Hey, I'm a newbie to the piano, but I absolutely love it.

I'm a huge fan of Coldplay and similar kinds of music, The Script etc.
I'm looking to learn the piano.

I've asked a friend's advice who's played for years and years, and I have a £400/£500 budget.
I'm stuck between these options:
Casio CDP-120.
Casio Privia PX-150.
Yamaha P105.

What's really important to me is the sound and the action. I really want one that will sound like an acoustic and one that will feel like an acoustic. And my original budget of £400 can be stretched to £500 if it's worth it.
The sort of music I'd like to play is really, Coldplay stuff and the like.

However, I've read here the importance of getting a good set of headphones and I'm not really aware of what that'd be expected to cost me, and if it's something like £40+ I'd be hesitant to get them + the costlier PX-150 and P105 models...

I don't really understand the Midi function and what it can do with a computer, and funky sounds other than acoustic piano aren't important to me.

Hopefully my post is understandable, I'd really appreciate any help!

Thanks.

FWIW --

I tried both the P105 and the PX-150 (actually, a PX-350, but most of the piano sounds and the keyboard are the same).

I'd pick the PX-150, between those two. It sounds, and feels, closer to a "real piano". Somebody else might disagree.

. Charles

Personally, from that selection, I'd probably choose the P105 for sound and the PX-150 for action. But there is personal preference to these things.


You can buy a piano sound for your computer that can be superior to anything built into any of those pianos, and you can play that computer sound using any of these keyboards. That's one of the many things MIDI can let you do, and probably the one that is likely to be of most interest to you at this point. If it is not inconvenient for you to have your computer near your keyboard, this could be an argument for ignoring the sound of the piano itself, and instead only consider the action and the budget. However, when it comes to budget, remember that the piano libraries for the computer cost money as well. Some are quite expensive, but there are moderately priced ones that you will still likely find preferable to the piano sounds built into the keyboards. There are other threads that discuss this.

Thanks!

Okay, thanks a lot.
I'll get researching into MIDI tomorrow. I don't have a computer, I have a laptop though and that would be able to be near the piano I'm pretty sure? I assume it doesn't matter PC or laptop?



Been thinking a bit more and the £500 cost for the PX-150 and P105 as opposed to £320 for CDP-120 is concerning me.
As much as I love the piano I don't have a good track record with instruments (although mainly when I was younger and weren't really instruments I really liked, piano's always been my favourite).
But would you reckon if it didn't work out I'd be able to sell it on ebay?

Thanks.

There is a lot to be said for keeping it simple at the beginning. Although playing sound libraries on your computer can potentially sound better than a stand-alone digital piano, the complexity goes up substantially. There will be plenty to contend with when you are an absolute beginner, and simplicity is your friend at that stage. You'd be better off working on your chops, instead of messing with hardware/software, in my opinion.

A laptop computer is still a computer. But laptop or not, different software can have different hardware requirements (i.e. how fast, how much memory). PC or Mac doesn't make a difference. (Not an iPad though... at least not for the really high quality pianos.)

ron88 has a point though, that to start, simplicity may be more valuable than maximizing sound quality. It's just good to know, though, that whatever model you buy, you can improve the sound in the future by MIDI'ing it to your computer.


Sure. These models are light enough to not be cost-prohibitive to ship. Yamahas probably sell a little more easily than Casios.

Yeah, I agree.

I agree with you, regarding the MIDI.

At the moment I've found:
Casio CDP-120 + Stand + Headphones for £330.
Casio PX-150 + Stand + Headphones for £500.
Yamaha P105 + Stand + Headphones for £505.
Casio PX-330 + Stand + Headphones for £500.

Anyone got a suggestion? Thanks.

The CDP-120 is (obviously) cheapest; I think the PX-150 feels best; I think the P105 sounds best; the PX330 has the most features. People have happily bought all of them. All we can do is point out the differences, after that it's up to you.

A normal rule of thumb is go for the best you can afford. But your history, or apparent lack of enthusiasm goes against that. The CDP120 is OK for a beginner. Just OK really. It can be used as decent controller down the road if you want better sounds. Your turn, to decide?

Yeah, it's tough. Thanks guys.
Just wondering your opinions though, is £130 worth it for the P105 or PX-150 over the CDP-120?

I'm leaning towards the Yamaha. For me personally I think sound is my #1 priority. Although then I consider other opinions I've read and they say PX-150... Hmmmm.

Really appreciate all your help!

Again, no one can answer that for you. Not only is the difference in sound and feel subjective, but so is the value of £130. That is, £130 means something different to someone who makes it in a week versus someone who makes it in a day versus someone who makes it in an hour.

