Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards PX-860 vs PX-850 Grand Piano tones (throw in PX-360 too)

Currently, I own a Casio PX-350. It has served me well over the past year but it is going to a close relative for his Christmas present.

I'm a late intermediate-early advanced pianist that is concerned with the piano tone more than the other tones. Although, I'll take any additional tones that I can get!

I have an opportunity to purchase a PX-850 or AP-450 for a better discount than the PX-860. I'm under the impression that the actual improvements of the PX-860 were in the Hall Simulators and other non-piano instruments and that the actual piano tones are the same. Is this correct?

Also, does the PX-360 have an improved piano tone over the PX-350? I thought I read that the PX-360 now has string resonance that the PX-350 does not have. Then I read a conflicting post saying otherwise.

Thanks!

Casio PX-360 gained adjustable Reverb depths. Something the 350 did not do.

and Casio says: "Matching the high quality of the keys is an immersive and authentic 9-foot concert grand piano sound powered by Casio's powerful AiR (Acoustic and Intelligent Resonator) Sound Source. It uses Linear Morphing technology to create smooth, dynamic transitions from the softest to loudest sounds, as well as Damper Resonance to accurately recreate the experience of the strings resonating against the piano's soundboard when the damper pedal is pressed. String Resonance accurately models the harmonic relationships between the vibrating strings, allowing the notes to interact with one another. Hammer Response allows control over the time between pressing the key and hearing the strings, and Key Off Simulation allows control of a note's decay by how quickly the key is released.

I just briefly compared the concert grand voices of the PX-350 and the PX-160 through headphones. I didn't play the PX-350 for very long as I have it resting on my treadmill barely off the ground.

I couldn't find any differences between the two keyboards' concert piano voice. They sounded pretty good through good headphones but not comparable to Pianoteq.

I tested string resonance on both models. I silently pressed down on C2 and C3 and while those notes were depressed, I played C4 and C5. I didn't notice any difference between C4 and C5 played solo or with lower C notes depressed. In comparison, with Pianoteq, you hear all kinds of harmonics and other harmonics when a held down note is combined with a perfect 4th or perfect 5th.

Even though the Casio piano voice sounds great compared to digital grands of years past, they sound rather lifeless compared to the Pianoteq grand pianos.

It's surprising that Casio, having three years to develop their new line of Privia pianos, did not make substantial improvements in their grand piano voices. I heard from a music store owner who went to Namm that other voices were improved as well as accompaniment styles on the PX-360. But with all the strides in technology and the plunging prices of storage, there's little difference between the PX-150 and the PX-160.

I love the keyboard as a controller, and for the price I got the PX-160 for ($425 + a $50 gift card), it is an unbelievable value.

When Casio announced the new Privias, I was hoping there would be mechanical improvements in the already satisfactory action, bringing it closer to a real piano's feel. However, there is no difference in key feel and no noticeable difference in key sound.

Here is the advertised difference between the PX-150 and the PX-160:

"The new Casio PX-160 digital piano includes all of the great features found in the PX-150 plus an upgraded 2 x 8-Watt speaker system and an added line-out for easy connection to external speakers in case you're looking for even more oomph! You also get all new realistic string ensemble and electric piano sounds for a total of 18 different tones in this versatile digital piano powerhouse. Last but not least, the new PX-160 comes with two headphone jacks on the front for easy access. Say hello to silent practice sessions!"

From statements in the musicplayer.com forum by Mike Martin, I think the improved string and EP sounds result from editing the existing preset instruments on a PX5 and backporting the new parameters to other Privia pianos. This doesn't require the development and production of new sample ROMs (let alone base sample set) but may also explain why the pianos are the same.

Then again, the base sample sets of most manufacturers don't generally change for many years, see DPBSD.

Unfortunately, only the top PXes/APs have string resonance (PX850/860, AP450/460/etc). And it's not as accurate as Pianoteq of course but no sampled piano -- whether hardware or software -- hits this point.

Thanks for all of the replies so far!

I think I would really like string resonance this time around on my digital. If I get another Casio it sounds like it's between the AP450 vs PX860 for me.

Hi there.
I was in sort of a similar situation. Intermediate level, looking for board for headphone practice and for little girl maybe joining her music studio's band. I am clueless when it comes to these things, so I relied on two reviews to guide me (Pianomanchucks comparison of PX350 and 360, and Tom Praskin's digital piano reviews).

Admittedly, I cannot tell the full difference between symp string res AIR on the 360 or the older M engine sound source of the 350. Muzykoz ?spelling? has a youtube demo where an attractive and talented young lady plays with the PX 360 and ES100, and though I own the PX 360, I liked the sound of the Kawai better, especially in the higher notes. That is not to say the Casio sounds bad. It is great! Just different than the Kawai.

And Pianotech 5 meets and exceeds any expectations I have almost each time I get around to plugging it all together and getting it to work.

Lastly, the Celviano AP450's built-in speaker system sounds great, but it is not a board so not as easily portable.

So for me, the decision boiled down to trusting the reviews of the previously mentioned authors/contributors/musicians/reviewers, hoping I could learn to hear the difference over time, and the ease of use with the TOUCHSCREEN.

Hope info helps, CJM