Richard H post_id=62139 time=1534875724 user_id=1946 said:
I have now been playing my Evo for two weeks. These are my impressions. First of all rest assured that all of the Richard Noel User Programs and User Sets work flawlessly in the Evo. Though the instrument is only 1.5 pounds lighter it feels a lot more comfortable because of the weight distribution. The weight in the 8-X is forward; the weight in the Evo is up against your chest. I could never play my 8-X for more than 30 minuntes without feeling exhausted; I can play the EVO for 2 hours and am still in good shape.Physically the Evo is somewhat smaller than the 8-X . The keyboard is far superior to the plastic toy-like 8-X keyboard. The keys are bevelled on the sides making glissando a dream. The bellow action is also more natural. It is not exactly like a reeded instrument but the two are not the same and never will be completely alike. Ive also noticed that playing through the internal speakers I often experienced audio distortion in the 8-X; not so in the EVO. Some drawbacks are that hte 8-X editor will not work with the EVO. The Dallape and Balkan Expansions are also not useable. These are issues that Petosa said they are working on with Bugari. Time will tell. Overall I can say that the EVO is far superior to the 8-X. Id never go back and I am thankful every day that I made the switch. I hope this helps some of you who are on the fence.
Richard H.
Well, Im not on the fence for now. When the issue of the EVOs ability to load and use sound expansion sets AND the issue of its not being able to communicate with and use the editor are resolved, I might climb back on that fence. Meanwhile, the placement of the thumb drive port behind the backpad seems to more people Ive consulted to be a negative than a positive move on Bugaris part. (When last I posted, it was about evenly balanced between those who liked the idea for aesthetic reasons versus those who found the idea inconvenient when compared with the thumb drives placement on the treble grille on the 8x,)
But youve had more experience comparing the two than I. Please correct me if Im wrong, but you seem to feel that better weight distribution, sound quality and keyboard feel, at least on the treble side, outweigh the negatives that have been posted here. Although I barely had an hour to compare the EVO and the 8x, I would have to agree with you.
There are a couple of questions that are left unanswered on the previous thread and I apologize again for not researching those questions. They both relate to how the EVO improves bellows feel and air usage without the use of the stepper motor which is employed in the 8x, and how bellows pressure, which determines the dynamics of the sound, is detected in the EVO. If you can shed any light on those two questions, Im sure many posters would be grateful.
Regarding the bass end of the EVO, at present, its identical to that of the 8x. I cannot see how the EVO can be improved in the future with regard to air flow through the bass side and employing pallets, as on the treble side, without sacrificing the 8xs ability to provide several bass layouts, including three rows of bass and all of the free bass modes. It can probably be done mechanically, but that would add significant weight and bulk to the EVO as it exists now. I am pretty sure that Bugari is developing its own electronics package, and that might solve the bass problem electronically, but it;s sure to be a long time coming, and Bugari hasnt revealed much about their own efforts in electronics. Thats typical of Italian manufacturers of acoustic accordions, as well. (In contrast, think about all the leaked information about future developments in the American home computer industry of the late 80s and early 90s and how most of that turned out to be
vaporware. If the day ever comes when I market an idea, I, too, would say nothing about it until its ready for the market.)
But the EVO as it now exists has to be recognized as a step forward, and if enough people feel about it as you do and wind up buying one, I look forward to further developments from Bugaris EVO division.
Alan
