Synth & Workstation Shootout! - Kurzweil K2700 vs Yamaha Montage vs Roland Fantom vs Korg Nautilus!

[@JimAlfredson]

Just to be pedantic, I downloaded the video and converted the audio to mono. Stereo piano samples sometimes fall apart when summed to mono and let's be honest; most gigging musicians playing in local clubs are going to be playing in mono. All four boards actually held up well, much better than keyboards used to back when I started, but the Yamaha lost that sense of detail and sounded much more 'pingy', whereas the Kurzweil maintained the warmth and depth. Surprisingly, the Nautilus piano sounded way better in mono, with nice detail and dynamics. I've been a Yamaha fanboy for years but recently started using Kurzweil boards (I own a Forte 7 and PC4, but hopefully soon a K2700) and the programmability and sonics are absolutely top notch.

[@williamshaneblyth]

Your starting with crappy KZbin audio it's not accurate

[@MihajloAtlantida]

Thats because Nautilus german 2 grand is sampled mono. 😊

[@MKA63]

I always insist on stereo. There is soooo much presence lost in a mono signal. I have my own mixer on stage - a Zoom L12, so I will never take more than 2 channels and can control my own foldback with out affecting FOH.

[@JimAlfredson]

@@MKA63 Since I made that comment, I've been going in-ear and stereo and it's amazing. But again, most weekend warriors will be playing mono.

[@MKA63]

@@JimAlfredson Thanks for the reply Jim. I am guessing the weekend warriors are settling for mono because of a lack of channels in the mixer, most of which the drummer usually takes ... My take on that is that you do whatever it takes to make the band sound better.

[@MattiasHolmgren]

Kurzweil on every sound. What a marvelous right sound. Man, that Rhodes 🎉

[@jayclarke777]

Kurzweil is by far the best sounding

[@mpcchief71]

exactly - the eps on that thing - that's why I just ordered a moodx. 1 thing I realized.. When you but a keyboard, the one ting they're supposed to get right is emulating real isturments w / keys - Piono rhods organ etc. That's what kurz got right!

[@kirbysmith2187]

Thank you for the comparison. I have an old Kurzweil PC 2x and the piano still sounds great. And the K2700 piano did not disappoint. Overall, I thought the Kurzweil was the best one, except for the Nautilus regarding the strings. The Korg’s strings (or pads) are just amazing.

[@Lofyne]

For me, the Kurzweil was easily the winner here. It just sounded so much less 'digital' than the rest, whatever the patch.

[@geevee7823]

Never been a Kurzweil fan, but have to admit that it's overal the best sounding in this video.

[@jamesmullins1990]

Since when and since why were you NEVER a Kurtzweil fan?? Kurtzweil and Yamaha were the go to boards for top pianist in all genres for years because the samples are simply stellar, but I always hated the price tag and the semi and fully weighted keys as I'm not a pianist but rather prefer synth leads and bass. But if you put this in a rack where I can go ham with a synth action midi keyboard, then it's on. I can do without the sample and drum pads as I use MIDI for that. Don't vision any live performance using drum pads on a Kurtzweil; just by a Roland drum unit for that; its much smaller, lighter in weight (Kurtzweil's will give you a hernia and I already have one. Not about to pay someone to carry my damn keyboard for me). And you won't freak completely out if you spill a little beer on it.

[@SmallDevill]

Yes, because he made the worst sound on other instruments. He wasn't trying to find similar sounds. I have a MODX from Yamaha, an old Korg PA500 and many more, and I swear I can show you many similar sounds, but nothing against Kurzweil, I love them.

[@cds8137]

In this particular test the Kurzweil and the Yamaha seemed to come out as sonically superior, with the Zen core ac. pop piano used on the Roland sounding thin. However, as someone who owns both the Fantom and the Montage, the Fantom's Stage grand blows the montage CFX Concert away. The Kurzweil generally sounds great and I would personally prefer a 73 or 61 semi weighted. Korg needs a new flagship.... preferably one that takes less than 3 minutes to start up.

[@Jason75913]

The new Kronos 2 V3 (has a SSD) isn't as slow to start up, and Nautilus is a bit quicker. They also sound a little cleaner and nicer, the Nautilus especially sounds rather clean compared to any other Korg. The Nautilus might have a more optimized PCB design, which could be part of Kronos' issues. Nautilus' interface is clunkier due to Korg reducing front panel buttons, more menu-diving for simple sound tweaks versus Kronos and even Krome EX and my old M50. Gosh dammit.

[@christiankennedy2212]

@@Jason75913 I have the Kronos 2 73 v3.....It STILL takes 2.5 minutes to boot! And the thing crashes all over the place! Mine became unreliable, so now it sits in a corner.

