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Yamaha S08 88-Key Programmable Synthesizer

64-note polyphony. 749 voices. 31 drum kits.

Overall User Ratings

Overall:
          9 out of 10
Features:
          8 out of 10
Quality:
          9 out of 10
Value:
          9 out of 10
I Want It:
          9 out of 10
Sound:
          9 out of 10
Ease of Use:
          7 out of 10
Support:
          9 out of 10
 
 

"Turns out this is the best keyboard for the price. This is a nice piece of hardware in all ways. NOW GO AND GET ONE!"

Overall:
          10 out of 10
Features:
          9 out of 10
Quality:
          10 out of 10
Value:
          10 out of 10
I Want It:
          9 out of 10
Sound:
          9 out of 10
Support:
          5 out of 10
User: a customer from hotmail.com
Submitted: 7/17/2004
Style of Music: everything
Location: Las Vegas, NV

 

 
zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.
Feature:
Came with everything i needed to get started right out of the box; power supply, manual, driver CD. Did not come with MIDI or USB cable...but thats ok, ill worry about that stuff later.

Quality:
Most everything I have read about regarding Yamaha keyboards have been positive. Now having one i would agree. It doesent take away from your decor. It seems very well build; that is keys are solid and not flimsy, buttons are not going to break off and oh, did i say it looks good?

Value:
Yes, this is worthy of my hard earned $999.99, Trust me, i have looked all over and for under a grand you cant beat it with anything in its class. It could be more money but for my sake im glad it was only $1000

Desirability:
This keytboard looks pretty and does not have a crappy "cheap" look to it. I would go for practicality over looks anyday. Fortunately This keyboard gives a good mix of both looks and performance.

Sound:
I have tried out many keyboards at many different music stores. For under a grand this seemed to be the best bet. I have played many other brands (korg, Roland, kurzweil, Alesis...to name a few) and this keyboard, hands down had the best touch and feel. Now for the sounds...The piano I think is great. The primary reason for buying this was to use the piano sound. Im not a professional keyboardist or much of a critic to the sounds. As long as they sound decent and massivly fake, im happy. Also, it helps if you use good speakers, as that can really make a big difference.

Support:
Have not called them so I cannot say. Manual seems to be well written with helpfull illustrations to go along with.

Overall:
I hope to keep using this thing till it poops out...As far as this piece meeting my goals, Yes,as later on down the road I learn more about its capabilities i hope to take advantage of them. If it were stolen I would replace it.

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"Before buying this model, I tried out units that cost thousands more, and never found one with a better feel, or with the basic"

Overall:
          10 out of 10
Features:
          10 out of 10
Quality:
          10 out of 10
Value:
          10 out of 10
I Want It:
          10 out of 10
Sound:
          10 out of 10
Support:
          10 out of 10
User: a customer from yahoo.com
Submitted: 5/5/2003
Style of Music: Rock, Jazz, Blues
Location: Portland, OR, USA

 

 
Feature:
88 keys. Great weighted action. All the patches you really need. MIDI and USB. Mod wheel. Not a lot of "fluff" features to drive up the price, just the stuff you need and will use.

Quality:
Solid construction. INCREDIBLE piano action keys. Am sure this unit will stand up to decades of gigging.

Value:
All the features you really need, and none of the the ones you don't, so you're paying for quality in the parts you need, not for additional fluff you'll never use.

Desirability:
The feel of these keys are as sweet as I've ever played... Except on an actual piano.

Sound:
Great patches! Full, rich sounds, and all the required favorite flavors.

Overall:
This may be the last keyboard I ever need to buy. (And being in my twenties, that's saying a lot.)

