There is no comparison here. Not as far as library and the engine’s have a slightly different sonic output.
Montage’s library walks all over Halion. In literally every single category. That machine costs over 3K so you are getting the best Yamaha is capable of…and that put’s you at the sonic apex.
Halion Fights Back!:
Where Halion shines is its VA engine. To my ears it sounds better than the AN-X. I still have my EX5 and have owned an AN1X, and that engine isn’t amazing to my ears. It lacks bass. Halion has a TON of bass on the VA.
POWA!:
Halion allows you to put down a suppressive about of sonic firepower if you have a powerful machine. THAT for me is what I’m looking for. No limits. No polyphony nonsense. Just sheer power.
Effects:
Halion’s are awful. Truly awful.
Longevity:
Halion is Halion from year to year. That Montage M will be discontinued and something new will come along and the development will be focused on that.
What is the SMART MOVE?:
For me, if I was doing it all over again during my development of SKYFALL, I would go by a used MODX, and sample the crap out of that thing. Doing THIS will get you into Montage Country for 1/3 the cost.
Edit:
Engines:
The Montage M’s audio output (the main engine) sounds like Halion if it had some additional eq’s and compression and possibly limiting on the main outputs. The DAC that thing uses is insane so I’m sure that sweetens things a bit. Halion’s sound is about 90% there.