[@Jason75913]

@@christiankennedy2212 tried a factory reset? The Kronos wasn't so crashy the times I messed with one in a local store. I wish I had a Kronos 2 61 v3. My Kross2 61 takes a while to start versus my old Juno-DS61, lol

[@christiankennedy2212]

@@Jason75913 The damn thing crashes while attempting to format from the factory DVDs, even with a brand new ssd.

[@Jason75913]

@@christiankennedy2212 that needs to be fixed by a licensed Korg Service Center

[@stuartdarling1620]

For me this is about application.... If you're looking at a live board then having a brighter sound which is going to have a bit more presence in the mids and highs is likely to feel like it's better in a live mix. The Kurzweil stuff tends to feel quite mellow compared to other boards and so sits back in a mix pretty well and doesn't always draw attention to itself, the Yamaha and Roland stuff tends to make itself stick out more because of the presence boost in the mids and/or highs. I felt that the level of detail offered in Kurzweil and Korg products presented here was more refined and despite the Korg being pretty dark their samples are generally quite detailed. For those who said Korg are working the same old samples they're just taking a leaf from Kurzweil and Roland's book who have been working many of the same samples for far longer. The difference is with each iteration they're improving the processing and breathing new life into them. I would actually go back and purchase a 2700 now having owned the last iteration PC4 briefly (which I felt was very plasticky and cheap) after a Forte (which kept crashing) and two PC3Ks (which I loved and played to death) and a K2600 (which was an epic machine) I feel the technology has come far enough to feel that Kurzweil are back in the game, however 88 fully weighted boards aren't for me anymore so unless Kurzweil brings out a version with a smaller keybed 73/76 it won't be for me.

[@Jason75913]

and on-board tone and filter controls can mellow out the Korg and Roland keyboards they all sound great, and it would have helped if the demonstrator's patch selection was a little better (I know for a fact that it wasn't, having auditioned all of these myself in person before, ignoring the Kurzweil), and volume levels weren't matched it really boils down to which keyboard's workflow works for you, in my opinion, and patches will matter a lot if you aren't into sound design as they are all highly complex and equally versatile otherwise - keybed, too, if you are very picky about that but these are all great in that aspect, the stuff that sucks in build quality are the lower end instruments like the Kross2

[@anthonylascano2378]

Never say never.... you know you going to buy it 🙃

[@JamesLienJimbotech1]

My vote would be for the Korg Nautilus as first (highest) overall preferred, then the Kurzweil K2700 second.

[@SlowCarToChina]

I really wish we could get a comparison of the workstationness of workstations not just a sound comparison. What are the sequencers like? How close to final song can I get entirely on the workstation? Can I upload and download tracks from my DAW? Do they have usable audio recording capabilities or just phrase sampling? All modern high-end keyboards sound fantastic. But many of us olde skool workstation people want to use a one-stop-shop keyboard for everything.

[@Jason75913]

Nautilus for composing and producing away from a PC (bears a classic linear sequencer), Fantom for Ableton integration, Montage/MODX for Cubase integration. The Fantom has audio recording, too, and has the better sequencer after the Nautilus. Nautilus has the most fully-customizable insert FX and FX routing, however. If you want to work mainly with a DAW, then go with Ableton + Fantom, otherwise, Nautilus for composing and producing standalone. All can also do USB audio & MIDI, except possibly the Kurzweil, I know nothing about that one.

[@Culture_of_Ghosts]

Nautilus is the clear winner if you pile them up in your home!

[@DaveintheD-p4s]

Great video. Loved how you kept the sample riffs short and sweet. To me, the Kurzweil sounds far superior on all counts...piano, synth, horns especially. Helps me to move closer to getting a K2700 soon. Thanks for this.

[@dr.emilschaffhausen4683]

What did you get? Leaning towards K2700 myself.

[@pneptun]

the strings on the K2700 are really good, with yamaha a close second. but i didn't like the K2700 piano presented here - it's too thin to my taste. but these short demos can be deceiving - i know from experience of playing both that the Korg brass samples are very thin, don't cut through in a band setting and sound very artificial, but here they sounded the best of all 4 so ... what gives

[@sergiodeoliveira5358]

Kurzweil and Yamaha were at top for me. Roland sounded somewhat thin/bland. Korg was overall dull and muddy except for last 2 patches.

[@computer_toucher]

Pretty much my sentiment as well :)

[@Guttalaser]

Same feel here. Muddy, dark... and despite Korg say that the Nautilus share dunnowhat with the Kronos... well... they sounds day and night (i have the Kronos 88LS... and all those "dark" patches sounds absolutely gorgeous on the Kronos!)

[@Nounez123]

Bingo

[@paulthomson2786]

The Kurzweil VAST engine remains abstruse to this day, unexploited, it otherwise would push everything out of its class. The VA1 engine also remains little known, yet the specs would imply it would easily stand apart from similar boxes. Kurzweil doesn't help themselves by providing very tame examples of their synth programs, even with a massive voice count. K2700 is a must have.

