is wonderfully complete. I already own (and love) this keyboard and I still watched the whole thing! I'm sure it shortened my learning curve considerably.

PianoTone - What an amazing piece of work! Very professional, informative and entertaining. I also thought the analyses at the end was spot on. Thanks for spending the time and effort, well done!
 
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I've owned and used the EK-50 at gigs for over a year now - fantastic keyboard, with 2 key issues. The B flat2 has a feedback issue if I mix a correct amount of bass EQ to the keyboard, so I have to take off bass EQ to the entire keyboard, making it slightly treble-ish. The worst are the C#5 and D5 - these key have a loud punchy sound above the other keys. I learned to work around it by not playing these keys too loud when hitting them. I thought this was an isolated problem with my keyboard, until I tried another one at a music store - same results. Other than that, I find the tones great.
 
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For anyone considering this keyboard, PianoTone has an excellent long review on YouTube. It's over an hour (it's indexed so you don't have to watch the whole thing if you don't want to) and is wonderfully complete. I already own (and love) this keyboard and I still watched the whole thing! I'm sure it shortened my learning curve considerably.

PianoTone - What an amazing piece of work! Very professional, informative and entertaining. I also thought the analyses at the end was spot on. Thanks for spending the time and effort, well done!
Hey thanks so much for the kind words, much appreciated. I'm loving my EW425 so far, I was really surprised at how good some of the tones are and how good the mic input is! With a built in audio interface into the USB port, I can make a talking or singing/playing video without ANYTHING other than the keyboard and a dynamic mic (no mixer/audio interface required). Massive feature!

Here is a link to that long video (and in the description of that is a link to a shorter version as well):
 
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Welcome to the forums.
Hi, I see you had a Hammond B3. I have a Hammond C3 with two Leslie 122 cabinets. Thinking of selling it but not sure where to list it, Ebay, etc? Any idea what it's worth in today's market?
 
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Yes, that it is reference to the Hammond B3. I've also owned other early combo organs, and Hammond clones and modules. For years after I sold my last B3 I tried quite number of various "clones" and leslie simulators. At one point my ex-wife told me I had developed a "mania" about replacing my B3. Ergo the name "B3Maniac" in the forum. My favorite clone to play is my Korg CX3 (2nd Gen) running out to a Neo Ventilator (leslie sim) and stereo amp. (PS I'm 70 years old and started playing band keys with a Farfisa Fast 5.) Don
Hi, I see you have a Hammond B3. I have a Hammond C3 with two Leslie 122 cabinets. Thinking of selling it but not sure where to list it, Ebay, etc? Any idea what it's worth in today's market?
 
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Late to the party, reviving a zombie thread! Shout out to PianoTone, his videos and comment responses helped me in my choices.

I have the Casio CT-X5000, the CT-S500 and now the PSR EW425.

I mostly liked the CT-X5000, a ton of cool features including 2 tones for the Lower Voices! Really made a difference. And the speakers have a ton of volume, and in general it’s more feature packed than anything else I know of under $500. But the User Interface is challenging and the microphone input is almost useless, they messed that one up. And most importantly for me, the keybed is clacky/noisy/indeterminate, was a real turn off to play, that was my main reason for wanting to get another inexpensive arranger board.

About a month ago I got the CT-S500 and just love it! For what it is and does, there’s nothing else like it. It has the latest/greatest AIX sounds including a bunch of vintage CasioTone sounds. The keybed is surprisingly decent even for Piano, very springy esp on the upswing, but still, I’ve enjoyed playing it- it encourages a kind of enthusiastic piano playing, so it’s not nearly as universally appropriate for more delicate playing but still, it’s quiet and doesn’t get in the way. The sounds are mostly OK/decent, and for an extremely abbreviated front panel it’s surprisingly user friendly- but once I got the EW425, which literally has 3-4 times the control surface buttons/knobs, I remembered how much faster a full complement of controls can be, but still.
> for a 5 watt total sound system, it puts out! It’s got a bass reflex speaker that helps, and somehow they’ve found the magic sauce to get surprising volume and clarity out of so little. Perfect for individual use, not near as robust for parties/jams/small venues as the CT-X5000 or the EW425
> the main thing about the S500 is its so wonderfully compact and light! At 10 pounds and 10” deep and battery powered, it’s the ideal couch/bed/recliner board. And while it doesn’t have the audio interface of the EW425, it does have an Aux in and BT MIDI, so using an iPad is simple: BT MIDI (or USB MIDI) to iPad, 1/8” cable from iPad to keyboard- done. So, it’s my go to keyboard for sitting in bed and working on iPad sounds and Camelot, an effects and instrument host of iPad.

