Sounds:  I really liked the palette of sounds and felt the variety was quite good. Lots of inspiration to be found. In fairness, at NAMM, whether via demos amidst the room noise or alternatively via headphones, it is not really possible for me to discern the difference in tonal sound quality of traditional Yamaha stronghold authentic instrument sounds in the XS vs. ES (I have a MO8).

The display is fantastic. Crisp. Colors. Bad Mister rattled off a ton of innovations that spun my head so I apologize that I won’t be able to eloquently describe them...nor can I remember them at this point. As both Bad Mister and Dave Polich shared with me at the show, many of us barely scratch the surface of what’s possible. But I will say that I found the XS more intuitive and though it is a very, very deep instrument/tool, I think the display is going to help make more things accessible. Lots of screens giving views of functions that made me feel empowered to dive in.

Arpeggios:  The arpeggios do very cool things and you can use them individually, grouped and more. I found some of the Mega Voices incredible. Some of the interwoven arpeggios made me laugh out loud — not because they were funny, but because they tickled something inside me that triggered joy. (Not my usual experience with a piece of hardware).

Bottom Line:  I love my MO8 and chose it because the price point was comfortable and in return I got a great keyboard. Would I have preferred an ES8? You bet! Upon seeing the XS, there’s no doubt that it’s not just a minor upgrade. Though it’s not revolutionary, it is a significant improvement.

Those who keep their Motif can be very happy that they have a great board. Those who stick with their MO ES can be extremely happy. And, all in all, I can see there being a lot of ES units on the “previously owned” market, because the XS is another evolutionary jump.

Bruce

Re: NAMM-View:  XS Impresses

Thank you for your feedback, don’ t you have some picture for us ?

Re: NAMM-View:  XS Impresses

Sorry, no camera. At NAMM there is so much “stuff” to pick up, new gear brochures, etc. that one more kg. would have been too much by the end of the day. Hopefully others will post.