[@bakarimauricekinsey4188]

Kurzwell is the best. Incredible machine seriously.

[@ronaldbaglien3457]

I'd give the edge on synth sound to Roland and horns to the Korg, but overall the Kurweill definitely came out on top.

[@pyjama9556]

It’s all personal preference here but imo Kurzweil floors the others, natural warm sound, with more range and breath.

[@董逸雯]

can't agree more

[@Jason75913]

patch selection at times wasn't helping

[@TimMcGlynn]

As far as the sounds go, I personally felt: Kurzweil > Yamaha > Korg > Roland.

[@jgweems]

I'm curious why you skipped the Nautilus for the synth sound section.

[@procta2343]

i wondered this too, as Korg is known for its synths sounds too.

[@LBro44]

Likewise... skipping the Korg was strange???

[@matthewgaines10]

Like the Kurzweil personally. Wished they added a bigger screen and touchscreen UI like the others. I’d prefer a 61 key K2700. I know none of those things will come and it is what it is.

[@yashnu]

K2061 soon

[@matthewgaines10]

@@yashnu But the K2061 is a stripped down unit. No audio interface and less Flash Storage (less sounds)

[@yashnu]

@@matthewgaines10 That's why it's going to be less expensive than the flagship K2700. The audio interface doesn't matter much: you can always use an external one. Less Flash Storage doesn't mean less sounds: it's one of the most advanced synthesizers ever and it will have the same engine as the K2700, which is Dynamic V.A.S.T. & Cascade Mode, with a very powerful KDFX section. With this you can make almost any sound imaginable. Learn V.A.S.T.

[@Screaming-Trees]

Kurzweil is a kind of different beast than the others though. Best described as digital modular. The flexibility of its synthesis engine is kinda legendary and it is perhaps the ultimate chameleon in that it can impersonate just about anything. In a mix is where it's strongest I think. Also the KDFX thing that's in each and every Kurzweil is worth considering. It's basically like having a Lexicon PCM80 or Eventide studio quality multi FX box inside your keyboard. The others are good too. The Montage has that FM thing and sounds really good. I'd probably buy the K2700 out of these three though.

[@jayclarke777]

The K2600 craps on some of these new keyboards

[@nzmal]

Got the PC4 which is fab… v easy to edit add etc without menu diving, and finally a kurzweil that doesn’t way 5 tons !! ✌️

[@Screaming-Trees]

@@nzmal Haha I hear that. I tried the PC4 and returned it. It was just the keyboard wasn't to my taste. I bought the K2700 and yeah, it's pretty much hit the spot for me. The keybed I mean. It's a weird thing I don't know. Maybe only Kurzweil do this type of keybed where it's not quite as good as other keybeds for piano (like say some Roland digital piano actions; rd2000 maybe comes to mind) but it's weighted and it has aftertouch. It's like they're deliberately trying to find a balance between piano, synthesizer and some other third thing. I really like it and I've not seen anyone else try to go for this kind of keybed in this type of keyboard. But yeah you pay for it with weight haha. It is what it is though.

[@yashnu]

KDFX has some of the best Reverbs. Yamaha's Effects engine as well as the AN-X engine are excellent as well: they model at the components and circuit level.

[@JB-vc6xj]

The Kurzweil K2700 is THE big win for me! What a beast of a Workstation! 👌😍 I'm sold! 😎

[@jayclarke777]

Kurzweil is fantastic

[@PedroSalesJrAP]

PIANOS 0:43 Bristol Piano (K2700) 0:58 CFX Concert (Montage) 1:11 AC Pop Piano 1 (Fantom) 1:25 Nautilus Grand Dry/Amb RHODES 1:38 Bark EP 77 (K2700) 1:47 Rd 1 Gallery (Montage) 1:56 E.Piano (Fantom) 2:05 EP Mark I Early Amp (Nautilus) STRINGS 2:13 Studio A Strings (K2700) 2:26 Rich Strings (Montage) 2:37 Strings Sect 1 (Fantom) 2:45 Big Slow Legato Strings (Nautilus) SYNTH 2:56 Jump Obx (K2700) 3:03 ??? (Montage) 3:09 HI BRASS (Fantom) BRASS 3:16 1-note PowerRiff (K2700) 3:24 Pop Horns Bright (Montage) 3:32 ??? (Fantom) 3:40 The Shakey Horns (Nautilus)

[@davidnappyhoose204]

Nowadays, you can't go wrong with any of them. I wouldn't go by this video because the sounds weren't programmed exactly the same, especially the synth sounds. The only type of sound where I saw significant difference was the piano and I thought the Yamaha and the Korg were the best. I would like to have seen an organ comparison with the drawbars all set the same. I have a Kurzweil PC3K8 and I love it so if I was going to upgrade I would probably go with a Kurz. I think for workstations it all comes down to which interface and keybed do you like the best. You're pretty much going to be able to get whatever sound you want out of any of them.

