the perfect electric piano for intermediate players

Karol

Hi, I'm new here. I've been playing my Yamaha YDP-145B Aurius piano for almost 5 years. I'd like to replace it, but I have no idea what to get. Could you please help?

Simonb

Hi Karol

An idea of your budget would be useful. I'm assuming given your playing experience this is for home use only?

The logical step up is to buy a Yamaha Clavinova, from the CLP range, this series has been around for decades and are well thought of. But to be honest all the major manufacturers make fine digital Pianos - Yamaha, Casio, Roland & Kawai. Again I've made an assumption for that choice, and that is that you're mainly playing classical, and aren't interested in Fender Rhodes sounds, organ sounds or having backing facilities (drums bass lines etc)?

I've owned multiple Yamaha & Casio Pianos and all were good.

The best way is to go and try some in your price range and buy the one you like. If you have a Teacher/Mentor who can help you choose that's an even better option. All the advice you'll receive on here is fine, but what I (or anyone else) likes in a Piano may not be what you like.

Cheers

Alexis

Hi, I've been playing piano for 10 years. I've had a Yamaha CLP-825B for three years, and it's never let me down. The sound is beautiful. The keys are as firm as those on a real piano. It's hard to give advice, as our pianos are very similar. Why do you want to change pianos?

Karol

I'm looking for a piano with a cleaner sound

iternabe

My own preference is to choose digital piano by its action, because action is what I will get stuck with for as long as I own it. The sound of any digital piano can be switched to better ones that runs on computer, tablet, or even mobile phone. Using external speakers (e.g. quality studio monitors) can further improve sound quality.

pianocat

I have played on a friend's Aurius, so I get what you mean about wanting a cleaner sound.

The perfect piano is the one you enjoy playing on. There is no one recommendation for every pianist. Even among the digital pianos, the action can feel pretty different. If at all possible, can you find a local retailer to test before you buy?

The high-end digitals from Yamaha and Kawai have gotten great reviews for their speaker systems. If you otherwise like your Aurius, you can look at the CLP series. The Kawai CA series is the equivalent to Yamaha's CLP. Some people prefer the actions on the Kawai digitals to the Yamaha's.

These digital pianos can be pretty spendy, in the several thousands of dollars. At that point, you're also in the preowned acoustic price territory, so if it's feasible you can consider that as well.

ShiroKuro

@Karol and @Alexis welcome to PT! How did you find us?

I have owned two different Yamaha YDP pianos and regularly played a third. My first piano was actually a YDP 120 (or maybe it was a 121? I bought it in 1999). This was before they were calling it Arius, but it’s the same line. After that piano, I had an acoustic for many years (also a Yamaha!), but I switched back to digital when we moved internationally. That piano was a YDP Arius 180 or 181, or maybe 160?? I can’t remember actually. Around the same time, my mother got a 140 or 141 (which she still has, I will look at it the next time I visit her and check the model number). In 2019 I bought my current piano (a Yamaha C2 acoustic grand) and sold that digital.

Anyway, all that to say, I have a very good opinion of these digital pianos and I think any Yamaha Arius piano in today’s line up will be an excellent instrument for an intermediate pianist.

So @Karol I’m not sure why you want to replace your current piano. Can you articulate what it is you think is missing in this instrument and what you are looking for in your next instrument?

Also, what kind of music do you play?

ShiroKuro

Simonb have you ever compared the YDP/Arius pianos to the Clavinova pianos? What would you say is the main difference? Touch? Sound?

I've played a Clavinova but it was a long time ago and it wasn't in a comparison setting (i.e., I've never played an Arius and Clavinova side by side).

I still am not convinced of the necessity of replacing the Arius... 😅

Simonb

Hi ShiroKuro

Yes, I've played a YDP 162 (I think that's the model, memory terrible!) off and on over the last 10 years as my sister owns one. I owned a CLP535 until 2020. The CLP series is a better class of instrument IMHO, though the Arius would be fine for me if that's all I could own. I preferred the action and weight of the CLP keyboard, and I think the Piano samples are better.

Though, as I said to Karol, what I prefer may not be what he/she prefers.

The last digital Piano I owned (from 2020 until early this year) was a £600 Casio PX S3000, which I thought was the best value/quality combination of all the digital Pianos I've owned. In my case that dates back to about 1989 when I bought my first Clavinova!

Cheers

ShiroKuro

Simonb I preferred the action and weight of the CLP keyboard, and I think the Piano samples are better

So it's an improvement in both touch and sound.

Re the Casio, when I didn't have an acoustic, I bought my first digital, I wanted something with more of the furniture body, although that's not the only reason I got the YDP that I did.