Have only had the EW425 a few days but so far I’m just loving it! Unlike the Casio as a stay at home board, the EW425 will be my out in the world board for jamming and parties. Love that it has the microphone in!, powerful speakers!, 76 keys!, really decent sounds, etc.
> And the keybed, still in evaluation, is pretty darn good. It doesn’t have that springiness of the S500, it’s close to being a semi-weighted feel. I wish it had more pushback, it’s a little light, and surprisingly, I’ve set the Touch response to Light, seems to be the only way to reliably trigger the higher velocity samples without banging. I seems to bottom out a bit and be a bit loose overall in feel, but for a $500 keyboard it’s among the best that I’ve felt. Just hope that over time it doesn’t get even looser, like the Casio CT-X5000 and WK7600 did.
> Not one that usually gets into the auto accompaniment, but have to say, with their One Touch Setting giving you a good voice for any given Style, and the Styles themselves, I’ve been enjoying playing them. Add to the fact that you can bring in and out 6 different parts of a Style using dedicated buttons, and it gets even more interesting.
> In the same vein, the Groove Creator seems to be a variation on the auto-accompaniment theme: fun stuff, with 4 main parts to choose from, as well as a climax, much more oriented towards EDM music, all with the same ability to bring parts in and out like with the Styles. Fun stuff!

Would love to try out the Korg EK-50, but enough is enough! Lots to learn and grok here already.
 
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he EW425 will be my out in the world board for jamming and parties. Love that it has the microphone in!, powerful speakers!
How would you compare the speakers to the Korg PA1000 you used to have?

the keybed, still in evaluation, is pretty darn good. It doesn’t have that springiness of the S500, it’s close to being a semi-weighted feel. I wish it had more pushback, it’s a little light
Just from a piano-playing perspective, which feels better, the CT-S500 or the EW425? Do you think one gives you better control over dynamics than the other?
 
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How would you compare the speakers to the Korg PA1000 you used to have?


Just from a piano-playing perspective, which feels better, the CT-S500 or the EW425? Do you think one gives you better control over dynamics than the other?
A little challenging to compare these inexpensive sound systems to the PA1000 because I no longer have one, and the absolute joy I got from the sound quality was the quality of the sounds themselves AND the speakers, which were the best of any keyboard speakers I’ve ever heard.

That said, the sound system of the S500 is remarkable for the size, weight, 10” depth. It’s a very useable quality of sound for personal playing, though there’s something about the audio that is just slightly off, but not really off-putting, just something I notice a little, not sure what it is.

The EW425 sounds really good to my ears, not in the same league as the PA1000, but as an all-rounder board for under $500 with that microphone in and 76 keys, it’s better for the money than I would have expected, very satisfied, it’ll be my go-to keyboard for jams/parties, esp once I stock up on 6 D cell rechargeable batteries. I’ve already got rechargeables for the S500, they last about 3-4 hours? Early days. Bought a 12 pack of AA’s so I can pop out one set and the next is ready to go.
————-

Piano playing: that is a much harder question. Like with the S500, I’ve been very pleased that it’s decent- I do feel the springiness quite a bit, esp on the up stroke, seems to give it an almost semi-weighted feel, it feels a little unnatural but hasn’t hampered my playing or enjoyment. So far it seems like it does well with energetic chording, not the subtler quiet stuff, but more research needed. Probably a B- letter grade, esp considering the price? After decades of shitty keybeds from my many budget boards, the S500 gets an A+ for being quiet, well-mannered and sure-footed, not loose.

The EW425 also feels a bit like an almost semi-weighted, but without the springiness of the S500. The best I’ve had was the Yamaha XS7 and the Korg M3, and this one is not in this class- giving it a letter grade in comparison to those 4-7 times more expensive boards, they’d be an A+, the EW425 gets a C or C+ Compared to the Casio CT-X5000, it’s got a bit of the same loose feel, but the X5000 would be a D or an F, a real turn off to play. I feel like I bottom out too easily, it could use a bit more resistance overall and padding for the landing. Compared to the PA1000, which gets a D+ to C- from me, it’s somewhat better, mostly acceptable.

Recently I was playing an EP on the S500 and it felt like I needed to achieve a MIDI velocity of 115 to trigger the sample that gives a bit of that satisfying blat that many EPs have in the lower end. It would have been much better if they’d programmed it to trigger that velocity layer at around 100-105 (these are all guesses to give a relative idea). I have to work way too hard to get to that final sample, frustrating.

