Posting my PX 330 review on the Review thread.

Any idea on when in 2010 the PX830 might be available in the USA?

My best guess is that the PX830 will be available here in the US in early February.

Hi Guys! If someone wants to hear the new Celviano Products here is the main page with the demos of AP-220, AP-420 and the AP-620.

http://www.celviano.eu

!Good luck!

Based purely on the technical specs the new AP620 specs will be the top of the Casio digital piano line - even providing 30 watt amps instead of 8 watt as with the PX-830.

Wish Casio provide the specs of the AP620 in a PX-830 form factor.

Strange - i though I have read the specs of the px-830 and it 2 x 20 Watts, which is the same as the AP-420

when will AP-620 be available in the US?

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I guess the big difference between the Celviano AP-X20 range and Privia PX-830 is the latter is a compact piano, just what I'm looking for.

I like the red felt behind the keys, probably does nothing more than make the keyboard look like that of a real piano but a nice touch.
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Am I right in thinking the PX830 is a dressed up version of the 130/330? I don't mean this in a bad way just that there isn't anything new or improved in the action of sound reproduction...although the speaker system is no doubt bigger and better and with more power and of course the texture of the keys but digitally so to speak everthing is the same, is that right? And of course having a louder and better speaker system would be a significant step up because the onboard speakers on the 130 and 330 are not all that great and the quality of the sound reproduction only really comes out through headphones on those models, so better speakers would be kind of a big deal potentially. Sorry, don't mean to ramble just comparing in my own mind what the advantages of the PX830 might be; I see in the specs that it doesn't have the 16 track recorder that the 330 does but it's recorder has a '5000 note limit'. It does have the sd card though and like the 130 (but unlike the 330) it has the 60 songs/scorebook feature. I'm not sure if it has the line-in feature so you can line in an outside device like a cd player.

What i really wanted to bring up though and ask about is the pedal unit. it looks to be integrated into the cabinet. With the 330/130 (730 I'm not sure) you can just get the 3 pedal unit optionally so if it were to have a problem getting another pedal unit from another manufacturer would be no big deal but how about the 830 since it looks more built into the cabinet? i know it's somewhat up in the air if this is an issue or a non-issue, the quality of the 3 pedal unit but would you be able to replace it if need be with another maker's 2 or 3 pedal unit? ...So if there's a place to plug it in like on the 130/330 would another unit have to sit bu itself outside the cabinet or would it be able to fit into it?

Lima,
Looks like the PX 830 is actually the PX-130 in a console cabinet with the Ivory keys and a 40 watt amp. Pedal unit appears integrated like a Celviano. Actually, I'm wondering about the PX-730 as the 730/830 are so close in features. The only thing different is the 830 has the console cabinet, ivory coated keys, and 40 watt amp. Pedal unit seems integrated and proprietary.

On the 730 the pedal that is? So maybe the worst case scenario would be if the pedal broke you'd have to just get another...does it then just unplug from the 830/730 i wonder and you can pop a new one in? I'm sure the casio guy is freaking out but i am saying IF it broke!

Lima,
If the pedal were to break on a 730/330/130, it can be replaced. It is on a bar that attaches to the wooden stand. The 830 is built more like a Celviano where the pedal is part of the cabinet. It is surprising to me how close these two are in features.

The models that are closest to each other are the PX730 and PX830 because they're console types. For my secondary DP, I'm leaning towards one or the other, though the PX830 has the upper hand for now. (Though I may have to shell out a bit more than I want to). Lemme see...according the brochure, the main differences between the two are:

Speakers: PX-830 = 20W+20W / PX-730 = 8W+8W
SD card slot for the PX-830
Line Out for PX-830 2(L/MONO,R). No Line In listed.
Both have USB ports. NO MIDI ports.
The PX-830 has a head phone hook. The music stand is integrated on the key cover.
And of course, the very nice keys on the PX-830 which attracted me to it in the first place. Digital-spec wise, I believe the Privia line is the same all through out, though.

Marimorimo,
There were more differences between the PX-720, PX-800 which the 830 replaces this year. The 720 had 11 tones 2 track 5000 note recording, Midi IN/Out. The PX-800 had 162 tones, 50,000 note recorder, Card Reader, Line Out, USB, Midi. So clearly, they've taken features off the new model and now there are less differences between them.

The 830 though still has the card reader (730 does not). In some ways taking off the 162 tones and just having 16 (on both 730 and 830) is no big deal to me. I guess the look of the 830 is a little more formal living room style than the 730 but the biggest differences i see are the 20w amp over the 8w amp and the textured keys.

I'd like to see a morphing of features on a model....maybe call it the 530...not that it would have everything in the interest of cost but my wish list would be;

1. 16 tones would be sufficient. 2. Better sound quality out of the amp/speakers, not necessarily the 20w/channel like the 830 but enough and quality of speakers to not have people say the sound quality leaves something to be desired where you need to use headphones to be happy.
3.Two headphone jacks that are 1/4" and on the front not the side.
4.Line-outs and just as importantly, line-ins like on the 330. Lets you tap in a cd or other device for reference learning. Card reader.
5.Just the metronome would be ok; at least the 5000 note recorder but why not make it a little more not necessarily the 16 track as on the 330.
6. The textured keys.