2 of 2 people (100%) found this review helpful. Did you?    
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"Excellent weighted action, lots of cool sounds, and a great price"

Overall:
          10 out of 10
Features:
          8 out of 10
Quality:
          10 out of 10
Value:
          10 out of 10
I Want It:
          10 out of 10
Submitted: 8/1/2002
Style of Music: contemporary worship
Location: san francisco, california

 

 
I first looked at the Roland RD-700 then the S80 before deciding on the S08. Although I absolutely loved the RD-700 since it had the best hammer action keys of all three, it was a bit pricey, and I wasn't too impressed with the piano sounds which all sounded fairly muted. Nevertheless, it was very easy to use and had a nifty one-touch piano button. The S80 has bright and beautiful piano sounds, not as many as the RD-700, but they sounded better. However, if you're classically trained like me, you'll find that the weighted action is nothing compared to the RD-700. I decided on the S08 because it has a balanced hammer effect that is almost as good as the RD-700, yet it has the bright lively piano sounds of the S80. The price is affordable for a college student like me who does music as a hobby. The only thing that I would warn you about is that it is easy to use once you've taken some time to learn how to do so. It's not nearly as intuitive as the RD-700.
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"Excellent Synth to hear, see, feel and play!"

Overall:
          10 out of 10
Features:
          8 out of 10
Quality:
          10 out of 10
Value:
          10 out of 10
I Want It:
          10 out of 10
User: a customer from yahoo.com
Submitted: 2/2/2003
Style of Music: dance, gospel, pop, rock and r&b
Location: Charlotte, North Carolina

 

 
Giving traditional pianists a keyboard feel you'd expect in a far more expensive instrument, the S08 will surely excite those who play as well as those who listen. The S08 is a very attractive keyboard without that very complicated and sometimes intimidating look that comes with many synths. Connecting the S08 to your pc is quite simple with the USB port. Along with your computer and a sequencer program (SQ01 included) the S08 performs the functions of synths costing thousands of dollars more. All the performance data can be stored with the card filler function. Don't let the price fool you! The Yamaha S08 is a very capable synth with sounds that will dazzle musicians and music lovers of all genres. Yamaha hit the nail on the head with this keyboard. The S08 is a keeper!!
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"This Baby Slams"

Overall:
          10 out of 10
Features:
          10 out of 10
Quality:
          10 out of 10
Value:
          10 out of 10
I Want It:
          10 out of 10
User: a customer from earthlink.net
Submitted: 9/21/2002
Style of Music: Space, Ambient, Experimental
Location: Hillbilly Heaven, ID

 

 
What? U say U can't afford the S80? Then this is the alternative. Killer presets, realistic voices, more effects than you'll ever need, friendly interface, USB/Smartmedia-capable, and THE absolute best weighed-hammer action 88 key keyboard you'll find for under 1.2k What more do U need? 'nuff said.
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"You won't believe what you can get for only $995.00"

Overall:
          10 out of 10
Features:
          9 out of 10
Quality:
          10 out of 10
I Want It:
          10 out of 10
Sound:
          10 out of 10
Support:
          10 out of 10
User: a customer from aol.com
Submitted: 9/16/2004
Style of Music: jazz, rock, pop
Musical Experience: active musician
Location: Cleveland Ohio

 

 
zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.
Feature:
Didn't even get into one tenth of the avalible features yet, but plab on doing so soon.

Quality:
Probably the best piano-players keyboard for this price anywhere. Very solid, and if your play from the elbows as I see alot of pianists do, I believe this will take a pounding. I prefer to play from the wrists, but everyone has his own style.

Value:
This product actually is under priced for what you get for your money. A great value.

Desirability:
This will be my next purchase. Period.

Sound:
The pianos have a living quality to them which was missing on the others I've tried. I know it sounds stupid to attribute life to an inanimate object but that's the best analogy I can come up with. They are very bright and expressive, and have a moving quality when run into a stereo system.

Support:
Yamaha has great support, and i found a guy named Matt Traum at Patchman music who knows everything about Yamaha. I think he's even created a sound voice chip for them. He's great.

Overall:
As I previously mentioned, I think this board will take years of pounding from even the most animated players. with a little love and nuturing, it should last me forever, or until I don't want to play anymore, which will be never.

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"ITS A YAMAHAH! WHAT ELSE WOULD YOU EXPECT!"