The only thing I'd add, though, is that, among the three units that are £500, since finances are a concern for you and you are also thinking about how easy they would be to sell on eBay, I'd probably lean toward the Yamaha. I think you would likely more easily get back a greater percentage of what you paid, as Yamahas have traditionally held their values better than Casios. Though also, there is kind of a "bottom limit" and also even at the same percentage, a loss will be smaller on a unit that costs less to begin with, so in absolute £, besides being cheapest, the CDP-120 would probably be the one that would yield the smallest out-of-pocket if you sold it, too.

But then of course you'll be less likely to want to sell whatever you get if you're more satisfied with the purchase in the first place!

My personal opinion is go with what you can afford and the one that feels the best. Sound can be really different depending on placement , speakers vs. headphones etc. These can be changed at anytime, by adding external speakers, a sound module or software. Or sometimes just using headphones can make a dramatic difference in how you perceive the sound. Touch on the other hand is limited in that really adjusting the velocity curve is your only option.

I have a MOX8 and a CASIO PX-330. Love the action on the CASIO, love the sound on the MOX8. I don't hate the action on the MOX it just that everything seems easier on the PX-330.
I currently use external speakers and a Roland BK-7m module with their supernatural sounds on it. I got the module essentially free by trading some computer skills for it.
A midi cable made a piano I thought of discarding become the one I play the most!

Thanks very much guys. And thanks for all your help scott.

I'll have a think about it. Got a lot of Uni work to do so it's not something I'll be getting right away. Will investigate more on youtube and stuff and try to make a decision.

Thanks!! Appreciate all your help guys!

I had a CDP-120 and had a honeymoon with it. Really loved it.
The honeymoon ended.
Then I found myself having issues with sound. The feeling keep growing to the point that I could no longer stand it.

It got rid of it and got a Yamaha Clavinova CLP 320. For what I understood, the action and sound of Clavinova line is essentially the same as P series. And I haven't got the same bad feeling with the sound yet.

I played the Priva line in store, it sounded nice. Before Christmas Costco sells Priva 735 with stand and bench for $499. I almost took it home, just I couldn't give myself a reason to have 2 digitals at home......

I've decided on the Yamaha over the Casio PX-150.

Now got to think whether I want to go and spend £500 or get the CDP-120 for £330.

And thanks Monkeys.

That's interesting, how long until you became dissatisfied with it would you say?

In about 3-4 months, for some reasons, I couldn't stand the main piano sound, it became so harsh to me.

But maybe it was just me.

I find that there is indeed a honeymoon period and then you start to look at little things and say, well I like this aspect but this one could be better.

I think you are making the right choice in getting a P105 over a PX150; but I would recommend a PX350 over a P105.

But, from the four items you mentioned I think picking a good choice.

I had a P95 for 2 years; as time went on the quality of the speakers bothered me- in fact I do not think the ones on the PX150 are much better.

I ended up with a PX130 and like it more than the P95 because of more powerful, clearer speakers, a better Fender Rhodes sound and heavier keys.

I sold the P95 to upgrade to a P105 but 2 of mine were broken- so I just gave up for now and didn't get a replacement after the second one.
I had actually purchased a PX350 and and realized 2 were enough (let alone 3)

I'm not an expert on these things, in fact just a beginner looking myself, but is the Yamaha P-35 not another piano that the OP could look at?

rob

Totally- its similar to the P95 but only seems to have 32 note polyphony- but in its price range, it is not something bad to start out on

Thanks!

My friend has found a Casio PX-135 for £400.
In comparison to the ones I have been thinking about, what are your general opinions on sound and action?
What's the general consensus of the PX-135?

I've been looking at youtube videos and it seems like it sounds better than the PX-150 to me?

As I understand it, the PX-135 is a minor variation of the PX-130, the 135 was never available in the U.S.

The PX-130 (and therefore, presumably the PX-135 as well) is a scaled down versions of the PX-330 (same action, same piano sound, fewer features).

And do most people regard the 330 to have a better sound than the P105? In yours or people's opinions, how would the 330 compare to the P105?

Thanks a lot!

I like the P105's sounds better. They are quite an upgrade from Yamaha's previous line and quite pleasing for a piano of that class. Casio's sounds never seem to satisfy me. Everyone has their own opinion, though.

Personally, I liked even the old Yamaha P95 sound better than the PX330. But like GV said, it's your opinion that counts.

Think I've decided I'll go for the Yamaha P105. I feel like if I'm paying either 400 or 500, 100 extra isn't extortionate for what it offers in quality, it seems.

I won't be buying one for a month or two, so got plenty of time to continue giving it some consideration though.

Thanks very much for all your help!

Agreed! Sound wise I would definitely go with the Yamaha over a PX-330. Keyboard wise I would have to give the edge to Casio. Though I really like the demos I've heard of the PX-350!