[@AdamElteto]

1. Kurzweil 2. Korg 3. Yamaha 4. Roland, but of course, that is just how those sounds come through to my ears. Roland tends to sound less clear, Yamaha is clearer but sounds thinner. Personally, I miss the earlier 2000s when a lot of this stuff came in rack versions, why get a heavy unit with all those keys when you could just get a rack case with all of them, and still get to choose the MIDI controller you want. Honestly, the "features" never mattered to me as much as the sounds have. Sure, some could say what is the point of a rack, why not just get it all in a VST, but we are not at that point when you can reliably tour and put heavy mileage on VSTs without glitches, pops, crackles, hisses, software failure, freezups, crashes. The best solution at this point is to get the smallest version of the one you want and use it mainly as a sound module while using the keyboard controller you want.

[@MKA63]

The Kurzweil patches overall sounded fuller in most examples.

[@OswaldoVonSchnoobenstein]

They all sounded good, but I'm a bit biased towards Yamaha. All my albums were done with a Deepmind 12, Hydrasynth and a Montage 6. Together they are like one super synth. Good shootout!

[@anthonytremblett8187]

The Kurzwiel takes it for me from just a sound demo.

[@paulkochanski9792]

Love the Kurzweil….but how is it for live performances. I Have a Kronos2 and Nord Stage 3 now. Love the set list capabilities of both. Does the 2700 have that capability ? If so easy to use and program ??

[@EliveltonFagundesF]

there’s a noise on the real rhodes that is the sound of when you release the key, that sound is on the fantom and kurzweil, love this kinda details

[@spareroomstudio]

Listened to this several times, including headphones and a pretty big pa system. The Kurzweil by far has the best sounds. I used to be a fan of Roland, but recently with the FA series being discontinued and the Fantom series just not cutting it (seems to be the same old Roland stuff in a new box), I think the KZ shines. Although Kronos is no longer made either and the Nautilus has great sounds, the KZ wins in my opinion on a piano without the bite, strings and pad that are more realistic, and the sound banks and internal engine for programming are great. If you are not familiar with the KZ it can be quite intimidating at first to program, but once you understand the VAST tech, its killer.

[@jonathanwillis1143]

They're all FAB boards. So many programs and many ways to edit and shape the sounds. Not a bad buy in there depending on what you are trying to do and how you like to work.

[@aakash9058]

Kurzweil is like the red headed step child of the keyboard market

[@howardmangrum5413]

damn, I want all four! some of the difference is in the keyed action and how it influences playing style which can have a big impact on sound quality. Excellent video, like I said, makes me want a Kurzweil K2700 (I already have the other three)

[@alainszyller615]

I agree, I find especially better the Rhodes sound on the Kurz

[@chrisjonesbath]

I have a Fantom and an old Korg Karma. The Fantom is a great "synth" but I prefer the acoustic type sound from the Korg. When they are in the mix, both are great.

[@s.kxx1956]

The fantoms synth sound is hi brass from the JP8 model and just sounds incredible

[@EverettDudgeon138]

Never thought I’d see Kurzweil on Andersons

[@eldotjay]

That strings patch on the Korg though. Wow!

[@djkot1981]

Yes, just wow how could Korg release such crap after Kronos.

[@gabrielmoore6099]

@@djkot1981 exactly what I was thinking

[@RustyTonesJr]

Totally stood out.

[@SergioCeccherini]

Short passages in quick succession are how you compare different instruments. When pianos are involved, lingering chords and notes showcase the qualities, or lack of. So well done! I wish others demonstrators had the same mindset.

[@donnar278]

I agree with you. Korg really stood out for me too.

[@bryantwalley]

Interesting how the global eq is so different across the range.

[@Jason75913]

more like, what was up with that? sounds to me like they had some odd settings going on

[@johnkirubai]

Nautilus samples are brilliant!

[@lionardo9371]

Wich one has the best keypad???

[@austinnichols7939]

kurz has always been king of sound.. but my old k2600xs was 6500 bucks twice as much as the others.. now they are much cheaper so they have a chance

[@Maxxarcade]

I have a Montage and never cared much for the CFX pianos. I usually use the Imperial Grand. Though a couple days ago I picked up an old, extremely beat up Kurzweil K2000. After a bit of tinkering I got it to work, and I was surprised by how good some of the sounds were for something that's around 30 years old now. The Montage does have a lot of great sounds though. It's kind of hard to do fair comparisons like this without using a few different presets of each type. There are lots of different pianos/strings/synth sounds to choose from on each model.

[@ArgumentShow]

I was never a Kurzweil fan but I am now

[@carltonhall6628]

I am only just getting into synths, so don't really have the experience (have a Roland Juno GI)....I think what this proves to me us why a lot of people end up buying/swapping between many synths over their music 'career' or why their house is crammed full of gear...because different makes and models excel in different areas. You have 'manufacturer a' for the string sound you want, 'manufacturer b' for the horns you want etc. There is no perfect answer.

