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Does anyone here have any knowledge or experience of this latest model from Yamaha? Would I be right in thinking it's a YDP131 in a new and very compact skin?

Yeah, as far as I can see (and hear) they both have six voices and similar recording and preset song options. I think the casing was the main reason for its development. Piano sound is respectable - not that tinny sample you can get as a second option on better CLP models.

I was wondering this too - does the compactness of the casing imply smaller, lower-rated speakers and/or weaker power amp?

Also, how does the YDP-131 compare to the YDP-151 (there are still a couple of these to be found locally, but as I'm not a pianist there is very little point in ME trying them and I need to get a friend to do this for me, so I might as well canvas opinions here as well!)

Looking for something to get my 2 children started out and last a few years - I'm a woodwind player, but still believe that everyone should start off with at least the rudiments of keyboard skills (and you never know, one of them might be able to accompany me one day)

Don’t be tricked into thinking that a bigger instrument automatically ALWAYS equals better sound. I have come across some very compact keyboards such as controllers and budget level instruments that are slimline and are also very basic. However, one of the benefits to digital instruments is that they only need enough space to put in the sound chips and sampling hardware and so you can’t use size as a-rule-of-thumb for digital instruments; acoustic pianos need extra size for the longer strings and larger soundboards which play an integral part in their sound quality. Having said that, bigger acoustics aren’t always better sounding that smaller scaled models – anyway, I’m digressing....

Both keyboards have 2 X 6W speakers installed, GHS hammer action keys, 3 pedals, 64 note polyphony, full-sized 88 keys, metronomes and the ability to record songs. From my point of view, as a musician and a teacher, these are more than enough for an entry-level pianist/beginner.

There are some minor variations as to the amount you can record on each instrument and the YDP131 seems to have reverb and chorus optional effects whereas the S30 only has reverb – that is a very minor difference! However, come to think of it, I’m not sure if the YDP131 allows you to layer voices in dual mode like the S30. That could be something worth checking if you want to layer two sounds together for a performance – that can be a nice feature for a home digital piano, but again, depending on your point of view, that may not be essential.