Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards Behringer Piano at Costco vs Casio Px330

Guys,

I am starting a new thread hoping to get some quick answers.

I am new here and I can't find much on Behringer Eurogrand 2180 that Costco is currently selling for $750+tax including bench. I am surprised, but not much useful info comes up on google either. I am torn between this Behringer model and Casio Px330. I do see a lot of good info on Casio, but when I add the accessories such as CS-67 (stand), SP32 (pedals) and a decent bench, I am looking at about $700+tax at Guitar Center (after a 15% price match). Like most, I'd like to buy from Costco any day with their liberal return policy.

I am buying it for my 9 year old daughter to start with, but I am hoping my two other little boys will use it later as well. So I do care for long term reliability in this budget range. Since it is for kids, I would like all the bells & whistles these two models have to offer. It is her Christmas gift.

Any thoughts or recommendations for me? I am open to suggestions, please.

Thanks.

If their digital pianos are anything like their audio gear, then long term reliability is a joke.

Snazzy

A lot of odd brands show up at these big discount places around Christmas time. And they will be gone shortly after.

Buy from someone who runs a 12 month per year operation and has been doing same for years.

Behringer has a reputation for making lower priced copies of other company's goods. Nothing illegal or shady and actually sort of good values where you get something that is 80% as good for 50% of the price. They are what you call a "value brand" and they make everything from guitar amps to audio mixers and PA speakers. DPs must be a new item from them.

I don't understand people wanting to buy a DP from costco. Is there anyone in the store who can even play a piano or tell you anything about them? Do they have three other brands of DP set up in a room where you can play each and compare the sound? They don't even have the lowest prices?
Do they even carry the better DPs? No to all of that.

GC will beat (not just match) any price and they accept returns for any reason including "I changed my mind."

Well said, Chris.


Snazzy

I just played the Behringer at Costco on Sunday.

Pluses: Nice cabinet, finish and features. Price is cheap.
Minuses: The action is probably the worst feeling action on a digital piano that I've played in years. It's somewhere between a portable keyboard action and a digital action. Piano tone to me was lacking as well.

The two main things most people want in a digital piano is a realistic feeling piano action and good tone. This one has neither IMHO.

That's probably because a lot of their products are unique to Costco. I scanned the UPC code with Redlaser on my iPhone and nothing showed up. Redlaser will scan the bar code and show a list of links and prices. There were other products at Costco that came up blank as well.

Of the 2 I'd get the Casio. You may also want to check out some of the lower priced Yamaha's like the P-85.

Thanks folks for your comments and suggestions. I was considering the Costco Behringer CDP 2400USB (aka Eurogrand 2180) for it's aesthetics, nice features (nice beginner software etc), Costco's extended warranty and good return policy. I did play the piano in store and it felt/sounded as good as Casio but then I am not an expert. Given the key problems reported on Casio Px330 and their limited 1 year warranty, I was just getting skeptical about buying any Casio for kids.

Yes, the Yamahas (YDP223, YDP140, YPG635) I played at Guitar Center felt/sounded better and I may be able to stretch my budget a little bit.. But then I am buying it for a kid who is a beginner, and I would also like some latest bells & whistles. I know YPG635 is a good option for me (GC is running a special too right now), but I don't like the cheap look on it.

I love how YDP223 feels/sounds, except it is almost 10 years old, no USB (need UX16? or some USB to MIDI accessory), lacks some cool features that Casio and Behringer has that my kids and I might enjoy.

Now, I may be able to get GC to match 20% coupon from music123.com and also adjust no tax. So the real question is, is it worth paying about $400 more for a YDP223? Are there better alternatives in that price range?

Thanks once again guys.. Appreciate your help.

I strongly believe that the better the instrument, the more likely your children will enjoy it, and continue with it. Moreover, whilst you may find techie things that the newer pianos you mentioned can do, EVERYTHING boils down to the quality of the sounds and the tactile sensation - that is, the connection between the feel of striking the note and the sound that emanates as a result.

I haven't played those Yamahas in a while, but I did try the Behringer at Costco recently - for about 15 seconds, and found the keyboard action to be spongy and troubling.

Also, if you buy from one of the 'big' names, you are unlikely to have reliability problems, and if you do get a lemon, you will likely find out before the standard warranty is up.

Have you considered a second-hand acoustic? There are many good deals to be had right now.

Good luck,

Jonathan

I don't see anything wrong with
the Behringer. I bought my
first digital piano in 1989, and
even way back then the digitals
played like an acoustic piano.
Today, 20 yrs. later, even the
least expensive digitals have
vastly superior technical specs
compared to the best digitals
of 1989, and so they will play
like an acoustic piano.

Behringer has build a name for
itself in the music business
by selling okay gear at bargain
prices. They have a reputation
to protect and so they are not
going to put their name on
junk. And Costco doesn't sell junk.

In any case, digital pianos are
essentially a computer with
a keyboard and speakers, and, like
pc's, they can be assembled easily
from largely snap-together components:
computer chips, other electrical
components, weighted keyboard,
and speakers. So any small
company can buy the components
of a dp and put together a good
dp, just like any neighborhood
computer store can assemble
a good pc from snap-together
components.

