Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards Yamaha N1 Delivered!/First Impression

I finally ended up buying the N1 last week and it was delivered to my house yesterday.

In the end, no stores in my area had a V-piano to try so I crossed that one out, and I couldn't find an RD800 to demo either. I only found the RD700, and I was told if I wanted the RD800, I would have to buy it sight unseen. At any rate, I didn't need any portability and I preferred built in speakers so I didn't end up going for that either. At any rate I wouldn't have used any of the functions other than the piano voices anyway.

I liked the Kawai CA97's sound quite a lot but didn't like the action as much as the N1. After thinking for a while, I decided the action was more important so I bought the N1.

So far, I've only been able to play it for about 40 minutes before I had to leave for the day. I've followed people's advice on the sensitivity settings and after trying the 3, I really like setting 1 the best as most people have reported. The sound out of the onboard speakers in my house is slightly synthetic and not quite convincingly acoustic but I haven't played them with my Sennheiser HD598's yet. I expect it to sound better through headphones. Also, the playing feels slightly disconnected in the lower octaves because the onboard speakers don't seem to be powerful enough to produce what I feel like is an accurate reaction. So if I'm playing ff in the lower 1.5 octaves, the keys feel slightly empty with respect to the sound. It doesn't feel like there's the right amount of power from what I expect. However, this is a non-issue with headphones from what I remember from trying it in the store, which is what I will be mostly using.

I am quite impressed with the action in that it does feel quite close to an average grand piano. Although I feel that the dynamic range, especially ppp are harder to achieve and maybe 10-15% less responsive than most grands I've played. Either that, or perhaps I've played my CP300 for too many years and now lack the technique/finger control for a more sensitive action. After my initial 40 minutes, at this point I find the N1's action to be more sensitive and less predictable than my CP300 probably because I'm not used to the new piano. I remember having this reaction as well when I played my cousin's Steingraeber over Christmas too.

Now my first concern that I never noticed in the store is that the keys are really really loud. If I keep the volume at 50%, through onboard speakers, or turn the volume off, the keys click and clunk very noticeably. However, when the volume is greater than 70%, this can't be heard anymore. My CP300 definitely doesn't exhibit this behaviour, but I'm wondering if it's because the CP300 obviously has no hammers? I also can't remember, or maybe it's completely not noticeable on any grand I've played because the sound cannot turn off, therefore I can't hear the clunking??

For example, looking at a few youtube videos, especially this person's you can hear his N1 clunking quite a lot too. I think he records his videos at a fairly low volume but this is what I'm talking about.

This video is not me, and I do not own any rights to this video. I'm merely linking it here to demonstrate the key noises I'm talking about.

N1 key action sounds video

Overall, I'm going to play it a lot more before I make a conclusion on how much I like it but so far I'm liking the feeling of the action. Not sure how I feel about the noise though.

Michiyo-Fir, congrats on your new piano!

I've played the N1 on a few occasions, and have always enjoyed the sound produced - both through the speakers and headphones. The action is truly excellent.

Given that you're used to playing the CP300, it will surely take a little time for your fingers to adjust to the more realistic keyboard action and refined sound. I also wouldn't worry too much about the action noise - all keyboard actions produce noise to a greater or lesser extent.

You own a beautiful instrument... enjoy it!

James
x

I tried one o` those last time I was in the piano shop. It was really good; dare I say, a mite better than my DGX . . But the bass was a tad quiet, as though you were listening to it from the privelidged front seats, instead of playing it! It`s got to be better that way, but . . .

A small bass (stereo) amplifier would suffice.

Congrats on your purchase!

The closer that DPs try to emulate acoustic action feel, the more sound you may get from the action itself when the volume is less than what an acoustic would be at. You are correct in assuming that since you can't turn the volume off on an acoustic you don't notice the action sound. Try not to play at a lower volume if at all possible - just work with headphones if sound carrying to the next room is an issue.

Over time you will grow accustomed to the action feel and sound (if it's still audible). Going from a CP300 will definitely take some adjusting and at first it will be more demanding for you to play on, but this will be good overall because you will gain more control to be able to play dynamics. At first you will get random notes sounding louder or softer than you intended, but this is not a problem of the action but simply you getting accustomed to it. Over the next few weeks of daily playing, however, you will grow to love it, I'm sure.

As for the weakness in the bass, I know what you mean. You may need to supplement the onboard speakers with a subwoofer and additional speakers. I'm not quite sure what the N-1 will allow to be connected to it, but I'm sure you'll be able to try out some options to see what works best in your set up.

The action noise of an acoustic piano is quite loud. If you ever ask a piano technician to mute all 3 strings on a note, the sound as the hammer hits the string is surprisingly loud. When you mute any strings under the capo bar, the sound of the hammer hitting the capo bar is extremely loud. It sounds similar to someone knocking on a door loudly.