[@Jason75913]

true The Juno-Gi rocks, though the fixed oscillator waveforms limitation is mind-bogglingly odd. Its FA-06 successor rules even harder. Something to note is that these sounds are all further tweakable and can be made to sound even more alike than what we hear here. Also, patch selection in this shootout was not the best, the Fantom patches, for instance, were not that keyboard's best.

[@JoseRojas-kv7kv]

Let us remember that the exposed sounds have been reproduced without editing, that is, as they come from the factory on each of the platforms. However the pianos sound much better on the Kurzweil and on the Montage the harpsichord sounds better on the Kurzweil. Nobody can compete with the vintage trumpets of the Fantom, but what really surprised me were the violins, Kurzweil K2700, the Korg Nautilus and then the Yamaha Montage took the prize and in that order. Because it surprised me, because in deep editing The Roland Fantom AND the kurzweil K2700 are the ones with the most capabilities, regardless of what the Montage can offer.

[@jonathanosborn4800]

deep editing for the strings? what can one do?

[@vitalybedros7678]

Which of those keyboards can be reverted so I can play right hand part of a melody with left hand and vice-versa? Also, which of those keyboards allow setting notes to keys, so I can make a mirrored keyboard at D4, for example, to play the same pattern with the same fingers over the same notes in right and left parts of keyboard?

[@Jason75913]

Korg, Yamaha, and Roland workstations can all do that. I don't know about the Kurzweil, though it likely also can. Your interesting requirements are a workstation keyboard thing, so you are looking in the right place.

[@vitalybedros7678]

@Jason75913 , I already bought a K2700 and created two mirrored and one reversed keyboard setups very easily in a couple of minutes. The longest operation was giving names to these setups. )

[@luucdentoom6955]

Yamaha for the acoustic and electric piano’s. Korg or Kurzweil for the strings and brass synths. The Roland didn’t convince overall, in my honest opinion. But then again, it’s just a handful of patches. How does the action of these boards compare to each other?

[@chrisj777]

The Nautilus was the best for all except the Rhodes IMO. I was planning on selling my Nautilus and get the Fantom, but glad I looked at this video. Sticking with the Korg.

[@ifincstudios]

My next workstation will be the 2700. I don’t like the way the Montage sounds. I love Roland’s sounds and pads.

[@abrahamsg8318]

Amen Brother

[@robmurrah3224]

the blinking knob on the yamaha is driving me nuts. can that be turned off?

[@dbefore7165]

Yep

[@T-Slider]

Did not come across well. The Natilus sound was quite muted. Like it had a heavy blanket over it.

[@youtubevideos415]

That's just your ears having problems adjusting between all the modern high quality synths and the 15 years old low sample rate stuff from the Korg.

[@ivo4357]

Kurzweil to me sounded WAY better in every category, with Korg in second place. One thing that wasn't mentioned here, is that of these 'similarly priced' keyboards, only Kurzweil has an 88 weighted keyboard. I never owned a Kurzweil or Korg (only Yamaha and Roland), but the K2700 is going to replace my Roland FA08 very soon.

[@TylerInTraining]

Since this comment is a year old, how has the K2700 treated you? I also have an FA-08 that’s served me well since 2018 but I’m due for an upgrade. I was originally going to save up for a Fantom 8, in part because I’m a Roland fanboy for their synth sounds and workflow, and in part because I love the idea of using it to control a modular rig with the CV outs. That said it’s a little cost-prohibitive atm (same with the Montage and I LOVE Yamaha’s synth sounds too) so now I’ve found myself torn between either a Nautilus or the K2700.

[@torbenanschau6641]

-Nautilus won for me for Grand, Rhodes and Horns. Kurzweil did best for the 80s brass. Rhodes also was good on Kurz and Montage. Montage and Kurz had the best strings, though Fantom surprised me here. Overall, Nautilus still sounds good.

[@bloodhut]

Can I get suggestions to me the simplest workstation that has the most patches and a good+ sound. I'm a drummer fumbling through my Roland XP-80's menu but I'd like an updated version/synth options. I use the Roland for alot of my music but again...I'm a drummer at heart. Thanks in advance!

[@ChrisP3000x]

Fantom sucked at acoustic/electric piano (as usual for Roland) but of course had a decent synth brass (yawn). The Korg sounded like it's behind a pillow (in a canyon) on everything, but sounded okay on horns. Kurzweil was surprisingly good on everything. Montage is a strange beast. Like and hate it at the same time.

[@christophermillsscola9629]

not sure what you guys are running these thru or the compression final format. I have a Roland and a kronos, something isnt cmoing thru right on all of these.

