The Yamaha was brighter than the Roland, especially on piano, but also on Brass and some other sounds. But I generally preferred the Roland, which had a balanced and usable sound in nearly every case. A few of the comparisons were less than ideal. The Rhodes and clav were overshadowed by effects on the Yamaha. And a Yamaha Steel Guitar was compared to a Roland Nylon Guitar, which is a totally different instrument. Even so, I still like the Roland. That said, the Yamaha generally sounded great also, so neither one would be a mistake.