If I am honest if my S950 did not need repairing I would not have purchased the S975.
You didn't ask, but here is my story:
I had been getting along fine with my S910 which was in the local repair shop frequently for worn minor part replacements, but in pristine condition. I had tried out the S975 twice in my local music store and was not particularly attracted to it because models that followed the S910 incorporated so much change in the physical layout. Interestingly, I became aware of an organization that was trying to find a used S910 for a special use when a guy came into the music store while I was there, asking about a used S910.
Since I consider my work to be a type of ministry to our senior "widows and orphans," I had been praying whether I should be thinking about an upgrade and it turned out that this representative had been praying that he could find the keyboard they needed. I sold him mine on the spot, so immediately I was out of business. When I got the new S975 home and found out how different it was in a multitude of ways (physical format and sound being big hurdles for me), I realized I was still out of business because I had a whole bunch of learning and reworking to do. I cancelled two small gigs and have been limping along to other gigs ever since, but steadily getting improved results.
Soon after getting the S975 I got the Bose Compact, which further complicated things for me. But my learning has grown to where I'm getting more and more gratification in what I'm delivering to my audiences. Learning to effectively use of the Master EQ has been one of my big breakthroughs.
The benefits I will have gained through this season of inconvenience will be worth leaving my comfortable S910.
Like you, Steve, I play in some very small situations...living rooms of group homes. Over all, my audiences range from 1 or 2 people to several hundred at Public Relations events at various types of senior living facilities.
- Royce