[@StefaanHimpe]

Based on the comments, I guess many ears have gotten used to bright imitation pianos but to me the Korg Nautilus sounds most like the real thing, like an order of magnitude better than all the others. Kurzweil earned a worthy second place (in this demo at least). Roland finished last for me, with an overall bland and plastic sound, but perhaps they have some built-in fx to beef up the sound. Maybe it's time someone organizes and posts a "battle" between these four instruments, each of the instruments played by an expert in playing and in the instrument itself?

[@Jason75913]

same here, Nautilus sounds closer to the real thing, or more like we're listening to a Kontakt sample library, it's awesome But Korg has sucked at piano for so long that that may be a bias among some listeners ("Korg can't do piano.")

[@hnationmusic3099]

I 1000% agree , I don’t know what some of these commentators are listening to, can’t be the same video. The Nautilus sounded REAL.

[@nookcyan]

From my perspective, I listened this tone selection (and it´s difficult to assure that selection was good), the K2700 makes a nice job in each category. Because I know very well the "Fantom Power", this particular shootout doesn´t extract his qualities, maybe because the model used is a 61 with light keys and not the hammer action that could better use the dynamics of this tones (as on the Kurzweil). Montage and Nautilus do not goes very well, from my point of view and taste, of course.

[@OdysseyBill]

Where did the Nautilus Synth Sound go?

[@richiefamus8778]

Nautilus sounded the richest/most analog to me. But I have a Fantom and I ain’t complaining

[@deniseneville5365]

I don't yet own any synths but because my clavinova is needing to be replaced am looking at upgrading to one of these tested. I have listed to most but am leaning heavily towards the Kurzweil 2700. None were great on horns.

[@mnkandeshunda844]

Thank you for the excellent work as always. If possible, would you also cover the drums and drum sounds out of each? Thank you

[@johnnyvlee]

Sound wise you can't go wrong with any of these. What's most important is features and ease of use.

[@MarvinMarkeys]

Kurzweil it's the Sound.

[@xavierg.]

I own a montage 8 keyboard. Back in the 90s before my Yamaha I loved the kurzwell because it had a long ribbon under the screen for your pitch bend instead of the wheel. I’m surprised that the korg got my attention on sounds. It sounds more realistic and full. Don’t get me wrong here, each has it own potential sounds that it can produce. Thanks for showing the differences.

[@MrIanfurniss]

Roland and Korg sounded as if they were playing through a cloth on a couple of sounds. I'd probably give the overall win to the Montage, but to be fair, each synth had at least one win with the chosen sounds.

[@procta2343]

They are so very close, but the only thing that puts the Kurzweil on the pole for me, is the Rhodes,

[@johnnyvlee]

I was on the verge of buying a Nautilus, but after careful consideration, I'm going with the K2700. My use cases may not match yours, so that may not be your best choice. I play mostly guitar in cover bands. My bands already have a primary keyboard player, but I want the ability to add a keyboard part in songs where there are less guitar and more keyboard going on. I would have liked to buy a 61 key version for reasons of space on stage, but I had a second use case which was to use it as a MIDI controller with my DAW when recording at home. From that perspective, the Nautilus really falls short for lack of controls. The Kurz seems a lot more suitable to my dual purposes, so I decided to live with the inconvenience of the space problem. ANYWAY, the 61 key versions of everything seem to sacrifice features, not just length. So, in the end maybe I will be happier with a full-sized 88 key.

[@JornLavoll]

Ooo, I'd be happy with any of these. But from this short demo I'd say Yamaha and Kurzweil sounded the best :)

[@marcelosp2976]

Wich one has the best keybed for a piano player?

[@ToastandJam52]

None were perfect. For me, the Yamaha came out on top overall. The Kurzweil come out at the bottom. However, if you were giving any of them away I would be happy to accept what is offered!!!

[@Jason75913]

Same here, and whatever patches I find dissatisfying, I would just tweak them to sound better to me.

[@meteorandstar]

I'm a Kurz fun from the good old days of K2600/K2661 and Yamaha Motif series but I have to admit that I'm very impressed by the Korg Nautilus. Korg have made leaps and bounds over the last few years since the introduction of the Kronos series, specifically in the acoustic pianos/ electric keys department which was not their strongest selling point back in the days of the M3. Their programs sound full of character but not in a polished, over-processed plasticky way (i.e. Roland). They sound dark and broody even menacing in a captivating way. The sound evolves around and envelops you as the keys are held down. One may hear the ambience in the samples, getting the sense of the woodiness of the pianos, the bows of the strings, all those natural "imperfections" and sonic nuances that occur whenever an acoustic instrument resounds in a particular space. Korg is giving the impression that one is sitting in front of the actual sampled instrument(s). Very impressive, life-like and inspiring.