Overall:
          9 out of 10
Features:
          8 out of 10
Value:
          10 out of 10
I Want It:
          10 out of 10
Sound:
          10 out of 10
Submitted: 5/31/2004
Style of Music: rock, jazz, and blues
Location: Amherst, Mass,USA

 

 
Feature:
Alot of the time, I feel like they put way too many voices in the keyboard. Its kinda hard to find the voice you want. Otherwise, the Weighted hammer effect is great. Everything else is great!

Quality:
ITS A YAMAHAH!WHAT ELSE WOULD YOU EXPECT!

Overall:
I love the weighted keys, but sometimes the number of voices is overwhelming.

1 of 1 people (100%) found this review helpful. Did you?    
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"An excellent keyboard, at a great price."

Overall:
          9 out of 10
Features:
          8 out of 10
Quality:
          8 out of 10
Value:
          10 out of 10
I Want It:
          8 out of 10
Sound:
          8 out of 10
Ease of Use:
          9 out of 10
Support:
          9 out of 10
Submitted: 8/23/2007
Style of Music: Jazz, Funk, World, Electronic
Musical Experience: Touring musician
Location: Los Angeles, CA/On tour

 

 
Feature:
I thought it had built-in speakers when I bought it, but I have a system at home and it was easy enough to plug into that. Now I mostly use it with headphones.

Quality:
Seems pretty well-built. The USB port did break on me but it was under warranty and was fixed for free. No problems since. The feel is very nice. I do not have experience with Graded action versus the Balanced action of the S08 so I cannot speak to the difference there. But the S08 feels very nice.

Value:
Compared to other 88-key pro boards, this is about the cheapest you're going to find, and I am very happy with it. A very good value.

Desirability:
Meh - it's a keyboard. Looks good, and I agree the red felt is a nice touch.

Sound:
Good sounds, not mind-blowing but VERY good for the price. I mostly use this board as a MIDI controller.

Ease of Use:
Haven't done a lot of tweaking but for getting basic sounds etc it's pretty straightforward. I also have not sequenced on the board (I use Logic) so can't comment on that.

Support:
When the USB port broke, I called Yamaha who referred me to a local authorized repair shop. Dropped it off and got it back in a reasonable time frame.

Overall:
If this were lost or stolen, I would buy another one. I do not plan on replacing this keyboard until I wear it out.

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Yamaha S08 Keyboard Customer Review

Overall:
          8 out of 10
Features:
          8 out of 10
Quality:
          9 out of 10
Value:
          9 out of 10
I Want It:
          7 out of 10
Sound:
          8 out of 10
Ease of Use:
          5 out of 10
User: a customer from hotmail.com
Submitted: 9/6/2009
Style of Music: rock
Musical Experience: hobbyist
Location: Tennessee

 

 
Feature:
The multis are nice for setting up multitrack sequences. I love the action of the S08. That was one of the main reasons I bought it.

Quality:
Well built. I have owned it for about 5 years and it works like new.

Value:
Great overall board for the buck.

Sound:
Really good pianos,strings, brass. I use it mostly for piano and organs. For the price the sounds are great.

Ease of Use:
Here's where I wish I could change a few things. Sounds are not easily edited. Manual can be difficult. The midi file sequencer player is also difficult to get to work properly. The weight of this board also makes it tough to gig with. It weighs close to 60 pounds.

Support:
n/a

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"my synthesizer"

Overall:
          9 out of 10
Features:
          8 out of 10
Quality:
          10 out of 10
Value:
          10 out of 10
Sound:
          9 out of 10
Submitted: 4/7/2004
Style of Music: jazz, blues
Location: Poland

 

 
Feature:
offer 2 controlers, MODULATION WHEAL - you can link it with other parameters and FOOT CONTROLER - i made myself one - easy job, much money in the pocket ;) -- i thing 2 controlers its enough KEYBOADR IS SUUPER GREAT bad side is --- no slots for extra cards -- you can pach new soumds from SMART MEDIA or computer - but they use samples from ROM memory - you can't load new samples

Quality:
best - big, heavy (20 kg), hard,

Value:
for that price is very good synthesizer

Sound:
many of great sounds, piano sound is not good enough, but when pach some aqualizer itp sounds much better now great orgrans, rhodes piano, el piano, strings i'm very glad for this keboard

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