Hello everyone........

I have never played an acoustic grand before.......just bought a new p85....and I am a complete beginner.....

I had a few questions.....like
1.)while trying to press a key repeatedly I noticed that the key does not produce a sound if I press the key again before the key has come back to some height......is that true for an acoustic grand?
2.)p85 has a GHS keyboard.....does that mean they are semi weighted than a yamaha acoustic grand? how much time will it take to switch over to a GHE keyboard if I keep practicing on the p85 for months?
3.)Comparing it with a yamaha concert grand......at what volume level can I set my p85 so that it will produce the same loudness as that of the acoustic grand for striking a key with the same velocity, or the p85's speakers are way too small to produce that much sound? - someone with a p85 could help me with this question......

1) Yes. The key does need to come back up about 1/2 way before it will sound again. On the P85 the note will have to stop before you can replay it. The P85 emulates an acoustic upright piano. Some pianos will allow the note to be replayed before it is stopped if the key is first raised past 50% but not above about 75% But this is very esoteric and something you will not need to worry about for years.

2) You should be able to adapt quickly. Every acoustic piano is different, even two of the same make and model. Part of learning to play piano is learning to adapt to different pianos. The GH/GHE keys take a bit more force

3) There is no way the P85 can reproduce that level of sound. It's not even close. And do you really want this? Acoustic pianos are loud enough to be heard in the house next door.

The challenge with producing the same level of sound as a grand is the normal hi-fi challenge. I have one of the P85's sisters and a grand, so can comment.

At 6W x 2, the amplifier/speaker combination in the P85 can produce a decent enough sound for the person sitting at the keyboard, and it is quite sufficient for a small, quiet room. However, at full volume, the sound starts distorting, and you are never going to get the bass and impact of a grand from speakers that would sit comfortably in a decent portable radio.

If you want a big sound in a domestic setting, you may want to get a set of reasonable powered speakers, say the Logitech Z-2300, or connect the piano to a hi-fi.

Yamaha's own view of what makes the same sound as a concert grand piano is indicated in the amplifier/speaker combination they built for their N3 digital piano:

Spatial Acoustic Speaker System:
Amplifiers: 22W x 10 + 30W x 4 + 80W x 2
Speakers:(16cm + 13cm + 2.5cm) x 4
Soundboard Resonator: Yes

The P85 is a really good keyboard - I hope you enjoy it.

P85, of course, "really good kbd". When I try play P85 I meet with very strange kbd behaviour - I press key strongly and hear forte, then I press same key weakly and hear piano. But when I release same key and press same key strongly again I not hear forte. This behaviour I hear not for all, but for some inmportant keys ... Very strange

It just amazes me that someone could ever even look at a P-85, never mind play or own one and think it could reproduce the volume and response to velocity as a Yamaha concert grand.

Anyway, I'm off to my Fiat dealer to see what accelerator position I need for my Panda 1.1 Eco to drive like a Bugatti Veyron. Or can anyone here help me with that? A guess would do. Anyone?

Some peoples have dream to convert your snail to Bugatti Veyron... Think about Space Shuttle and Bugatti will only snail...

The OP said he has never played a grand piano. He may have zero idea what they sound like. So it might be reasonable for him to ask.

A full size grand can reach volume level where you are on the border line of needing ear plugs to prevent hearing damage. Almost as loud as a electric guitar or a live drum kit

Thank you ChrisA and mric.......you actually helped me........just look at EssBrace......

I'm very happy with my P-85, which I use for gigging as well as for home play and some controller functions.

My complaint is with the speaker system, which, in my opinion, is barely adequate...I really like the action, which is neither too light, nor too heavy.

Considering the price, it's a terrific bang for the buck, and is well made and very durable...mine has seen a lot of hard use, and still plays very well with no loose or noisy keys, and no problems with key contacts.

I solved the speaker problem by buying a Logitech Z-2300 2.1 Stereo system...it gives the P-85 a sound far better than digitals costing three times as much...you can really appreciate the low notes (they have that "clank" of a big grand) as well as crisp highs and rich full mids.

A combination certainly worth a hard look.

Snazzy

Where do you put the satellites on this speaker system? Do you put it on the keyboard?

Presently mine are on wall shelves on either side of the piano, and down a little, because of the angle of the speakers.

You could also get some cheap speaker stands...a friend of mine uses modified folding music stands (the cheap skinny metal ones)...he's figured out a way to attach them...not sure how, but if I find out I'll post it.

The Logitech's were quite a surprise to me, as they weren't designed for this kind of use...but they are awesome.

Snazzy

I have an older CLP-840. I run the aux out through my computer and then to my 2.1. I recommend you place the speakers a little behind the piano. If the speakers are right on the piano it sounds unnatural. Remember, when your sitting at a grand the sound comes over from behind the music rack.

I position the speakers two octaves each side of middle C, on a shelf behind the piano and the bottom of the speakers just a tad below the top of the piano. The speakers are built to lean back slightly and project a more upward sound. I also turn the speakers just a bit inward. Since the piano is near a wall, the positioning and inward turn lets the sound bounce around and come over the piano like the grand (with the lid open). I keep the subwoofer on the floor and at the left toe of the piano. I turn it slightly into the piano stand and let the deep base bounce below. I generally have turn the sub bass control to about 75%.

One of the other adjustments I make is I place just a short amount of delay (maybe a 4 or 5 on a max 20) to give the piano a bit sustain like a grand with a duplex scale. Sometimes for a classical-Romantic piece I will change from delay to chorus (same 4-5). The only drawback is that Yamaha does not allow you to adjust the tone color through the AUX OUT and I would like it to be more mellow than the "bright" Yamaha sound. But I can live with it.

I don't set my computer volume too much more than about 25%, otherwise it's too overpowering.

These may sound like mundane steps, but compared to the built in speakers the sound is vastly improved. I have had a couple people who own acoustics and yes they tell me it's not the real thing but they are suprised that the sound comes at them with much more realism. I recently visited a Yamaha dealer and tried the 340, while the touch was better than my 840 and the keys didn't clunk like my 840, I felt my set up sounded much better. Can't wait to get a VI and try this out.

I would advise go to a dealer and play a bit on a grand and listen to how you hear the sound. Then give it a try on yours and see what happens.

Amateur Jerry

This logitech is really interesting. How would you think it would compare to the onboard sound system of my CLP 330?

I'll look into these Logitech speakers. Have you ever compared these to some of the lower cost studio monitors? I also looked into the the M-Audio BX5a.

I currently have my computer speakers connected to my Yamaha P155, but they don't sound much different than the onboard speakers.

The P85 is a weighted-key digital piano, and any weighted-key
digital piano has its sound sampled from a concert grand and
its keyboard action modeled after a concert grand action.
So what you have there is essentially a concert grand-like instrument
on which you can play anything, even the biggest big-time
concertos. So your concerns are unwarranted. You can
learn piano just as well on a P85 as on a $100,000 concert
grand. People in fact take piano lessons using
61-key, unweighted portable keyboards, and they have
little trouble playing on the grand pianos in their teachers' studios.

I have a $600 Williams digital, which is less expensive that
your digital, and every day I practice a big-time concerto
movement on it. If I thought that a grand piano would improve
my playing, I'd go out today and buy one. But I'm an experienced
player, and I know that you can't improve your playing
by buying a grand piano. If you can't play something on
a Williams or a P85, you won't be able to play it
on a grand piano either.