Yes, at Yamaha literally hundreds of them are tested. 🙂
The difference can be due to a use preference called Velocity Curve, this can make them feel quite different.

Bad Mister wrote:

Yes, at Yamaha literally hundreds of them are tested. 🙂
The difference can be due to a use preference called Velocity Curve, this can make them feel quite different.

Thanks Bad Mister! I thought perhaps so. Its's not the velocity curve I'm referring to, but the actually weight and feel of the keys with the units not even on. 🙂

That would be highly unusual. How do you know it’s not the Velocity Curve?
Put yours of SOFT - play for 20-30 minutes, then switch to HARD. This can be illuminating - I find it takes musicians about a half hour to truly evaluate a Velocity setting properly.

Of course, a unit in a store display for a year may have logged a lot more play time than your unit. But they start out the same.

Bad Mister wrote:

That would be highly unusual. How do you know it’s not the Velocity Curve?

Because both the Montage's were off (not power) so no sound. Just going from keyboard to keyboard testing how the actions feel.

I guess the reason I'm curious is because I've had the S90 ES and the S90 XS side-by-side in my studio and the ES was WAY better even thought they should have the same action (at least I THOUGHT they had the same action).

But again, those 2 keyboards were a few years apart where with the Montage it's not like the "Montage 2" etc. 😀

The S90 ES and S90 XS have similar but not identical actions, in spite of what you thought. So do you often play your instrument with no sound? And how can you Measure such a thing given the distance and the time between the two Montages in question. And are you saying they are radically different? Or you “think” you might feel a difference? There’s no real way to tell. It’s all so subjective (which is why Yamaha takes great pains in testing actions of each keyboard that leaves the factory. I’ve seen the facility - it’s amazing! A combination of robotics and human skills test the keyboards. It’s truly amazing!

The S90 XS and MONTAGE have the same actions.
The ES still used lead weights ... lead is no longer used in manufacturering— this occurred about 10 or 12 years ago.

I did have once a Motif ES 8 and those keys where always a pleasure to play on.!! i even regret that when i buy the Motif xs7 i did not buy the xs 88 keys version, But now i have the Montage 8. and i really must say that the 88 keys feels even way better. it is like plaing on a real piano the velocity setting options can make it more personal on the way you prefer to play on these altans perfect for me Yamaha Montage 8 version 88 keys. !!

Bad Mister wrote:

So do you often play your instrument with no sound? And how can you Measure such a thing given the distance and the time between the two Montages in question. And are you saying they are radically different? Or you “think” you might feel a difference?.

LOL! No... I don't usually play my keyboards with no sound:-)

The 2 different Montage 8 were not "radically" different. I would have to set them up side-by-side to tell. Just by the time I came back to my studio it was hard to tell if there was much of a difference (if any). Just curious.

So far, the Montage is the best and the S90ES did feel a lot better than the S90XS. Not sure why and I DID have the S90ES and XS side-by-side in my studio so I could tell instantly. Not to mention the S90ES Headphone DAC sounded like 2X louder and the pianos in the ES was better (IMHO).

The Montage 8 feels very close to the S90ES. Like 10% difference. I think my Montage 8 probably plays the same as the one at Sam Ash. I would have to take mine in and set them up side by side (no sound on of course) just to "feel" the actions. I might one day. 😉