Today I received the Tyros2 that I ordered from George Kaye.
Thanks for the great service (as usual) George!
I played it for about an hour and I think it is a terrific keyboard.
The super articulation voices are fantastic. They raise the quality and realism of sampled acoustic instruments to a new level. The Tyros2 also has many excellent styles (and a few cheesy ones also).

I also own a Roland G-70. Here is a quick comparison after one hour with the Tyros2.
Sounds
Piano - the piano on the G-70 is way better than the piano on the Tyros2. This is my only major disappointment with the sounds on the Tyros2. The tyros2 piano sounds thin and does not have the warmth and dynamics of the Roland piano. On the Roland I can turn off the arranger and play a piano solo. It feels and sounds like a real piano. The Tyros2 does not. With all the incredible other sounds on the Tyros2, I wished they upgraded the piano sound.

Organ - I like the Roland’s VK drawbar simulation better than the organs on the Tyros2. The Tyros2 has a super articulation organ which is very good, but I like the Roland VK sounds and real time control better.

Electric piano – they both have very good electric pianos.

Brass and Saxes– The Tyros2’s trumpets and brass sounds are way better than the Roland G-70. The super articulation brass sounds are by far the best brass voices I have heard on any keyboard. I also like the saxes on the Tyros2 better. The G-70 has a couple of good sax sounds but the super articulation saxes on the Tyros2 are incredible.

Guitar – The super articulation guitars on the Tyros2 sound fantastic. I think they sound better than the guitars on the G-70. However, the guitar mode on the G-70 is cool. On other keyboards (including the Tyros2) I sound like I am a keyboard player playing the guitar on the keyboard. With the guitar mode on the G-70, it sounds like a guitar player.

Other sounds – other than piano and drawbar organs, I generally like the Yamaha sounds better.

Styles
The G-70 has some very good styles but in many categories Roland needs more good styles. I feel this is a major weakness with the G-70. The Tyros2 has many very good styles. The jazz, swing and latin categories have many great styles to chose from.

Other
The G-70 has 76 keys, the best key action of any arranger keyboard and is built like a tank (it is very heavy to transport). Its user interface is very intuitive and easy to use.
The Tyros2 has 61 keys, a good key action, and an intuitive interface and is also easy to use. Its size and weight make it much easier to transport to gigs.

The G-70 has a lot of other functionality that is not on the Tyros2.
(Sequencer functionality, make-up tools, cover function, guitar mode, etc.)

Conclusion
In a studio, having both is a great combination. They compliment each other well. If I had to choose one keyboard I would go with the Tyros2. Other than the acoustic piano sound, the Tyros2 has the better sounds. The super articulation voices raises the realism of the voices to a new level. The Tyros2 also has a lot more usable styles. There are many other things I think the Roland is better at. However, sounds and styles are the most important. If Roland released a bunch of new styles (like Roland Scandinavia did with the midi-spot styles), I might change my opinion.

The above comments are just my impressions opinions. Your ear and taste may be different.

In the next few days, I will record a few songs on both keyboards and post them.

Hi Jim,

congrats on your new T2.
Thanks for your side by side review of both KB's.
It did sound very objective and useful to the undecided mind....

Looking foreward to your recordings.

Eric

Very nice and objective review, Jim; having played the G-70, I have to agree with everything you wrote.

Thanks JimP for a thoughtful and and objective review. I agree that the difference in functionality is important but like you say the bottom line are the sounds and styles - that's the only thing an audience can judge on.

Regards - Keith

Hi Jim and all,
I am choocing between the G-70 and te Tyros2 and have listened to some demos.
ONe thing is that with the G-70 you can expand the sounds with the expansion boards, like the SRG01 board that will be released soon from what I understand. Jim, have you tried any SRX boards? I also like the G-70 for its keyboard. I am trying to find out how the keys are on the Tyros2. Many thanks!

Christian_1,
I have the SRX-03 studio board. The expansion slot is a nice feature. I wish they would have included 2 or four expansion slots instead of one. It sounds like the new SRG01 board is the one to get. It will have a collection of sounds from all of the other SRX boards as well as some new styles.

The key action on the Tyros2 is better than the original Tyros and is fine. It is not as good as the Roland G-70. The key action on the G-70 is better than any keyboard I have ever played. When I play solo piano on the G-70, the dynamics respond like a real piano. Most synth weighted keys do not respond that well.

JimP.

Awesome review. I enjoyed reading it very much. Here is a test I would like you to try when you get a chance and report back on your thoughts:

Connect the G70 keyboard to the Tyros2. Map the midi output of the G70 to the Right 3 voice and select the Sweet Piano voice.

Play a piano piece twice once on the native G70 and once on the Tyros2. Please report back what you thought of the Tyros2 Piano.

Thanks in advance
Al

Jim, thanks for the terrific well balanced review. I look forward to hearing your songs. - Scott

Jim,
I'm glad the Tyros and stand arrived quickly to your home. Next day air, Saturday delivery is an amazing thing!
Your quick review would be very close to what I would say as well. I would also suggest that with the "brass" expansion board which came out this year, the brass sounds in the G70 can be brought up to compete with the Tyros2.
Synthzone members might like to know that Jim has purchased every top of the line arranger over the many years the Synthzone has been around and so he has a really good personal, hands on experience with each of the keyboards we discuss here.

George Kaye
Kaye's Music Scene
Reseda. California