So basically still portable like the 130/330 but with decent sound from the speakers and the textured keys. And since it would be not including some of the features on the 330; extra tones, 16 track recorder, rhythms, or of course the included stand/cabinet of the 730/830, make it the same list as the 330. Also leave in the 60 songs/book.

The following is not specific to Casio, I would say the same about Roland or Yamaha if they had similar models:

The 16 track recorder can make sense on a DP like the 330 as it has all the voices to "simulate" a band or an orchestra. That is not the case of DPs like the 830 with its 16 voices.

I don't see the big + to have the headphones plug on the front. It is not a + to me, it is a cons as it is more likely to be bothered with it when I play - I have no issue with the plug on the side.
There are adapters if the 1/4 vs. 1/8 is an issue - so not a show stopper there either.

So you are looking for something like the 830, but you seem to be concerned about the price. This is the unknown so far. I do not expect Casio to surprise us negatively in this area.
Where I would pay attention is the overall quality of the DP, including the cabinet and its finish, pedals and keyboard. I expect them to progress (read being more aggressive after brands known to deliver quality products and having exemplary customer service) in this area.

Vincent, I think those are good points you made about the headphones in front as well as the plug size being no bigee.

The price is not necessarily the issue. I'm thinking the PX830 probably will list at $899 (I could be wrong but i'm basing this on the PX800 currently going for 899 it seems everywhere)so if you could snag a 20% deal like most places had and some still do you could maybe get the PX830 for $720 (again, somewhat conjecture) That's not all that much more than the $560 the PX330 can be found for and with the inclusion of the stand and better keys, 3 pedal unit...that's fair. ---My idea on a DP that would include the better key surface as well as an improved speaker system (say even 12 w per channel with better speakers) was just to retain the portability of the PX130 with a couple of the higher quality features of the 830. ----If the textured keys go over well I'd almost imagine they'd just put them on all their DPs with the next generation so if they just made the speaker system more of winner, added the line-in, line-outs, and the textured keys they would have better 130 so to speak.

Lima,
Since it appears Casio is trying to fill what it sees as a void in the marketplace (light weight and portability) they are forced to make trade offs. And one of those in my opinion is the on board speakers. One of the things that also steered me toward the 575 was I thought it sounded better through its on board speakers than the PX 320 when I was comparing. To be fair, the cabinet is bigger on the 575 and it weighs more. I imagine they could use better components, but that would likely cause the price to go up, and considering Casio is keeping these pianos well below what Yamaha charges they are competing on price and features or adding more value for less money. That seems to be central to how their pianos are marketed. That's not to say they might not change this philosophy as I expect with Mike Martin on board, (being a professional musician with his background and contacts), Casio's quality will go up rather than down.

galaxy, no, i hear you and my post was not so much as a complaint rather than more of a composite wish-list of the features i'd like to see in one piano; the portability but also a bit better sound from the speakers; and then not taking away the line-ins on the 830 which for me is a great learning tool as i've been recording snippets off of youtube, lessons as well as just people playing pieces, and then using them as references to learning while i'm playing. So by lining in my (md recorder) i don't have to keep taking off headphones and swapping them with the md's headphones because i'm just lined in on the 330 which is the only one of the 4 that have this. Then of course the textured keys sound like something to throw into the mix! But i realize you can't make all the people happy all the time! My idea of eliminating some features such as the 16 track recorder, the rhythms and the extra tones and then adding in the nice keys, the line-ins and the even slightly improved speakers was an acknowledgement of cost factors and why i figured such a composite as i'd wished for might go for about the same as the 330 does now.

What are the 16 sounds on the px 130? I cannot find anyplace that actually tells me what those sounds are. lol

Here they are, NoFingers:

Grand Piano Modern
Grand Piano Classic
Grand Piano Variation
Elec Piano
FM E Piano
60's E Piano
Harpsichord
Vibraphone
Pipe Organ
Jazz Organ
Elec Organ 1
Elec Organ 2
Strings 1
Strings 2
Bass (Lower) 1
Bass (Lower) 2

They are on page E7 of the manual and also in the appendix.

Note that the two Bass tones only apply the tone to the lower part of the keyboard.

Rich

Thank you, DragonPianoPlayer. I forgot about trying to download the manual. Another question, if you or anyone knows, is the 4 sampled layers for the Grand Piano modern only, or does it include classic and variation as well?

All of the pianos use 4 dynamic layers.

Both those piano sounds are nice but i like the classic better; no doubt suited for classical more than the modern which is brighter, although i play as much popular music I still prefer the classic sound a bit more.

A question for Mike Martin if he might know this; Will the white PX130 be released in the U.S. any time soon? I like my 330 so much i'm considering getting a 130 for someone as a Christmas gift.

Thanks for the clarification Mike, I appreciate it.

limavady> I agree with you as well, I also tend to like the mellower/darker tone more then the brighter on just about any type of music, classical or not.

We have not confirmed if we will be bringing in the white model yet. If we do, it would be February or March at the earliest. I'll try to keep you posted.

HI Mike,
when will the new AP models be here? AP620

I best guess at this time is early Spring - Perhaps March.

thank you

Question to Mike:
Re. PX-130:
How do you master a soundmodule since there are no MIDIports?

Am I right in this:
The tone "60's e.piano" is sampled with tremolo on PX-330, without tremolo on PX-130?