Pricing and availability

We compare 600+ stores and found this item at 7 stores. Prices updated .

Sweetwater
4.5 (41)
$495.44
Guitar Center
5.0 (3)
$495.44
Amazon
4.6 (158)
$495.44 New
$445.90 Used (Like New)
Reverb
5.0 (30)
$57.95 New
$341.59 Used
Musician's Friend
5.0 (2)
$495.44
Thomann
4.7 (74)
$388.00
Gear4Music
£299.00

Average Price: $396

Budget/Beginner

$500

$1501+

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Standard

High-end

Price History

Based on price data from 4 merchants for "Yamaha Reface CS". Prices shown reflect NEW condition. Tracking began Apr 2, 2026.

* Product prices and availability are updated by Equipboard every 24hrs and are subject to change. Equipboard may receive compensation for purchases made at participating retailers linked on this site. This compensation does not affect what products or prices are displayed, or the order of prices listed. For more information, please refer to our affiliate disclosure.

Description

Unleash the iconic '80s synth sound with the Yamaha Reface CS, a compact powerhouse that encapsulates the essence of Yamaha's revered CS-5. Boasting 37 keys, five unique oscillator modules, and an impressive 8-note polyphony, this mobile mini vintage synth is an ode to the golden era of music production. With its compact design, it is your go-to instrument for impromptu jam sessions and perfect for bedroom producers, thanks to its seamless MIDI functionality. Experience the authenticity of vintage synthesizers without breaking the bank with this agile marvel.

Key Features:

  • 37 compact keys for a full range of sound exploration
  • Five distinct oscillator modules for a variety of tonal possibilities
  • Maximum 8-note polyphony for layered, intricate compositions
  • Mimics the classic timbre of Yamaha's acclaimed CS-5
  • Portable design, ideal for on-the-go music production
  • MIDI functionality, perfect for integrating with your existing setup
  • Affordable pricing, offering genuine vintage synth experience.

Product specs

Type Keyboard Synthesizer
Sound Engine Modeling engine with Pulse, Multi-saw, Oscillator Sync, Ring modulation and FM
Number of Keys 37
Type of Keys Mini synth keys
Velocity Sensitive Yes
Polyphony 8 notes
Number of Presets 5 oscillators
Effects Types Chorus, flanger, phaser, delay, distortion
Sampling Phrase looper (up to 10 minutes)
Audio Inputs 1 x 1/8" TRS (aux in)
Audio Outputs 2 x 1/4" (left, right)
Headphones 1 x 1/4"
USB USB Type B
MIDI I/O 1 x MIDI jack with breakout cable
Pedal Inputs 1 x 1/4" (FC7 volume controller)
Power Source 12V DC power supply / 6 x AA batteries (5 hour lifespan)
Height 2.37"
Width 20.87"
Depth 6.87"
Weight 4 lbs. 3 oz.

FAQs

Is the Yamaha Reface CS suitable for live performances?

Yes, the Yamaha Reface CS is suitable for live performances thanks to its compact size, built-in speakers, and battery power option, making it highly portable and versatile for on-the-go use.

How does the Yamaha Reface CS sound engine work?

The Yamaha Reface CS uses a modeling engine that includes pulse, multi-saw, oscillator sync, ring modulation, and FM synthesis, allowing for a wide range of sound design possibilities.

Does the Yamaha Reface CS support polyphonic play?

Yes, the Yamaha Reface CS supports 8-note polyphony, allowing you to play complex chords and layer sounds effectively.

What are the connectivity options available on the Yamaha Reface CS?

The Yamaha Reface CS offers various connectivity options, including 1/8" TRS aux input, 1/4" audio outputs, USB Type B, MIDI I/O via a breakout cable, and a pedal input for a volume controller.

Can the Yamaha Reface CS be powered by batteries?

Yes, the Yamaha Reface CS can be powered by 6 AA batteries, providing up to 5 hours of playtime, making it ideal for portable use.

Does the Yamaha Reface CS have built-in effects?

Yes, the Yamaha Reface CS includes built-in effects such as chorus, flanger, phaser, delay, and distortion, enhancing your sound design capabilities.

DankPods

DankPods

The Yamaha Reface CS Synthesiser.

