This is the first instance in which we will look to compare two synthesizers of the same brand – both being products of Yamaha. Because the Montage 6 and the Montage 8 are nearly identical in many respects, we can essentially group them together as the same product. Reading my reviews you will find that there are some slight differences between the two products, but nothing major. The Yamaha TYROS 5 synthesizer is a synth workstation that is not talked about enough in this industry, yet it is a product that is to be respected. I don’t believe there are too many keyboards you would be able to rank ahead of it, and it certainly deserves enough credit to be known as one of the greatest synthesizers of 2018.
Looking at the Montage
Quite frankly, Yamaha’s Montage series is one of the most versatile and unique keyboards of all time. That may sound like a tall order and it is, but the Montage lives up to the expectations. It is well balanced and a jack-of-all-trades in a way, but it is no way not masterful in one single category. Amazingly, it is wonderful in every way that a synthesizer can be wonderful; sound quality, build quality, features, and so forth. Perhaps the aesthetic look and feel of the keyboard is not exactly the best, and the pricing sure is steep. Not taking into account these external factors, we can see that few synthesizers can even come close to competing with a Montage, whether it be the 61-key or the 88-key variant. The bar was just set so high with the release of this model, that even the other Yamaha keyboards find it difficult to compete, much less surpass the Montage.
Looking at the TYROS 5
Yamaha’s TYROS 5 synthesizer is special and I regret not having reviewed it at an earlier time. What it brings to the table is substantial and the craftsmanship is second to none. In many ways, it is quite similar to the Montage series because of the similar synthetic engine in both of these keyboards. Where you can potentially say that the TYROS steals the show from the Montage is in its design and layout. It’s always a matter of personal preference with these things, but I personally believe that this synthesizer has the best user interface of any synth workstation in the world. Not only is the button layout fluid and clear, but the addition of the mini tablet screen totally puts this product over the top in my opinion. The sound quality and feature count is as good, if not better than the Yamaha Montage 8. This model is slightly cheaper, though you won’t get 88 keys on this keyboard unfortunately; the most keys you can get are 76.
Which is better at what?
It is difficult to differentiate the exact strengths and weaknesses of each synthesizer when compared to one another, just because of how similar they really are. The Montage, while no slouch, is probably not as good as the TYROS 5 in the category of UI and aesthetics. However, it is really up for grabs to determine which sounds better and which has more features. Statistically, you should have a few more functions on the Montage than the TYROS 5 synthesizer, but the TYROS makes up for it in the quality of each feature.
Which is the better keyboard?
You would not be wrong in choosing either of these synths over the other; that’s how close the race is. However, due to the fact that the Yamaha TYROS 5 is slightly better in the categories of look/feel, UI, and overall layout, it gets the slight edge over the Yamaha Montage 8. Really, it came down to something that others might disagree with, and if you are someone who prefers the look of the Yamaha Montage 8, then it would clearly be the winner in your debate. You can’t go wrong with either and that is just a testament to how far Yamaha has come with their synthesizers. Find out which other brands you can trust.