This review is from: Yamaha PSR-295MS Portable 61-Key Touch-Sensitive Electronic Keyboard with Adapter and Stand[This review holds for Yamaha PSR-295. Please note that this product is currently available from Amazon under two packagings: PSR-295AD (includes adapter) and PSR-295MS (includes adapter and stand).]I got this full-length keyboard at a great price of $190 with included adapter and keyboard. Both accessories are a must, since this thing is huge.The product shipped in two days (from PA to MD) with free shipping. I was delighted to find a helpful instructional DVD in the package to get started with the basics, so I didn't have to go through the manual, except for detailed and advanced features.Also included was a Song Book, with staff music for some popular songs. It's great for someone who knows how to read music - I'm still learning to. There's also software to transfer music between PC and keyboard."Portable Grand" is just a one-touch button option to set the keyboard to Grand Piano mode. Of course, this cannot be expected to sound as great or realistic as a high-end digital piano or an expensive wooden one. However, the touch sensitive feature makes it as realistic as possible.Here are the features I liked:* Display shows notes and chords being played in three ways - staff notation, note name (ex. E# m7 aug etc.), and graphical (actual keys on a diagram).* Truly Touch (Force) Sensitive Keys (can be toggled on/off). * 487 Voices (incl. ~360 XGLite voices).* 136 Accompaniment Styles to play along.* Built-in songs which can be practised using Yamaha Education Suite. (Buil-in feature).* Jog Dial to move between voice/style/song numbers.* Flash memory to record your songs.* Direct USB connection (MIDI-USB connecter cable *not* required - that cable would cost around $40).* Software to transfer songs and voices between PC and keyboard.* Truly stero output (not just two speakers).* Phono/Line-Out socket.* Sustain pedal socket (pedal not included).Here are some things I didn't like:* USB cable not included. ($7 extra from Amazon).* Volume sometime seems a little low. But then, you can always pass output through amps if you really need it that loud.* No mic or line-in socket.* Phono out uses 1/4 inch pin. Had to buy a 1/8 to 1/4 converter from RadioShack.* LCD display is highly "directional", visible only when looking at a particular angle. This is not much of a problem when playing sitting. However, if playing standing, this may be a little inconvenient.* No sustain toggle switch. If you don't have a sustain pedal, turning sustain on/off manually takes a couple of steps.Overall, at under $190, free shipping and included adapter and stand, this is a great buy for beginners as well as advanced users. I had a Yamaha PSS-11 long back. It was a good beginner keyboard but it soon outgrew me, since you couldn't play it with two hands. Overall, I like Yamaha quality and find their keyboards much more professional than Casio ones (maybe I'm wrong). Of course, "real" professionals would use KORG, but that'll be upwards of $1000! :)...
This review is from: Yamaha PSR-295MS Portable 61-Key Touch-Sensitive Electronic Keyboard with Adapter and StandIn addition to a myriad of musical sounds, this keyboard has the "Portable Grand" button, which was the reason I bought it. Yamaha claims this keyboard produces a "stunningly real and authentic piano sound." Not so. It still sounds like like a cheap electronic keyboard. I was very disappointed and had to pack it up and return it to Amazon. If you are looking for a keyboard with almost endless musical sounds, tempos, and computer features, this is a good buy; but be advised it will not sound like a piano.Kona...
This review is from: Yamaha PSR-295MS Portable 61-Key Touch-Sensitive Electronic Keyboard with Adapter and StandI bought this for Christmas (2005). All my family members love it.It has lots and lots of features, many of which I still haven't learnt nor tried yet, but the bottomline is this: Despite all the features, the basic functionality as the keyboard is simple enough even for my kids (younger one still in kinder), and the sound quality is very good for the price.1: Simple to useSwitch it on. Play it. Simple as that. Use jog dial to change sound (like organ, saxophone, vibraphone etc.). Lots of fun (some sounds really good, some bad). Press "portable grand" button to immediately go back to piano sound.A dedicated metronome button conveniently lets me access metronome for practice. I especially liked this. Useful functionality with simple interface. Press "tempo" and use jog dial to change tempo. 2: Good soundI don't think the portable-grand mode sounds like "cheap electronic keyboard". Rather, it sounds to me like some piano on my car stereo. It's good, somewhat hampered mainly by the built-in amplifier and small speakers (and probably to lesser extent by sampled sound itself). Using a good headphone helps a bit if you have one, and I assume using an external amp should also help.No it doesn't sound like a really-real piano. If you need that, probably you'll need a good "digital piano" (not digital keyboard) plus good amplifier. You have to pay MUCH more for digital piano alone, even for entry level instruments like YAMAHA P90. Me, I'm just satisfied with this. (However, all of the "guitar"s, especially acoustic ones, sounds very crappy. Maybe I'm too harsh because I play real guitars, but when I played this "guitar" sound, my wife couldn't tell what instrument it was supposed to be.)3. Stand was the correct oneAt first I didn't understand one of the spotlight reviewers' complaint about the stand. Mine was good for the keyboard, and the dimension of the thing was just the same as on YAMAHA web page.Later it occured to me that probably he misunderstands the "built-in arm-rests on the underside of the keyboard". There are two straight short grooves underside of the keyboard. These are mea...
Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information
»»»Visit Store NOW...
Best price click here
