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Hi everyone,
I just ordered one of these after trying in store . I tried many instruments leading up to today but only recently had I seen any of the new clps. I tried the 545 but noticed that the action on the 585 was significantly better. The sound was also very impressive from the 585 with a beautify, rich, natural sounding tone coming from the cabinet.

The counterweight seemed to improve the feeling of the initial part of the down stroke of each key and the overall feel was very natural, fast and responsive to play. The bottom of the stroke had a good feel - it was not 'boggy' or too soft and was also not noisy. Overall the action felt on the light side rather than heavy. (I am a beginner to intermediate player so don't read anything definitive about my opinion of the action - it just felt really good to me).

I also liked the appearance - although a secondary concern - of the polished ebony finish and the soft close fall board and music rest are very sturdy and feel very good quality. It also came with a height adjustable stool which impressed me as I didn't expect it.
In short, I was blown away by the instrument in a very short time of testing. Outstanding action, extremely impressive and natural sound, and a beautiful overall presentation. I've been waiting for others to review this instrument before purchasing but in the end the instrument spoke for itself.

I'll expect delivery in the next week and will be happy to update with further feedback for anyone considering one for themselves. I didn't get to try a 575 so can't comment on that model. I recently purchased a Kawai but after having some technical problems with it was returned for a refund.
Regards, Peter.

Congrats Peter!

May I suggest that you add the details of your purchase to the "Digital Piano Prices Paid" thread.

Kind regards,
James
x

Yes, congrats!

Peter, have you compared the new Yamaha action with the older generation? What they called GH3 and GH had in my opinion a rather odd initial resistance to movement of the key - the effort to overcome it meant maintaining control towards the end of the downstroke was more difficult. To be fair it was only really apparent when comparing directly to other actions but once it was in my mind I found it difficult to deal with. I just noted your comment about the initial part of the downstroke on the 585 - is this the improvement you are referring to? In which case Yamaha will have made a significant step here.

Thanks for your review. Keep us updated.

Hi EssBrace,

Yes, that is what I was referring to. I did try the 440 (and a CVP 609) as well and found that the 585 was far superior to these and the 545. When comparing the 545 to the 440, I actually preferred the 440. I just didn't like the 545 action. I was considering getting a 470 today to be honest but wanted to at least try the 585 before making a commitment. I feel the 585 is a huge improvement and better than the 440 and 545 significantly. It is not a subtle difference either - its very noticeably different and within a few minutes of playing, I knew it would be a joy to play for a long term. In fact, I was quite sceptical about the 'counterweight' and thought it may be just a bit of marketing.

Its a shame they can't put that action in the more affordable instruments - perhaps it will 'trickle' down over time into other DPs. In fact I can't wait to get it home and start practicing on it.

I was also intending on trying the new action from Roland which I still have not tried but in the end I was very satisfied with the 585 and my search stopped there.

Thanks James,
I'm not keen on publishing 'price paid' for various reasons. I paid a price I was happy with and I'm sure the dealer was happy too. It was quite a bit more that the price I paid for the CA95.
I'm still a big fan of Kawai and feel bad about how the digital worked out. The Shigeru Kawai remains on my short list for a grand piano when I can afford a house big enough to have the space for a grand!
Best regards, Peter.

Peter, I can appreciate your reluctance to publish the pricing information.

Thank you for your positive words about the Shigeru Kawai too!

Kind regards,
James
x

Hi cub, I'd be interested to hear the story of what happened with your CA95. You said you had some clicky keys and a technician was coming to look at it... what happened next? Why do you feel bad?

Hi Lolatu,
I've sent you a PM with the details here. Essentially there were some technical issues with the action which a technician couldn't fix. A second replacement instrument had similar issues and I opted for a refund at that stage and started looking for a product from an alternative maker.
Why do I feel bad? - well its awkward for the buyer and seller when there are problems with a product. I was very excited by the CA95 in terms of its potential and the excellent feel on the keys that worked well. I also received very good service from the dealer and Kawai Australia in handling the problem. I feel bad that it didn't work out the way I had hoped.

cub, How would you compare the action between the CA95 and the CLP585?

Edit:

I will also add that I found it interesting that you preferred the action on the 440 (GH3 - not wood) over the 545 (Wooden "X" - but no counter weight). The counter weight seemed to do it for you. Too bad there is a $2600 (retail) price difference between the 545 and the 585. $2600 (plus taxes) is what I think I paid for my 340 in 2010. My kids however have been taking piano now for 7 years and one of them will probably start needing more "grand" playing time here real soon. I definitely do not have pockets that deep ... hence my interest in the CA95 and CLP585.

Peter, could you let us know (at some point) how the Imperial preset compares to the CFX?
Thanks.

It was enough strange to not find messages about new CLP-500 series in this forum.
Congrats for your CLP-585. I would like to know the difference with CA-95 if possible. I would like to buy a decent digital piano with a realistic action since I'm a classical pianist with a real acustic piano of 2 meter, but I have troubles with neighbors. Some times ago I tried Yamaha AvantGrand N1 and I liked its action but not its price. I am interested in CA-95 but here there is only a shop that sell Kawai digital and it has only a CN34: I not like both sound and action. So this new CLP-585 could be a valid solution for me. Thanks.

Hi theoak,
I think the the action on the CA95 and CLP585 are both very good and at the top of their respective ranges from each maker. Overall I prefer the yamaha but many on this forum rate the GF action on Kawai very highly. I'll wait till I have my 585 at home to give further feedback about the action. One difference I could say now is the bottom of the key stroke is softer on the kawai. The overall weight of the keys is probably similar between the two. I also noticed with the 585 that the keys were easy to play up high up (or at the back in between the black keys). The escapement was just noticeable if you went looking for it but not irritating or intrusive.