Enjoy the N1. The AvantGrand is the least predictable digital I've played, and at least in that respect, more akin to real piano than other digitals. Still a real piano is usually a lot more unpredictable. Learning to cope with this unpredictability is part of the art of playing the piano, IMHO.

I believe I was the first to mention sensitivity setting of 1 is more realistic compared to an acoustic piano. I posted that almost 5 years ago for the N3 and at the time I was comparing it to our Yamaha GC1(M). Today we have the C3X, and I realize the sensitivity settings depends on the volume of the N3. At 70-80%, I still prefer setting of 1. At higher volumes, especially at 100%, I now prefer the setting of 2 (default) as being closest in response to our C3X. I agree with you that the last time I tried the N1, the bass is weak in comparison to the N3, and when pushed hard produces some distortion (volume at max). The N3 does not distort with volume at 100%. Our 5-year-old N3 is completely without issue. I am sure you will enjoy your N1 for years to come!

I agree with this 100%. When I'm playing through headphones, the bass sounds great, but after I use headphones and then take them off, it sounds like the bass is lacking impact quite a lot. It's not that the bass is not there, but It doesn't have the tightness or thump of an actual acoustic piano. However, the N1 sounds fantastic and extremely responsive through headphones!

I've fooled around with it for a couple of hours yesterday and now I'm growing slightly more accustomed to the action.

It's so funny because I learnt piano on our family's Bosendorfer 290 and Steingraeber but I'm kind of surprised how not used to a real piano action I am after 5ish years away from it! Despite having played on grands for 10 years I now have to readjust!

No digital piano will feel exactly like a real grand piano. Every time I play the N3 (it's in a different house so only a few times a month), I noticed how it is not at all the same as my C3X despite the fact that the N3's action are modified from the C3, so should be very similar. It is not. The N3 still feels more like a digital piano than an acoustic one to me.

I only had a few opportunities to play a Boesendorfer Imperial! I cannot imagine living with one for 10 years! A Steingraeber, too? Wow, that's so awesome. I cannot imagine any digital action coming even remotely close to the top tier grand pianos. A Yamaha Disklavier or Yamaha Silent SH piano's action is different from a standard acoustic. Had I bought the C3X-SH that action is different from my standard C3X, especially for playing p and pp. There is no substitution for the unmodified real thing.

Are you kidding me?!

Hahaha I was spoiled. The Bosendorfer Imperial is my family's when I used to live in the UK. My 2 cousins and I all grew up playing that piano. However, I moved to Canada quite a few years ago and only have room for a digital now. The Steingraeber..I can't remember which exact model, is my cousin's which is also in the UK, this one I haven't played as much as the Bosendorfer and it's a smaller grand, I think around 5ish ft?. I had a Yamaha U3 in Canada but when I moved to a even smaller place, ended up with the CP300, which I didn't like much at all.

I'm about to head to work now but I might be able to dig up a few pics of the Bosie and Steingraeber when I get back.

Back to the N1 though, so far, this is the only digital with an action I've been pretty much satisfied with. It doesn't feel exactly like an acoustic, but the difference is not so far that I feel irritated when I play due to the lack of response that I expect. So far so good.

If I had a digital as my primary instrument, I would probably end up with something like the N1 as well today, though I might go for CLP-585 as well. Got the N3 in 2010, at the time I actually preferred the N2 more, but it was for my mother's house and she refused to put an upright piano in her living room (she doesn't play, nor cared to deal with maintaining a piano; she only cared how it looked.)

If my primary piano today was a digital, I would seriously consider the N1. That's because I'm currently hooked on Pianoteq, and I think the N1 may make a great controller for it. However, 5 years ago, N1 wasn't available, my pedaling skills was non-existent, I preferred the N2 for its less point-source, more realistic diffused sound, but recently, I am realizing and appreciating more the pedaling realism behavior of the N3. I am also much less critical of digital piano in general today no longer demanding virtual reality from it. I see them as tools now, which they are all mostly really good.

Congrats on the N1!! I played one in the piano store and of course wished I could have one. They play really nice. I agree the sound can be improved upon but the action is about as good as it gets for a non-acoustic.

Most things in life are what they are - an acoustic piano is an acoustic piano, and a hybrid piano is somewhere in between. I learned in one of my other hobbies that it is pointless or impossible to try to make something into what it isn't.

Acoustic actions are quite loud. Fortunately, the sound they create is much louder and the action noises don't dominate. When playing a digital piano in a quiet setting, often the volume is lower than an acoustic but we play with the same energy into the keys, so the action noises start to become dominant (or at least more noticeable).