Yamaha have been at the forefront of the home keyboard world for so long that the PSR range of keyboards they produce are often the first instrument many school children ever use.

For those keyboardists who desire something more involved than a beginner’s instrument, the range expands to include more sophisticated arranger keyboards, with the Tyros 4 the flagship of this technology.

A new keyboard in this range was recently announced, and has several features likely to make it a hit among many players.

The Yamaha PSR-S650 builds on the success and features of the incredibly popular PSR-S550, but now features Megavoice enhanced styles, previously only seen in more expensive arranger models, greatly improving the realism and quality of accompaniment available, by way of authentic articulations when playing instruments such as guitars of violins, for example.

The major new feature of the Yamaha PSR-S650, however, is the addition of internal FlashRom. This allows for an additional 16MB of samples to be stored- or in real terms, adding new sounds to the 864 existing ones, or new styles for that matter.

‘Regional’ expansion packs are planned for the Yamaha PSR-S650, such that the keyboard can be ‘refilled’ according to how you want to play it. And, if that involves playing in Arabic, or another non-even temperament scaling, the Yamaha PSR-S650 can be switched accordingly. This, in conjunction with regional styles and sounds, is something that many players have been looking for in an affordable instrument for some time. This, coupled with Yamaha’s renowned build quality and reliability seems likely to ensure the instruments popularity.

Specs Yamaha PSR-S650

Color/Finish

Size/Weight

Control Interface

Voices

Expandability

Effects

Accompaniment Styles

Songs

Functions

Storage and Connectivity

Amplifiers and Speakers

Power Supply