On the issue of the 440 vs 545 - I just felt that the 440 action was more refined and better quality. I was going to look at the 470 as overall I would prefer the wooden keys. I had a Clavinova 240 from 2006 until recently and was keen to upgrade from the plastic keys. In the end I didn't end up getting a chance to try to 470 because the 585 was so good when I tried it that i stopped comparing with others and bought it.

In terms of wanting a 'grand' like experience for your kids, I would definitely recommend trialling the CLP 585 before making a decision. Its only my opinion but I feel its the best action on a digital I have ever come across. It is more expensive than the CA95 where I live and many rate the CA95 very highly. I would try both and decide for yourself. In terms of sound the Kawai is very nice but as others on the forum have said the sound sometimes needs a little tweaking in the settings. The 585 had very pleasing sounds to my ear but I wont be able to fully review this aspect until it is here and I can have a proper test of it.

P120,
I've explained some of the differences above for you. You should try a 585 for yourself. I think both instruments would be suitable. I'm looking forward to hearing what more advanced pianists think of the new yamaha action with counterweights - remember I'm not very advanced (currently working on pieces from grade 4-6 in terms of difficulty).

Theoak - have you thought about getting an acoustic for your kids?

Pete14 - I didn't really get a chance to try the bosendorfer sound thoroughly. In the store I preferred the yamaha CFX sound which I really loved. The bosendorfer was perhaps a more delicate (?thin) sound but I noticed a lot of colour and tone change with different dynamics. I'll try it at length once I take delivery and update after that.

Hello Cub,

Spurred on by your experience in this thread I have been trying out the Kawai CA95, Kawai CS10 and the Yamaha CPL 585 along with the Yamaha N2 and some silent acoustic piano's such as the Yamaha YUS5 and a really nice Kemble. I'm kind of building up my impressions over time and this represents an initial starting point. Bearing in mind I only spent about 20 minutes playing around with it, I did find the touch on the 585 interesting and engaging. The model has only been on the showroom floor for two weeks. At first I really liked it and I also enjoyed both the CFX and the new Bosendorfer samples. The sound from the cabinet is also very good indeed. However after a while, the touch began to feel a little odd and.... how can I put this... 'kind of wobbly'. I think it has something to do with the counter weight mechanism. I can see what they are trying to achieve here with regard to the tensioning of the keys but it ended up feeling a little unnatural to me. As soon as I got back on the N2 and the upright acoustic's the touch became more familiar. The N2 seems as good as some of the grand piano's I briefly tinkered with on the showroom floor and is currently my favourite hybrid digital piano. Its just so darned expensive. Anyway, given that all pure digital piano's struggle to emulate both grand and upright acoustic action, IMHO the touch on the 585 is very sensitive, easy to acclimatise to and is a worthy competitor to the Kawai grand feel.

Regards,

Paul H

I had a quick pop at the 585 which has arrived at our dealers whilst I picked up some music retaining screws. . . Managed to switch it on, nothing happened. Asks the fella if this was a "Silent Piano" . . . he couldn`t get any volume either, nor did he even smile! (which made me laugh out loud). Eventually succeeded. Didn`t like those fiddly controls; "generic" I think they call `em. Sounded pretty good though. . .but I couldn`t find the Bosendorfer or anything else for that matter.

What I did find was this Bluthner portable priced at £1300 with the name plastered over the front in appallingly bad taste. And it didn`t sound brilliant either, imo.

cub, do not mean to derail the topic ... but you asked about getting an acoustic.

My dilemma is I have been told by multiple sources that my Clavinova is built "like" a grand and hence has a grand piano action (or at least close to it). To get an upright acoustic would be a step back (or maybe sideways). So, that leaves me with a grand piano and the many many thousands of dollars later which I simply cannot afford. Also, I am not sure if an acoustic (upright or grand) will "fit" into my home. I have 5 kids (5 to 13 in age) and to have an acoustic ringing all day would drive us crazy with everything that goes on here. My son truly loves the piano and if he had his way he would be on it all day - literally. This is where the digital piano has saved us ... he plugs in his head phones ... and then comes up for air a few hours later ... or at least when he wants a snack

The AvantGrand models intrigue me, but they are 2009 technology, and are also SUPER pricey. Hence my interest in the CLP-585. I look forward to more reports on the CLP-585.

The CN34 action is very different from the CA95 action. The sound is also very different. In both instances the CA is much better. I have found the GF action to be superior. The HI-XL sounds are top-notch. Still not as great a sound as you can get with some better software pianos, but very, very nice. If you cannot try out the CA95 in person, you can try CA65 or MP11, as they all have the GF action. Try with headphones for the CA65 or the MP11, though, to get a good idea of the sound.

What was the problem?

Hi Theoak,
Now I can see your situation - it really sounds like the benefits of a good digital piano would be best here. I can still only dream of having the money and space for a grand piano! I know one day its coming but I need a new house first. Life must be hectic with 5 kids - we have a hard enough time with 1.

I think the 585 remains an option - when will you have a chance to check it out? Also - do you play yourself or is it mainly for the kids? and how old is your son who is playing so much?
And, have you considered Kawai? - there seem to be many happy kawai customers on the forum. You know my feeling on this but if you have considered a CS10/7 or CA95/65?

Hi Paul,
Thanks for contributing to the thread. Its interesting to read your comments here. I was also very impressed with the sound from the cabinet and enjoyed the sound samples. I didn't get a wobbly feel from the action but this kind of thing is very subjective. I felt the action was very solid and sturdy while being light and fast as well. I think a familiar feel is always comforting - what instrument have you been playing at home?
Thanks again and best wishes for your search for the DP thats right for you.
Peter.

I don't really know . . . but one or two other Yamahas were the same.