Which made me realize that in order to set the Touch Velocity I need to find sounds like that and find if I can comfortably trigger that last sample without having to bang on the keyboard/make that much effort. With the S500 I have to set it to LIGHT! This seems counter-intuitive being that I’m used to a weighted action. For now I’ve set it there on the EW425 as well, but I may be able to set it at MEDIUM touch velocity, need more experience with the sounds. Very pleased that I figured this out, it’s a key component to having a comfortable touch setting and getting full expression.

But these are early days. This kind of question comes up a lot, I’m always wanting to know about keybed feel, and it occurred to me that I have the perfect setup now:
- my ES920 of course has an excellent feel for piano, though TBH I prefer my now-sold ES110! So the 920 can be my piano bench mark
- my CT-X5000 has a terrible keybed, noisy, and way too loose, no substance: another benchmark!
- I notice there are different kinds of playing, from loud/bombastic/passionate to soft/delicate/refined/low volume. AND there are different ways of playing: LHB along with a sprightly improv RH, longer held styles with pads, synth lines and organ etc.

So it seems like if I had a handful of songs played in ways that exemplify different kinds of playing, I could go from keyboard to keyboard with each of these songs and have a relative idea of what kinds of playing the S500 and EW425 are good at.

That would be quite the project! I’m surprised others haven’t come up with similar comparison tests, though I suppose in an informal way it’s part of most reviews as they play different songs which would bear this out. But esp for folks who do many reviews, having a set list of 5-10 songs using various sounds and styles, that that would be a consistent method of comparison from one keyboard to the next.

And yet another consideration: being in an apartment I’m constantly monitoring my volume to be thoughtful of my neighbors, and cause I much prefer the open sound of speakers than using headphones. What I realized over time is that I was working much harder than I needed to in order to achieve satisfaction at low’ish volume. This can be tricky, but I realized I need to turn the volume UP a bit and control the dynamics with my playing more. Overall a much more satisfying way of playing, and not nearly as much effort required when I simply use the volume slider.
 
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Scott
Why not post your review of your ownS500?
Briefly... Very impressed.

Pros:

Action is surprisingly playable, even for pianos (much better than Juno DS61 or Korg Kross 61, or heck, even my Fantom-07).

I could easily find very usable sounds of any type I'd commonly need.

Interface is remarkably good considering the constraints of a small screen and small number of controls. It has a nice feature of letting you put one-button-shortcuts to your most commonly needed menu pages on the front screen. It's easy to change the octave of your LH or RH sound independently, on the fly (which can be very useful if you're trying to split two sounds over only 61 keys), as well as changing each sound's volume, or which tone is assigned.

Mostly good "patch remain" (allowing held/decaying notes of one sound to not be immediately cut off when you switch to a new one).

If you want to use it in conjunction with an iPad (for charts/lyrics, or sending it Program Changes or adding some other playable sounds to the board, things I'll touch on again later), there's a music stand included, but also it sticks really well to where the speakers are (magnets, you know).

Boots in about 3 seconds.

You can have a second board set up to play some of its sounds, and change the sounds its own keys are playing without interrupting the sound being triggered externally.

Similarly, you can set up a rhythm, and change sounds as much as you want without interrupting the rhythm. And the rhythms automatically give you arranger-style buttons for intro, variation, fill, and ending.

Speakers are surprisingly good considering the small package.

Weighs only about 10 lbs.

Has strap pegs, so you don't necessarily need to have a keyboard stand available.

Battery operation.

Apparently can load samples, I haven't played with that.

Bluetooth MIDI, can be convenient for wirelessly sending patch changes from an iPad, for example (a particular benefit of which will be explained below).


Cons:

Settings for controlling external MIDI devices (there's a hidden "pro" here, that it has them at all) can only be saved in the four Setups, not in the 64 Registrations.

Registrations (again unlike Setups) can't be named (so they show up on the screen only as numbers). You'll want to attach some kind of cheat sheet.

Outside of your saved registrations, if you're just scrolling through sounds, the board will switch to play every sound as you scroll through it (I'd like an option to be able to scroll "silently" and then tell it when I want it to switch directly to the next sound). You can get around this by using something like an iPhone/iPad to send Program Changes, then you can navigate directly from any patch to any other... so that's another "pro" hidden inside this con, it can be controlled well over MIDI, something that was added in an update. But it would be better if you didn't necessarily need another device to be able to get from sound A to sound Z without it switching to every sound in between. (I'm talking about individual sounds here. The registrations do let you invoke them randomly.)

