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Joined: May 2011
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OP
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Joined: May 2011
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Hi. First time post here...(actually second since i posted this in the wrong forum earlier) You seem to have a wonderful community here and I hope to benefit from you guys. My wife recently indicated a life-long wish of playing piano, and for our house, it would have to be an electronic keyboard. I want her to have a GOOD one though. it seems the weighted keys is the best thing to get to best recreate the feel of a real piano, and with two kids under three, we figured 88 keys is going to grow with our family. so... i don't see much difference between these two to justify the $300 price jump from the $500 DGX530 and the $800 DGX640. We saw the 640 in a store today and it really seems fantastic. The 530 however is described as having "lightly weighted keys." I'm wondering if "lightly" is going to mean "insufficient." thoughts? yes i linked to amazon but i'm planning on buying locally. Also.... this whole usb interface thing.... is it going to trap me into only being able to use yamaha software on a pc to communicate with it? actual MIDI is an established standard, i know, but are each of these brands doing their own thing with usb when they put usb on a keyboard (especially as opposed to MIDI)? thanks everyone. i can't remember the last thing i got my wife something she and i were BOTH excited about. this will be great i'm sure.
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Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 377
Full Member
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Full Member
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 377 |
Initially I was looking at the DGX640 as a possible solution to a digital piano to start with (I have an older unweighted 61 key keyboard now). There's a lot of options and bells and whistles, but none of them are "great" so to speak. The key action, while better than DGX530, is the lightest of Yamaha's "Graded Hammer" actions, using the "Graded Hammer Standard" action. From what I've read here, most people don't think it equates well to an acoustic piano's action, but others have found it acceptable.
The step up in action from that is the "Graded Hammer/Graded Hammer Effect" action for Yamaha. I believe the cheapest digital piano that is on is the P155, which is listed for $999 without a stand. It also doesn't have the gadgets that the DGX640 has. It has a great piano sound, great action, but no frills.
From other companies, you have other options for what a lot of people consider acceptable action. - PX130 and PX330 from Casio - SP250 from Korg
There are other options from Roland and Kawai, but they're going to run more.
I'm certainly not an expert, but I've been going through the same thing and I thought I'd share what I've learned.
EDIT: and the USB connection (if it's USB to HOST), just uses the USB cable to transfer MIDI data. If it doesn't have standard MIDI connections as well, you wouldn't be able to use it to control another MIDI device or have another device control it.
Last edited by Lefty Chev; 05/01/11 10:46 PM.
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Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 3,045
3000 Post Club Member
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3000 Post Club Member
Joined: Mar 2007
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Get the heavy keys, not the light one. So now, with that in mind, at $800, the YPG is tough to beat in my opinion. It will be sufficient to play for several years. I find the action perfectly good, and well above other keyboards in that price range. They are not robust keyboards. Don't expect them to resist 10 years of heavy use. The next step up is going to run slightly under $1800. It will also be much better, better action, and better sound. It's built much better, too. Your decision, your wallet >> EDIT: and the USB connection (if it's USB to HOST), just uses the USB cable to transfer MIDI data. If it doesn't have standard MIDI connections as well, you wouldn't be able to use it to control another MIDI device or have another device control it. Not sure what that means, but you will be able to use the YPG to control a PC for example, and play sounds from that computer, instead of from the onboard patches. In case you're thinking of using expensive 3rd party sound libraries, it can be done. You will also be able to transfer midi files.
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Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 377
Full Member
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Full Member
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 377 |
>> EDIT: and the USB connection (if it's USB to HOST), just uses the USB cable to transfer MIDI data. If it doesn't have standard MIDI connections as well, you wouldn't be able to use it to control another MIDI device or have another device control it.
Not sure what that means, but you will be able to use the YPG to control a PC for example, and play sounds from that computer, instead of from the onboard patches. In case you're thinking of using expensive 3rd party sound libraries, it can be done. You will also be able to transfer midi files.
I meant that you won't be able to control a MIDI device that's not a PC. Something like this http://www.amazon.com/Dave-Smith-Desktop-Synthesizer-Module/dp/B001M1UOSE
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Joined: May 2011
Posts: 5
Junior Member
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OP
Junior Member
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 5 |
well thank you guys.
we came home tonight from guitar center with a casio PX-330 for $630 ($700 less 10% coupon) + tax.
we were REALLY stuck on the yamaha DGX640 before I posted on here, and thanks to the advice, we reconsidered and weighed our priorities.
Weight - DGX640 was 45lbs or so. if my wife is going to be getting this thing out whenever she wants to play, and putting it away when she's done, this is a problem. sure, she can lift it, but if it's going to be inconvenient, then that may be a discouragement. Less chance of dropping it too.
Interfaces - By switching to the casio, we gained true MIDI, didn't lose the USB, gained line in/out, a 2nd headphones jack, and SD card as opposed to USB hosting
Form Factor - we lost a few inches of depth, so it will take less space.
Less buttons - my 2.5 year old, when he gets to use it, may be able to remain focused a little longer
Sound - Sounds as good as the Yamaha
Keys - Feels pretty much the same to our unexperienced hands, but.... weighted nicely.
thanks guys. the future is wide open and i plan to come back here in the near future with more questions and we'll be reading a bunch on here too.
Thank you!
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Piano
by Gino2 - 04/17/24 02:34 PM
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Piano
by Gino2 - 04/17/24 02:23 PM
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