Video thumbnail for The Yamaha Reface CS Synthesiser. by DankPods

The Yamaha Reface CS Synthesiser.

DankPods

DankPods

Video thumbnail for Yamaha Reface CS In Action by Doctor Mix

Yamaha Reface CS In Action

Doctor Mix

Doctor Mix

Video thumbnail for Yamaha Reface Review - Part 2 The CS by 8-Bit Keys

Yamaha Reface Review - Part 2 The CS

8-Bit Keys

8-Bit Keys

Video thumbnail for Yamaha Reface CS Review - IS IT STILL WORTH GETTING? by BoBeats

Yamaha Reface CS Review - IS IT STILL WORTH GETTING?

BoBeats

BoBeats

Video thumbnail for Yamaha Reface CS - Virtual Analog - SonicLAB Review by sonicstate

Yamaha Reface CS - Virtual Analog - SonicLAB Review

sonicstate

sonicstate

Video thumbnail for Yamaha Reface CS Synthesizer Demo by Sweetwater by Sweetwater

Yamaha Reface CS Synthesizer Demo by Sweetwater

Sweetwater

Sweetwater

Video thumbnail for Yamaha Reface CS - custom sounds by tblv9300

Yamaha Reface CS - custom sounds

tblv9300

tblv9300

Video thumbnail for Bad Gear - Yamaha Reface CS - The i-Synth??? by AudioPilz

Bad Gear - Yamaha Reface CS - The i-Synth???

AudioPilz

AudioPilz

Video thumbnail for I bought the Yamaha Reface CS - The Best Family Synth? by Mattias Holmgren

I bought the Yamaha Reface CS - The Best Family Synth?

Mattias Holmgren

Mattias Holmgren

Video thumbnail for Kraft Music - Yamaha Reface CS Demo with Blake Angelos and Nate Tschetter by Kraft Music

Kraft Music - Yamaha Reface CS Demo with Blake Angelos and Nate Tschetter

Kraft Music

Kraft Music

Video thumbnail for Yamaha Reface CS Unboxing - Portable Synth (4K) by TechForYou

Yamaha Reface CS Unboxing - Portable Synth (4K)

TechForYou

TechForYou

Video thumbnail for Yamaha Reface CS Analog Synthesizer Demo - No talking [Various Custom Sounds, Presets, Pads, Bass] by Cheap Music Gear

Yamaha Reface CS Analog Synthesizer Demo - No talking [Various Custom Sounds, Presets, Pads, Bass]

Cheap Music Gear

Cheap Music Gear

Video thumbnail for YAMAHA CS-70M + CS-60 SYNTH DEMO ~ Vintage Synthesizer Museum by once upon a synth

YAMAHA CS-70M + CS-60 SYNTH DEMO ~ Vintage Synthesizer Museum

once upon a synth

once upon a synth

Video thumbnail for Yamaha Reface CS by Easy Tiger

Yamaha Reface CS

Easy Tiger

Easy Tiger

Reviews

PROS

  • Portable and battery-operated, ideal for mobility

  • Onboard speakers and stereo effects enhance playability

  • Sweet spots are many and varied, offering lush, warm tones

  • Quick and easy to program, requires minimal desk space

  • Doubles as a MIDI controller, enhancing versatility

  • Solid build quality with smooth faders and great feeling keys

  • 8 voice polyphony expands creative possibilities

  • Wide range of sounds, from vintage to modern

  • Compatible with Soundmondo app for preset sharing (iOS)

  • Accessible and fun for beginners, yet complex enough for skilled players

CONS

  • App for presets only compatible with iOS, excluding Android users

  • Only one envelope for modulation, limiting flexibility

  • No onboard patch storage or recall functionality

  • Onboard speakers prone to buzzing with certain patches

  • Looper control is imprecise, making loop end points difficult to set

  • Keys may feel small for those accustomed to full-sized keyboards

  • Some parameters exhibit stepping, which might not suit all production styles

  • Requires a separate MIDI adapter for full MIDI functionality

  • Sound through built-in speakers not as rich compared to external amplification

  • Limited sequencer capabilities, lacking an arpeggiator

Owner Insights

We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about Yamaha Reface CS.

Features and functionality

  • The Yamaha Reface CS lacks onboard preset storage, but presets can be saved and accessed via the Soundmondo app, which includes user-created patches.