Of course, at this price you're
not going to get a V Piano or
a CLP 380, but you'll have a dp
that will play like an acoustic
piano, and that's what matters.
My digital, an economy model,
was $600 online, and it's okay
for playing anything, from jazz
improv to big concertos.

I take it you've not played one then.

Behringer has a reputation among professionals for making products that fall apart or work poorly. That has also been my firsthand experience.

The PX330 is a good keyboard that could stand up to professional use (and which has a professional feature set).

I have some experience with
Behringer products. At one
time I was thinking of
getting a GEM Promega 3 or
a NordElectro, and to be sure
I was ready to go when it arrived,
I bought a pair of inexpensive
Behringer monitors, just so I'd
have something available to
connect it with. I later
had second thoughts and never
got the GEM or Nord, but I
tried out the Behringer monitors
by connecting them to my
Casio digital, and they were
okay, completely serviceable--
but of course not spectacular.

I've never played a Behringer
digital piano, but I don't need
to. I tried dp's in 1989, the
early days of home dp's, and
the ones back then played
like an acoustic piano, so
I know any weighted-key dp
today, with vastly better
technical specs compared to
1989, is going to play like
an acoustic piano. Of course
it's not going to be as smooth
and sophisticated as a V Piano
or CLP 380, but it will play
like an acoustic piano.

I've tried Behringer at Costco and didn't like the feel and sound of it.

Thanks again, folks.. a lot of help here on this forums. loving it.

Is $1000 a good price for an older Yamaha CVP203? I found one from a local seller who says the instrument is barely used and in excellent condition.

Appreciate your comments on this deal..

Used digitals, like used pc's, are
the best value around. They
lose value fast, because of their
high-tech, digital nature, and
so you can pick up one that's
several yrs. old, and just as good
as a brand new one, for a song.

$1000 is too much for a used dp.
It's a buyer's market when you
shop for used pianos. Any piano
is hard to sell since the number
of players in the population
is small. There's no warranty
and you can get good new digitals
with full warranty for the same
price. There's no place the
seller can unload it fast, since
a piano dealer won't buy it
and a pawn shop will give him almost
nothing for it. The seller
is going to have a hard time
moving it at $1000 and should
be glad to get any offer for it.


The rule when shopping for used
pianos is to offer half or less
than the asking price and
the seller should grab for that
because no one lines up to buy
used pianos and it might be
the only offer he gets. I
would offer $500, provided it's
in perfect condition (test all
88 keys with and without the rt.
pedal). No more than that,
because this is apparently
an old model, and it's
not even worth that if it's
five yrs. or more old.

Thanks, Gyro... I will make an offer, but the seller is saying firm at $1000. I didn't think used DPs that are more than 10 year old are worth so much, so I think you helped me quickly get out of it :-)

Did you know that Walmart sells Casio digitals online? You might want to see what is offered and the prices. They do not sell them in the stores that I know about.

The way to think about this is "What else can I get for $1000?" In this case you can buy a brand new Yamaha P155 and a matching wooden stand. The PP155 uses Yamaha latest sample and sound generation technology as well as the new style of "GH" key action. The other hand the CLP has nice simulated wood color, better speakers and a lid that closes over the keys. So you just have to figure which features you value most. (Yes Music123 still has the P155 w/stand for $1K) If you don't like the P155 then $1K a brand new YDP160 or with discount a YDP223 for not much over $1K.

Sellers typically think about what they paid when they set their price. As a buyer the original retail price should be irrelevant. You should only care about what other things your $1K might buy.

Also you have to put your own value on a warranty. A new Yamaha is covered for three years, used products are "as is". So make up a dollar value and add that into the equation.

You have to be careful when you make a lower offer. People become attached to these DPs and take the low offer as a personal insult and stop thinking rationally. Once told a seller I could buy a new and better DP for his asking price and he told he'd rather give it away then sell it for half what he paid (8 or 10 years ago) I told him that was an-unexpected counter offer but I'd accept. I suspect he still has his DP.

You really _must_ read the manual <- (link), before buying it. You must compare it to something similar new.

It could be a fair deal.

Yep, totally with you, ChrisA. I am going to walk into Guitar Center again to get a feel for P155/85, YDP223/140, etc.

Forgive me ignorance, but do you think YDP223 (eventhough almost 10 years old) has all the latest stuff? Is it worth a few hundred dollars more compared to P155 or 85?

Yes, Betty.. I just saw Walmart selling Casios.. but I would rather buy from Guitar Center... I like everyone at GC and also am looking to build a good relationship for accessories and other stuff..

Yes Huygens, I have been studying and comparing a lot lately.. Too much coffee at night and my head is getting hot really :-)

The P155. YDP160 and YDP223 all share the same key action. The P155 being the newest of the group has the latest piano samples but the speakers in the 223 are the best of the group and speaks really do matter.

The P85, and YDP140 also share the same key action

So I'd say that the YDP223 is in all ways better than the P85 and better then the P155 only if you want the traditional "look" and bigger speakers. All of the portable DPs have speakers that only work for "practice volume level".