Casio PX120 or Yamaha P85?

[mwf]

Hi,

I need a reliable piano for restaurant playing, I have decided between 2 models, the Casio PX120 or Yamaha P85. Does anyone rate either of these? I can get the Casio far cheaper so I am swaying towards that one. However Yamaha tend to do the best sounds in my opinion. The Casio is alot more convienent for me. The problem is I wont be able to test out the keyboards before I buy, but I have heard both are good.

The good thing is I have seen the Casio PX120 for £380 with stand and pedal included, which should normally be £449! So I save loads going down the Casio route, and my budget is £400 roughly.

I need the onboard speaker system to be good and fairly loud, so this is perhaps the most important factor, I just hope with an output of 8W x2 or 6W x2 (with the P85), this is loud enough for a venue such as a restaurant, does anyone know?

I am in a desperate rush to get a piano, as I need to start playing this weekend.... oh dear, I am leaving it late. Any replies/comments would be greatly appreciated, thanks

Mark

[markymark]

I think that one's six and the other's half a dozen. The P85 wouldn't be Yamaha's greatest model but is really designed with portability in mind while trying to preserve as many of the bigger model features as possible. I'm not a Casio expert unfortunately and currently have limited experience with modern models. One good point is that the speakers are slightly more powerful which is a practical bonus.

Mark, try and play the instruments yourself if you can. The lower model Yamahas can sound tinny and sharp in their piano sounds to greater or lesser extents depending on the venue. Casios, I'm told, tend to be more mellow toned but that may not be a great point either. I really think you need to scoot to the stores and try them yourself. There is nothing worse than performing music and having a dud instrument. Sorry can't be more helpful!