[@jamescurnick1637]

Kurzweil and korg my favs here...for some reason I think I would be happier creating on the Korg...I have a Krome now and had an M1 back in the 90s and then a Yamaha W7 which I loved but it fell apart after about 8 years...lol...one key at a time! I tried a roland but went back to Korg with the Krome. Updating soon and the Korg looks good if the sequencer is good. For proggy instrumentals I like to sequence the main backing and then add my solo guitar and keys after . Looking for a good sequencer synth for this kind of thing! I will be keeping the Krome though because Stevie Wonder was plaging it before I purchased it in Denmark street so its staying put!

[@DG-ss1gc]

I don’t get why I can’t find synth videos with people doing in depth sound design on the Kurtz. The lack of a touchscreen is not good, but it does have FM engine and a VA engine , so I want to know if I can make a sound with 10 or 12 VA layers (I know any voice can be 32 layers or so) but can I have 32 va oscillators? There is maybe one or two hip hop producers showing off the sound design , but not in depth. I don’t want to drop 3k on the Kurtz especially when montage comes out anew this month maybe and we know it has AwM+FM-x + ANX engines .

[@abc456f]

Different price points. I still have a Korg M50. Fifteen years and still love it. I wouldn't mind upgrading to the Nautilus but wow, it gets so much hate. But people have issues with all of these and others. I'm a fan of the RH3 keybed on the Korg 88. Not too heavy or too light. The keys are quiet. The keybed seems to be the most problematic in these other boards.

[@adamfenyves3972]

Piano was best on Kurzweil to me, Rhodes sounded the coolest on the Yamaha, I preferred the Korg for Strings, and I couldn't call a winner on the synths and the horns. The Roland sounded surprisingly weak in this comparison IMO.

[@arcticfoxstudios2018]

Yamaha wins for piano, Kurzweil wins for Rhodes, Nautilus wins on strings and horns. All great though. The Roland pianos are disappointing though. I wish they would update their piano library instead of using the dated V-Piano and Supernatural stuff.

[@jenumclucas7014]

I've been a hardcore Roland fan for a while but I can now understand why one might have a studio full of all of these, they all sound different. While I would still consider a Fantom, I like the nuances that Korg included in their samples, their string patches sound like what I've been looking for as far as creating the most realistic-sounding patch possible. In retrospect, I feel some of the Roland patches can be a bit thin but pristine at the same time.

[@ingofritzsche7737]

I’m definitely on the Kurz and I must say, I was a Roland Fanboy since ever! Does anyone now if the 2700 use the same Sounds, as the PC4? Because the Price from the 2700 ist much over my level and the Size to big, but the PC4/7 could be a Reason..

[@serg3123]

I have PC4 and Korg PA5x, the sounds on Kurz is so much better then on my PA5x, it is so light to carry anywhere, 5x arranger have other side of music capabilities and natural instruments like orchestra is way better. But rest of the sounds Kurz is on the top.

[@marekraczycki2762]

Honest. I'm suprised. I thought that Yamaha and Korg will be first. But seriously. Kurzweil sound veeery good. Most neutral. Patches are fit to each other.

[@vesafamily5116]

Need a longer test, with more playing! Great to see Jack doing these videos again!

[@jacenoley2597]

i liked the Kurzweil piano the best and overall also. I don't have a Kurzweil synth but I've listened to a few demos of the PC4-7, which is lightweight and affordable . I know this one here is the more expensive K27000, but the PC4 7 sounds just as good in my opinion. I have an old Yamaha Motif 6 and a very old Korg T3 . I'm mostly using the Motif right now.

[@airworthy777]

PIANO: YAMAHA RHODE: KURZWEIL (Even tho I like the YAMAHA because it sounds fuller and wet, it just reminds me of a Wurlitzer, but I think the Kurzweil is more "dry" and sounds closer to Rhode). STRINGS: YAMAHA SYNTH: KURZWEIL HORN: KORG

[@danielcolfer4671]

Kurtz sounded great. Surprisingly the Yamaha (other than piano) sounded weak. I often use the motif sound sets for my gigs and the montage in this video was not great. The Roland poly synth sound was good but many of their other sounds come off as being thin to my ear. The V piano is good though. My K2700 arrived today and I’m excited to get aquatinted with it. This video certainly made me feel about the purchase. We shall see.

[@Zwopper]

You need to bring David Weiser over to show you the ropes around the Kurzweil and sales will explode. The PC4-7 is AMAZING! Give it a go! ❤️

[@Mandofour]

What about Nord Stage3 and Dexi S9?

[@JeffPalmer83]

I think the Nautilus (and Kronos) EP-1 engine is incredible. And the strings were best on it, and that’s not even with the KAPro EXs libraries, which are mind-blowing.

[@JeffPalmer83]

@@Purrrelll I have a Kronos and disagree!

[@youtubevideos415]

@@JeffPalmer83 That's probably the reason why you are biased towards Korg. Really the Nautilus was by far the absolute worst sounding of all of them. Like from the 90s. Lacked so much fidelity

[@JeffPalmer83]

To each their own, but I have just always loved Korg’s sounds. The Kronos German Grand is fantastic, but the Italian Grand, which was an expansion for Kronos and included on the Nautilus is sublime.