No 5-pin MIDI (of course it has USB, though). Not surprising on a low-cost board these days, but still a disappointment.

Like other Casios, the back panel connections are "labeled" only with raised plastic, difficult-to-impossible to read in lesser lighting conditions. You'll want to label these some other way.


p.s. -- I mentioned Kross and Juno DS just by way of action comparison, but they're really very different kinds of boards. Those boards can split/layer 16 sounds at a time, vs. 3 on the Casio. Their sounds are all deeply editable vs. just a handful of editable parameters in the Casio. But if the Casio does enough for what you need, it's a fun, easy to use, good feeling, nice sounding board.
 
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couple of clarifications (too late to edit)...

The issue that sounds change as you scroll through them is not something unusual or Casio-specific, it's just something I wished could work differently. Heck, at the other extreme in the price categories, Nord Stage 3 has the same issue. (Which was extra disappointing, because Nord Stage 2 had a "pending load" option to over-ride that behavior, and that feature got removed when they went to the 3.) Kurzweil does this nicely (like the older Nord), there's an option to have it work either way.

It's not always a con, by any means. I understand why people would typically want the sounds to change as you scroll... If you're trying different sounds to see what you'd like, it actually would be a nuisance to have to hit "enter" or whatever after every sound you selected. But in actual performance, you may want to call up a sound that you haven't saved in a registration, and if you're doing it in the middle of a song, it's a hinderance to have the sound change as you scroll to find it. So it's nice to have this behavior defeatable. But I recognize, Casio's main audience for this board is not live performers. And even most live performers probably don't need to randomly search for a sound in the middle of a song... for mid-song sound changes, they work from things they've set up access to in advance (as you can still do here, via registrations). So while I'd prefer a switchable behavior here, that is a more advanced feature, and if a board is only going to work one way, having the sound automatically change as you go through the patches would probably be preferable for most people, most of the time.

BTW, lots of boards (probably most) aren't switchable per se, but they may have alternate ways to get to a sound, particularly if they have touch screens. On a touchscreen board, you normally have a way to scroll through sounds (where they would change), but also ways to "silently" navigate through screens (e.g. sound categories), and then you can directly tap in the sound you want without having to go through anything in between. Boards with lots of buttons can do similar things. There are numerous boards where you could use a button to go directly to a category, and then you could use other buttons to directly select one of the sounds within that category (the names of which might be presented on the screen). But lower cost boards, without tons of buttons or touchscreens, are really not likely to have this. So like the 5-pin MIDI comment, it's something I'd like to see, but not something I'm surprised is not available on the Casio, so it might be a stretch to call it a "con," in that it's not something you'd likely find in competitive boards, or something that tons of buyers of this board are likely to need.

As for the last thing I mentioned (the "p.s."), each of these boards has things the others don't. So while the Kross and Juno DS can in some ways do a lot more than the Casio, there are also things the Casio can do that those can't. So I didn't want that to come off as the Casio having merely a more limited functionality that you'll have to see if you can work within... it's a different functionality and has tricks of its own that can't be duplicated on those other boards, too.
 
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MVF, I'm an old dude that has been playing keyboards for 60 years having owned keyboards from Sears, Lowrey, Farfissa, Panther to a Hammond C-3 which I still own. Here's my recommendations, if you want an inexpensive keyboard, look for a used Casio 1630 or 3100. I think there's a Casio 3000 for sale on ebay for $279.00 dollars. As a musician, I purchased the Casio 1630 from BJ's Store for $300.00 dollars some 20 years ago and the 3100 about 10 years ago. There are enough rhythms and tones that will keep you busy for a long time. I just purchased a used Roland G70 last year and I've put 80 songs on cds since November of 2021. I purchased the Casios( as a hammond owner too embarrassed to let my friends and fellow musicians know I own Cassios} so I wouldn't disturb my family with the Hammond. I wish they had the technology that's in the Casio keyboard back in the 60's when I played in bands. I recorded at Capital Studios in 1965 and my Casio sounds 1000 time better than the Farfissa I played then. One last thing, both Casio keyboard I mentioned are 76 keys. The Korg E50 has 61 keys. I'm not sure if they make a 76 key model.
Robbie, I am new and just posted on this forum, I invite you to take a look and comment. https://www.keyboardforums.com/thre...l-and-uncomplicated-61-keys-light-easy.34524/
notice you have a 1630 too. great instrument, but looking for something smaller and lighter.
 

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