I'm after a new digital piano for my son. He has been playing for a couple of years and is ability level is about Grade 3. I know very little about pianos (guitars are more my thing) and would be very grateful for any feedback.
He currently uses a Yamaha keyboard for practicing and is keen to progress to something that plays more like the real thing.
The budget is upto &1000 and we have identified 3 models that we think will be suitable - Korg EC150, Yamaha CLP120, Casio AP33. There seems to be quite a price difference between the Casio (&680) and the Yamaha (&965) - is the quality worth paying the extra for? To my (untrained) ear they all sound very similar.
I would be very grateful if someone could point us in the right direction.
Many Thanks
Advice on new digital piano
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Barrie Heaton
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Re: Advice on new digital piano
It’s not the sound that is the concern it is the touch weighted keys that are important the Yamaha is the better buy if you must buy a digital but a 1000 pounds will ge tyou a good second-hand acoustic pianochriscxd wrote:
The budget is upto &1000 and we have identified 3 models that we think will be suitable - Korg EC150, Yamaha CLP120, Casio AP33. There seems to be quite a price difference between the Casio (&680) and the Yamaha (&965) - is the quality worth paying the extra for? To my (untrained) ear they all sound very similar.
I would be very grateful if someone could point us in the right direction.
Many Thanks
Barrie,
Last edited by Barrie Heaton on 13 Nov 2004, 16:22, edited 2 times in total.
Barrie Heaton
Web Master UK Piano Page
Web Master UK Piano Page
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Barrie Heaton
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CLP 120/130 is a good DP. I recommend the 120 over the 130, because all you get different is a price and a few extra sounds basically.
You may be able to split the keyboard on the 130 but is it rele worth it? The speakers are a bit louder but you'll more likely want to have headphones, and the sound quality is TECHNICALLY THE SAME because Yamaha have used exactly the same method for putting the sounds onto the notes.
Yamaha use a technique called Advanced Wave Sampling. AWS. It involves, basically, the suond of a real piano being recorded and that WAVE SAMPLE being shoved onto a chip. It has three "touch definitions" which means that if you press it gently you'll get the one volume or "dynamic response", press it the second level harder and you'll get the second sample and the same for the 3rd, or louder sample.
A CPL120 and 130 have this on every Minor 3rd interval. Therefore, the notes in between have been "digital created" between the real samples.
Heres how it goes....
You pay more money when more "real samples" are shoved onto chips which mean less are "fake samples" or "digital worked" sounds. Secondly, you get more "touch definitions" so instead of three, you might get 7! (look at the CLP170) and thats why you pay more money! Ontop of which, more speakers, and a few more buttons and sounds and maybe special effect sounds and more recording space too.
Hope that helps
Dan
You may be able to split the keyboard on the 130 but is it rele worth it? The speakers are a bit louder but you'll more likely want to have headphones, and the sound quality is TECHNICALLY THE SAME because Yamaha have used exactly the same method for putting the sounds onto the notes.
Yamaha use a technique called Advanced Wave Sampling. AWS. It involves, basically, the suond of a real piano being recorded and that WAVE SAMPLE being shoved onto a chip. It has three "touch definitions" which means that if you press it gently you'll get the one volume or "dynamic response", press it the second level harder and you'll get the second sample and the same for the 3rd, or louder sample.
A CPL120 and 130 have this on every Minor 3rd interval. Therefore, the notes in between have been "digital created" between the real samples.
Heres how it goes....
You pay more money when more "real samples" are shoved onto chips which mean less are "fake samples" or "digital worked" sounds. Secondly, you get more "touch definitions" so instead of three, you might get 7! (look at the CLP170) and thats why you pay more money! Ontop of which, more speakers, and a few more buttons and sounds and maybe special effect sounds and more recording space too.
Hope that helps
Dan