[@Lael128]

@@JeffPalmer83 I agree, that Italian grand is so beautiful! Even when I put it up against my Keyscape, my friend’s Montage, or the countless Nord’s I’ve played, there’s still something about that specific piano sound. Side note: semi weighted keys vs hammer action is a totally pointless comparison no matter how awesomely talented one is. This comparison would be better with all boards in the same 88 or unweighted spec.

[@Lael128]

@Rachid Idrissi you’ll find that most people talking smack about the Kronos don’t even own it. In a band setting, my Kronos always sounded better than it’s contemporaries that I owned such as the Fantom, and Motif. Now we’re here with the next generation from Yamaha, Roland, Kurzweil, Dexibell , Nord, and countless VST’s and the Kronos still holds its own. Even the budget versions like Krome and Nautilus are quite generous compared to what the competition offers in the same price range. Now on the VST front, Korg has so many iPad offerings and I’ve purchased them all. I’ve gigged with nothing but a controller and my iPad. My go to is Module Pro and it usually saves me from using less than desirable piano sounds live depending on the keys provided at the venue.

[@viggogrendahl1]

I guess I'll purchase a K2700 asap.

[@donovanrebbechi3334]

getting dynamics into acoustic instruments tends to involve a bunch of expressive controls. You can get some of the way by just using keyboard dynamics (legato and velocity, as shown in the brass patches for example), but then there are questions like how do you dial in vibrato ? Can you switch/tweak articulations while playing ? (and how ?) do the piano sounds support resonance ? In the case of the Roland synth here for example not all the tones are equal - some are basically legacy and some are newer. I think to the reviewers credit they did pick the newer ones but I don't see it. Would love a more in-depth review of these

[@prezent1979]

For me, the Kurzweil and the Korg are the winners! The piano on the Korg sounded amazing! And the most natural out of all of them. The Kurzweil’s Rhodes was the best. the Kurzweil takes the horns, and Korg the strings. Both are amazingly powerful!

[@kenstephens2955]

Thank you so much for doing this! With love, Ken

[@geecen]

a kurz on andertons! The outside of the core sample sounds depth of sound design possibilities are pretty crazy on it - would be good to get one of teh modular guys there to take a look adn see what they can come up with. .

[@DavihSilveira]

It’s incredible how the Kurzweil is extremely underrated… For me, the best Keyboard sounds of all time! I love the Fantom, and the Kronos, but speaking of a workstation, Kurz is in the Top 1.

[@donnas8408]

Is the Nord Stage 4 the best all versatile workstation keyboard?

[@DavihSilveira]

@@donnas8408 I don’t think the Nord Stage 4 is a complete workstation, just like the Kurzweil K2700, or the Roland Fantom and the Yamaha Montage… But is definitely the best sounding keyboard!

[@yashnu]

People who know, know, especially with V.A.S.T. and KDFX in the picture. This said, Yamaha's Effects and Virtual Analogue implementations are special. I really wished Yamaha would bring back their Virtual Acoustic Synthesis technology as well.

[@oldtimer1294]

Kurzweil is a nice surprise! There is always something wrong for me with montage except for the piano sound. I believe the fantom can do much better than what we’ve seen here. And the korg is just "lost" in this company... I guess kronos is too early discontinued.

[@lordbachus]

Kronos livespan was over 11 years…. Its just the nautilus is not a replacement of the Kronos… its a downgrade middle lass key… the Kronos replacement is still not ready, Korg spends to much time on the software side of things

[@kevmonster1]

Why did you not use a V-Piano patch on the Fantom? That's where the Fantom shines in my opinion.

[@anthonylascano2378]

Question: doesn't it shine also on the rd800?

[@jonathanc.r2474]

I also wonder why didn't you use Italian grand on the korg nautilus?

[@glentonfrancis_official]

I'm a Roland guy..in general..but I think all the acoustic patches feels more warm and natural on the kurzweil..Synth sounds are more epic on the fantom nd montage..Nautilus overall has a balanced sound in synth or acoustic..anyone agree?

[@danijelmelnjak4981]

I had Roland fa, now I have yamaha modx and kurzweil pc4. Yamaha is the most modern, kurzweil has the best natural sounds, roland has made the least progress, it still has plastic brasses.

[@arturomma8560]

Bro I need an advice.. I want to play many songs from The Killers in keyboard, I'd use more sounds of piano, synth and strings... So, do you recomend Roland XPS30 or Juno DS to make covers, samples, arpeggios, and play many differents sounds and layers in performance? Or what keyboard is perfect with same price? Thanks..

[@jonathanc.r2474]

why didn't you use the italian grand piano in the korg nautilus?

[@bio-metric-1016]

Personal preference being key