Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards Yamaha CLP 270 vs 340?

Hi guys,

After years of playing on a nearly ancient yamaha CLP-550 it's now beginning to tear down. Over the years a lot of new DP's came to the market and i really prefer the sound of the new one's over my old clp-550.

So I've got some €2000+ euro's to spend, and I want a new, good DP. I haven't personally played any new DP's yet, but I'm going to soon and I want to know which one's I should try.
So far I've found the CLP-340 to be a good candidate, but for about the same price I would be able to get the (older) CLP-270.
I know there's some differences in number of samples, but I would like to know which one of these would be the better choice, in your experience. Or should I just be looking for a roland DP or KAWAI or something?

thanks in advance!

Comparing the CLP270 and CLP340 (assuming that you can still find the out-of-production CLP270) ...

Both have:
... 128 polyphony
... 4 level dynamic sampling
... stereo sustain samples
... iAFC
... Transpose
... Reverb
... Chorus
... Brilliance
... Dual
... Split

The 270 has:
... more sampling banks (50 vs. 30)
... string resonance
... more voices (38 vs 14)
... better display (LCD vs. LED)
... more speakers (8 vs. 4)
... more powerful amplifiers (dual 60+20 vs. dual 40)
... can record more tracks and songs (16/250 vs. 2/3)

The 340 has:
... synth ivory key tops
... LAN connection

On balance, I'd prefer the CLP270.

Agreed. In fact, the CLP-270 would be a better choice than a new CLP-370 (which as been "graded down" by Yamaha to be much less impressive than its predecessor).

Thanks for the responses!


You're kidding me right? I mean, on specs 270 beats 370, but do you think in sound also? O gosh, I hope the 270 I'm seeing is still in stock and suites me...

No question. The better speakers and sound system alone would make it sound much better. Add in string resonance, the extra samples and the other features and it's no contest.

The general concensus is that the new CLP-370 is a serious disappointment compared to the old model. To get a comparable new Yamaha, you'd have to buy a CLP-380 (which probably is a small improvement over the 270/280).

If you can still get a good deal on a new or nearly new 270, I'd say definitely go for it.

Hi, i'm new here. Since this forum has been a big help to me for information on digital pianos i thought i'd register to add my experiences to the forum.

I would advise anyone to try out different brands if you got the chance. After reading a bit here and there i had decided Yamaha would probably be the best choice. So i went to a shop which has both Yamaha and Roland and tried em both out just in case. To my surprise the Roland (HP 201) felt much more 'real' than the comparable yamaha (CLP 330) so i got myself the Roland instead. There are others who found the opposite, so i guess the only way to know which is best for you is go to a shop and try them.

I fully agree. It´s useful and fun to discuss brands, models, features and why one would be better than the other, but in the end you´ll have to try the instrument (and preferrably several) yourself. And whether you like it is something personal, regardless of the specs.

I was going to buy the 340 which seemed to be a very good buy with the synthetic ivory keys. I tried the 370 and was a little disappointed. The 340 definitely seemed the better buy. However I was able to find a second hand (2 years old) clp 280 and this seemed to me to be head and shoulders over both.
I have upto now played only a Broadwood piano and church organs but am thrilled with my new 280. I would have liked the synthetic ivory keys but am not now noticing the difference after a week of playing! It is my 50th birthday pressie to myself!

congrats! The synthetic ivory keys are a nice extra but not something you´ll really need. I played the piano half my life without missing it Of course sometimes it´s a matter of being used to something and then missing it, but really. I have kind of fallen for the CLP340 myself but if I get the chance I´ll try one of those slightly older models, mainly because of your post and some similar messages around here so thanks.

I have a chance to get a CLP270 Rosewood for $2,750 or a CLP340 Polished Ebony for $2,990 both new. I'm not an experienced Pianist. When I tried both of them it seems the CLP340 feels better? Or is it the polish that gives me that impression? Which one would you get?
Thank you!

CLP340 doesn't have iAFC, which only exists on CLP's 380 or 270,280. also, string resonance exists on 270/280/380 but not on 370 and below models.

so, i would go for a 270 rather than a 340.

Thanks signa.
I have some serious debating to do.