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Hi i'm brand new here and i'm really considering buying a Yamaha YDP-160 sometime this month ive been saving to buy a digital piano for about two months now and i almost have enought. The YDP-160 is the one i'm considering and i want to know peoples opinion on it. Ive played it at the store and it really sounds nice in my opinion. So people who own it can you please tell me a little more about your experiences with this piano i would appreciate it very much thank you.

Barton,

if you buy a Yamaha YDP 160 at Guitar Center between Feb 12 and Feb 15 you will get 15 % discount, as long as you have the "president week-end sale" coupon.

Are you sure the coupon applies to Yamaha. Every other of GC's coupons has fine print excluding a long list of brands, basically moost anything you'd really want, like Yamaha, Fender, Apple and so on.

i would but the guitar center is extremely far from where i live, i'm gonna have to buy it from a Sam Ash store that's nearer to my house.

I tried the ydp160 and found I really did not like the way the controls worked. I'd need to keep the user manual handy to do simple things. I liked the row of buttons across the top of the P155 and the YDP223 much better. The 155 had slight better specs (another layer of velocity samples) and cost less. I like the two pianos on either side of the YDP160 better.

There is also a YDP161 about ready to hit the stores

For consoles in this price range, the 160 is about as good as it gets. But, yes, the controls are lacking. But if you're a pure piano player, that might not matter much. (I am. I have a CLP240. I sometimes touch the brilliance setting. And I alternate between the Piano 1 and Piano 2 voices. For the most part, the rest of the cockpit controls just sit there, untouched. So a lesser functioning control panel wouldn't disappoint.)

If you're willing to give up the console and go for a slab, the 155 is a nice choice.

I'd skip the 223. It's well past its retirement age. The time for single-layer sampling is long past.

yeah exactly i dont really think i'm going to be using the controls much. I just care about the sound and feel of the piano, also if it's durable, like it doesn't break easily right? if it well taken care of?

I am not sure that the YDP 160 is better than the "old" YDP 223. By the way, the guy who demonstrates digital pianos for Kraft Music on Youtube.
prefers the YDP 223.

The keyboards use the same key action. So one is exactly as durable as the other. Internally the The 160 has more sample layers. (the P155 has even one more layer) but the YDP223 has the best set of speakers and amplifiers. And on any DP the speakers are always the weak link. We like to read the specs and compare technical features but in the end we listen to the speakers and that is what matters most.

The best one is the N100. It has some really nice speakers and sounds the best.

It's unfortunate that in the current Yamaha line up the DP with the best speakers (ydp223) has the lowest specs for sound generation and the one with the best sound generation (p115) has the weakest speakers. The ydp160 is maybe a middle ground but does not have the best of anything.

Yes, plainly so. That's why I don't think it's important to consider the speakers at all. Just go for an external sound system. For very little money you can buy amps and speakers that are far better than those found in just about any piano.

So my thinking is this: The YDP-223 needs an external sound system. So does the YDP-160. So buy the latter, get the better tone generator, and spend less money.

I bought a Yamaha YDP-160 a couple of weeks ago for home practice (to replace an older Roland I had that died). I find the feel of the GHE Keyboard to be very realistic, and I have no problem adjusting between it and the acoustic pianos I play at Church, nursing homes, and senior centers around town. For home practice I find the speakers to be very adequate for the small 12 X 12 room I have the unit in, and they fill the room nicely. The YDP is lacking in controls, but I've learned the couple of settings that I use, and it hasn't been a problem for me. I would say that I wish the Metronome had a display of the tempo. I tried the Clavinova line and the 320 isn't a better keyboard, but the 340 is. I didn't think it was enough of an upgrade to warrant an extra $1000.00. I would say if you're on a tight budget and looking for a DP with realistic keyboard feel for home practice the YDP 160 is a great choice. There are better choices but not for the money.

how come when i asked for the arius line he said that it is just a KEYBOARD AND NOT FOR A SERIOUS PIANO PLAYER. He kept pushing the Yamaha Clavinova 320. he even discounted it to 1500 from 2200 (probably trying to sell me the floor model). He even played on it and pushed the keys hard. It sounded wonderful but they dont have any Arius YDP 160 to compare it to. when i went home i looked it up in the Piano Buyer, it doesnt have much difference (i think) except for the speakers which the Clavinova 320 has better and the keyaction which the YDP 160 has better.

I think it is just the name but now im confused I really wanted to buy the Yamaha Arius YDP 160 but because of what he said I'm not sure anymore.

Don't ever trust what a commissioned salesman tells you.

I like his great "technical explaination "NOT FOR A SERIOUS PIANO PLAYER" You should have asked what features a "serious player" would need that are present in his piano but not preset in the YDP160.

Digital pianos have three main parts. Key action, Sound generation and Audio. When comparing DPs look at each part independently

My guess is that the salesman simply does not know anything about models not in his store. He might actually think the YDP line is some kind of low-end non weighted keyboard. That is why I suggested asking a very specific question like "what feature is in this DP but not in that one?" and then if he can't talk using real names and numbers he is just blowing BS.

Amen to that.

I see you point about challenging the salesman about his BS statement. But I don't think it's worth the effort. If a salesman expects to get me to spend, yet confronts me with BS, my instinct is to leave. I just can't tolerate the BS.

Perhaps. Or maybe it's because the markups on the Clavs are so much higher. More commission.

Loved that advice ChrisA that made me confident in my buying decision. If I ever meet salesman like that, Ill be sure to remember what you said.

so all in all, it's a good choice right?

barton - If you can get your hands on a YDP-160 for under $1100 or so go for it! It's not a bad little instrument. I'm happy with mine. Will you mistake its sound for an Avant-Grande? Not likely! But it's a perfectly suitable starter piano. Chris is right about the Clavinova 320! Other than having 128-note polyphany and possibly having the speakers of a YDP-223, its just a slightly fancier 160 with the Clavinova name pasted on it. Snobbery might account for more of the price differential between the two, rather than any substantial audio differences you could actually hear. If you don't need to have a console-style piano, the P-155 is a slightly more costly (when optioned up with the stand) alternative that gives you more "expansion" options (line-outs for external amplification). Since I'm only 2/3rds of the way through Alfred's Book 1, my 160 should serve me in good stead, at least, until I get out of Book 3. By then, I'll want a Clavinova 340 or whatever replaces it a couple of years from now!

the ydp-160 at my store costs $1300 including tax.the clavinova, and the YDP-223 cost more and i really didnt want to waste more the $1400 thats why i was thinking of buying YDP-160

I just bought P155 from musicianFriend.com (for $1199)as they had $200 gift cert for purchase over 1000. with the coupon I bought the stand and all other items. I think web is tax free for most of the states. I think P155 could be a better choice as it has additional layer of samples and also the same action. But it doesnt look like a real piano like 160 and P155 has only 12W amp. I think YDP160 has 20W amp. P155 is easily portable

Actually, without a coupon and including any state tax that's not a bad price. I looked for coupons for you, but couldn't find anything like the deal Chris and I got around Christmas. If you really want it - get it and start enjoying it!