Yamaha Sound versus Other Brand

[Florida88]

How did this thread turn political?

My Yamaha sound is superb!
Using headphones it is even better than superb.
Other brands like Korg and Roland would be just as good I am sure.

Admittedly, some voices on my Yamaha (mainly electric guitar) don't quite make the grade, but piano, brass, woodwind, strings are excellent.
Awesome drum beats and riffs too.

That is some of my thoughts in a nutshell.

Totally agree! I’ve got a YC88 and just got the “Famous E electric piano” from Orange Tree Samples. It’s awesome!

 

[Florida88]

How did this thread turn political?

My Yamaha sound is superb!
Using headphones it is even better than superb.
Other brands like Korg and Roland would be just as good I am sure.

Admittedly, some voices on my Yamaha (mainly electric guitar) don't quite make the grade, but piano, brass, woodwind, strings are excellent.
Awesome drum beats and riffs too.

That is some of my thoughts in a nutshell.

Totally agree! I’ve got a YC88 and just added the “Famous E electric piano” from Orange Tree Samples. It’s awesome!

 

[amwilburn]

YC88 is a *nice* board, especially if you need good piano *and* drawbar organs but want nicer keys than Nord

 

[Cariboux2]

I have a DGX 670 and love the sound... And the ability to adjust in quite some detail. I have specific pianos saved for specific genres or composers. The flutes and sax aren't bad either. Nice selection of electric pianos, but I need to tweak them a bit.

 

[olhobbler]

Maybe one of the reasons for the Yamaha specific traffic is better sound.

I keep reading "sound" in posts about Yamaha. Seems to be the brand that gets the most compliments on its sound. CASIO brand the least?

I've bought everything used, even unseen. So I never went into a store and compared my CASIO tone # 25 1960s ELECTRIC PIANO to anything else. But it's my default setting because I want electric piano tones.

Probably the Yamaha version of tone # 25 E Piano literally sounds like an original Rhodes piano. I D K.

I've played almost every tone. Baritone sax, and others, are a joke. But the piano and organ tones work fine for me.

I surmise the circuits, ICs, capacitors, and internal speakers all contribute to the final sound. Must be that Yamaha just makes it better than some or most others. And new buyers are experiencing this difference in the store, etc. Leading to more entry sales.

 

[olhobbler]

Maybe one of the reasons for the Yamaha specific traffic is better sound.

I keep reading "sound" in posts about Yamaha. Seems to be the brand that gets the most compliments on its sound. CASIO brand the least?

I've bought everything used, even unseen. So I never went into a store and compared my CASIO tone # 25 1960s ELECTRIC PIANO to anything else. But it's my default setting because I want electric piano tones.

Probably the Yamaha version of tone # 25 E Piano literally sounds like an original Rhodes piano. I D K.

I've played almost every tone. Baritone sax, and others, are a joke. But the piano and organ tones work fine for me.

I surmise the circuits, ICs, capacitors, and internal speakers all contribute to the final sound. Must be that Yamaha just makes it better than some or most others. And new buyers are experiencing this difference in the store, etc. Leading to more entry sales.

 

[olhobbler]

I agree, yamahas sampled piano sounds great, same for electric piano..maybe the lower models are cheesy sounding but i am pretty satisfied with yamaha.

 

[amwilburn]

DGX670 provides *immense* bang for the buck, *however* I am disappointed that at full volume, playing the piano only? the speakers crackle. Which means the DGX is much better on headphones than speakers. And no, other than the just-discontinued PS500, there was nothing else that offered that level of sound tech at that price (the ps500 was better in every way, except no programmable style(yet) and no left-hold. In fact the PS500 used the CVP705 sound library, while the DGX670 uses a slightly stripped down CVP701 sound library!). The next closest, the Roland FPE50, has phenomenal speakers, bass and drums, but pales compared to the DGX with strummed guitars, especially acoustic. Also falls short on brass and woodwinds, and since the piano is a Supernatural algorithm rather than samples (like their awesome RD88), it sounds a bit hollow compared to the DGX, and especially the PS500. Unfortunate, because without the PS500, there's no portable arranger piano without compromises. (The discontinued Korg Havian 30 was also really good, and what I would consider compromise-free).

Mark

 

[happyrat1]

I'm not impressed by any keyboard without proper 1/4" TS Line outs and DIN MIDI ports.

My biggest gripe with most consumer keyboards is the total lack of expandability.

I'd put a Juno DS88 up against any DGX any day of the week and walk away smiling.

I'm saying in almost every budget class there are better choices than Yamaha.

 

[amwilburn]

I'm not impressed by any keyboard without proper 1/4" TS Line outs and DIN MIDI ports.

My biggest gripe with most consumer keyboards is the total lack of expandability.

I'd put a Juno DS88 up against any DGX any day of the week and walk away smiling.

I'm saying in almost every budget class there are better choices than Yamaha.

The PS500 out-classed the JunoDS in every way *except* that it weighed 47 lbs. However, the DS88 is fantastic for piano, ep's, vintage organs (not church organs) and synths, pads and drums, and was one of my favourite lightweight options. (much better than the MX88, yes). Oh, and the ps500 and ds88 were roughly the same price until Black Friday this year, when the ps500's were all blown out less than half price...!

But as I'd mentioned elsewhere, where the split was approximately 50/50 about 18 years ago (pro keys vs home keys), nearly everyone is looking for built in speakers now, even with pro keys like CK88, RD88. It's over 95% home keys now!

That doesn't mean it won't slide back; theses things are always somewhat cyclical; So yes, in the future I'd expect the pro keys ratio to come back up; maybe not to 50% but maybe 33%. It had been 90% home keys prior to that 50/50 split back aroudn 2006 as well, and just a few years ago it (pro keys) was back up to almost 25% of our sales.