    Source
  • The Reface CS looper is a note looper, not an audio looper, allowing sound changes during playback as it replays notes rather than audio layers.

    Source
  • The Reface CS allows pitch bend adjustment from a half-step to an octave, offering flexibility for expressive playing.

    Source
  • The CS's analog-style synthesis is noted for its classic sound character, appealing to users seeking traditional saw, square, and triangle waveforms.

    Source

Use cases and applications

  • Owners often utilize the Reface CS for portable practice sessions due to its battery power and onboard speakers, making it ideal for casual, on-the-go use.

    Source
  • The CS is favored for live settings due to its quick sound manipulation, whereas the DX is preferred for studio work with its deeper programming potential.

    Source

Comparisons

  • The Yamaha Reface CS is noted for its simplicity and ease of use, with a workflow reminiscent of classic analog synths, but differs in oscillator implementation.

    Source
  • Compared to the Microkorg, the Reface CS has twice the polyphony, but lacks preset storage, making it a choice between sound flexibility and preset convenience.

    Source
  • The CS excels in immediacy and ease for analog sounds, while the DX offers deeper sound design capabilities, appealing to those who enjoy complex FM synthesis.

    Source

User experience

  • Several users appreciate the Reface CS for its immediacy and ability to quickly dial in sounds without menu diving, enhancing creativity through its limitations.

    Source
  • Owners often use the Reface CS for travel and casual settings, citing its built-in speakers and battery power as ideal for quick, spontaneous playing.

    Source
  • The mini keys on the Reface CS are praised for their playability, allowing chord shapes similar to full-sized keys due to their top-playable design.

    Source
  • Despite having multiple synths, owners often keep the Reface CS due to its immediate sound design capabilities and portability, making it a frequent choice for gigs and travel.

    Source
  • Users find the CS more intuitive for beginners due to its hands-on, immediate interface, while the DX requires an understanding of FM synthesis for optimal use.

    Source

Mods and upgrades

  • Although the Reface CS lacks velocity sensitivity in its own synth engine, its keys support and transmit velocity over MIDI, useful for controlling other gear.

    Source

Value and pricing

  • Some owners consider the Reface CS to be overpriced within the Reface series, suggesting it could benefit from a version update to address limitations.

    Source
Add

4.5 out of 5

Based on 8 Reviews and 39 Ratings

5 star
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1 star
codename

Flexible, but don’t expect a cs80

It’s touted as being inspired by the cs80 and while you can hear small parts of that, it’s just impossible to recreate what that was in a small synth like this. But once you get that notion out of your head, you start to realize that this little synth may be the most flexible sub 500 dollar synth on the market. It’s synthesis options give you enough control to create as many sounds as your imagination can muster, and the 8 note polyphony is great for getting that layered pad sound to get fairly strong. At less than 300 dollars I think it’s a no brainer to own this at least unti Behringer finishes it’s cs80 clone. ???????????

quetzycotel

This thing is amazing!

Ready to go right out of the box, you can create a wide range of sounds in just a few minutes. It looks amazing and is very portable and light. The keys feel great and make it easy to play for people with smaller hands (like myself). The oscillators are decently varied (5, notably sawtooth and square) and the ability to change the sending of the LFO or ASDR is great. 8 note polyphony is just enough for me. Some of the sounds I've gotten out of it are really great! For 300$ I'm very satisfied.

I bought this thinking it had no velocity response but it appears it may actually have a volume dependent velocity implementation so that was nice to find out.

paulywauly

Great little synth

A surprisingly versatile virtual analog synth. The effects are a great addition and really add to the tones you can create. Such a shame that you can't save presets - as this severely limits it for live use in my opinion. Also the sequencer is very limited and poorly implemented - an arpeggiator would have been a lot more useful. Still a keeper for the ease and speed of creating and tweaking sounds form scratch.

sr388

Love the tones

This little synth does a lot. They put so much flex into the range of each control, as self resonance can be a huge part of making sounds with this. No patch memory in any format (a tiny flip-up panel with a single reproduction of all the tiny levers even tinier would be hard to do) but the ability to quickly dial in what you want is really the point. I wish the looper had a mode without tempo controls that just hard-AB loops because that tempo lever is indicative of nothing. Giving us some markers of what the lines represent would have been really cool, but overall the ability to make such a range of tones using AA batteries and not even cluttering a backpack too significantly makes the minor complaints pretty minor.

paleeric

Fun to play around with and get good sounds.

I did a ton of research trying to find what my best option for a synth that could get me close to some Tame Impala or Mac Demarco synth. You get a lot more than just that from it.. Love this little syth. The speakers, batteries and portability make it a great option.

droneswarm

Fantastic

The sound from this is amazing, the format is a bit iffy, but forget that, the sound is what's important!

jonathaslacerda

Great VA synthesizer

A powerful synthesizer for musicians at search of the subtractive synthesis on a small package.

gjorgji_taskovski

Great synth.

Awesome sounding synth. Let's you create literally any sound you wish. Great build.

Artist usage

Add artist
See how Mac DeMarco uses Yamaha Reface CS

Mac DeMarco

Singer, Guitarist

Mac DeMarco

...
Verified via YouTube

You can see the Reface CS behind Kerwin for the entire interview.

See how Justin Vernon uses Yamaha Reface CS

Justin Vernon

Singer, Guitarist

Bon Iver

...
Verified via YouTube

In a YouTube video titled "Bon Iver '22 (OVER S∞∞N)' - Late Show #PlayAtHome," Justin Vernon can be seen playing a Yamaha Reface CS synthesizer at his studio in Wisconsin.

See how FKJ uses Yamaha Reface CS

FKJ

Guitarist, Bassist

...
Verified via YouTube

The Synth can be seen in "Lucky Star". It is the small white synth that French Kiwi Juice uses for the vocoder effect.

See how Jay Watson uses Yamaha Reface CS

Jay Watson

Guitarist, Drummer

Tame Impala

...
Verified via Photo

In this photo of Jay's keyboard set-up, a Yamaha Reface Polysynth can be seen at the top of the photo.

See how Ryuichi Sakamoto uses Yamaha Reface CS

Ryuichi Sakamoto

Keyboardist, Composer

Yellow Magic Orchestra

...
Verified via Facebook

In this post, you can see him playing YAMAHA Reface CS.

See how Cory Henry uses Yamaha Reface CS

Cory Henry

Singer, Keyboardist

Snarky Puppy

...
Verified via Instagram

"Just playin for babies in airports!" video taken by the band member Nick Semrad.

See how Fred again.. uses Yamaha Reface CS

Fred again..

Singer, Keyboardist

...
Verified via Photo

Fred again can be seen with YAMAHA Reface CS in this video.

See how Ambrose Kenny Smith uses Yamaha Reface CS

Ambrose Kenny Smith

Singer, Guitarist

King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard

...
Verified via YouTube

In the live performance video of King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard at AB - Ancienne Belgique, Ambrose Kenny Smith can be seen playing a Yamaha Reface CS synthesizer.

See how James Edward Bagshaw uses Yamaha Reface CS

James Edward Bagshaw

Singer, Guitarist

Temples

...
Verified via Photo

In this picture James shows his new Yamaha Reface CS and DX

See how Floating Points uses Yamaha Reface CS

Floating Points

Music Producer, DJ

Floating Points Ensemble

...
Verified via YouTube

Seen in this video.

See how Finn Wolfhard uses Yamaha Reface CS

Finn Wolfhard

Singer, Guitarist

Calpurnia

...
Verified via YouTube

In an interview with Nardwuar, Finn Wolfhard reveals at the 12:02 mark that Mac DeMarco recommended the Yamaha Reface CS to him after he inquired about good synthesizers to purchase.

See how Haywyre uses Yamaha Reface CS

Haywyre

Music Producer

...
Verified via Photo

Haywyre is shown using the Yamaha Reface CS synthesizer in a studio setting, as featured on their official Facebook page.

Album Usage

The Yamaha Reface CS has been featured on the following albums:

Genre Usage

Based on how artists on Equipboard use this gear, it is most commonly found in the following genres.

Used With

Based on how musicians on Equipboard use Yamaha Reface CS, it is most commonly used with the following gear.

Community setups

Show yours
finleygomez

finleygomez

Gear IQ 1533

martine1tot

martine1tot

Gear IQ 149

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